Asia Bibi’s Last Death Penalty Appeal to be Heard in October
- Updated Aug 23, 2016
Asia Bibi, a Christian woman in Pakistan who has been accused of blasphemy against Islam and sentenced to death, will make her final appeal in October.
ChristianToday.com reports that Bibi was accused of blasphemy against Islam in June 2009 when she drank from the same water bowl as Islamic women with whom she was working. She also allegedly told the women: "My Christ died for me. What did Muhammad do for you?"
Bibi was sentenced to death in 2010, and she will now make her final appeal for acquittal in October.
Her lawyer, Said ul-Malook, said that Bibi will remain in prison while he argues her case.
"I hope the result will be an acquittal,” he said.
Bibi’s case has been a high-profile one, and many human rights organizations have held it up as an example of Pakistan’s harsh blasphemy laws.
"Threats from Islamic radical groups and general discrimination against Christians in Pakistan have transformed courts into little more than rubber stamps for blasphemy accusations brought against Christians regardless of the evidence brought to bear in the case,” stated William Stark of International Christian Concern.
"It is ICC's hope that the Supreme Court will resist these pressures and decide Bibi's case on the merits,” Stark continued.
Publication date: August 23, 2016
