![\"Parents](\"https:\/\/morningstarnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Parents-of-Noman-Masih-hold-a-photograph-of-their-imprisoned-son.-Christian-Daily-International-Morning-Star-News.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nParents of Noman Masih hold a photograph of their imprisoned son. (Christian Daily International-Morning Star News)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
LAHORE<\/strong>, Pakistan<\/strong>\u00a0(Christian Daily International<\/a>\u2013<\/em>Morning Star News<\/a>) \u2013 A Christian sentenced to death in one blasphemy case in Pakistan was acquitted on Feb. 20 in another related to the same incident, with the judge citing double jeopardy, his attorney said.<\/p>\n Police illegally charged Noman Masih, 24, twice for the same incident, but he remains on death row for conviction in the first case, said attorney Lazar Allah Rakha.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBahawalnagar Additional Sessions Judge Sarfaraz Ahmed on Feb. 20 admitted my arguments that the case against my client Noman Masih came under the principle of double jeopardy, which clearly states that no person can be prosecuted or punished for the same offense more than once,\u201d Rakha told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News.<\/p>\n Masih was charged by police in two cities, Bahawalnagar and Bahawalpur, as officers acted with a mala fide<\/em> intent to punish him in two blasphemy cases registered within three days.<\/p>\n \u201cThe police also tried to prosecute him in an anti-terrorism court, although the case did not fall under terrorism,\u201d Rakha said. \u201cI resisted their attempt and successfully argued that the case be heard by the sessions court. The police\u2019s prejudicial attitude towards Masih insinuates that someone wanted to see him suffer at all costs.\u201d<\/p>\n A judge in the Bahawalpur case handed Masih the death sentence in May 2023<\/a> after a four-year trial, though prosecutors failed to provide any evidence against him, Rakha said.<\/p>\n \u201cMoreover, all the witnesses produced by the prosecution also failed to corroborate the police narrative,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was a miscarriage of justice, to say the least.\u201d<\/p>\n The Feb. 20 acquittal in the Bahawalnagar case has raised hope that the Lahore High Court will consider Masih\u2019s appeal against the death sentence on merit and order his acquittal, Rakha said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m 1,000 percent confident that the high court will set aside Masih\u2019s conviction when it examines the lacunas in the prosecution\u2019s story that the trial court had ignored,\u201d he said. \u201cMasih will, God willing, soon reunite with his family.\u201d<\/p>\n The attorney, who has won freedom for several persons charged with blasphemy, expressed gratitude for legal advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International, which supported him in Masih\u2019s case.<\/p>\n \u201cMasih\u2019s parents are very poor, and I\u2019m grateful to ADF for partnering with me in this legal battle for justice,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Masih\u2019s father, Asghar Masih, said his family was deeply relieved to learn about the acquittal.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had been on a knife\u2019s edge after the conclusion of the trial in the Bahawalnagar case,\u201d he told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. \u201cWhen we informed Noman about his acquittal, he was overwhelmed with joy. This is the first good news he has had in a very long time.\u201d<\/p>\n Asghar Masih, a cleaner and member of the Anglican Church of Pakistan, said he could not thank Rakha enough for standing with the family.<\/p>\n \u201cThough advocate Lazar continuously encouraged us and kept our hopes alive, my wife and I have been extremely worried about the outcome of this case,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u2018Secret Information\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n Police arrested Noman Masih and his cousin, Sunny Waqas, after officers in their respective districts, citing \u201csecret information,\u201d filed cases against them under Section 295-C of Pakistan\u2019s controversial blasphemy statutes. Section 295-C, for derogatory comments about Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, carries a mandatory death sentence.<\/p>\n Trainee Sub-Inspector Fraz Ahmed of the Faqirwali Police Station in Bahawalnagar claimed he received \u201csecret information\u201d that Waqas had printed blasphemous sketches of Islam\u2019s prophet and was carrying them in a black bag to show other people, according to First Information Report (FIR) No. 353\/19.<\/p>\n Upon questioning, Waqas told police that his cousin Noman had shared the alleged sacrilegious images with him on WhatsApp, according to the complainant. Waqas was taken into custody on June 29, 2019 and charged with blasphemy.<\/p>\n On July 1, 2019, Bahawalpur police arrested Noman Masih.<\/p>\n A FIR registered by the Baghdadul Jadeed Police Station on the complaint of Sub-Inspector Muhammad Arshad Nadeem states that Nadeem received \u201csecret information\u201d that Noman Masih was sitting in a public park at 3:30 a.m. with nine or 10 people and was showing them blasphemous images on his phone. The FIR states he was arrested from the park, but neighbors and Masih\u2019s family testified that he was arrested from his home.<\/p>\n On Jan. 17, 2023, the Lahore High Court Bahawalpur Bench granted bail to Waqas, the main suspect, because his trial had not concluded within the mandatory two-year period. Courts routinely dismiss bail pleas by blasphemy suspects, especially those charged under Section 295-C, a non-bailable offense.<\/p>\n There are instances where suspects in non-bailable offenses, including murder, can be granted bail under the third proviso of Section 497 (1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Section 497 states that if suspects have not been formally charged, the trial has not been concluded within two years and the delay is not due to the accused, they should be granted bail.<\/p>\n Waqas has reportedly fled Pakistan after obtaining bail, and the court has declared him a proclaimed offender. His cousin Noman Masih remains incarcerated in the Bahawalpur Central Prison, where he awaits his appeal of the death sentence.<\/p>\n Pakistan ranked seventh on Open Doors\u2019 2024 World Watch List of the most difficult places to be a Christian, as it was the previous year.<\/p>\n If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit\u00a0<\/em>https:\/\/morningstarnews.org\/resources\/aid-agencies\/<\/em><\/a>\u00a0for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at\u00a0<\/em>https:\/\/morningstarnews.org\/donate\/<\/em><\/a>?<\/em><\/p>\n ###<\/p>\n \u00a9 2024 Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. Articles\/photos may be reprinted with credit to Christian Daily International-Morning Star News.\u00a0<\/em>https:\/\/morningstarnews.org<\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Tweet:\u00a0<\/em>https:\/\/twitter.com\/morningstarnewz\/<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Facebook:\u00a0<\/em>https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MorningStarNews<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Morning Star News is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that relies solely on contributions to offer original news reports of persecuted Christians. By providing reliable news on the suffering church, Morning Star News\u2019 mission is to empower those in the free world to help and to encourage persecuted Christians that they are not forgotten or alone. 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