Two Christian teenagers jailed for almost two years in Pakistan on blasphemy charges have been cleared to the delight of rights campaigners who have long pointed to abuses of the strict religious law.
Adil Babar and Simon Nadeem had been accused of deriding Islam’s prophet, Muhammad, during a fight, but they were acquitted on Thursday as the case against them had not been accompanied by evidence or witness testimony. The blasphemy charges they faced would have resulted in 10 years in prison if the teens were found guilty, and their families are said to have also been threatened with violence.
This week, however, a court in the eastern city of Lahore decided the case was illegal as the process to prosecute them for blasphemy had not been followed correctly by the authorities – the government had not given permission to do so in the first place. According to Supreme Court Advocate Naseeb Anjum, this was all that was needed to have them released.
The court decision is a welcome reprieve for the young men who were victims of a widely decried blasphemy law that has often been used in Pakistan against minority groups, with 344 new cases being filed in 2024 alone. While the pair have not been completely exonerated, they are now free to move on – a small victory in a discriminatory legal system in which charges are easily made and are frequently the result of false accusations made out of personal grudges or for extortion.
[note: the image is not of the two boys mentioned]
This is a much-needed glimmer of hope in a deeply troubling situation. While this is only a small step, it’s a significant reminder of why legal reform and international pressure are so important in protecting human rights. Wishing Adil and Simon peace and healing as they try to rebuild their lives.