Girl Accused of Blasphemy Bailed

A judge in Pakistan granted bail Friday to a teenage Christian girl who was arrested three weeks ago in Islamabad on blasphemy charges. Rimsha, who is thought to be about 14 years old, has been detained at a high-security prison since Aug. 16 after a mob accused her of burning pages of the Quran—a case that has renewed international scrutiny of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. Blasphemy defendants are not typically granted bail, but a judge made an exception due to Rimsha’s juvenile plea. There are other reports that Rimsha is mentally disabled, after a doctor concluded that her “mental age appears below her chronological age.”