Two Christian nurses in the Punjab have been accused of blasphemy against Islam by their colleagues, found guilty by a hospital tribunal, beaten, fired from their jobs, charged with violating section 295-B of the Pakistan Penal Code and jailed.

Maryam Lal and Navish Arooj face the prospect of life imprisonment and years, even decades, of fruitless appeals in Pakistan's court system. Why? For the absurd and possibly fabricated charge of scribbling on a Post-It note which had a verse from the Qu'ran. 

We must apply pressure on the Pakistani government to ensure that these allegations are swiftly and fairly investigated. Otherwise, like other prisoners accused of blasphemy, Christian and non-Christian, they will languish in jail for years. 

Pakistan's draconian blasphemy laws are being exploited to settle petty grudges. The only way to amend them is to focus on the lived injustice of their victims. These two innocent women cannot be allowed to rot in a prison cell. 

We call upon the Australian and United States governments to protest vigorously the detention of Maryam Lal and Navish Arooj.