Islamabad, Pakistan, Sep 7, 2012 / 16:05 pm
A judge granted bail on Friday, Sept. 7 to a 14-year-old Christian girl with Down syndrome who has been held on suspicion of burning pages of the Quran.
"Although this is a small step towards justice, she will still have to undergo a full trial unless granted asylum in a Western nation," Wilson Chowdhry of the British Pakistani Christian Association said in a Sept. 7 e-mail.
Masih, who has Down syndrome, was arrested Aug. 16 and has been held at a high-security prison in Rawalpindi.
Her bail has been set at 1,000,000 rupees, or about $10,500. Bail is not normally available to those held under the blasphemy laws, but the evidence against her was deemed inadequate to continue to hold a minor with Down syndrome.