A Pakistani court has granted bail to a Christian man imprisoned for more than four years on alleged blasphemy offenses committed while a teenager.
The British Pakistani Christian Association, which took up Nabeel Masih’s legal defense, said a Lahore court on March 1 ordered the 20-year-old’s release on bail “based on no evidence that he had committed the crime.”
He is expected to be set free in three days.
Masih was 16 years old when he was arrested in 2016 after a lynch mob accused him of committing blasphemy by sharing a picture of the Kaaba in Mecca in a derogatory post on Facebook. The Kaaba is considered Islam's holiest site.
He was later sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2018 after sitting in pretrial detention for two years, becoming Pakistan's youngest blasphemy convict.
The British Pakistani Christian Association said they would continue to seek a full acquittal for Masih, who they reported was “devastated” wasting his youth away in prison.
“We reasoned that the quicker process of a bail application would enable Nabeel to be freed from his incarceration sooner, enabling him to tackle his suicidal depression and face the challenge of a long battle for exoneration in a position of strength,” the association said.
Insulting Islam is punishable by death in Pakistan, and the mere rumor of blasphemy can lead to lynching by mobs.
Nearly 80 people were known to be imprisoned in the country on blasphemy charges, half of whom face life in prison or the death penalty, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said in its 2020 annual report.
Pakistani Court Grants Bail To Christian Imprisoned As Teenager For Blasphemy

Editor's Picks
Subscribe
Afghanistan/Pakistan Trending
1
Tensions Rise As U.S., Taliban Exchange Threats
2Taliban Divisions Laid Bare As Afghanistan Power Struggle Intensifies
3'Lives Are In Danger': Afghans Devastated By Trump's Refugee Resettlement Suspension
4Pakistan Sets Deadline For West To Relocate Afghan Refugees
5Afghans In Mexico Anxious But Defiant As U.S. Shuts Down Immigration App
62 U.S. Men Freed In Afghanistan In Exchange For Taliban Serving Life In California
7Afghans Laud ICC Arrest Warrants Over Taliban's Repression Of Women
8Trump Again Vows To End Ukraine War, Warns Taliban About Weapons
9Pakistan Cracks Down On Free Speech Online
10Two Killed In Botched Suicide Bombing Attack On Taliban Ministry
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.