Ayub Masih was 26 years old and working as a bricklayer in Pakistan in 1996 when he allegedly told a Muslim neighbor that Christianity was “correct” and to read The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie.
Although Ayub denied making these statements, he was arrested and charged with blasphemy. Shortly after the arrest, Ayub’s neighbor was allocated his land and the entire Christian population of the village was evacuated.
During Ayub’s trial, religious extremists threatened to kill him, his attorneys, and the judge if Ayub was not convicted. These threats nearly became a reality when Ayub’s neighbor, the very one who accused him, shot and injured Ayub in the court. Despite this brazen, hateful act of violence, the neighbor was never prosecuted and was allowed to continue as the main witness. At the conclusion of the trial, Ayub received a death sentence by hanging.
Ayub suffered attacks from other prisoners while incarcerated, denial of medical care, and solitary confinement in an 8 x 8 x 8-foot cell where the temperature often exceeded 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
After growing pressure on the Pakistani government facilitated by Freedom Now’s efforts, including a letter from key members of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, the government accelerated the date of Ayub’s hearing before the Supreme Court of Pakistan. On August 15, 2002, a three-judge panel of the Supreme Court heard arguments regarding Ayub’s final appeal. The three judges rendered an oral decision acquitting Ayub of blasphemy charges and ordering his immediate release. The Supreme Court held that the arrest, conviction, and sentencing of Masih violated due process of law, echoing the reasoning of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention opinion secured by Freedom Now. This decision set a precedent for other individuals charged with blasphemy.
Freedom Now worked closely with the U.S. State Department and other groups to arrange Masih’s quick exit from Pakistan. He arrived in the United States on September 4, 2002, and successfully claimed political asylum.