A Pakistani court on Tuesday dismissed charges against a Christian girl accused of desecrating the Koran, ending a case that had cast a spotlight on the country's controversial blasphemy law and renewed questions about the treatment of minorities.
The Islamabad High Court concluded there was no evidence to support allegations that Rimsha Masih, 14, had ripped pages from the Koran on Aug. 16 and burned them, said one of her lawyers, Akmal Waheed Bhatti.
Rimsha spent three weeks in jail but was later freed on bail after police came across evidence they say shows an imam at a mosque in her neighbourhood had ripped pages from a copy of the Koran and planted them in a bag of ashes and trash that the girl was taking to a garbage bin.
The cleric, Khalid Chishti, now faces charges of fabricating evidence against Rimsha. Chishti was among the group of Muslims in Rimsha's neighborhood who claimed she had violated the blasphemy law. He is free on bail and awaiting trial.
In Pakistan, it is a crime to desecrate the Koran or insult the prophet Muhammad or the Islamic faith in any way. In some instances a conviction can lead to the death sentence. The law is often exploited as a tool to settle scores.
Rimsha and her family remain in Pakistan at an undisclosed location and are under government protection, Bhatti said.
