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Pakistani Court Soon To Hear Shahzad Masih’s Appeal in Blasphemy Case as Christian Languishes on Death Row Nearly 2,500 Days
Shaheryar Gill
April 23rd, 2024
Shahzad Masih has spent almost seven years in prison – over 2,475 days – over a false allegation of blasphemy. In July 2017, Shahzad, a 16-year-old Pakistani Christian, was arrested and put in jail. A Muslim co-worker had asked him about Christian prophets. Shahzad did not know much about religion and had no answer. The Muslim co-worker then told Shahzad about the Prophet Muhammad. Shahzad said that his father’s Muslim friend Ali says derogatory words when he hears anyone’s name that has Muhammad in it.
Later that day, a crowd of Muslim men gathered and summoned Shahzad from his home. They asked him what he had told his co-worker during the conversation earlier that day. Shahzad told them that all he had said was that his father’s friend says bad words when he hears anyone’s name with Muhammad in it.
Shahzad was handed over to the police and accused of committing blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad. He was charged under section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code, which prescribes the death penalty for passing derogatory remarks against the Prophet Muhammad.
The trial court tried Shahzad as an adult even though he was a minor. In November 2022, the trial court sentenced him to death. Our affiliate in Pakistan, the Organization for Legal Aid (OLA), which has been representing Shahzad, filed an appeal with the High Court.
Recently, while Shahzad has been waiting for the High Court to hear the appeal, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) concluded that Shahzad’s detention is arbitrary and violates several provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
Last week, attorneys from the OLA filed a petition with the High Court, asking the court to quickly hear the appeal. During the hearing for that petition, the judge asked the court registrar to set the date for argument on the main appeal. This means the High Court will be hearing the appeal argument within a few months or even weeks.
Our attorneys in Pakistan and in the United States have begun preparing the argument. We ask that you pray for Shahzad, our attorneys, and the judges who will be hearing the case. Please pray for wisdom for the lawyers and judges involved, pray for Shahzad’s safety, and pray for justice for this innocent man. He must be freed.
UPDATE 04.02.2024: The High Court has just set the appeal hearing for as soon as May 2nd. Our team will be in court that day ready to present Shahzad’s case. This is a major development. Please pray for him and our team as we prepare for the argument.
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