A Pakistani Christian man has been sentenced to death after he was accused of sending a Muslim friend a blasphemous Whatsapp message.

On July 10 last year Yasir Bashir accused Nadeem James of sending him over a poem that included derogatory remarks against the Prophet Mohamed and other holy figures.

Later that day the police raided Nadeem’s house to arrest him, but when they did not find him or his brothers at the address, they took away his two sister-in-laws and into custody. Two days later Nadeem was arrested and the female members of his family were released.

On September 14 2017 Nadeem was found guilty under Section 295-C and 298-A of the Pakistani Penal Code and sentenced to death.

His lawyer Anjum Vakil said his client would appeal the sentence in the High Court as he had been framed by his Muslim friend who was annoyed with his affair with a Muslim girl. He also said that due to security reasons the trial was held in a prison.