Human Rights Watch has urged Pakistani authorities to overturn the long-standing blasphemy conviction of academic Junaid Hafeez, who has been detained for 13 years under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws amid serious due process and human rights concerns.
Hafeez, then in his 20s, was arrested on March 13, 2013, in Punjab province over alleged Facebook posts. In December 2019, a Multan court sentenced him to death following a trial that was repeatedly delayed and held inside a high-security prison because of fears of mob violence. His appeal remains pending, and he has been held in solitary confinement since June 2014.
“Junaid Hafeez’s case is emblematic of the unjust and abusive nature of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws,” said Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, calling on authorities to quash his conviction and safely release him and others detained under the same laws.
Under section 295-C of Pakistan’s penal code and related provisions, a death sentence is effectively mandated for blasphemy convictions. While no recent executions have been widely reported, HRW notes that several people remain on death row, dozens serve life terms, and hundreds have faced blasphemy charges over the past three decades.
Human Rights Watch documented extended pretrial delays, prolonged solitary confinement, and restricted access to legal counsel in Hafeez’s case, describing these conditions as amounting to cruel and inhuman treatment. In 2014, Hafeez’s defense lawyer, Rashid Rehman, was shot dead after receiving threats for representing him.
HRW warned that blasphemy laws are frequently misused to target religious minorities, settle personal disputes, extort, or punish online speech. The group also said authorities rarely hold perpetrators of mob violence accountable, while accused people endure lengthy pretrial detention, unfair trials, and severe sentences.
In October 2025, the Pakistani government announced plans to introduce procedural safeguards for blasphemy cases. HRW said that implementing those safeguards and releasing detainees like Hafeez would be a clear sign of genuine reform. “Hafeez’s case is an opportunity to demonstrate real intent and seriousness toward reform,” Pearson added.
Human Rights Watch’s appeal calls on Pakistani authorities to quash Hafeez’s conviction and ensure his safe release, and to take concrete steps to protect due process and prevent abuse of blasphemy laws.
