Police in Pakistan prevented a Christian who was accused of blasphemy from attending his bail hearing on July 11th. As a result, the judge bowed to pressure from a crowd of protesters and thus denied the believer's release. The accused, Haroon Shahzad, has been held in "protective custody" since July 3rd, even though he was initially released on bail. Haroon is presently facing charges of blasphemy because of a Scripture passage he posted on Facebook without any comment. (See this page for more details.)
At the bail hearing, Haroon's lawyer, Aneeqa Maria, was taken aback when police entered the courtroom without her client. One of the officers claimed that Haroon was not in police custody and denied knowing the Christian man's whereabouts. Consequently, since the accused had not appeared in court, the judge rejected Haroon's bail application. When leaving the courthouse, Aneeqa and those with her were warned about angry protesters outside, forcing them to leave through a rear exit. She has since learned that the police had also delayed formally recording her client's arrest until after the hearing in order to keep him incarcerated.
In Pakistan, accusations of blasphemy regularly result in mob demonstrations. Those suspected of the alleged crimes subsequently face threats of death even if they are found innocent. To learn more about the unjust treatment of Christians in this South Asian nation, and/or to review reports on other cases of persecution, go to our country report.
Pray that Haroon will not only be released soon from custody, but that he and his family – as well as all those defending him – will be kept safe from vigilante attacks. May necessary steps ultimately leading towards improved religious freedom conditions throughout the country be taken by the government sectors and courts of Pakistan, in hopes that accusations of this nature will no longer be used against our innocent brothers and sisters in Christ.
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