A few hundred Christians have camped in a forest
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SLAMABAD, Pakistan - Having fled their homes in the latest spasm of Pakistani religious strife, a few hundred Christians have camped in a forest in the Pakistani capital, cut down trees and are using the branches to build a church.
An official medical review of a Pakistani Christian girl accused of desecrating the Quran has determined that the girl is a minor, a lawyer for the girl said Tuesday.
Chaudhry also said the board determined her mental state did not correspond to her age. It was not clear whether that meant she was mentally impaired. Some Pakistani media reports have said the girl has Down syndrome.
He said a bail hearing has been scheduled for Thursday, and that he would move to dismiss the case after the hearing, saying there was "no solid evidence" against his client.
He said he saw his client Saturday in the Rawalpindi prison where she's being held and that she was "weeping and crying."
SLAMABAD, Pakistan - Having fled their homes in the latest spasm of Pakistani religious strife, a few hundred Christians have camped in a forest in the Pakistani capital, cut down trees and are using the branches to build a church.An official medical review of a Pakistani Christian girl accused of desecrating the Quran has determined that the girl is a minor, a lawyer for the girl said Tuesday.
The finding, which means the girl will be tried in the juvenile court system, could possibly defuse what has been a highly contentious case in Pakistan, where blasphemy can be punished with life in prison or even death.- The accusations against the girl have inflamed religious tensions in Pakistan, and sparked a mass exodus of Christians from the girl's neighborhood who feared retribution from their Muslim neighbors.
- About 600 of the Christians who set up camp in a field outside the capital were evicted from the site Tuesday, and their makeshift church was burned down.
- The attorney, Tahir Naveed Chaudhry, said a report by a medical board investigating the age and mental state of the girl determined she was 14 years old.
Chaudhry also said the board determined her mental state did not correspond to her age. It was not clear whether that meant she was mentally impaired. Some Pakistani media reports have said the girl has Down syndrome.He said a bail hearing has been scheduled for Thursday, and that he would move to dismiss the case after the hearing, saying there was "no solid evidence" against his client.
He said he saw his client Saturday in the Rawalpindi prison where she's being held and that she was "weeping and crying."
Source: AP
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