After intense diplomatic pressure over the past week, Afghan authorities released Christian man Said Musa, who had spent nearly nine months in prison accused of leaving Islam, which is punishable by death under Islamic law.
Unfortunately, Shoaib Asadullah, another Christian from a Muslim background, is still in prison for his faith in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif. His life is in danger, according to a letter he recently wrote.
Sources in Afghanistan say that Said Musa (sometimes spelled Sayyed Mussa) was released last week and left Afghanistan on February 21, having been offered asylum in a safe country. The last letter Said Musa wrote from his prison cell is dated February 13. He is disabled and a father of six. He said he had been visited by representatives from several embassies in Kabul who had offered him asylum. After they left, according to the letter, Musa was taken to another room where three Afghan officials tried to convince him to renounce his Christian faith and he would be released within 24 hours. He refused and was sent back to his cell. What happened next during his release is confidential for the safety of his family, as their lives are still in danger. A source in Afghanistan praised the advocacy of the foreign groups who made something possible that looked almost impossible beforehand.
Source: Compass Direct
