Islamabad , Pakistan ( CNN ) -- A Pakistani court on Tuesday dismissed blasphemy charges against Rimsha Masih , a Christian teenager whose case prompted international outrage . `` She is a free woman , like any ordinary citizen , '' said Abdul Hameed Rana , one of Rimsha 's lawyers . The high court in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad found that the accusations against her were legally unsound , he said . Read more : Setback for Pakistani teen facing blasphemy charges . The court 's decision follows weeks of uncertainty for Rimsha and her family , who were forced to go into hiding because of the furor surrounding the case . `` We welcome the courts ruling made under considerable pressure and international scrutiny , '' said Mustafa Qadri , Amnesty International 's Pakistan researcher . `` This shows that law enforcement and justice officials in Pakistan are capable of dealing with high profile and dangerous cases when they show the will to do so . '' Pakistan 's blasphemy laws `` do n't help protect religious harmony , '' he said . `` The problem is that in law and in practice , this is a threat to all Pakistanis , not just Christians , not just minorities groups . '' Rimsha 's ordeal began in August when she was arrested over allegations she had burned pages of the Quran , Islam 's holy book , for cooking fuel . She denied the charges , which carried the possible sentence of life in prison . Confusion still surrounds the events of the day when Rimsha was arrested . The accusations against her were made by a neighbor , who shouted in protest , drawing a crowd that grew angry over the allegations that pages of the Quran had been burned . Read more : Muslim cleric framed girl in Pakistan blasphemy case . Some residents of the Islamabad neighborhood said the teenager was beaten . Others said she ran back home and locked herself inside . When police arrived , they arrested her . Her detention stirred up religious tensions in the predominantly Muslim country . It also generated fierce criticism of Pakistani authorities and renewed debate over the nation 's blasphemy laws . Human rights activists attacked the decision to put Rimsha into the adult criminal justice system , noting she was believed to be around 14 years old . She was later released on bail and her case was transferred to a juvenile court . The situation took a dramatic twist in September when police arrested a local imam over allegations he had framed Rimsha . According to police , witnesses said they had seen the Muslim cleric , Khalid Jadoon Chishti , tear pages out of a copy of the Quran and add them to the bag of ashes being cited as evidence against Rimsha . That case became more complicated last month when Chishti 's lawyers said that three of the witnesses had recanted their statements at a bail hearing . The case against Chishti will continue in district court following the high court ruling Tuesday , according to Rana , the lawyer for Rimsha . Explainer : Pakistan 's blasphemy laws . Pakistan 's blasphemy laws were first instituted to keep peace between religions . But they have been criticized by human rights advocates , who say the laws enable legal discrimination against religious minorities . There have been about 1,400 blasphemy cases since the laws were first enacted in 1986 , according to Human Rights Watch . There are more than 15 cases of people on death row for blasphemy in Pakistan , and 52 people have been killed while facing trial for the charge , according to the organization . Rimsha and her family spoke to CNN in September from an undisclosed location after she was released on bail . The teen denied that she defiled the Quran . She said she was happy to be with her family , but feared for her life . `` I 'm scared , '' she said by phone . `` I 'm afraid of anyone who might kill us . '' Now that her case has been dismissed , it still remains unclear what kind of life she might be able to have , given the accusations she faced . Aid groups in the United States , Italy and Canada have offered the teen and her family a home outside Pakistan , a family representative said . But she has said she wants to stay in her home country . CNN 's Elizabeth Joseph in Hong Kong contributed to this report .
` ` She is a free woman , like any ordinary citizen , '' Rimsha ##h 's lawyer said . The high court in Lahore finds the accusations to be legally unsound . She was accused of burning pages of the Quran for cooking fuel . The case against an imam accused of framing her will continue in district court .