Summary
Mr. Ranjha
Masih of Faisalabad (at Punjab Province, South of capital
Islamabad), a bus hawker, was charged under the Blasphemy
Laws and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2003. His
appeal for review of judgment has been pending for two
years without progress.
Mr. Ranjha Masih was caught under Section 295 - C of
Pakistan Penal Code, allegedly by some Muslims, when a
demonstration was being staged on 8 May 1998, following
the self-sacrifice of Bishop John Joseph. (Bishop killed
himself in front of a court house to protest against the
death sentence awarded to Ayub Masih, another Christian
convicted under the Blasphemy Laws, and to draw
international attention to the injustice of the laws.)
Mr. Ranjha Masih was accused of allegedly pelting stone
and desecrating a signboard inscribed with Holy Kalima (a
proclamation of Islamic faith). He was given life
imprisonment on 26 April 2003. His appeal for review of
judgment has not been heard after a lapse of two years in
Lahore High Court.
Mr. Ranjha Masih is 56 years old and in the case of
blasphemy, very often the accused is at the risk of
torture or murder. The Blasphemy Laws adopted in Pakistan
Penal Code in the 1980's, according to human rights
groups, are used against religious minorities and for
settling personal vendettas and land disputes.
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Action Requested
Please write polite letters expressing your deep
concern and request the authorities to:
- Ensure that Mr. Ranjha Masih's case is heard in
due time and given a fair hearing as soon as
possible;
- ensure the safety of Ranjha Masih, his family,
sympathizers and lawyers;
- review the effects of Blasphemy Laws in the
community; and
- repeal the Blasphemy Laws since they do not serve
to ensure religious as well as social harmony
among the citizens.
| Send
letters to: |
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H.E. Pervaiz Musharaf
President of Pakistan
President House
Islamabad - Pakistan |
Fax: |
+92-51-9270 266
+92-51-9270 269
+92-51-9224 836 |
| Send
copies to: |
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H.E.
Shaukat Aziz
The Prime Minister of Pakistan
Prime Minister Secretariat
Islamabad - Pakistan |
Fax: |
+92-51-9204 632
+92-51-9221 596 |
Honorable Mohammad Wasi Zaffar,
Federal Minister for Law, Justice and Human
Rights
Pak - Secretariat, Islamabad
Pakistan |
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Justice Iftikhar Muhammad
Chaudhary
Chief Justice of Pakistan
Supreme Court of Pakistan
Constitutional Avenue
Islamabad - Pakistan |
Fax: |
+92-51-9213 452 |
| Diplomatic representative of
Pakistan in your country |
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Sample
Letter
We write with deep concern about the
sentence of life imprisonment on Ranjha Masih, a
Christian charged under Section 295 - C of
Pakistan Penal Code, on 8 May 1998 at Faisalabad.
For two years, his appeal has not been considered
worthy of hearing in Lahore High Court, causing a
miscarriage of justice.
It has been reported that there is a widespread
of abuse of the Blasphemy Laws because they are
inherently flawed and jeopardize the social and
inter-religious harmony. Moreover, the Blasphemy
Laws violate international standards of justice
and human rights.
We request you to look into the case of Mr.
Ranjha Masih and ensure a fair hearing is
conducted as soon as possible. We also urge you
to ensure the safety of his family, supporters
and lawyers. We urge the government of Pakistan
to review the effect of Blasphemy Laws and
consider repealing these discriminatory laws in
the Pakistan Penal Code. We expect that your
government would uphold and protect the dignity
of every citizen in the country. |
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Background
In 1980's
Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) was amended to include five
offences pertaining to the religion of Islam (Sections
295 - B & C and 298 - A, B & C). Apparently the
purpose was to defend the honour of the Holy Quran, the
Holy Prophet of Islam, His wives and other Holy
personages of Islam.
According to these "Blasphemy Laws" anyone who
directly or indirectly made insulting remarks against any
Holy personages of Islam will be liable to three years
imprisonment (298 - A), insulting the Holy Quran is
liable to life imprisonment (295 - B) and defiling the
name of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) is punishable with death
sentence or life imprisonment (295 - C).
The Blasphemy Laws have a history of abuse. According to
the sources, these laws are convenient means to settle
personal scores and have become a tool of exploitation
because of this ambiguity. They are cognizable offence,
making the arrest of a person possible without a prior
permission of a magistrate.
Contradicting the reported purpose, these laws have
casted negative effects on the society. According to a
report in May 2005, at least 647 individuals had been
charged with blasphemy in Pakistan since 1988. Of these
647, about 50% were Muslims, 37% Ahmadis, 13% Christians
and 1% Hindus.
During this period, 20 persons accused of blasphemy were
murdered extra-judicially after being accused of
blasphemy.
102 blasphemy accused have been acquitted since 1988,
mostly by the superior courts. These cases were
manifestedly lodged to persecute the accused for their
religious beliefs and allegedly for financial or personal
gains of the complainants. A former Lahore High Court
judge, Justice Arif Hussain Bhatti was murdered by a
religious extremist, reportedly because he has acquitted
a blasphemy accused. A number of lawyers and journalists
have been harassed for defending people accused of
blasphemy accused and campaigning for repeal of Blasphemy
Laws.
The life of individuals accused of blasphemy becomes
miserable: they are often chased by religious zealots,
prosecuted by the state and forced to go in hiding under
spurious charges. The local source believed that both
Muslims and non - Muslims suffer alike, not because the
laws treat all equally, but that it is open to misuse
against anyone.
For more information about the victims of the Blasphemy
Laws and related injustices since 1998, please refer to
Urgent Appeals UA980505(3), UA000525(8), UA001103(16), UA010905(9), SUA010113(1) and SUA010802(3)
issued by Hotline Asia.
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