Islamabad, Islamic leaders challenge medical report, call for punishment of Rimsha Masih
Islamabad
(AsiaNews) - A court in Islamabad, under pressure from religious leaders in the
courtroom, has postponed to September 1 the trial for blasphemy against Rimsha
Masih, a Christian girl of 13 who is being held in prison for burning pages of
the Koran . The
Islamist front, through a lawyer, presented a report that disputes the results
of the medical committee, who declared her a minor with - unspecified - mental disabilities.
The
tension was palpable in the court, increasing security concerns for Rimsha's
safety, whose life now appears increasingly endangered.
Inside
sources report that tomorrow Judges will review the report submitted by counsel
for the Muslim religious leaders, who claim Rimsha is 14 and not mentally
disturbed, so she must answer for her actions. On
September 1st the judges will announce their decision, in a court -
most likely - reinforced for safety reasons. According
to procedure the accused must be present at the trial, at the end of her period
of preventive detention, which expires September 1st. However,
the emerging threats to Rimsha Masih's security are giving rise to fears that fanatic
or extremist groups are planning to kill her.
Rimsha
Masih is charged under the "black law" for having burned pages
printed with verses from the Koran. She
could face up to life in prison and retaliation from elements close to the
fundamentalist Taliban. They have
repeatedly carried out extra-judicial murders of persons indicted for
blasphemy.
The
judges have to decide whether to grant her release, after a court appointed
medical board determined that the girl is under 14 years of age and shows a
mental age lower than her chronological age (see AsiaNews 28/08 /
2012 Blasphemy,
Rimsha Masih, minor with mental problems. Bishop of Islamabad: a positive outcome). However
no details are given about the nature of her mental disabilities.
Meanwhile,
outside the court in Islamabad Christian activists, groups and movements demonstrated
to demand the girl's release. The
Avaaz organization has launched an international campaign calling for Rimsha
Masih's release. The child has become an
icon in spite of herself just as Asia Bibi, in the fight against the infamous blasphemy
law in Pakistan. About
fifty members of Life for All brandished placards with the inscription:
"More than 20 thousand people in the world demand freedom for Rimsha
Masih".
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