Pakistani lawyer petitions for death of Mark Zuckerberg

[v9s]

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is being investigated by Pakistani police under a section of the penal code that makes blasphemy against Muhammad punishable by death.

BBC Urdu reports — according to a Google Translation — that Pakistan's Deputy Attorney General has launched a criminal investigation against Zuckerberg and others in response to Facebook hosting a "Draw Muhammad" contest on its site late last month. On May 19, Pakistani authorities blocked access to Facebook over the contest, and this ban was lifted on May 31 after Facebook removed the page in Pakistan and other countries.

Asked to comment, a Facebook spokeswoman told us the company does not comment on legal matters.

Last month, according to English-language Pakistani newspaper The News International, a Pakistani High Court judge summoned the police after lawyer Muhammad Azhar Siddique filed an application for a First Information Report (FIR), claiming that the owners of Facebook had committed a heinous and serious crime under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code. In essence, an FIR launches a criminal investigation. But no charges have been filed.

According to the paper, Section 295-C of the penal code reads: "Use of derogatory remark etc, in respect of the Holy Prophet, whoever by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representation, or by any imputation, innuendo, or insinuation, directly or indirectly, defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for life, and shall also be liable for fine."

So, peace be unto Muhammad. But not unto Mark Zuckerberg.

According to two reports — one at Boxcrack.net, a kind of citizen journalism site run by Privacy International, and another at Pro Pakistani, a Pakistani Telecom and IT news site that lifted the news from BBC Urdu — the Deputy Attorney General has indeed lodged an FIR against Zuckerberg, fellow co-founders Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes, and "Andy", the German woman who initiated the Draw Muhammad contest under a pseudonym.

According to Pro Paskistani, petitioner Muhammad Azhar Sidiqque said he's waiting for the police to contact Interpol about making arrangements for the arrest of Facebook's owners and "Andy". The site also says that the Deputy Attorney General told the High Court that Pakistan’s United Nations representative has asked to escalate the issue in the UN General Assembly.

Pakistani lawyer petitions for death of Mark Zuckerberg ? The Register

 

[SQ8]

It isn't the fault of the facebook page's owners that the page was made.. it was their insensitivity to remove it..but at the same time.. pages like **** jesus and **** Israel also exist then he has a point about letting his view on freedom of speech exist.
The petition for blasphemy applies to those people who drew it, and the woman who started that page(she has disowned it and is very apologetic). Also will someone give Mr Azhar a slap on his face and dunk his face in cold water.. what possible screwball thinks that by registering a case against a person of a different country in the "not so Islamic-republic" can he achieve anything. Instead of registering an FIR against the many mullah nutjobs who would rather see everyone dead that doesn't believe in their perverted points of view and are allowed to preach from the pulpit.

 

[Icarus]

Now this is called going over the edge, Protests, Banning it for sometime, that's ok, it's our way of exercising our freedom of speech an expression, but filing a death petition ? That's just stupid, the woman who made that page herself is now campaigning for people to abstain from it, she admits she was wrong to do such a thing and she never realized it could get so out of control. Mark Zuckerberg said he would review facebook policy if these layers expect him to be given Death Penalty, they are in for a rude awakening.