Bail application filed for release blasphemy accused girl

25 Aug, 2012

A lawyer of a young Rimsha also moved a bail application before the local session court on Friday and the hearing for the case is scheduled to begin on August 28th.

Rimsha, aged between 11 and 16, reportedly has Down's syndrome. She resides in a low-income vicinity of Islamabad.

The girl was accused of burning papers containing verses from the Quran. She was arrested last Thursday and is now being held in a jail in Rawalpindi, and her case has prompted concern from Western governments and fury from rights campaigners. Pakistani Christian parliamentarians also condemn arrest of Rimsha.

An Imam of mosque who handed the girl to the police insists that he saved he girl from mob violence by handing her to police.

Under the Islamic republic's strict blasphemy laws, insulting the Prophet Mohammed is punishable by death and burning a sacred text by life imprisonment, though rights groups say the legislation is often abused to settle personal vendettas.

Earlier it was also reported that the girl was denied meeting with her lawyers too.

President Asif Ali Zardari also took notice of the happening and sought a comprehensive report from interior ministry.

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