Qamar David

Qamar David (Punjabi: قمر ڈیوڈ (Shahmukhi)) was a Pakistani Christian convicted of blasphemy who died on 15 March 2011, in a jail in Karachi, Pakistan.[1][2]

Background

Originally from Hamza, in the Pakistani province of Punjab,[3] David was a supplier of cosmetics to shops in Karachi.[1] He was arrested in 2006 for allegedly insulting Muhammad in a text message to a business rival.[4] His lawyers stated that the charges were pushed by rival businessmen. He was convicted in February 2010 by a court in Karachi and sentenced to life in prison.[2] While in prison David had written twice to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, a rights NGO, expressing fear for his life and for his family's safety. He also accused the police of torturing him.[5]

Death

David, 57, died on 15 March 2011 after complaining of chest pain.[6] Prison officials stated that he died a natural death and foul play was ruled out. However, David's lawyer Aslam Chaudhry stated that his client was healthy and expressed concerns that David was murdered.[2] Andrew Johnston of Christian Solidarity Worldwide called for an independent investigation of the death.[2] An autopsy was performed on 16 March 2011 by doctors whose initial assessment was that he died of a heart attack. However, histopathology reports were expected to take several days.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Pakistan Christian's death 'not due to natural causes'". BBC. 15 March 2011. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d "Christian accused of blasphemy dies in Pakistan jail". The Guardian. 16 March 2011. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
  3. ^ Khan, Jibran (15 March 2011). "Christian jailed for blasphemy dies in suspicious circumstances, say activists". AsiaNews. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  4. ^ Khan, Faraz (16 March 2011). "Blasphemy convict's death in jail sparks suspicion". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
  5. ^ "Blasphemy convict's death in jail raises suspicion". Hindustan Times. 18 March 2011. Archived from the original on 21 March 2011. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
  6. ^ "Blasphemy convict dies in prison". Dawn. 16 March 2011. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
  7. ^ Khan, Faraz (17 March 2011). "Qamar David's case: Nervous doctors perform blasphemy convict's autopsy". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
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