Pakistan police lodge blasphemy case against Christian teen
The sex scandal began with text messages and escalated to group sex, which was filmed by one of the students on his cellphone.
Police in Pakistan have opened a blasphemy case over allegedly offensive text messages sent by 17-year-old Ryan Stanten, who is Christian, according to Agence-France Presse.
More from GlobalPost: Pakistan's Darra Adam Khel market bombed, at least 14 killed
The young man in question is now in hiding, along with his family, reported the Associated Press.
Police lodged the case — which under Pakistani law does not charge a person with a crime — after neighbors attacked his Karachi house, policeman Shahid Hayat told AP on Friday.
Neighbors said the youth had sent them text messages defaming Islam's Prophet Mohammed and proceeded to destroy his home, said AFP. Police said they filed the case in an attempt to calm the community.
Blasphemy convictions can lead to the death sentence in Pakistan.
Neighbors said Stanten told them he had forwarded the messages without reading them, according to Hayat's account to AP.
Pakistan's tough blasphemy law came under scrutiny several months ago with the high-profile case of a Christian girl accused of desecrating the Koran despite concerns over her mental capacity. Rimsha Masih was jailed for several weeks, prompting international outcry. She was released on bail early last month.
Without federal support, local stations, especially in rural and underserved areas, face deep cuts or even closure. Vital public service alerts, news, storytelling, and programming like The World will be impacted. The World has weathered many storms, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to being your trusted source for human-centered international news, shared with integrity and care. We believe public media is about truth and access for all. As an independent, nonprofit newsroom, we aren’t controlled by billionaire owners or corporations. We are sustained by listeners like you.
Now more than ever, we need your help to support our global reporting work and power the future of The World.