On July 17, the Nepalese authorities released a Christian pastor who had spent almost two years in prison for eating beef.
In October 2012, Pastor Chhedar Lhomi Bhote (37) was arrested after a mob of Hindu militants burned down his home. After discovering that the minister had eaten beef, local residents, in an uproar, claimed that they also saw him killing a cow, an act considered a criminal offence in Nepal.
The pastor, who is the leader of a small church community, was brought to court and sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment. His subsequent release is thought to have been prompted by petitions to the Nepalese government and the work of several Christian organisations.
The family were living in a remote area, near the Tibetan Autonomous Region, in which it is legal for non-Hindus to eat beef, but socially unacceptable to do so.
