Rimsha Masih was taken to a secret location by helicopter to avoid mob justice
Pakistani security personnel shift Rimsha Masih to a helicopter after her release from jail in Rawalpindi
A blanket was used to cover her face in an attempt to protect her identity
A glimpse of the young girl's face was captured just before the helicopter took off
Live broadcasts showed heavily-armed police surrounding Rimsha Masih, believed to be no older than 14, covering her face with a green scarf
Lawyer Raja Ikram, one of Rimsha Masih's representatives, talks to journalists after the hearing in Islamabad. His client was granted bail after three weeks detention
Police escort blindfolded Muslim cleric Khalid Jadoon as he is brought before a judge earlier this month. He was arrested on suspicion of framing Rimsha Masih
A Pakistani policeman reprimanded him after he attempted to shout slogans on arrival at the court in Islamabad Photos: Daily Mail
This is the sharia. And when the government won't enforce it, the ummah (Muslim community) will.
Forget the fact that an imam has been arrested for framing this Down's Syndrome child. It doesn't matter -- they said she burned pages of Islamic text and that is enough.
This Christian child faces death in or out of the courts. Remember, as the furor over this mentally challenged Christian girl over blasphemy charges grew, the body of an 11-year-old boy from the minority community, nose, ears and stomach cut out, was found in Faisalabad city of Pakistan's Punjab province. Samuel Yaqoob, a resident of the Christian Colony of Faisalabad, 100 km from Lahore, was brutally tortured before being killed. ...
"Pakistan blasphemy girl in dramatic prison release by helicopter" Reuters, September 8, 2012 (thanks to David)
(Reuters) - A Pakistani military helicopter plucked a young Christian girl accused of blasphemy from a prison yard on Saturday and flew her to a secret location after she was granted bail.
Live broadcasts showed heavily-armed police surrounding Rimsha Masih, believed to be no older than 14, covering her face with a green scarf as she walked to the helicopter.
A judge granted Masih bail on Friday and her lawyers are applying to have charges that she burned pages from the Koran dismissed after a local cleric was detained on suspicion of planting false evidence to stir resentment against Christians.
Even before that arrest, Masih's case provoked international concern as she could face execution under Pakistan's blasphemy law despite her young age and reported mental problems.
The dramatic nature of Masih's release underlined the fear for her life.
The lawyer prosecuting her suggested she could be lynched if found not guilty. Blasphemy charges are frequently followed by deadly riots against minority communities.
Despite international condemnation, the blasphemy law still enjoys widespread support among ordinary Pakistanis.
Two high-ranking government officials who had suggested its reform were shot dead, one by his own bodyguard. Lawyers threw rose petals at that killer and the judge who convicted him was forced to flee the country.
The number of cases brought under the law is rising rapidly and rights groups fear it is mostly being used to settle personal vendettas.
Since 1987, there have been almost 250 blasphemy cases, according to Pakistani thinktank the Center for Research and Security Studies.
