Hundreds of prisoners in Pakistan remain behind bars under the country’s harsh blasphemy laws, which criminalize any perceived insult against the so-called prophet Mohammad. Many of those charged are Christians, and according to Christian Daily International, they endure systemic discrimination and brutal treatment within the judicial and prison systems. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) ranks Pakistan’s blasphemy statutes among the world’s most severe, second only to Iran, with penalties ranging from ten years in prison to execution. Studies have repeatedly found that many of these accusations are fabricated, often weaponized to settle personal scores. Once convicted, prisoners face squalid and degrading conditions, often denied basic necessities.

One example highlighted in the Hope Behind Bars report by Pakistan’s National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP) describes how over 100 Christians convicted in 2015 were confined to a former tuberculosis ward, given unsanitary toilet vessels to drink from, and deprived of essentials like soap and blankets. Although the Supreme Court has occasionally intervened—as with 72-year-old Christian Ankwar Kenneth, who was released after spending 23 years on death row due to mental illness—such cases are rare. More than 700 Christians still await the death penalty, while countless others languish in prison indefinitely. Unlike Muslim prisoners, who can shorten their sentences through Quran memorization or Ramadan fasting, Christians refuse to deny their faith despite immense suffering, exemplifying endurance in the face of persecution.

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SOURCE: International Christian Concern