26 November 2010

Pakistani Christian jailed for blasphemy is freed

A court in Pakistan has freed a Christian man who was wrongly sentenced to 25 years in jail for blasphemy after he allegedly defiled the Koran by touching it with unwashed hands.

Munir Masih had consistently denied the allegations against him, arguing that they were false and made maliciously by a Muslim neighbour whose child had been involved in a quarrel with his 10-year-old son.

He has been freed on bail but his wife, Ruqqiya Bibbi, who was also given a 25-year sentence for the offence, is still in jail awaiting the outcome of her application for bail. [Catholic Herald] Read more [via National Secular Society]