LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) – A Pakistani court on Monday granted bail to a convicted Christian man in 2018 while he was still a teenager for insulting Islam, posting a picture of Islam’s holiest site on social media, a lawyer said of defense.

The court order in the eastern city of Lahore came more than four years after Nabeel Masih was arrested. He was detained after a crowd accused him of blasphemy, sharing a picture of Kaaba in Mecca on Facebook. He was 16 at the time.

According to his lawyer, Naseeb Anjum, Masih was granted bail by the Lahore High Court. It was not clear exactly when Masih would be released.

Blasphemy has been a controversial issue in Pakistan. National and international human rights groups say allegations of blasphemy have often been used to intimidate religious minorities and establish personal results.

In 2018, Masih became the youngest convict of blasphemy in Pakistan when the court sentenced him to 10 years in prison. Since then, the British Asian Christian Association has been fighting a legal battle for his release.

Anjum said it would try to quickly complete the documents to release Masih, now 20 years old. “I will continue this legal fight for his acquittal,” he added.

Ghulam Mustafa Chaudhry, a lawyer for the man who raised the initial charge against Masih, confirmed that Masih was given bail, but did not provide further details.

Juliet Chowdhry, administrator of the British Asian Christian Association, said in a statement that she was happy that Masih would be released, but said she had “lost many of the most important years of development.”

Chowdhry said Masih should be compensated for his false belief in helping him rebuild his life and the organization will pursue this for him. “We call on Christians everywhere to pray for him as we continue to fight,” she said.

A Punjab governor was killed by his own guard in 2011 after defending a Christian woman, Aasia Bibi, who was accused of blasphemy. She was acquitted after spending eight years on death row and left Pakistan for Canada to join her family after receiving threats.

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) – A Pakistani court on Monday granted bail to a convicted Christian man in 2018 while he was still a teenager for insulting Islam, posting a picture of Islam’s holiest site on social media, a lawyer said of defense.

The court order in the eastern city of Lahore came more than four years after Nabeel Masih was arrested. He was detained after a crowd accused him of blasphemy, sharing a picture of Kaaba in Mecca on Facebook. He was 16 at the time.

According to his lawyer, Naseeb Anjum, Masih was granted bail by the Lahore High Court. It was not clear exactly when Masih would be released.

Blasphemy has been a controversial issue in Pakistan. National and international human rights groups say allegations of blasphemy have often been used to intimidate religious minorities and establish personal results.

In 2018, Masih became the youngest convict of blasphemy in Pakistan when the court sentenced him to 10 years in prison. Since then, the British Asian Christian Association has been fighting a legal battle for his release.

Anjum said it would try to quickly complete the documents to release Masih, now 20 years old. “I will continue this legal fight for his acquittal,” he added.

Ghulam Mustafa Chaudhry, a lawyer for the man who raised the initial charge against Masih, confirmed that Masih was given bail, but did not provide further details.

Juliet Chowdhry, administrator of the British Asian Christian Association, said in a statement that she was happy that Masih would be released, but said she had “lost many of the most important years of development.”

Chowdhry said Masih should be compensated for his false belief in helping him rebuild his life and the organization will pursue this for him. “We call on Christians everywhere to pray for him as we continue to fight,” she said.

A Punjab governor was killed by his own guard in 2011 after defending a Christian woman, Aasia Bibi, who was accused of blasphemy. She was acquitted after spending eight years on death row and left Pakistan for Canada to join her family after receiving threats.