Pakistani Christian sentenced to death for blasphemy
A Pakistani Christian has been sentenced to death after he was found guilty of sending “blasphemous” text messages. Asif Pervaiz, 37, has been in custody since 2013 after he was accused of sending the texts to a supervisor in the hosiery factory where he worked. He was reportedly sentenced on Tuesday by a court in […]
Greek Orthodox Church: For some, communion remains unchanged despite virus
ELENA BECATOROS and COSTAS KANTOURIS, of Associated Press, report…
Asia Bibi happy to be in Canada but ‘very tired’ after blasphemy ordeal, says friend
Winnipeg, CanadaRNS When he heard that Asia Bibi – the Pakistani Christian woman acquitted of blasphemy – was on her way to Canada, Nadeem Bhatti could hardly believe it. “We had been told three or four times she was going to be leaving, but it never turned out,” said Bhatti, a friend of the family […]
Asia Bibi, Christian woman acquitted of blasphemy, leaves Pakistan for Canada
Asia Bibi, a Christian women acquitted of blasphemy last year after spending eight years on death row, has left Pakistan for Canada to be reunited with her daughters, according to reports. Bibi, who has always maintained her innocence, was convicted of blasphemy in 2010 following a dispute with a fellow farm labourer involving a cup […]
Asia Bibi free to leave Pakistan after court dismisses challenge to her acquittal
Lahore, PakistanRNS Pakistan’s Supreme Court has dismissed a petition by Islamists to overturn the acquittal of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman previously convicted of blasphemy, freeing her to leave the country and join her daughters in Canada. In the ruling Tuesday, Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa said the petitioners led by a village cleric failed […]
Asia Bibi’s daughters take refuge in Canada as court decision looms
Two daughters of Asia Bibi – a Christian mother of five who was acquitted of blasphemy in Pakistan last October – have reportedly taken refuge in Canada ahead of a court decision this week on whether a challenge to her acquittal can proceed. The Telegraph reports that Bibi, also known as Aasiya Noreen, is expected […]
Pakistani Christian acquitted of blasphemy
A Pakistani Christian man accused of blasphemy has been acquitted, Agenzia Fides reports. Pervaiz Masih, who had been released on bail, was accused of blasphemy on 1st September, 2015, and was acquitted on 15th January this year following his trial, a representative of The Voice Society, an organisation which provides legal and social assistance to […]
Pakistan joins US list of worst religious freedom violators
World Watch Monitor Pakistan is among the 10 countries that appear on the US State Department’s latest list of Countries of Particular Concern for religious-freedom violations, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced in a press statement on Tuesday. China, Eritrea, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Pakistan, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan are accused of “having engaged in or tolerated systematic, ongoing, [and] egregious violations of religious freedom”. […]
Indonesian Christian governor Ahok set for early release from prison
World Watch Monitor Jakarta’s former governor, known as “Ahok”, who was sentenced last year to two years in jail for blasphemy against Islam, is to be released from prison next month, four months ahead of schedule. The ethnic Chinese Christian, whose real name is Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, was due to be released in May but has been […]
Christian politician in Indonesia accused of blasphemy for opposing Sharia-based bylaws
World Watch Monitor A young Christian politician has been accused of blasphemy in Indonesia after criticising Sharia-based bylaws, Catholic news agency UCAN reports. Grace Natalie, 36, the chairwoman of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), was reported to police by a conservative Muslim organisation after delivering her speech at her party’s gathering in Tangerang, near Jakarta, last […]