Court grants bail to Christian girl in Pakistan

September 7, 2012 / MariaNews.com

Court grants bail to Christian girl in Pakistan

UCANews.com -

A Christian girl detained for three weeks on controversial blasphemy charges has been released on bail.

Rawalpindi District Court today granted bail set at 500,000 rupees (US$5,282) bail to 14-year-old Rimsha Masih, who was accused of burning pages of the Qu’ran.

Her release follows the arrest of her accuser, the imam of a mosque near her home in Islamabad, who allegedly added Quranic pages to a bag containing the pages she allegedly burned, to strengthen the evidence against her.

The case against her has drawn widespread international condemnation.

“It’s a big achievement and will boost public trust in the judiciary of this country. This is the first time a false accuser has been arrested. We thank clerics, media and the nation for supporting the cause,” her lawyer Tahir Naveed Chaudhry said after the court hearing.

However the central executive committee member of the All Pakistan Minority Alliance, a Christian political party, said there were still fears for Rimsha’s safety.

“An accused usually leaves the city after being charged with such serious allegations [especially ones] which deal with religious sentiments,” he said.

“Even judges and lawyers face threats. Likewise we shall move the family to a safe location.”

Read More: http://www.ucanews.com/2012/09/07/court-grants-bail-to-christian-girl/

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