LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) – A Pakistani court on Monday granted bail to a Christian man convicted in 2018 while still a teenager for insulting Islam by posting a photo of Islam’s holiest site on social media. places, said a lawyer.
The court order in the eastern city of Lahore came more than four years after Nabeel Masih was arrested. He was detained after a gang accused him of blasphemy by sharing a photo of Kaaba in Mecca on Facebook. He was 16 years old at the time.
According to his lawyer, Naseeb Anjum, Masih was granted bail by the Lahore Supreme Court. It was unclear exactly when Masih would be released.
Blasphemy is a contentious issue in Pakistan. Domestic and international human rights groups say blasphemy charges have often been used to intimidate religious minorities and settle personal accounts.
In 2018, Masih became the youngest convicted of blasphemy in Pakistan when the court sentenced him to 10 years in prison. Since then, the British Asian Christian Association has supported a legal battle for his release.
Anjum said he will try to quickly complete the paperwork to free Masih, who is now 20 years old. “I will continue this legal battle for his acquittal,” he added.
Ghulam Mustafa Chaudhry, a lawyer for the man who brought the original charge against Masih, confirmed that Masih had been bailed, but provided no further details.
Juliet Chowdhry, a trustee of the British Asian Christian Association, said in a statement that she was happy that Masih would be released, but noted that he has “lost many of his most important development years.”
Chowdhry said that Masih should be compensated for his false belief to help him restore his life and that the organization would pursue this for him. “We call on Christians everywhere to pray for him as we continue the fight,” she said.
A Punjab governor was murdered by his own guard in 2011 after defending a Christian woman, Aasia Bibi, who was accused of blasphemy. She was acquitted after eight years on death row and left Pakistan to join her family after being threatened.