Killing of Tahir Naseem

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Tahir Ahmad Naseem, an American citizen from Illinois, was killed on 29 July 2020, in a courtroom in Peshawar, Pakistan.

In 2018, Naseem had been taken in police custody after he was accused of having committed blasphemy by claiming to be a prophet. [1]

According to the United States Department of State, Naseem had been lured to Pakistan from his home in Illinois by individuals who then used Pakistan's blasphemy laws to entrap him. The U.S. Government has been providing consular assistance to Naseem and his family since his detention in 2018 and has called the attention of senior Pakistani officials to his case to prevent the type of act that eventually occurred. [2] [3] Naseem was shot 6 times by Faisal Khan, a 21-year old local resident. Naseem was a former member of the Ahmadi sect. [4] [5] According to the official spokesman for the Ahmadi community in Pakistan, Naseem had previously renounced his affiliation with the Ahmadi community and embraced Sunni Islam. [6] His death spurred thousands in support of his killer to rally in Peshawar. [7]

Tahir was born in Pakistan. He became a naturalised citizen after moving to the US as a teenager. [8]

He had two daughters. [9]

In September 2020, the Peshawar High Court had declared the prime accused a juvenile and ordered his trial be tried under the Juvenile Justice System Act, 2018. [10] The prime accused, who was stated to be aged 17 years at the time, and the two co-accused in the case, cleric Wasiullah and a junior lawyer Tufail Zia were facing a trial inside the Central Prison Peshawar. [10]

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References

  1. ↑ Hashim, Asad (July 29, 2020). "Man shot dead for 'blasphemy' in Pakistan courtroom". Al Jazeera.
  2. ↑ "Killing of Tahir Naseem". United States Department of State. July 30, 2020.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  3. ↑ Hollingsworth, Julia; Raja, Adeel (July 31, 2020). "US national shot dead in Pakistan courtroom during blasphemy trial". CNN. Retrieved August 2, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ↑ "Pakistan blasphemy: Gunman shoots accused dead in court". BBC. July 29, 2020.
  5. ↑ Masood, Salman (July 30, 2020). "American Accused of Blasphemy Is Killed in Pakistan Courtroom". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Man Killed in Pakistani Court on Blasphemy Charges Was US Citizen | Voice of America - English". www.voanews.com. July 30, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  7. ↑ Gannon, Kathy (July 31, 2020). "Thousands rally in Pakistan in support of killer of American". Jacksonville Journal-Courier. Retrieved August 2, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)[ permanent dead link ]
  8. ↑ "'He was such a kind soul': daughter's fight for US man killed at Pakistan blasphemy trial". The Guardian. August 30, 2020.
  9. ↑ Inayat, Naila (February 24, 2021). "After Losing Her Father to Blasphemy, a Daughter Fights for Justice". Vice World News. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  10. 1 2 "'Killer' of blasphemy accused to be tried by PHC under juvenile law". DAWN. April 21, 2023.


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