A Pakistani couple was reported to be buried alive by an angry mob after they were accused of allegedly burning some pages of the Qur'an.
In the report by a lawyer in the country's Punjab state, an angry mob of about 500 to 600 murdered the Christian couple and threw them in the brick kiln where they have been working.
According to the report by World Watch Monitor, the victims, Shazad Masih and his wife Shama Bibi, were tortured by the mob, and murdered on November 4. In the report, Shazad and his wife, who was five months pregnant, were 'bonded laborers' at the brick kiln, which means the couple had huge debts and so they were unable to flee the country even when Christians were threatened.
The 'twin-death' of the couple was first revealed in the Supreme Court on December 15, which includes a post-mortem report stating that the victims were in fact alive when they were thrown to the kiln to burn.
In the report, Pakistani authorities arrested around 50 individuals in the mob who were deemed as directly involved in the crime. The suspects were arrested under the country's Anti-Terrorism Act.
In this case, "Terrorism" means "the use or threat of action where ... The use or threat is designed to coerce and intimidate or overawe the Government or the public or a section of the public or community or sect or create a sense of fear or insecurity in society", as stated by the law.
The defendants were charged by the state itself, which means the government will ensure that each of them will not go unpunished for their crime. This could be the nation's first step in making a firm justice that will condemn violent acts, especially against Christians.
Still, the authorities gave the accused the right to seek legal counsel.