CNN: Pakistani Christian girl accused of blasphemy released on bail

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) — Pakistani authorities on Saturday released a teenage Christian girl detained over accusations of blasphemy in a case that has stoked religious tensions.

Her face concealed with a green scarf, Rimsha was ferried from Rawalpindi jail first by an armored personnel carrier and then by helicopter to an undisclosed location after a judge granted bail the day before.

The chopper’s force at one point blew away the 14-year-old’s covering. She appeared sad and scared.

A man who went into the jail to collect Rimsha told CNN she was crying.

“Why is this happening with me?” she asked. “What did I do?”

The man did not want to be identified.

Judge Muhammad Azam Khan ordered Rimsha’s release after hearing lengthy arguments from both sides.

Her lawyer, Pervez Khan, argued she should be freed on the grounds that she was an innocent girl whose intelligence level was low for her age, according to a medical report.

Khan said the girl was framed by a Muslim cleric who planted evidence against her.

The cleric’s lawyer said Rimsha burned pages of the Quran and that she should be punished no matter her age. Blasphemy is punishable by death in Pakistan.

Rimsha’s family fled their home on the outskirts of Islamabad from fear of retribution. Amnesty International said hundreds of Christians have left Rimsha’s neighborhood she was accused. Read further.

Categories: Asia, Pakistan

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