Rimsha Masih: Blasphemy charges dropped against Christian girl

A Pakistani court has dropped all charges against Rimsha Masih, a young Christian girl who provoked a global outcry when she was arrested for blasphemy in August.

The Telegraph, 20 Nov 2012

Rimsha Masih, a Christian girl accused of blasphemy sits in helicopter after
her release from jail in Rawalpindi Photo: FAROOQ NAEEM/AFP/Getty Images

The 14-year-old was detained when a neighbour claimed she had burned pages of a religious book. She spent three weeks on remand in an adult prison.

However, she was freed on bail after witnesses said she had been framed by a local Muslim prayer leader.

The case, involving an illiterate girl from a persecuted minority, sparked calls for reform of Pakistan's harsh blasphemy laws, which carry the death penalty and which are used frequently to settle personal scores.

At a hearing at Islamabad High Court, Chief Justice Iqbal Hameed-ur Rehman threw out the case, citing a lack of witnesses.

Paul Bhatti, Pakistan's minister for national harmony and one of Rimshaﾒs most prominent supporters, said he was delighted by the decision.

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"We are very encouraged at how this case has proceeded," he said. "This sends a message that the rule of law will prevail and these laws must not be abused."

The ruling draws a line under an embarrassing episode for Pakistan.

Her arrest - as an angry mob surrounded her home in a Christian slum just outside the capital Islamabad - set off a deep period of soul searching in a country where blasphemy remains a hugely sensitive issue. Thousands are arrested each year on flimsy evidence and anyone daring to call for reform faces the threat of assassination.

Rimsha and her family have not been seen since she was freed on bail in September.

Hafiz Mohammed Khalid Chishti, an imam who first gave police the burned papers as evidence against her, has been arrested for desecrating the Koran and tampering with evidence.

An official medical report classified Rimsha as "uneducated" and aged 14, but with a mental age younger than her years. However, her supporters have said she is as young as 11 and suffers from Down's Syndrome.

Related Article:

Pakistan blasphemy case girl granted bail