A blind Christian man in Pakistan is facing the death penalty after being accused of blasphemy by Muslim co-workers, a charge his family says is false and rooted in harassment.

Martha Yousaf, the nearly 80-year-old mother of Nadeem Masih, said that Waqas Mazhar and other Muslim colleagues often harassed her son, sometimes extorting money from him and at other times throwing water on him or calling him names.

The 49-year-old man was arrested in Lahore on October 21, 2025, after being accused of insulting Islam’s prophet, according to Morning Star News.

His mother said her son had long been bullied and extorted by Muslim workers at Model Town Park. “They used to steal his money and even took loans they refused to repay,” she said. “Now they’ve falsely accused him of blasphemy.”

Masih, who is blind and walks with an iron rod in his leg, was reportedly beaten in police custody and forced to confess, according to his mother.

His lawyer, Javed Sahotra, said there were “major discrepancies” in the police report, including claims that officers were patrolling the park at 11 p.m., hours after it had closed. Sahotra said he would appeal for bail at the Lahore High Court.

Naeem Yousaf, director of the Catholic Church’s National Commission for Justice and Peace, condemned the arrest, saying Masih was “a victim of injustice and human indifference.”

Human Rights Watch has warned that Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are routinely misused to persecute minorities and settle personal disputes.

Currently, Pakistan ranks eighth on Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List of countries where Christians face the most persecution.