Christian Released from Prison After 6 Years

On Friday, January 19, 2007, Shahbaz Kaka, was released from prison after serving six years of a life sentence. According to a statement issued by justice Ejah Ahmad Chaudry (High Court Lahore) Shahbaz will spend a month under medical care and then return home.

Shahbaz was arrested in June 2001 after he used the bathroom at a mosque. “Qari Rafique, the head of the mosque, asked him why he was using the toilet that was adjacent to the mosque. He quizzed Shahbaz on whether he was a Christian because he was wearing a cross around his neck,” a VOM source said. The source added that after the conversation, Rafique initiated false allegations against Shahbaz. A complaint was made to the authorities stating Shahbaz disgraced the Quran by tearing pages out, cutting them into pieces and trampling them under his feet. Shahbaz was arrested and later charged with blasphemy. He was sentenced to life in prison in 2004.

For the first 18 months of his imprisonment, Shahbaz’s mother was not informed of the charges against her son or his whereabouts. She eventually learned that he was still alive and of his arrest from VOM workers.

The Voice of the Martyrs learned of Shahbaz’s case in 2003 and has helped him and his family. In addition, VOM workers have met with and encouraged Shahbaz’s family during this time of hardship and grief.

“We rejoice with Shahbaz Kaka and his family at his release,” said Todd Nettleton, VOM’s Director of Media Development. ”Yet we wonder about the injustice of his arrest and the six years he spent in prison. We are concerned for other Christians who still face persecution in Pakistan, and encourage the Pakistani government to provide true religious freedom in their country.”

The Voice of the Martyrs, founded in 1967, provides Christian literature, humanitarian aid and other assistance to Christians in Pakistan and 40 other nations where Christians suffer for their faith.