PAKISTAN: Christian Unexpectedly Acquitted Of ‘Blasphemy’

ISTANBUL, September 17 (Compass Direct News) – A Pakistani judge this morning unexpectedly cleared a Christian teenager of charges that he had ripped up pages containing verses from the Quran, the Christian’s lawyer said.

Judge Muhammad Abdul Sattar acquitted Shahid Masih, 18, at a lower court hearing in Faisalabad after prosecution witnesses changed their original testimonies. Often pressured by extremist religious groups, lower courts in Pakistan rarely acquit “blasphemy” suspects.

Under oath, Mohammad Younis and Khalid Mehmood today dropped claims that Masih’s co-defendant told them he had seen Masih tear pages from a tafseer, a book explaining Quranic verses. (See Compass Direct News, “Teenage Pakistani Christian Jailed for Blasphemy,” September 22, 2006.)

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