ICC Note:
According to a recent medical review, a lawyer determined that a Pakistani Christian girl accused of blasphemy is a minor and should not be tried as an adult. The girl, who reportedly has Down syndrome, was arrested August 17 for allegedly carrying burned pages of the Quran. The accusations led to hundreds of Muslim demonstrators chanting on the street for the child’s death. The child is expected to be 13 or 14 years old. If she was 16, she the punishment for blasphemy could be death.
8/28/2012 Pakistan (Associated Press) – The lawyer for a Pakistani Christian girl accused of blasphemy says a medical review has determined that the girl is a minor.
Tahir Naveed Chaudhry says a report by a medical board investigating the age and mental state of the girl determined she was between 13 and 14.
Chaudhry says that means her case will be heard under Pakistan’s juvenile court system, which is generally more lenient toward defendants.
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