Facebook was where Pakistan could debate religion. Now it's a tool to punish 'blasphemers'

Laws that criminalize insulting Islam have led to a death sentence for posts, as activists worry Facebook's commitment to Pakistanis' 'voice' is mostly lip service

Taimoor Raza, a 30-year-old Shia Muslim from a "poor but literate" family, was sentenced to death in June by an anti-terrorist court in Pakistan. His crime? Allegedly insulting the prophet Muhammad on Facebook.

It occurred during an online debate with a man who turned out to be an undercover counter-terrorism agent. His death sentence, the first to result from a social media posting, is an extreme example of the Pakistani government's escalating battle to enforce its blasphemy laws, which criminalize insulting Islam.