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| India-Pakistan |
| Pakistani Court Reverses Christian Case |
| 2003-03-22 |
| An appeals court has ordered the release of two Christians in eastern Pakistan who were sentenced to life in prison for allegedly insulting Islam's Prophet Mohammed, a Christian activist said Saturday. The Lahore High Court overturned a lower court's conviction of the Christians, brothers Rasheed and Saleem Nazir, in a ruling Friday, said Joseph Francis, head of the Center for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement. The center represented the brothers in their appeal. The Nazirs were convicted three years ago by a court in the town of Pasrur, about 90 miles southwest of Lahore. Police had charged them with blasphemy on the basis of a complaint by a Muslim ice cream vendor who had argued with them, according to Francis. And that was all it took to toss them in jug... The appeals court ruled there was insufficient evidence for the conviction. Under Pakistani Islamic law, the word of a Muslim accuser is all that is needed to prosecute a non-Muslim on blasphemy charges, which can carry the death penalty. That's because Islam is the Master Religion... Last year Amnesty International urged Pakistan to amend or abolish its blasphemy law. "The law has frequently been abused to imprison people on grounds of religious enmity, but also has proved an easy tool to have people imprisoned when the real motives are business rivalry or land issues," the human rights group said. That's why they have it in the first place, isn't it? |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #2 Them some vengeful damn ice cream runners |
| Posted by: Bman 2003-03-22 21:14:56 |
| #1 Them some vengeful damn ice cream runners |
| Posted by: Bman 3/22/2003 9:14:56 PM |