12/23/2016
A Christian woman’s seventh Christmas in a death cell in Pakistan
The tragic fate of Asia Bibi must not be forgotten (Press Release)
On November 8, 2010, Asia Bibi had been sentenced to death by hanging. In June 2009, two other agricultural workers had accused her of defaming the prophet Mohammad. The Catholic woman had denied the accusations.
The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) would like to draw attention to the tragic fate of Asia Bibi, who was sentenced to death in Pakistan. It is her seventh Christmas in a death cell. The human rights organization demands more international initiatives for the release of the mother of five, who had been found guilty of blasphemy. “Christians all over the world will be celebrating Christmas in the next few days, and Asia Bibi must not be forgotten. Her suffering is reminiscent of hundreds of innocent victims who were wrongfully accused of blasphemy in Pakistan, Indonesia, and Egypt,” said Ulrich Delius, the STP’s Asia expert, in Göttingen on Friday. “There must be justice for Asia Bibi! Otherwise, religious intolerance will gain ground in Pakistan – and the Christian minority will have to leave the country to find protection.”
On November 8, 2010, the 50-year-old agricultural worker had been sentenced to death by hanging. In June 2009, two other agricultural workers had accused her of defaming the prophet Mohammad. The Catholic woman had denied the accusations. Due to alleged bias of a judge, a new hearing that was scheduled for October 2016 was postponed until further notice.
“Asia Bibi’s court proceedings have cast a bad light on Pakistan’s judiciary in terms of independence and the rule of law,” said Delius. “The Christian woman is facing the death penalty. She has to fear for her life because Islamist extremists are threatening judges and the judiciary, as an attempt to prevent an acquittal. “The country’s Supreme Court had postponed its ruling seven times before confirming the death sentence of a local court in 2014. In July 2015, the Supreme Court of Pakistan suspended the death sentence against Asia Bibi, thus allowing for another hearing in court.
In the autumn of 2016, about 540,000 people from all over the world had signed a petition letter to the government of Pakistan, calling for the detainee to be released. About 1.8 percent of the 182 million inhabitants of the South Asian country are Christians.
