Pakistani court Acquits Christian Couple On Death Row

A court in Pakistan on Thursday acquitted a Christian couple who spent eight years on death row after a conviction on blasphemy charges.

A defense lawyer said, in a rare judgment welcomed by rights bodies.

Shafqat Emmanuel Masih and his wife Shughufta Kausar Masih were handed death sentences in 2014 for sending a text messages to their Muslim colleagues deemed blasphemous, lawyer Saiful Malook said.

The Lahore High Court in the central province of Punjab had acquitted the Christian couple after three days of arguments on their appeal against the conviction.

The judgment came weeks after the couple’s plight was highlighted in a resolution by the European Parliament to denounce Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws.