Judge bails girl, 11, jailed for blasphemy as cleric arrested

A PAKISTANI judge yesterdaygranted bail to a Christian girl accused of blasphemy, in a case that has attracted international condemnation and highlighted the plight of minorities in the mainly Muslim country.

Supporters of Rimsha Masih, who was arrested three weeks ago, claim she is only 11 and has learning disabilities.

Previous bail hearings have been adjourned as hard-line prosecutors insisted she must stay in prison.

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However, yesterday, Judge Muhammad Azam Khan announced he was freeing Rimsha.

“The bail application has been accepted against two sureties of 500,000 rupees [£3,200] each,” Judge Khan ruled.

Such decisions are rare in politically charged cases of blasphemy. Judges have been assassinated for appearing lenient and freed suspects have been subjected to mob justice in the past.Rimsha’s lawyers last night said they had not yet been able to pay surety but hoped she would be freed this weekend.

She faced at least one more night in the high-security prison where she has been held since being accused of burning pages containing holy verse.

The girl will be reunited with her family at a secret location, said Robinson Asghar, an aide to minister for national harmony Paul Bhatti. There were no plans to send her abroad,

Mr Bhatti said. “I am really satisfied and happy,” he added. “I believe justice has prevailed.”

An official medical report classified Rimsha as “uneducated” and said she was 14, but with a mental age less than that. She was only released after ­witnesses came forward to say they had seen a cleric place two pages from the holy Koran inside a bag she had been carrying. He has since been arrested.

Rimsha’s lawyer, Tahir Naveed Chaudhry, said she would only be released once her safety and security could be guaranteed, a process that would include an armoured car and bodyguards.

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“She will be kept in a safe and protected place with her family members,” he said.

Allegations of insulting Islam provoke uproar in Pakistan, where about 97 per cent of the population is Muslim.

US-based Human Rights Watch welcomed Rimsha’s release and urged authorities to consider reforming the law.

“This child should not have been behind bars at all. All charges against her should be dropped,” the international rights group said in a statement.

Two high-profile Pakistani politicians were assassinated last year after they campaigned for the release of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy. One of the killers was later feted as a hero.

Campaigners hope Rimsha’s case will be the catalyst to end abuse of the laws which are too often manipulated to target ­religious minorities or settle scores.

Alice Jay, of the campaign group Avaaz, said one million people had signed a petition to free Rimsha. She said: “Now she and her family and community must be protected from mob violence, and the authorities should initiate a full review of the blasphemy laws that led to this child’s terror.”

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