British man with schizophrenia faces death sentence in Pakistan for blasphemy

A 69 year old British man has been sentenced to death by a court in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi after he was convicted of blasphemy, despite evidence from a psychiatrist that he has had depression, psychoses, and schizophrenia for 20 years.

Mohammad Asghar, who is thought to have family in Scotland, was arrested in 2010 after writing letters to various people claiming to be a prophet, reports said.

His lawyers were believed to have been removed from the court by the judge on 24 January and unable to give evidence. They were to seek an urgent appeal of his …