A court in Pakistan has acquitted two Christian nurses who have been in hiding for nearly four years after they were charged with blasphemy in 2021, rights advocates said.
Nurse Mariam Lal and student nurse Navish Arooj were arrested on April 9, 2021, and charged under Section 295-B of Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws, which criminalize desecration of the Quran and carry a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment. The case stemmed from a complaint by a Muslim colleague at Civil Hospital Faisalabad in Punjab Province, who accused the two women of defiling a sticker bearing an Islamic inscription that was affixed to a hospital cupboard.
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Although the two nurses were granted bail after spending five months in detention, they were forced into hiding for nearly four years due to security concerns while a sessions court conducted the trial.
A judge acquitted the two women on Nov. 29, but the verdict was not made public until recently due to fears for their safety. In acquitting them, Judge Muzaffar Ali Anjum cited serious inconsistencies in witness testimony and a lack of credible evidence, Morning Star News reported.
The families of the two women were relieved by the verdict but continued to feel vulnerable, according to the report.
“Our struggle now continues for their secure future, rehabilitation and dignified reintegration,” he said. “Justice does not end with acquittal, it is fulfilled only when life can be rebuilt with dignity.”
Pakistan is ranked eighth on Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written and originally published by Morning Star News.
