Held in pre-trial custody, Lahore Christian accused of blasphemy dies
Amir Peter, 60, was arrested on 19 July 2025, after a Muslim businessman accused him. The two had an argument. The Christian man died in hospital from serious medical complications. The victim's brother, Father Henry Paul, said that his brother was suffering from advanced dementia and the charges against him were false. The organisation Christians' True Spirit had called for his release on health grounds.
Lahore (AsiaNews) – Amir Peter, a 60-year-old Christian, died yesterday in hospital as a result of serious medical complications while in pre-trial detention on blasphemy charges.
Amir Peter had retired four years ago from a low-ranking position at a state-run college, said his younger brother, Father Henry Paul, parish priest at St Francis Church in Kot Lakhpat, Lahore.
On 19 July 2025, the clergyman explained, his brother was arrested, following an argument with a Muslim shopkeeper, who accused the Christian man of violating Section 295-C of Pakistan's Penal Code after he complained that he had been overcharged.
Under this provision, derogatory remarks about the Prophet Muhammad are a criminal offence that carries a mandatory death penalty if convicted.
Father Henry Paul explained that his brother suffered from advanced dementia and that his condition worsened during his detention.
During family visits, Amir Peter reportedly told them that he had been beaten by police officers and pressured to confess to a crime he said that he had not committed.
A medical board from the Punjab Institute of Mental Health (PIMH) later ruled that the detainee was mentally unfit to stand trial.
Based on this assessment, lawyers representing Christians' True Spirit (CTS) filed a petition for medically justified bail after his arrest before a lower court presided over by Judge Saad Salman Khan.
CTS executive director Katherine Sapna reported that Amir Peter, a resident of Nishat Colony, Lahore, was moved from the Lahore District Jail to the Punjab Institute of Mental Health (PIMH) after his physical and mental condition deteriorated during his detention.
“At a hearing on June 29, the judge ordered that the PIMH doctor who examined Peter appear as a court witness at the next hearing,” Sapna said. “It is heartbreaking that despite all our efforts, he went to be with the Lord before we could secure his freedom from this false accusation."
She stated that prison authorities failed to provide Amir Peter with adequate medical care despite his worsening conditions.
According to the CTS, the organisation that had provided legal assistance to the Christian man and requested his release on medical grounds, his deteriorating health justified granting him pre-trial release after his arrest. However, he died before the court could rule on the request.
In a statement released after Amir Peter's death, the CTS said he had not received the urgent medical care his condition required, adding that his death raises serious concerns about the treatment of vulnerable detainees and the alleged misuse of Pakistan's blasphemy legislation.
Father Shahzad Arshad, director of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace of the Archdiocese of Karachi, expressed his condolences to Father Henry Paul and the grieving family.
He urged the authorities to conduct a transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Amir Peter's death and urged the government to take measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
Lawyer Nadeem Hassan, senior counsel for the CTS, assured the grieving family that they would receive the organisation's continued legal and moral support.
“We submitted several applications on behalf of the family after observing that Amir was mentally unstable," Hassan said. “Although initial jail medical reports indicated that he was physically fit, doctors later concluded that he was mentally unfit to stand trial. Under those circumstances, he should have been granted bail or released. Instead, we received the shocking news that Amir Peter had passed away.”
The circumstances surrounding Amir Peter’s death could bolster calls from human rights defenders and religious minority organisations for greater safeguards for detainees with serious medical conditions, as well as for a transparent inquiry into the Christian man’s treatment while in detention.
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02/07/2024 15:11
07/06/2022 13:01
