A Christian man who was released last week after 13 years in a Pakistani prison on false charges of blasphemy against Islam has died, his supporters told Worthy News Monday.
Zafar Bhatti had been “honourably acquitted” by the Rawalpindi Bench of the Lahore High Court, which overturned a wrongful conviction in a blasphemy case on October 2, sources confirmed.
However, by that time, the impact of “extreme hardship behind bars” had left its marks, Christians said. Bhatti passed away Sunday at the age of 62, Worthy News learned.
“He departed this world and met his Creator. His life stands as a powerful reminder that while truth can be suppressed, it can never be destroyed,” said Sardar Mushtaq Gill, a Christian human rights lawyer who closely followed the case.
“Despite being subjected to torture and repeated efforts to force a false confession, he held firmly to the truth and his faith until the very end,” added Gill, the founder of advocacy group LEAD Ministries Pakistan.
His death, Gill said, “serves as a heartbreaking reminder of the devastating human toll of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws — and the long shadow of injustice they cast on many wrongfully accused, especially among religious minorities.”
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