Fears for safety of Christian girl in Pakistan after judge grants bail in blasphemy case

http://www.telegraph.co.uk

A young Christian girl accused of blasphemy will need an armoured car and bodyguards to keep her safe once she is freed on bail, according to her lawyer.

A Pakistani judge granted bail to Rimsha Masih on Friday, in a case that has attracted international condemnation and exposed the country's violent religious divide. The girl, whom supporters say is 11 and has learning difficulties, has been held in a high-security prison for three weeks since being accused of burning pages of religious script. In a sweltering courtroom in Islamabad, Judge Muhammad Azam Khan ordered her release and set bail at 1million rupees (£6,900). The decision is highly unusual in blasphemy cases. Such is the public hysteria, judges are under intense pressure to refuse bail and find defendants guilty. However, her lawyer said the decision came too late for surety to be paid and Rimsha would face one more night in prison.Tahir Naveed Chaudhry told The Daily Telegraph she would not be released until her supporters could guarantee her safety, which would mean an armoured car and armed guards. "We are working with the government and are confident we can keep her safe," he said. "She will be taken to a secret location and reunited with her family." Blasphemy suspects have been subjected to mob justice in the past. Two high-profile politicians were assassinated last year after they demanded reform of the controversial law and the release of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to death. This time around Rimsha's youth and learning difficulties have led to more sympathetic coverage in local media and a less febrile atmosphere. Several influential clerics have offered support and asked for the case to be dropped. The breakthrough, however, came last weekend when three witnesses came forward to say they had seen the imam of a local mosque adding pages of a Koran to ashes in Rimsha's bag. Pakistan's minister for national harmony, whose brother was one of the politicians assassinated last year after calling for the blasphemy law to be reformed, said that the revelation would help protect Rimsha. "She will not face threats because everybody believes she is innocent," said Paul Bhatti, adding that he was working with the interior ministry and police to ensure Rimsha's safety. Her parents have already been taken into protective custody at a secret location. Alice Jay, of the campaign group Avaaz, welcomed the decision. "Now she and her family and community must be protected from mob violence, and the authorities should initiate a full review of the blasphemy laws that led to this childﾒs terror," she said.