Christian couple acquitted in Lahore over false blasphemy charges
Lahore (AsiaNews) - "The court took a brave decision by releasing the married couple. They were unfairly accused and jailed for a crime they never committed," said Fr John Mall. The priest from the Diocese of Lahore welcomed the ruling by the High Court that acquitted Munir Masih and his wife Ruqayya for lack of evidence. The parents of six children had originally received a life sentence.
In the first trial held in Kasur in 2010, the court dropped the charge of insulting the Prophet Muhammad, which carries the death penalty. It was clear even then, that the couple was not guilty of any crime. However, they had to wait four years before the second charge was also thrown out.
"No one testified against the couple on the matter of blasphemy," the couple's lawyer Chaudhry Naeem Shakir said. The contradictions in the complaint against 32-year-old Munir and his wife were apparent.
Their accuser, Muhammad Yousaf, had said that they had used the Qur'an for exorcism. The court found his story too inconsistent, ruling that it was made only in revenge in a "personal dispute".
A quarrel between the Christian couple's children and those of Muhammad Yousaf, from Kasur in Punjab, drove the latter to use the 'black law'.
Muhammad Yousaf induced his driver, Muhammad Nawaz, to bear false witness and accuse the Masih of blasphemy on the basis of sections B and C of Article 295 of Pakistan's penal code. Seven other people were also named as witnesses to the crime.
Following the Lahore High Court's decision, Munir Masih was released on bail. The charges against him were deemed weak from the start. His wife's release from the Sahiwal Women's Prison is expected shortly. She should be then reunited with her husband and six children (two boys and four girls).
"The court took a brave decision," Fr John Mall told AsiaNews. "The blasphemy law is used to settle personal scores, especially in Punjab," he exaplined. "The Catholic Church has appealed several times to the government to act against its abuse."
"Many cases of blasphemy have occurred and many acts of violence have been perpetrated against minorities in the area," said Fr Amir Romail, a priest in Kasur.
In view of this outcome, he said that he hopes to see judges making similar decisions "in other cases where the accused languishes in prison for years waiting for a judgement."
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