September
21, 2017
Simon* is a very poor Christian who scrapes together a
living by collecting items for recycling and who now finds himself caught up in
a blasphemy row – and he’s only 16.
The
teenager from Punjab, Pakistan, has been attacked, tortured and
arrested in a row that has sparked uproar in his village in
Gujranwala district.
Please
ask God to keep Simon and his family safe.
Release
contacts in Pakistan say the row followed a dispute with another recycler who
was not happy that Simon was gathering paper and bottles near the same religious
monument as him. When burnt scraps of a Koran were allegedly found at the site
last month, Simon got the blame.
Soon
after Simon was arrested, a large mob broke into the police station and abducted
him. They threatened to kill him and tortured him until local police called for
back-up to bring the situation under control. Due to local unrest, Simon was
twice transferred to other police stations. He is now being held in jail.
*We’ve
changed Simon’s name for security reasons. Release
Int.
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