News and Society

Lawyer Tahir Naveed Chaudhry says there is no solid evidence against his client. Photograph: Anjum Naveed/AP

An official medical review of a Pakistani Christian girl accused of desecrating the Qur'an has determined that she is a minor, the girl's lawyer said on Tuesday.

The finding, which means she will be tried in the juvenile court system, could possibly defuse what has been a highly contentious case in Pakistan, where blasphemy can be punished with life in prison or even death.

The accusations against the girl have inflamed religious tensions in Pakistan and sparked a mass exodus of Christians from the girl's neighbourhood amid fear of retribution from Muslim neighbours.

Lawyer Tahir Naveed Chaudhry said a report by a medical board investigating the girl's age and mental state determined she was 14 years old.

He also said the board found her mental capacity did not correspond to her age. It was not clear exactly what that meant. Some Pakistani media reports have said the girl has Down's syndrome.

Chaudhry said a bail hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday and that he would move to dismiss the case afterwards, saying there was "no solid evidence" against his client.

He said he saw his client on Saturday in the Rawalpindi prison where she's being held and that she was "weeping and crying".

The girl was accused by a neighbour of burning pages of the Qur'an, Islam's holy book. But many aspects of the case have been in dispute since the incident surfaced a little under two weeks ago, including her age, her mental capabilities and what exactly she was burning.

The lawyer said a birth certificate provided by the church put her age at 11 years old, but the medical board later determined she was 14. Generally, birth certificates must be issued by the Pakistani government to be considered a legal document.

The case has once again put the spotlight on Pakistan's blasphemy laws, which critics say can be used to settle vendettas or seek retribution. Many of Pakistan's minorities, including Christians, live in fear of being accused of blasphemy.

Once someone is labelled a blasphemer, even if they are never convicted, they can face vigilante justice. In July, thousands of people dragged a Pakistani man accused of desecrating the Qur'an from a police station, beating him to death and setting his body alight.

The potential public backlash also means few people have spoken out to change or repeal the law. Last year two prominent politicians who criticised the blasphemy law were murdered, one by his own bodyguard, who then attracted adoring mobs.

View the original article here