Listeners:
Top listeners:
-
play_arrow
Pakistan Court Acquits Christian Man After 23 Years on Death Row
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
ISLAMABAD (Worthy News) – Pakistan’s Supreme Court has acquitted Anwar Kenneth, a mentally challenged Christian man who spent 23 years behind bars on death row for “blasphemy” against Islam, Christians confirmed Friday.
Activists welcomed the ruling after years of campaigning against Kenneth’s initial blasphemy conviction. Kenneth, 72, was due to be released from prison by the weekend, Worthy News learned.
The court ruled that “a person of unsound mind” cannot be held criminally liable, marking a rare and significant decision over Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws, trial observers said.
The three-judge Supreme Court bench — Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Shahzad Ahmed Khan, and Justice Irfan Saadat Khan — said Kenneth was “mentally unfit to stand trial” when “charged under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code” in 2001.
Kenneth, an ex-government official, was detained in 2001 for allegedly sending offensive letters containing “defamatory” remarks directed at religious leaders, diplomats, and heads of state.
“These letters led to the filing of a [first information report] FIR at the Gawalmandi Police Station in [the city of] Lahore, eventually resulting in his conviction under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code, a controversial law criminalizing blasphemy,” noted Christian advocacy group LEAD Ministries Pakistan.
“On July 18, 2002, the Lahore Additional Sessions Court found Kenneth guilty of ‘defaming’ and ‘insulting’ the Prophet Muhammad, sentencing him to death and imposing a fine of 500,000 Pakistani rupees (about $1,800).”
PLAGUED BY DELAYS
Christians told Worthy News that Kenneth’s case “has been plagued by delays” and “procedural complications” since his conviction, with his appeal process repeatedly postponed.
“Over the years, his health—both mental and physical—has significantly deteriorated, intensifying concerns over his prolonged incarceration. In 2024, a psychiatric assessment confirmed that Kenneth was suffering from Bipolar Affective Disorder and was in a hypomanic state,” LEAD founder Sardar Mushtaq Gill told Worthy News.
Pastor Imran Amanat, the LEAD director, told Worthy News, “This is a long-overdue acquittal, but brother Kenneth’s 23-year ordeal exposes a serious failure in our legal and mental health systems.”
He added that blasphemy laws in Pakistan, a mainly Muslim nation, must never be enforced “without fair trial protections” and mental health evaluations. “This judgment should prompt a national reckoning with how we treat the vulnerable, especially religious minorities,” Gill stressed.
Gill, a longtime human rights attorney, added: “This decision reaffirms that mentally ill individuals cannot and should not be punished for crimes they cannot understand.”
However, he cautioned that Kenneth outside prison “is not safe — far from it. Despite his acquittal, he remains extremely vulnerable due to the hostile environment for those once accused of blasphemy in Pakistan.”
Gill stressed that the “state must ensure his protection and prevent mob violence. We are deeply concerned about his safety and well-being outside prison.”
GOVERNMENT ACTION
He said the “government must take immediate steps to provide him with a secure and dignified environment.”
The case highlighted that Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are often used to target minority groups, especially Christians, according to rights investigators.
“A quarter of all blasphemy accusations target Christians, who make up just 1.8 percent of the population,” explained advocacy group Open Doors.
Although blasphemy laws carry a death sentence, executions have been rarely carried out. Instead, Christians languish for years in prison, with Kenneth being the longest known jail-serving Christian following his initial blasphemy conviction, Worthy News established.
However, people accused of blasphemy are vulnerable to attack or murder by mobs. In June 2024, an older man was reportedly killed by mob violence after being accused of desecrating the Koran, deemed a holy book by Muslims.
Additionally, “the 2023 attack on Christian homes and buildings in Jaranwala continues to contribute to a climate of fear,” Open Doors noted. “Historical churches have relative freedom for worship and other activities. However, they are heavily monitored and have been targeted for bomb attacks.”
Pakistan currently ranks 8th on the annual World Watch List of 50 nations where Open Doors says Christians face the most persecution for their faith in Christ.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
Investigations continued Friday after a suspected Islamist gunman opened fire in a classroom at Old Dominion University in the U.S. state of Virginia on Thursday, killing a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) instructor and wounding two others before he was subdued by students and died, officials said.
All six crew members aboard a U.S. refueling aircraft have died after the plane crashed over western Iraq, the U.S. military confirmed Friday, as fighting between the United States, Israel, and Iran continued to intensify.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday that Iran’s newly installed supreme leader is likely wounded, disfigured, and hiding underground as the Islamic Republic reels from the opening blows of the war with the United States and Israel.
Bible sales in Britain have surged to their highest levels since records began, reflecting a growing spiritual interest across the nation—particularly among younger generations.
A damaged Russian gas tanker is drifting unmanned through the Mediterranean Sea, prompting Malta to prepare emergency measures while tensions linked to the war in Ukraine spill into Europe’s energy and security landscape.
Iran launched a new wave of drone and missile attacks on Gulf countries Thursday, the 13th day of the United States-Israel war against Tehran, with strikes reported in Bahrain and other states, sending oil prices sharply higher and raising concerns among foreign workers, including Christians.
Nearly 25,000 Christians, many of them impoverished sanitation workers and day laborers, face possible eviction from their homes in Pakistan’s capital after authorities ordered them to vacate two settlements within days, Christians familiar with the situation confirmed Thursday.
WHO WE ARE
The Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs encapsulate the beauty, wisdom, and eternal truths found in the Bible, creating an immersive experience that resonates with believers and seekers alike.
CONTACT
- +1 908 280-4246
- Essex County, USA
- info@tnjrfm.com