A Pakistani Christian man, Asif Pervaiz, 37, has been in jail since 2013 after he refused his supervisors request to convert to Christianity.

When Pervaiz refused, the factory supervisor then accused Pervaiz of sending blasphemous texts against Islam, that the Christian man denied sending. Pervaiz has been in jail since 2013 and this year was found guilty of blasphemy and sentenced to death.

The Daily Mail writes:

Pakistan has strict blasphemy laws which carry a death penalty for people who insult the Prophet Muhammad, Islam, the Quran or certain holy people.

There are at least 80 people in prison in Pakistan accused of blasphemy, with half facing life sentences or the death penalty, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom found. […]

Domestic and international human rights groups say blasphemy allegations have often been used to intimidate minorities and settle personal scores.

READ: Christian is sentenced to death in Pakistan after being accused of ‘blasphemy’ when he refused his employer’s request to convert to Islam

It is common for people in Pakistan to employ the country’s brutal blasphemy laws to settle property, economic and legal disputes as well use it as payback for disagreements or grudges against religious minorities.

In court cases, it is illegal for the accuser to even say what the blasphemy was because the individual would then be accused of blasphemy. The court blindly accepts that what the accused said was blasphemous.

Another recent blasphemy case: READ: Pakistani Christian Could Face Life in Prison after Pages of Quran Found in Drain

More on the Pakistani court system. READ: Pakistani Christian girl flees after court orders her to live with Muslim rapist