Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) is calling on the new Pakistani Government to repeal the notorious blasphemy laws, ten years after a Catholic bishop killed himself in protest at the unjust legislation.

On 6 May 1998, Bishop John Joseph, Bishop of Faisalabad, shot himself in front of the court building in the town of Sahiwal, as an act of protest after a Christian, Ayub Masih, was sentenced to death for blasphemy.

Bishop John Joseph, a tireless campaigner for human rights in Pakistan, had presided over a prayer service earlier in the day, in which he said: "Non-Muslims are not considered Pakistani in their own country '. Now it is time to sacrifice our lives, because we are not safe in our own country." After the prayer service he told people that the blasphemy law "is a national issue and we need to join our hands in struggle against it."

Bishop Joseph also published an open letter, in which he wrote following Ayub Masih's death sentence: "We must act strongly in unity, Christians and Muslims, in order not only to get this death sentence suspended but to get (legal articles) 295 B and C repealed without worrying about the sacrifices we shall have to offer." Ayub Masih was subsequently acquitted. Sections 295 B and C of the Pakistan Penal Code have become known as the "blasphemy laws".

In a letter to the Vatican, which he sent following seven days of fasting and prayer, Bishop Joseph wrote: "I only hope and pray that God accepts the sacrifice of my blood for his people". He had earlier told friends that if the blasphemy laws were not repealed, "we will launch a protest which will stun the whole world."

Group Captain (Rtd) Cecil Chaudhry, a prominent human rights campaigner in Pakistan and a close friend of the Bishop, said: "The Bishop's mission was to make Pakistan into a country where every citizen, without bias to caste, colour or creed, enjoys equal rights, in accordance with the wishes of its founder, Mohammed Ali Jinnah. The Christian Liberation Front (CLF), which is the founder of the present All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA), continues to carry forward the Bishop's mission, demanding the separation of state and religion and the repeal of all discriminatory laws. Although the blasphemy laws still hold fast in our statute books, we have however been successful in taking the first steps towards our, and the late Bishop's, eventual goal by having had the joint electorate system restored in January 2002, and we now concentrate on the total repeal of the blasphemy laws."

CSW's National Director, Stuart Windsor, said: "Ten years on, nothing has changed in Pakistan. The blasphemy laws continue to be open to gross abuse, and hundreds of people of all religions have suffered. The laws are so badly written, requiring no evidence, no proof of intent, no definition, that they are misused in almost all cases to settle personal scores or target religious minorities. The new Government of Pakistan, elected on a moderate, progressive platform and with a strong mandate, has pledged to make fighting extremism its priority. The first step towards creating a climate of religious tolerance and harmony would be to dismantle the unjust blasphemy laws. It would be a fitting way to mark the tenth anniversary of Bishop John Joseph, who decided to pay the ultimate sacrifice in order to draw the attention of the world to this injustice."

Notes to Editors:

1. Section 295C of the Pakistan Penal Code, which relates to blasphemy against the Prophet Mohammed, was introduced in 1986 by the then ruler of Pakistan, General Zia ul-Haq. Section 295B, relating to desecration of the Koran, was introduced in 1982.

2. The blasphemy laws require simply an accusation by one man against another for a case to be filed. In almost all cases the charges are entirely fabricated.

3. An Early Day Motion has been tabled in the UK House of Commons to commemorate the anniversary. EDM 1424 was tabled by David Drew MP and co-signed by John Bercow, Stephen Crabb, David Taylor, Peter Bottomley, Jim Dobbin, Alistair Carmichael and Lynn Jones. It has so far been signed by 26 MPs.