Blasphemy Doctor Released from Death Row
IHEU | 23.01.2004 14:52
The International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) announced today that Dr Younus Shaikh, who had languished in gaol in Pakistan since October 2000 under sentence of death for blasphemy, has been acquitted and freed after an appeal and retrial.
In an international campaign led by IHEU, Dr Shaikh was declared a Prisoner of Conscience by Amnesty International, and thousands of people worldwide lobbied their politicians and the Government of Pakistan on his behalf.
The trial of Dr Shaikh, held throughout the Summer of 2001, took place in a hostile courtroom packed with Islamic fundamentalists. The final two sessions were held in-camera with gun-toting Pakistani Taliban waiting outside. In October 2003, the Appeal Court ordered a retrial at which, following threats by fundamentalists to his lawyers and their families, Dr Shaikh courageously pleaded his own case
Speaking from London today, Dr Shaikh explained:
“The judge accepted my legal arguments and found the charges against me to be baseless. My accusers, two Mullahs and some Islamist students, had lied.” He described his ordeal as: “Islamic terrorism through the abuse of law and the state apparatus.”
IHEU condemns the abuse, false imprisonment and mistreatment of this courageous and innocent man forced to spend over three years in prison, two in the death cell in solitary confinement.
Pakistan’s infamous blasphemy laws are widely abused to make false accusations against both Muslims and members of religious minorities, such as Christians and Ahmadis, as well as innocent business rivals and political opponents. Those accused under the blasphemy laws are immediately imprisoned with no effective right to bail. If pronounced guilty, they face a mandatory death sentence. It is estimated that over 100 victims of Pakistan’s medieval blasphemy laws are currently in prison either awaiting trial or already under sentence of death.
The international Humanist community calls upon President Parvez Musharraf and the Pakistani Parliament to immediately abolish these profoundly unjust laws – an ugly stain on the reputation of the nation and people of Pakistan.
For further information call:
IHEU President, Roy Brown on +41 79 212 5603
IHEU office at 0207 631 3170
IHEU Executive Director, Babu Gogineni on 07801 570 150
The trial of Dr Shaikh, held throughout the Summer of 2001, took place in a hostile courtroom packed with Islamic fundamentalists. The final two sessions were held in-camera with gun-toting Pakistani Taliban waiting outside. In October 2003, the Appeal Court ordered a retrial at which, following threats by fundamentalists to his lawyers and their families, Dr Shaikh courageously pleaded his own case
Speaking from London today, Dr Shaikh explained:
“The judge accepted my legal arguments and found the charges against me to be baseless. My accusers, two Mullahs and some Islamist students, had lied.” He described his ordeal as: “Islamic terrorism through the abuse of law and the state apparatus.”
IHEU condemns the abuse, false imprisonment and mistreatment of this courageous and innocent man forced to spend over three years in prison, two in the death cell in solitary confinement.
Pakistan’s infamous blasphemy laws are widely abused to make false accusations against both Muslims and members of religious minorities, such as Christians and Ahmadis, as well as innocent business rivals and political opponents. Those accused under the blasphemy laws are immediately imprisoned with no effective right to bail. If pronounced guilty, they face a mandatory death sentence. It is estimated that over 100 victims of Pakistan’s medieval blasphemy laws are currently in prison either awaiting trial or already under sentence of death.
The international Humanist community calls upon President Parvez Musharraf and the Pakistani Parliament to immediately abolish these profoundly unjust laws – an ugly stain on the reputation of the nation and people of Pakistan.
For further information call:
IHEU President, Roy Brown on +41 79 212 5603
IHEU office at 0207 631 3170
IHEU Executive Director, Babu Gogineni on 07801 570 150
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