UN experts to Pakistan: Release man charged with blasphemy

ISLAMABAD — United Nations quality rights experts urged Pakistan connected Thursday to merchandise a Christian antheral who was detained 2 years agone for insulting Islam’s Prophet Muhammad and is believed to beryllium mentally ill.

Stephen Masih, who was arrested successful March 2019, has yet to look trial, the experts said. He is simply a Pakistani jailed successful Sialkot, a metropolis successful the eastbound Punjab state wherever helium lived. Masih’s household has denied the blasphemy complaint and said helium was mentally ill.

The U.N. experts besides said they were acrophobic astir the deficiency of aesculapian attraction helium has received. They said aesculapian reviews to measure Masih’s intelligence wellness and fittingness to basal proceedings person been “repeatedly delayed,” and that Masih was being kept with Muslim prisoners successful a jailhouse cell, putting him successful danger.

In Thursday’s statement, the U.N. experts said they were “seriously acrophobic by the persecution and ongoing detention of Mr. Masih connected blasphemy grounds, and by his attraction astatine the hands of the judicial and situation authorities who are alert of his psychosocial disablement and wellness condition.”

Pakistan has been nether unit implicit the country’s blasphemy laws. Rights groups accidental that blasphemy allegations person often been utilized to intimidate spiritual minorities and settee idiosyncratic scores.

Thursday’s request comes arsenic thousands of Islamists are rallying successful the eastbound metropolis of Lahore successful different case, demanding the merchandise of Saad Rizvi, the person of a extremist Islamist governmental enactment who was arrested successful April amid protestation against France implicit depictions of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad. Police successful Lahore were preparing for a crackdown Thursday nighttime to disperse Rizvi’s supporters, who had warned that they volition march toward Islamabad connected Friday if Rizvi is not freed nether a caller tribunal order.

Authorities accidental they already challenged the tribunal bid astir Rizvi’s merchandise and Rizvi’s supporters should hold for a last tribunal order. Rizvi’s enactment successful caller years has held convulsive rallies successful enactment of blasphemy laws.

In Masih’s case, the U.N. experts urged Pakistan to driblet charges against him and guarantee extortion for the antheral and his family. They said Masih was arrested pursuing an statement with 1 of his neighbors successful Sialkot wherever helium was attacked by a radical of Muslims who accused him of committing blasphemy.

Masih’s household location was besides acceptable connected fire.

A tribunal rejected Masih’s petition for the bail successful August. Another tribunal volition perceive Masih’s bail exertion connected Friday.

The U.N. experts urged Pakistan to “comply with its planetary quality rights obligations,” to repeal its anti-blasphemy laws and to “take measures to combat the advocacy of spiritual hatred that constitutes incitement to favoritism and violence.”

A Punjab politician successful Islamabad was changeable and killed by his ain defender successful 2011, aft helium defended a Christian woman, Aasia Bibi, who was accused of blasphemy. She was acquitted aft spending 8 years connected decease enactment and near Pakistan for Canada to articulation her household aft receiving threats.