73-year-old Pakistani Christian Lazar (Nazir) Masih passed away in the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Rawalpindi in Punjab Province in Pakistan on 3 June, just over a week after he was violently attacked by an extremist mob following an accusation of blasphemy.

On 25 May members of the Muslim community in Mujahid Colony, Sargodha District, broadcast accusations that Mr Masih had allegedly burnt pages of the Qur’an, prompting a mob of over 1,000 people to attack Mr Masih’s home and the shoe factory he had owned in the area for six years.

The mob threw stones and bricks at Mr Masih and beat him with steel rods before he was rescued by local police. He was placed in critical condition in the CMH Rawalpindi due to his multiple head injuries.

On 2 June Mr Masih was placed on a ventilator. He passed away in the early hours of 3 June due to multiple organ failure and was swiftly buried in his hometown of Sargodha. The District Police Officer (DPO) in Sargodha has assured Mr Masih’s family of protection.

CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: ‘CSW expresses our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Lazar Masih, whose life was cruelly taken by extremists who have been emboldened by Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws and the culture of impunity that surrounds those who take these laws into their own hands. We condemn this egregious act of violence and emphasise that Mr Masih would likely still be alive had the police intervened sooner and more effectively. We call on the authorities in Sargodha to uphold the rule of law, and to ensure that all those responsible for his death are brought to justice. We also continue to call on Pakistan to repeal its blasphemy laws, which are wholly incompatible with the country’s national and international commitments to freedom of religion or belief.’