'Blasphemy' killings arrests

Police in Pakistan said on Wednesday that at least 43 suspects have been arrested in connection with the killing of a Christian couple on Tuesday. The pair were beaten to death for allegedly desecrating a copy of the Koran, before their bodies were burned in a brick kiln. Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif described the murders "an unacceptable crime."

The only information given about the two victims was that they were married and named Shama and Shehzad.

Local police officer Mohammad Iqbal said the arrests were made before dawn on Wednesday in the town of Kot Radha Kishan, in the eastern province of Punjab.

Death penalty

In conservative Muslim Pakistan - where Christians account for around four percent of the population - blasphemy, which includes insulting the Islamic prophet Muhammad, is a serious offense. Even when they go to court, charges are punishable by death.

The law, however, is difficult to fight as it does not clearly define what is blasphemous. Presenting evidence can sometimes be considered a violation in itself.

One of country's most high profile cases is that of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman who was found guilty of committing blasphemy while working in the fields in 2009 and was sentenced to death. On October 16 this year, her death sentence was upheld by the Lahore High Court. Amnesty International called the verdict a "grave injustice."

ksb/rc (Reuters, AP)