A court has freed a mentally ill woman who has been held without trial for 14 years on allegations of desecrating the Qur'an. Under Pakistan's strict blasphemy laws, anyone accused of insulting Islam, the prophet Muhammad or the Qur'an can be sentenced to death. Zaibun Nisa, 60, was arrested in 1996 after a Muslim prayer leader told police that someone had desecrated the holy book. Her family did not challenge the charge, and the woman was sent to a mental hospital in Lahore. Her lawyer said he was shocked to know that police had arrested her despite knowing that she was mentally ill.

Topics