Corruption entrenched in Pakistan's criminal justice system is systematically denying fair trials to the poor and marginalised, with Christians prosecuted under the country's controversial blasphemy laws bearing a disproportionate burden, according to a new joint report released in July 2025. The findings, drawn from on-ground interviews, paint a picture of a justice system where poverty and public pressure combine to make acquittal nearly impossible.

Key Findings of the Report

The report, titled 'Under the Bench: Mapping Corruption Risks in Pakistan's Justice System', was jointly published by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and its member organisation, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). It is based on 30 interviews conducted in February and March with Pakistani lawyers, judges, journalists, civil society activists, and academics.

The report found that many Christians accused of blasphemy cannot secure effective legal representation or challenge wrongful prosecutions due to a combination of poverty, discrimination, and institutional corruption. 'Many of the victims in cases targeting Christians, for example, are sanitation workers or daily labourers, meaning that their resources to pay legal representation with necessary social and political connections or to pay bribes are very limited, if not absent, in effect widening the gap in access to justice,' the report stated.

Blasphemy Prosecutions Surge Sharply

Data cited from the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) reveals a dramatic escalation in blasphemy prosecutions over recent years. As of 25 July 2024, 787 people were imprisoned on blasphemy charges — compared to 213 in 2023, 64 in 2022, nine in 2021, and 11 in 2020. The near-fourfold jump between 2023 and 2024 alone signals what critics argue is a systemic weaponisation of the law.

Why Bribes Fail in Blasphemy Cases

The report identifies a troubling dynamic unique to blasphemy proceedings: corruption itself is rendered less effective by mob pressure. According to multiple interviewees, paying bribes to police or court officials in blasphemy cases often produced little result, as public and religious pressure on investigators and judges to secure convictions was overwhelming.

One interviewee described the prevailing mood bluntly: 'Overall, the sentiment on the street is that there is no justice for the poor and weak people.' Many defendants, the interviewee added, believed convictions were almost inevitable because judges faced intense pressure from religious extremists. A lawyer interviewed for the report noted that district court judges handling blasphemy cases were rarely willing to address evidentiary irregularities — including allegedly forged documents and contradictory witness testimony — out of fear of public backlash.

Families of the accused have reportedly resorted to borrowing money from loan sharks to pay police officers or court officials in a desperate attempt to advance their cases, according to those interviewed.

Death in Custody Renews Alarm

The report's release follows the death of Amir Peter, 60, a Christian man who died in prison in Pakistan's Lahore on 1 July 2025 while awaiting trial on a blasphemy charge. Peter, the brother of Capuchin priest Fr. Henry Paul, had been arrested on 19 July 2025 after local businessmen allegedly filed a false blasphemy complaint against him. He was kept in custody despite a reportedly deteriorating physical and mental condition, according to Radio Veritas Asia (RVA). His death has renewed calls for reform of Pakistan's blasphemy legislation and drawn attention to the prolonged pre-trial detention of accused individuals.

Broader Pattern and What Comes Next

Notably, this is not an isolated assessment — international human rights bodies have repeatedly flagged Pakistan's blasphemy laws as prone to misuse, particularly against religious minorities. The FIDH-HRCP report adds granular, interview-based evidence to that body of concern. With blasphemy prosecutions rising steeply and in-custody deaths drawing international attention, pressure on Islamabad to reform both the blasphemy statutes and the broader criminal justice framework is likely to intensify in the months ahead.