A Christian man who has been living in Bristol for four years says he is at risk of being killed if he is deported to Pakistan after protesting against the country’s draconian blasphemy laws.

Azeem Wazir is being held in Colnbrook immigration removal centre near London, and may be deported as soon as Friday following his arrest last week.

He left Pakistan, leaving his family behind, in 2015 after a fatwah was issued against him for his involvement in a campaign called “Stop Killing Christians”.

Wazir’s lawyers have launched an urgent appeal to stop his deportation, and Bristol’s mayor, Marvin Rees, and the bishop of Bristol, Vivienne Faull, have expressed concern about his case.

Last week, a report commissioned by Jeremy Hunt, the foreign secretary, said Christians were the most persecuted religious believers in the world.

An online petition calling on the home secretary, Sajid Javid, to reconsider Wazir’s case has been signed by more than 6,500 people. It says that Wazir is “a warm and loving member of the community and has served in local church and community life”.

Efforts to prevent Wazir’s deportation stepped up as Asia Bibi, a Christian Pakistani woman who spent nearly a decade in prison, including eight years on death row, after being convicted of blasphemy, flew to Canada to start a new life. Her case was taken up by the pope and Christian leaders around the world.

Since arriving in the UK in 2015, Wazir, who is a Catholic, has sought asylum status but has been denied. He has said that if he returned to Pakistan he would face the death penalty for blasphemy or would be murdered by Islamic extremists.

Rees said: “It is inconceivable that as Canada opens its doors to give Asia Bibi and her family safety, we are on the verge of sending one of her public supporters back to Pakistan where he faces clear and very serious danger.

“Azeem is a valued member of the Bristol community and we are doing everything we can to try to make sure the Home Office reconsiders this case.”

Faull said: “We know that the situation for Christians in many parts of the world is extremely difficult, and Pakistan is sadly no exception.

“It’s extremely concerning to see someone like Azeem being threatened with deportation at such short notice when his case clearly warrants fuller consideration.”

According to Woodlands church in Bristol, where Wazir has worked as a caretaker since arriving in the city, his wife has continued to receive threats against him, including people firing weapons outside their home in Pakistan and stoning the building.

“If Azeem is deported this week his family expect him to be incarcerated and charged with blasphemy, which carries the death penalty. Azeem’s own fear is that Islamic extremist networks will arrange for his murder,” said a statement posted on the church website.

Dez Futak, a friend of Wazir’s, said: “Azeem was standing up for those who are being victimised, persecuted and killed because of what they believe.”

He told the Bristol Post: “If he is deported, it is very likely that he will become one of those same people that he was speaking out for.”

A Home Office spokesperson said the department did not comment on individual cases, but added: “The UK has a proud history of granting asylum to those who need our protection. Each case is assessed on its merits and individuals have the right to appeal to an independent immigration court.

“Where a decision has been made that a person does not require international protection, removal is only enforced when we and the courts conclude that it is safe to do so, with a safe route of return.”

Christians make up less than 2% of Pakistan’s population of more than 200 million. According to Open Doors, which monitors Christian persecution around the world, Pakistan’s blasphemy laws “target Christians in particular”.

It said: “The abuses of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are some of the starkest examples of persecution in Pakistan. They have been devastating for minorities, including Christians, who must always act with caution in case an allegation of blasphemy is raised to settle a personal score.”

Pakistan is number five on Open Doors’ league table of countries in which Christians are at risk.





