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Zafar Bhatti, a Christian pastor in Pakistan who spent 13 years in prison on a false blasphemy conviction, died of cardiac arrest just three days after his acquittal. He had returned home after being cleared by a high court, but collapsed before his family could make arrangements for medical care.

Bhatti, 62, founder of the Jesus World Mission Church, was arrested in July 2012 in Rawalpindi, Punjab province, after a local cleric accused him of sending text messages that insulted the mother of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He was charged under Article 295(C) of Pakistan’s Penal Code, a provision that carries the death penalty for defiling the name of the Muslim prophet.

His lawyer, Saif ul Malook, told UCA News that Bhatti’s health had sharply deteriorated during his time in

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