Pakistan’s blasphemy laws mean Christians are at constant risk of being falsely accused of blaspheming Islam, the Koran or Mohammed, and they receive harsh punishments when convicted. Christians have been imprisoned for years under the country’s blasphemy laws, and many of those have been killed or forced to permanently flee the country upon release from prison.
In August of this year, two Christian sisters were accused of blasphemy when a Muslim man claimed to find ruined pages of the Koran amongst garbage, stating that one of the sisters had discarded them. Both sisters denied his allegation, believing that the pages were purposely placed there by the man himself because of the personal vendetta he had against them for refusing his indecent advances.
When Saima, a widowed mother of two, was taken into custody, her sister Sonia managed to flee the village with her family after the allegations had surfaced. Sonia is presently living in hiding with her three children. Although the investigating officer did not find her guilty during his inquiry, Sonia remains in grave danger from those who may impose their own forms of punishment upon her. Furthermore, the charges against her have not been fully dismissed.
In an unusual court decision, Saima was granted bail on 10 September. For security reasons, news of her release was withheld until she was able to find safety. Like her sister, Saima and her family remain in danger from militant vigilantes.
The lawyer representing the two women is filing an application to have the charges dropped. At last report, the court filing is pending.
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