Christian in blasphemy case ruled a minor, 14
Source: Agencies |
August 29, 2012, Wednesday
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AN official medical review of a Pakistani Christian girl accused of desecrating the Quran has determined that the girl is a minor, a lawyer for the girl said yesterday.
The finding, which means the girl will be tried in the juvenile court system, could possibly defuse what has been a highly contentious case in Pakistan, where blasphemy can be punished with life in prison or even death.
The accusations against the girl have inflamed religious tensions in Pakistan, and sparked a mass exodus of Christians from the girl's neighborhood who feared retribution from their Muslim neighbors.
About 300 of the Christians who set up camp in a field outside the capital Islamabad were evicted from the site yesterday, and their makeshift church was burned down.
The attorney, Tahir Naveed Chaudhry, said a report by a medical board investigating the age and mental state of the girl determined she was 14 years old. He also said the board determined her mental state did not correspond to her age. Some media reports have said the girl has Down syndrome.
Chaudhry said that he would move to dismiss the case, adding there was "no solid evidence" against his client.
He said he saw his client on Saturday in the Rawalpindi prison where she's being held and that she was "weeping and crying."
The girl was accused by a neighbor of burning pages of a Quran. But many aspects of the case have been in dispute since the incident surfaced a little less than two weeks ago, including her age, whether she was mentally impaired and what exactly she was burning.
The case has spotlighted once again Pakistan's blasphemy laws that critics say can be used to settle vendettas or seek retribution. Many of Pakistan's minorities live in fear of being accused of blasphemy.
The finding, which means the girl will be tried in the juvenile court system, could possibly defuse what has been a highly contentious case in Pakistan, where blasphemy can be punished with life in prison or even death.
The accusations against the girl have inflamed religious tensions in Pakistan, and sparked a mass exodus of Christians from the girl's neighborhood who feared retribution from their Muslim neighbors.
About 300 of the Christians who set up camp in a field outside the capital Islamabad were evicted from the site yesterday, and their makeshift church was burned down.
The attorney, Tahir Naveed Chaudhry, said a report by a medical board investigating the age and mental state of the girl determined she was 14 years old. He also said the board determined her mental state did not correspond to her age. Some media reports have said the girl has Down syndrome.
Chaudhry said that he would move to dismiss the case, adding there was "no solid evidence" against his client.
He said he saw his client on Saturday in the Rawalpindi prison where she's being held and that she was "weeping and crying."
The girl was accused by a neighbor of burning pages of a Quran. But many aspects of the case have been in dispute since the incident surfaced a little less than two weeks ago, including her age, whether she was mentally impaired and what exactly she was burning.
The case has spotlighted once again Pakistan's blasphemy laws that critics say can be used to settle vendettas or seek retribution. Many of Pakistan's minorities live in fear of being accused of blasphemy.
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