Pakistan: 106 indicted for murder of Christian couple

Fr James Channan prays with victims' family

A court in Pakistan has officially indicted 106 people for the murder of a Christian couple. Shahzad and Shama Masih, were lynched and burned alive after being accused of blasphemy in November 2014 in the city of Kot Radha Kishan, in Punjab. The couple had four children and Shama was pregnant.

A Muslim mob who accused them of burning pages of the Koran, beat them and then threw them both alive into the flames of a brick oven.

The incident provoked international outrage. According to the reconstruction based on some evidence obtained by the court, three religious leaders of local mosques are accused of inciting a mob of about 400 Muslims who lynched the couple, after having found some burned pages of the Koran in the vicinity of their home. The crowd asked Masih and his wife to convert to Islam. The two refused. They were seized, locked up for a night and were then killed by the crowd.

The 106 people were charged yesterday before the court of Lahore. It is believed that 32 other suspects are still at large.

The court confirmed the indictment for the murder. Not all pleaded guilty. According to police, in addition to the three imams, Mohammad Hussain, Arshad Baloch and Noorul Hassan, also Yousaf Gujjar, the owner of the brick kiln, incited the crowd.

Christian lawyers believe this process is a key step to show that justice in Pakistan is the same for everyone and does not discriminate when the victims belong to religious minorities.

Father Waseem Walter, Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Pakistan, said: "It is a step towards justice. We hope that justice is done in a case that shocked the Christian community in Pakistan."

Source: Fides

See also: ICN 8 November 2014 Pakistan: Murder of Christian couple 'worst hate crime in country's history' www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=25950