Freedom House Welcomes Move to Drop Blasphemy Charges against Pakistani Girl

The decision by a Pakistani court to drop blasphemy charges against teenager Rimsha Masih is a positive step but fails to address the larger issue of the continued existence of laws of this kind.  Freedom House calls on the Pakistani government to repeal or reform its blasphemy laws so as to better protect its citizens and foster an environment where diverse views can be freely expressed without fear.

Rimsha was taken into custody in Islamabad on August 16 after an angry mob accused her of blasphemy and called for her arrest when she was framed by a local imam who planted burnt pages with verses from the Koran in her bag. Nearly 400 families, many of them Christian, were forced to flee the capital following violent protests. Masih was later released on one million rupees ($10,500) bail in early September. Pakistani imam Muhammad Khalid Chishti, who called for Rimsha to face the death penalty, was taken into custody in September after he was formally accused of planting the burned pages in Rimsha’s bag.

Rimsha is not the first person targeted by Pakistan’s blasphemy law, which sentences to death or life in prison any person who “defiles the Koran.” The misuse and abuse of blasphemy laws in Pakistan and other countries has not only led to increased detention and fatal violence, but an overall decline in support for the use of blasphemy laws.  In early 2011, Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab, and Shahbaz Bhatti, Minister for Minority Affairs, were murdered after speaking out publicly against the blasphemy law. In July, a month prior to Rimsha’s arrest, a Muslim man suspected of blasphemy was pulled out of a police station by an angry mob and killed.

Learn more:

Freedom in the World 2012: Pakistan

Freedom of the Press 2011: Pakistan

Freedom on the Net 2012: Pakistan

Policing Belief: The Impact of Blasphemy Laws on Human Rights

Blog: The Ravages of Pakistan’s Blasphemy Law