Faisalabad (AsiaNews) – After seven years in prison for blasphemy, two Christians in Pakistan have been declared innocent and released. On 30 May, the Supreme Court of Pakistan found Amjad Masih, 34 years, and Asif Masih, 30 years, not guilty and ordered their immediate release. The Court of Faisalabad had condemned them both to life imprisonment in 1999 for burning a copy of the Koran, an act held to be "blasphemous" in Pakistan. In May 2003, the High Court of Lahore rejected their appeal and upheld the maximum sentence handed down to them.

For security reasons, Asif and Amjad could not be interviewed. AsiaNews talked to Kausar Bibi, Amjad's wife, and Sadiq Masih, his father; the two relatives told the story of these two Christians, the umpteenth victims of a law held by many to be an "arbitrary tool of intimidation".

Kausar began: "In February 1999, the police arrested my husband and Asif in Jhang, where we live, over a minor brawl. When we learnt this, we were at a wedding and we managed to reach the police station only the following day." Sadiq continued: "When we arrived, we were told Amjad had been transferred to the central prison of Faisalabad, and Asif Masih was still there, detained for lesser crimes. Then we immediately asked for bail for both; after a few days they issued the bail notice, but when we went back to prison, the authorities refused to allow them to leave."

"The problem was that the bail notice was only valid for the brawl, which we knew about, but in the meantime, both of them had been accused of 'blasphemy' (section 295B of the Criminal Code) for having burned a copy of the Koran in their cell. 'Try to get bail for this charge too if you want to free them,' they told us in prison."

Kausar spoke again: "It was a huge shock for us; we did not know what to do, as such a thing had never happened to us before. Anyhow, our poverty did not permit us to take on such a big case."

The Amjad family turned to the Bishop John Joseph Shaheed Trust (foundation of the "martyr" Bishop John Joseph) which hired a lawyer and gave them financial support. Kausar said the trust also enrolled her in a sewing course and provided her with a sewing machine. "So I could earn money for my children at home in Jhang," she said, adding: "After we presented the appeal to the Supreme Court, my four children fasted and prayed to God to help their father."

Although Amjad has now been released, his family still does not feel safe. His wife said they have been intimidated and threatened throughout recent years by local groups of Islamic fundamentalists, who forced her to move to her father's house. Being recognized innocent by the law does not serve to calm extremists' religious fervour. The chairman of the Bishop John Joseph Shaheed Trust, Johnson Michael, is undertaking to transfer all those concerned to Faisalabad, including Asif. The foundation will also provide psychological treatment for Amjad, currently suffering from mental health problems as a result of his incarceration, and to find him a job. Before his arrest, Amjad was a sweeper.

Calling for the abolition of the blasphemy law is a long-running battle fought by the Church and human rights groups in Pakistan. Introduced in 1986, the law provides for the death penalty for those convicted of offending Muhammad. Alas, this law is increasingly being used by extremists as an instrument for revenge; they abuse it to settle personal scores, so much so that Muslims themselves are among those hardest hit by this law.

The photos are property of the Bishop John Joseph Shaheed Trust