Pakistan releases Chinese national charged with blasphemy
A defense lawyer says a Chinese national who was arrested in Pakistan on charges of blasphemy has been released after a court granted him bail PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- A Chinese national arrested in Pakistan on charge s of blasphemy has been released from a high-security prison after a court granted him bail, a defense lawyer and local police said Friday. Under Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws, which have been widely criticized by rights groups, anyone convicted of the offense can be sentenced to death. Often, just a mere accusation is enough to provoke mobs to riot and even attempt to lynch those suspected of blasphemy . The suspect, identified only by one name, Tian, was part of a group of Chinese working on the Dasu Dam, the biggest hydropower project in Pakistan. He was accused of blasphemy earlier this month after he criticized two drivers working on the project for taking too much time to pray during work hours. Hundreds of residents and laborers in the town of Komela then...