Show caption A Christian man in Pakistan intends to appeal against his death sentence for sharing material on WhatsApp about the Prophet Muhammad. Photograph: Jonathan Brady/PA Pakistan's blasphemy laws Pakistan man sentenced to death for ridiculing Prophet Muhammad on WhatsApp Nadeem James was accused by a friend of sharing anti-Islamic material on messaging app last year Reuters Sat 16 Sep 2017 04.27 BST Share on Facebook

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A Christian man has been sentenced to death for blasphemy by a court in eastern Pakistan after a close friend accused him of sharing material making fun of Islam, the defendant’s lawyer said on Friday.

Nadeem James, 35, was arrested in July 2016, accused by a friend of sharing material ridiculing the Prophet Mohammad on the WhatsApp messaging service.

Blasphemy is a criminal offence in Muslim-majority Pakistan, and insults against the Prophet are punishable by death. Most cases are filed against members of minority communities.

Lawyer Riaz Anjum said his client intended to appeal against the verdict, passed on Thursday by a sessions court in the town of Gujrat.

There was widespread outrage across Pakistan in April last year when student Mashal Khan was beaten to death at his university in Mardan following a dormitory debate about religion.

Police arrested more than 20 students and some faculty members in connection with the killing. Since then, parliament has considered adding safeguards to blasphemy laws, a groundbreaking move given the emotive nature of the issue.

There have been at least 67 murders over unproven allegations of blasphemy since 1990, according to figures from a research centre and independent records kept by Reuters.