Asif Hassan—AFP
Prosecution has been directed to produce witnesses for 20 accused at next hearing in November.
An anti-terrorism court on Wednesday indicted 20 Christians over the lynching of two Muslim men following suicide bombings on a pair of Lahore churches in March, a lawyer said.
Seventeen people died as a result of the suicide bombings in the Youhanabad district of the city, with more than 70 wounded. The attack sparked two days of rioting by thousands of Christians who clashed with police, blocked roads and forced a partial shutdown of the city’s public bus system.
The Christian protesters also lynched two men, claiming they were militants involved in the attack. Police later arrested 20 Christians with the help of video clips after protests by Muslims against the lynching.
Judge Mohammad Qasim indicted the Christians and ordered the prosecution to produce witnesses on next hearing fixed for Nov. 5. “The anti-terrorist court has indicted 20 Christians in the two men lynching case,” prosecutor Sheikh Mohammad Saeed told reporters. Saeed said all the accused denied charges during the hearing.
The bombings occurred during Sunday service at two churches located around half a kilometer apart in Youhanabad, which is home to more than 100,000 Christians.