May 12, 2017
Zafar Bhatti faces the prospect of spending the rest of his days
behind bars after a court in Pakistan sentenced him to life in prison for
‘blasphemy’.
A judge in Rawalpindi found Zafar guilty of sending blasphemous
text messages from his mobile phone – despite a serious lack of evidence against
him.
Please pray that God will restore Zafar’s hope and set him
free.
Religious rights campaigners believe that the judge acted under
pressure from religious extremists. Zafar’s lawyers plan to appeal – but the
appeal could take years to come to court. Asia Bibi, who was sentenced to death
for ‘blasphemy’ in 2010, is still waiting for the Supreme Court to hear her
appeal.
Meanwhile, Nabeel Masih,
a 16-year-old accused of blasphemy in
Punjab, has just been denied bail for the second time. He has been in jail since
September after being accused of ‘liking’ on Facebook an allegedly blasphemous
post. Nabeel’s friends say he’s been framed.
- Please pray that Zafar, Asia and Nabeel will know God’s peace and presence. Pray for their immediate release.
- Continue to pray for the repeal of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, which are often used to persecute religious minorities such as Christians,
- Pray that Pakistan’s judges will have the boldness and courage to stand up to extremists and uphold justice, especially in blasphemy cases.
(Source: Release Int. Morning Star
News)
