ISTANBUL, Pakistan — A Pakistani appeals court confirmed the acquittal of two Christian brothers jailed nearly four years ago on charges of blasphemy.
The Lahore High Court ordered the release of the two Pakistani Christians, currently incarcerated in the Sahiwal Central Jail. Saleem and Rasheed Masih have been under arrest and denied bail since June 1999, when they were accused of slandering the prophet Mohammed during an argument with an ice cream vendor in the Pasrur region of northeastern Pakistan.
It will take at least a week for the brothers’ release orders to be transferred through legal channels so that the two men can be discharged and reunited with their families. But even then their lives will be in danger, since Islamist radicals in Pakistan have vowed to kill all accused blasphemers regardless of court decisions.
Share with others: