Release International

Extremists have shot dead a Christian in Punjab after apparently mistaking him for his brother who was accused of blasphemy 10 years ago.

Simon Emmanuel was shot in the neck in Gojara, Toba Tek Singh district, when gunmen confused him with his younger brother Younis Tasadaq, according to RI sources.

The gunmen had heard that Younis had recently returned to Pakistan from the US where he had claimed asylum for seven years, with the help of RI partners.

And, even a decade on, they wanted their revenge for the alleged blasphemy, even though the case against Younis was dropped in 1999. When they saw Simon on January 9 this year, they thought vengeance was theirs.

Lawyers from RI partner CLAAS, the Centre for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement, were involved in Younis' case in the 1990s and helped him find refuge in the States. Now they are involved in the seeking justice for Simon.

CLAAS reports that the Pakistani authorities tried to persuade Simon's father not to press charges, and to consider it a 'suicide' not a murder. Despite this, CLAAS has succeeded in getting the case registered and is supporting the family, including Younis.

Younis was arrested in 1998 after Muslim clerics in Gojara received a letter, bearing Younis' name and address, making derogatory comments about the Prophet Mohammed. The case snowballed: religious leaders, politicians and police all became involved. But the charges against Younis were eventually dropped.

• Pray for Simon's family, grieving for another son after a decade of suffering.
• Pray especially that Younis will be able to rebuild his life again.
  

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