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         Pakistani Girl Accused of Blasphemy is a Minor, Lawyer Insists

   by VOA News

   The lawyer for a Pakistani Christian girl accused of blasphemy says she
   is a minor and that her case will likely be heard in a juvenile court.
   The girl, Rimsha Masih, was taken into custody earlier this month after
   angry neighbors surrounded her house in Islamabad and accused her of
   burning pages inscribed with verses from the Koran.  Some say she was
   burning papers from the garbage for cooking.  Blasphemy is punishable
   by death in Pakistan.
   On Tuesday, her attorney, Tahir Naveed Chaudhry, said a medical board
   has determined that the girl is 14 years old, but mentally younger than
   that.  He told reporters in Islamabad that as a minor, Masih can be
   tried in the juvenile justice system.
   Chaudhry said a bail hearing has been scheduled for Thursday.
   Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has taken "serious note" of the
   girl's detention and called for a report on her arrest.
   Human rights activists say the blasphemy law in Pakistan has been used
   to harass religious minorities and settle personal scores.  Amnesty
   International last week called on the government to urgently reform its
   blasphemy laws and protect Masih and her family against possible
   intimidation or attack.
   Last year, Pakistan's Minister of Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti, the only
   Christian member of the federal Cabinet, was gunned down in Islamabad.
   And Punjab province's governor, Salman Taseer, was killed by one of his
   bodyguards for opposing the controversial blasphemy law.
   Christians are the largest non-Muslim religious minority in Pakistan,
   making up about five percent of the population.
   The United States has called Masih's case "deeply disturbing" and urged
   Pakistan's government to protect not just its religious minority
   citizens, but also women and girls.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/article/1497009.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/article/1497009.html