ASIA/PAKISTAN - Supreme Court hearing for Asia Bibi

Friday, 7 October 2016 blasphemy   religious minorities   justice   islam   human rights   persecutions  

Islamabad (Agenzia Fides) – The Supreme Court hearing for the case of Asia Bibi, the Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy is scheduled for next October 13. The judgement at first instance was upheld by the Court of Appeal and now the appeal has reached the Supreme Court, the third and final instance of judgment. This was confirmed to Fides by Joseph Nadeem, the woman's family guardian, adding that "this is a decisive moment in which the constant prayer of all Christians and all people of good will is required, so that Asia may be freed". The case will be presented by Muslim Lawyer Saiful Malook, Asia Bibi’s legal officer, who "nurtures high hopes", noting "the flaws in the law and the evidence that demonstrate the innocence of the woman".
Asia Bibi is currently in the women's prison in Multan, in a single cell. The woman was arrested in June 2009 based on the well-known blasphemy law, after an argument with some women farmers. After being sentenced to death in 2009 and the confirmation of the verdict in 2014, on July 22, 2015, the Supreme Court suspended the sentence and ordered the review of the case. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 07/10/2016)


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