Akash Bashir sacrificed himself when he blocked a suicide bomber from entering a church in Lahore, Pakistan on 15th March 2015, saving up to a thousand lives. His final words were: “I will die but I will not let you go in.” John Pontifex, Head of Press & Public Affairs at ACN (UK), reflects on the 10th anniversary of Akash's martyrdom and recalls meeting the young man's family and friends months after his death.

Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is an international Catholic charity supporting persecuted and other suffering Christians in 140 countries around the world.