By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
ISLAMABAD (Worthy News) – Pakistan’s Supreme Court has acquitted Anwar Kenneth, a mentally challenged Christian man who spent 23 years behind bars on death row for “blasphemy” against Islam, Christians confirmed Friday.
Activists welcomed the ruling after years of campaigning against Kenneth’s initial blasphemy conviction. Kenneth, 72, was due to be released from prison by the weekend, Worthy News learned.
The court ruled that “a person of unsound mind” cannot be held criminally liable, marking a rare and significant decision over Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws, trial observers said.
The three-judge Supreme Court bench — Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Shahzad Ahmed Khan, and Justice Irfan Saadat Khan — said Kenneth was “mentally unfit to stand trial” when “charged under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code” in 2001.
Kenneth, an ex-government official, was detained in 2001 for allegedly sending offensive letters containing “defamatory” remarks directed at religious leaders, diplomats, and heads of state.
“These letters led to the filing of a [first information report] FIR at the Gawalmandi Police Station in [the city of] Lahore, eventually resulting in his conviction under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code, a controversial law criminalizing blasphemy,” noted Christian advocacy group LEAD Ministries Pakistan.
“On July 18, 2002, the Lahore Additional Sessions Court found Kenneth guilty of ‘defaming’ and ‘insulting’ the Prophet Muhammad, sentencing him to death and imposing a fine of 500,000 Pakistani rupees (about $1,800).”
PLAGUED BY DELAYS
Christians told Worthy News that Kenneth’s case “has been plagued by delays” and “procedural complications” since his conviction, with his appeal process repeatedly postponed.
“Over the years, his health—both mental and physical—has significantly deteriorated, intensifying concerns over his prolonged incarceration. In 2024, a psychiatric assessment confirmed that Kenneth was suffering from Bipolar Affective Disorder and was in a hypomanic state,” LEAD founder Sardar Mushtaq Gill told Worthy News.
Pastor Imran Amanat, the LEAD director, told Worthy News, “This is a long-overdue acquittal, but brother Kenneth’s 23-year ordeal exposes a serious failure in our legal and mental health systems.”
He added that blasphemy laws in Pakistan, a mainly Muslim nation, must never be enforced “without fair trial protections” and mental health evaluations. “This judgment should prompt a national reckoning with how we treat the vulnerable, especially religious minorities,” Gill stressed.
Gill, a longtime human rights attorney, added: “This decision reaffirms that mentally ill individuals cannot and should not be punished for crimes they cannot understand.”
However, he cautioned that Kenneth outside prison “is not safe — far from it. Despite his acquittal, he remains extremely vulnerable due to the hostile environment for those once accused of blasphemy in Pakistan.”
Gill stressed that the “state must ensure his protection and prevent mob violence. We are deeply concerned about his safety and well-being outside prison.”
GOVERNMENT ACTION
He said the “government must take immediate steps to provide him with a secure and dignified environment.”
The case highlighted that Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are often used to target minority groups, especially Christians, according to rights investigators.
“A quarter of all blasphemy accusations target Christians, who make up just 1.8 percent of the population,” explained advocacy group Open Doors.
Although blasphemy laws carry a death sentence, executions have been rarely carried out. Instead, Christians languish for years in prison, with Kenneth being the longest known jail-serving Christian following his initial blasphemy conviction, Worthy News established.
However, people accused of blasphemy are vulnerable to attack or murder by mobs. In June 2024, an older man was reportedly killed by mob violence after being accused of desecrating the Koran, deemed a holy book by Muslims.
Additionally, “the 2023 attack on Christian homes and buildings in Jaranwala continues to contribute to a climate of fear,” Open Doors noted. “Historical churches have relative freedom for worship and other activities. However, they are heavily monitored and have been targeted for bomb attacks.”
Pakistan currently ranks 8th on the annual World Watch List of 50 nations where Open Doors says Christians face the most persecution for their faith in Christ.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
A government ban on major social media platforms that enraged young Nepalis has spiraled into the country’s deadliest political violence in decades, with authorities saying Sunday that at least 72 people have been killed and hundreds more injured during protests reflecting years of frustration over corruption, inequality, and “curbs on freedoms.”
Throughout the Hill Country, crosses, words of Jesus, prayers and messages of hope are written on memorials honoring nearly 150 killed from the catastrophic July 4 flash flood.
The NATO military alliance has begun rolling out its defensive posture on its eastern flank bordering Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. NATO leaders said the new equipment is aimed at deterring potential Russian aggression after at least 19 Russian drones entered Polish territory and Romania also reported a violation of its airspace.
Israel’s surprise strike on Hamas political leaders in Qatar showcased its growing arsenal of advanced ballistic missiles and its ability to deploy them at long range with precision, according to an exclusive report by the Wall Street Journal.
More than 100,000 people packed into central London on Saturday for what organizers billed as the largest free speech rally in British history. The “Unite the Kingdom” march, spearheaded by activist Tommy Robinson, featured a live video appearance by billionaire Elon Musk and a tribute to slain U.S. conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Christians in Pakistan’s flood-hit Punjab province were among those struggling to survive Thursday, while in Indonesia, at least 19 people were confirmed dead after flash floods struck the tourist island of Bali and other regions as deadly monsoon waters swept across parts of South Asia.
Much of the world is mourning after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the born-again Christian conservative leader, who inspired his generation and whose widow praised him as a loving husband with a deep faith in Jesus Christ.