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Summary: Peril of girl accused of blasphemy wanes, after no evidence found.
[24 September 2012] - A Pakistani judge transferred the case of a Christian teenage girl accused of blasphemy to a juvenile court on Monday, removing the threat of a death sentence and signalling that the case was slowly winding down. Citing a medical report, Justice Muhammad Azam Khan, of a special court in Islamabad, said that Rimsha Masih, the Christian girl accused of burning pages from a holy book, was 14 years old, and not an adult as her accusers claimed. [...] Justice Khan directed the police to present a revised charge sheet at a hearing on Oct. 1, according to Rao Abdur Raheem, a prosecution lawyer. But it now appears unlikely that Ms. Masih will be tried: police investigators testified on Saturday that they had no evidence that the girl had actually committed blasphemy. She was arrested Aug. 16 in a slum on the outskirts of Islamabad after neighbours accused her of burning an Islamic textbook. Lawyers for conservative groups pushed for the prosecution, but after arguments about her age and mental health, she was released on bail this month. More recently, the Muslim cleric who led the accusers in the case has been arrested and accused of falsifying evidence against her. “It is better for Ms. Masih that the case is now referred to a juvenile court,” said Shehryar Riaz Sheik, an Islamabad-based lawyer. “Prima facie, the case against her seems to be over.” Further Information:
pdf: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/25/world/asia/girls-blasphemy-case-in-pak...