A court in Lahore, Pakistan, has acquitted two Christian youths of false blasphemy charges stemming from a minor dispute, their lawyer announced Tuesday.
Adil Babar, 20, and Simon Nadeem, 16, who were 18 and 14 respectively when charged in 2023, were cleared of accusations under Section 295-A of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, according to Supreme Court Advocate Naseeb Anjum.
The two Catholics were initially arrested on May 18, 2023, and charged under Section 295-C, which pertains to disrespecting Islam’s prophet Muhammad and carries a mandatory death sentence; and Section 298-A, involving insults to holy figures including Muhammad’s wives, family members, and companions, and the four caliphs of Islam. These charges can lead to life imprisonment with a minimum sentence of 10 years.
Anjum told Christian Daily International–Morning Star News, “We challenged the inclusion of the two sections in our bail applications in the Lahore sessions court. The judge admitted that the accusation did not merit invoking Sections 295-C and 298-A, and ordered the police to change the charge to Section 295-A.”
The judge granted bail to Babar, and Nadeem was subsequently released on bail by the Lahore High Court. Their trial, which lasted nearly two years, was conducted under Section 295-A.
He also noted, “The court finally admitted our argument that it could not take cognizance of the offense under Section 295-A without the approval of the federal or provincial governments,” citing Section 196 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).
This section states that “no court can take cognizance of these offenses, outlined in the Pakistan Penal Code, unless the prosecution is initiated by a complaint made under the order or authority of the federal or provincial government or a designated officer.”
The case against the two Christians was filed by Zahid Sohail after a minor altercation, Anjum said. “The false accusation of blasphemy against the two boys caused religious tension in their Qurban Lines neighborhood, and their families were forced to relocate to other areas due to security fears,” he explained.
“There’s a dire need to make procedural reforms in cases involving blasphemy to protect the victims, a majority of whom are declared innocent after years of court proceedings and imprisonment.”
According to the Annual Human Rights Observer report by the Center for Social Justice, out of 344 new blasphemy cases, 70% of the accused were Muslims, 6% Christians, 9% Hindus, and 14% Ahmadis. The report states, “The blatant weaponization of blasphemy laws continued to enable persecution, religious intolerance and widespread human rights violations.”
Between 1987 and 2024, at least 2,793 persons have been formally or informally accused of blasphemy in Pakistan. The report further indicates that, between 1994 and 2024, at least 104 people were killed extrajudicially following blasphemy allegations.
