Christian Group Calls for Release of 24 Christian Prisoners Accused of Blasphemy

06/21/2020 Pakistan (International Christian Concern) – According to Asia News, the National Christian Party protested in front of the Press Club in Karachi, Pakistan, on June 18, demanding the release of 24 Christian prisoners accused of blasphemy. They also spoke out against the kidnapping of minority girls and their forced conversions to Islam.

The leader of the National Christian Party, Shabir Shafqat, said, “This protest is a slap on the faces of all those leaders who are seated abroad and do politics and speak for the rights of the Christian minority in Pakistan, but they do not raise these issues.

Shafqat went on to demand that the 24 Christian prisoners be released as the COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan continues to get worse. Shafqat went on to point out that other prisoners in Pakistan have been released in response to the pandemic, but no mercy has been shown towards minorities.

Prisoners around the world called for a worldwide moratorium on the death penalty during the COVID-19 crisis. Also, Pakistani non-governmental organization, Justice Project Pakistan (JPP) and the World Coalition against the Death Penalty, called to all countries to put a stop to execution during the COVID-19 because it is impossible to hold fair trials or guarantee legal representation.