Ayub Masih. Photo: opendoors.org

Lahore/Frankfurt/Main (15 August 2002) - This Thursday (12:10 pm local time) the Pakistani Christian Ayub Masih was acquitted of the charge of blasphemy by the Pakistani Supreme Court after six years in prison and 51 months on death row. The 34-year old father had been accused of insulting the prophet Muhammad by a Muslim neighbour. In April 1998, Ayub Masih was finally sentenced to death by a court in the town Sahiwal.

After Ayub Masih's acquittal ISHR is concerned for his safety, because often Islamist extremists take the law into their own hands and attack acquitted defendants. Thus, the Christian Manzoor Masih was shot in Lahore on 5 April 1994, after his trial. Ayub Masih himself was severely injured when he was shot on 6 November 1997, immediately before a session in court was to take place. ISHR believes that it would be recommendable to allocate these people secret accommodation and arrange for them to leave the country for a while.

The number of imprisoned Islamists has increased due to the government's campaign against terrorism. According to information from ISHR, some of the accused religious extremists are linked with organisations like Al Qaeda. These religious extremists threaten and beat the defendants of blasphemy on every possible occasion. A fact which is well-known to the prison administrations and the authorities.
ISHR calls on the Pakistani government to abolish the blasphemy law of 1991, which provides for capital punishment for blasphemy, and to ensure that all who are accused of blasphemy are detained safely and separately from Islamists.

In this context ISHR would like to call attention to the sentences imposed on Christians for alleged blasphemy: against Anwar Kenneth, who is probably mentally ill, on 18 July, and Ashiq Masih on 29 June 2002.

The acquittal of Ayub Masih could give the necessary impetus to finally abolish the blasphemy law.