Pakistan’s Supreme Court in the capital Islamabad has finally heard the much-delayed appeal of Asia Bibi, the first Christian woman sentenced to death under Pakistan’s blasphemy law.
It has not announced its decision, saying it will ‘reserve judgment’ for several days or possibly weeks.
Aasiya Noreen, a Pakistani Christian woman, has been on death row for over eight years for alleged blasphemy. PICTURE: World Watch Monitor.
Aasiya Noreen, commonly known as Asia Bibi, has been in prison for eight years after she received the death penalty in 2010 for blasphemy, after allegedly making derogatory comments about the Prophet Mohammed during an argument with a Muslim woman.
Her lawyer, Saif-ul-Malook, told Deutsche Welle that she stood a good chance to be released. “The incident happened on June 14, 2009, but the case was registered on June 19, 2009. The accused did not get the benefit of doubt. Legally, it is a weak case,” he said.
There were also contradictions in the statements of the witnesses, he told the three justices of the Supreme Court, reported the Pakistani news site The News International.
Noreen had filed her appeal with Pakistan’s Supreme Court in 2014, but her last appearance, two years ago, was adjourned amid protests. An appeals court in 2014 used her case as justification to ask Pakistan’s government to change court rules in such a way as to make future blasphemy convictions more difficult to obtain. Only Pakistan’s Supreme Court can change Noreen’s death sentence or she has to appeal to the President for mercy.
The case of the Catholic mother of five has drawn international attention. During his visit to Pakistan in December, 2017, the EU’s Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, Jan Figeľ, told officials that the renewal of their export privileges to Europe depended on the release of Noreen.
Pakistani Christians fear that even if she wins her appeal, and her blasphemy conviction is overturned, she will be prey to mob violence, as many Pakistanis are convinced she deserves to die.
“Bibi’s possible release could trigger protests and demonstrations across the country,” her lawyer told DW.
At the time of her appeal hearing, Noreen’s husband and daughter are in the United Kingdom. Speaking at an event hosted by Catholic organisation Aid to the Church in Need at Lancaster University this past weekend, Ashiq Masih said his wife would “never convert to Islam”, adding “she is psychologically, physically and spiritually strong”.
“Having a very strong faith, she is ready and willing to die for Christ,” he told the Catholic News Service on Friday.
Masih told DW that his family’s life had been destroyed however. “We are living a life on the run…Our lives are being threatened. We receive death threats constantly and are moving from one place to another – and we try to support each other,” he said, adding “I spent almost 45 years of my life in my native village. I had many friends there. But now I do not want to go back.”
This is a short version of a longer story published on World Watch Monitor.
