By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
LAHORE, PAKISTAN (Worthy News) – Nabeel Masih, a young Christian man detained in 2016 in Pakistan for “blasphemy” against Islam, has died after years of suffering, imprisonment, and medical neglect, a representative told Worthy News Friday.
Masih passed away on Thursday at the age of 25 after years of hardship, Christians said.
“His story is a stark reminder of the deep flaws in Pakistan’s blasphemy laws and the persistent persecution of religious minorities,” said human rights lawyer Sardar Mushtaq Gill, who long advocated for him and other victims of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws.
He was just 16 when he was arrested on September 18, 2016, in the city of Phoolnagar in Punjab province’s Kasur District, after a local man accused him of sharing “a blasphemous image” on the social media platform Facebook, Worthy News learned.
Gill, founder of the Christian advocacy group LEAD Ministries Pakistan, said the image allegedly depicted the Kaaba — Islam’s holiest site — with a pig’s head, considered a deeply offensive symbol in Islamic tradition.
Masih consistently denied ever posting the image.
“Despite being a minor at the time of arrest, he was charged under Section 295 (‘defiling a place of worship’) and Section 295-A (‘outraging religious feelings’) of the Pakistan Penal Code,” Gill told Worthy News.
DENIED BAIL
Masih was reportedly denied bail and kept in custody for several years without trial. In 2018, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
“During his time in jail, Nabeel [Masih] endured physical and psychological abuse. He was often kept in isolation due to threats from fellow inmates and guards,” added Gill, who followed the case closely from the beginning.
“After nearly five years of incarceration, he was granted bail on medical grounds by the Lahore High Court in March 2021 and released later that month.”
While in prison, Masih developed several painful lipomas (fatty tumors) on his body, which prison authorities failed to treat, Christians said.
“After his release, he underwent his first surgery in May 2021 to remove them. The tumors returned in early 2025, requiring another surgery in March,” Gill explained.
In June 2025, Masih fell seriously ill and was diagnosed with acute Hepatitis E. His liver was severely affected — with dangerously high bilirubin and enzyme levels — and he experienced fatigue, jaundice, vomiting, and severe abdominal pain, Christians said.
He was admitted to Hamid Latif Hospital in Lahore, where his condition initially stabilized but later worsened.
“By mid-July, he was unable to speak or walk and was transferred to another private facility for critical care. On July 31, 2025, Nabeel Masih passed away at the age of 25,” Gill stated.
Gill said he and LEAD Ministries Pakistan had “consistently raised awareness about Masih’s case and called for meaningful legal reform to prevent further misuse of these laws.”
PRAYERS URGED
Pastor Imran Amanat, leader of LEAD Ministries Pakistan, told Worthy News he had “urged the nation and the international community to pray for Masih’s grieving family.”
He emphasized that the family, too, “had suffered in silence, living under the same threats, fear, and social exclusion that plagued Masih’s life.” He called their pain “a reflection of the wider tragedy caused by the misuse of blasphemy laws in the country.”
Human rights defenders in Pakistan and abroad have repeatedly warned that Masih’s case was not isolated. Blasphemy accusations are often used to target minorities, settle personal disputes, or incite mob violence, with little protection for the accused, experts say.
“Masih’s death is a tragic indictment of a system that punishes the accused before guilt is proven. From arrest to death, his life was shaped by fear, exclusion, and neglect — not justice,” Gill said.
“His story raises critical questions: Why are minors treated as criminals in blasphemy cases? Why are courts unable to provide timely trials and protections? Why does society allow such laws to be weaponized against the vulnerable?”
“Nabeel Masih’s life was cut short not just by illness,” Gill continued, “but by years of wrongful incarceration, trauma, and a system that failed him at every level.”
“His death must not be forgotten. It should serve as a wake-up call for lawmakers, religious leaders, and civil society to come together and ensure that no other child suffers the same fate.”
INSPIRED REFORM
Gill added: “Masih — your silence now speaks volumes. You were failed by the law, but your story may yet inspire its reform.”
However, there are growing concerns that legal reforms could be postponed. The Islamabad High Court had called on the government to appoint a commission to investigate false blasphemy accusations, triggering a violent backlash from hardline Islamic leaders.
The outcry led to a postponement of the commission’s establishment, “threatening judicial independence and the safety of lawyers and human rights defenders,” rights lawyers warned.
Last year, at least 475 blasphemy cases were registered in Pakistan, according to the Human Rights Watch (HRW) advocacy group.
“Increasingly, those alleging blasphemy have based their accusations on comments made on social media,” HRW noted in a recent report seen by Worthy News.
At least dozens of people — many of them Christians — are believed to be behind bars on what critics say are often fabricated blasphemy charges.
“While no one has been executed in Pakistan for the offense of blasphemy, a mere accusation often effectively becomes a death sentence: mob violence and targeted killings have left dozens of people accused of blasphemy dead,” HRW added.
Pakistan currently ranks 8th on the annual World Watch List of 50 nations where Christians face the most persecution for their faith, according to advocacy group Open Doors.
Christians make up nearly 2 percent of Pakistan’s predominantly Muslim population of 252 million people, according to researchers and official data.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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