A British man diagnozed with schizophrenia was sentenced to death in Pakistan for blasphemy after insulting Islam's prophet, the New York Daily News reported.
According to prosecutor Javed Gul, 69-year-old Mohammed Asghar of Edinburgh was arrested in Rawalpindi for claiming to be the Prophet Muhammed in 2010. He was then convicted under the country's blasphemy laws.
Gul said a judge of Pakistani origin sentenced him to death on Thursday. According to Reuters, his lawyers -- who asked not to be identified in fear of being attacked by extremists -- were not allowed in the court room and were prohibited by the jugde to represent him.
Several civil rights groups have criticized Pakistan for their harsh blasphemy laws and resulting convictions, which usually end with a life sentence or death penalty. The Center for Research and Security Studies, an Islamabad-based think tank, reported that the death penalty is increasing in Pakistan.
Asghar was arrested after writing letters to a lawyer and politician claiming to be the the Prophet Muhammed. Though he didn't send the letters, a tenant whom he was in the process of evicting at the time sent them to the police.
His lawyers said he was previously detained under the mental health act in Britain and diagnosed with schizophrenia. However, after the jugde prevented the law firm from representing him, he was given a court-appointed attorney who did not discuss his history of mentall illness, call witnesses, or question a state-appointed board that declared him sane.
The state counsel has not commented on the case.
