The Wait Is Over: Pakistan’s Supreme Court Hears Appeal of Christian Brothers Sentenced To Die

The day we’ve all been waiting for has finally come. After roughly a dozen postponements over two years, the Supreme Court of Pakistan heard the appeal of Amoon and Qaisar Ayub – two Christian brothers on death row, falsely charged with blasphemy.

Because of the international pressure we’ve built at the U.N. – with your support – something unusual happened: Foreign officials sat in that courtroom, watching. Pakistan’s Supreme Court knows the world is paying attention. We pray this is the turning point.

Our clients have spent more than a decade in prison over an accusation that they created a blog with content insulting to Islam. Under Pakistan’s Penal Code (PPC), that alleged crime carries a mandatory death sentence.

Under these statutes, insulting remarks about the Islamic Prophet Muhammad are punishable by death, desecration of the Quran by life imprisonment, and insulting remarks about other Islamic prophets by 10 years in prison.

Amoon and Qaisar were charged under all three. The case was filed in June 2011 after a Muslim man came across the alleged website, which listed contact information for Qaisar, the older brother. Because the phone number on the site was registered under Amoon’s name, police charged him as well.

Qaisar was arrested in November 2014, and Amoon in April 2015. While in prison, both were sentenced to death in December 2018. The Lahore High Court upheld their convictions in June 2022. Our affiliate in Pakistan, the Organization for Legal Aid (OLA), had been representing Amoon and was recently asked by Qaisar to represent him at the Supreme Court as well.

Since we filed the appeal in 2022, the Supreme Court has scheduled arguments repeatedly – only to postpone 12 times, including numerous delays caused by opposing counsel.

Finally, the Court, composed of three justices (including the Chief Justice), heard the arguments yesterday. Our team has informed us that our argument went well. At the end of the arguments, the judges asked both sides to submit their written arguments to the Court within 10 days. Once those are submitted, the registrar’s office will announce the date for the court’s decision on the case.

Please pray that the judges decide this case with wisdom, mercy, and justice. Also, pray for the protection of our legal team as well as Amoon, Qaisar, and their family. Take action with us by adding your name to the petition: Save Christian Brothers From Execution.