Pakistan Supreme Court to hear Asia Bibi’s death sentence appeal
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| Ashiq Masih (R), the husband of Asia Bibi, with their youngest daughter, Eisham Ashiq, in Rome in February 2018. |
Asia Bibi has been held in solitary confinement since
November 2010, when she was sentenced to hang for insulting Prophet Muhammad,
an allegation she denies.
The fate of the first Catholic woman to be condemned to
death under Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws, will be decided next week.
Asia Bibi has been held in solitary confinement since
November 2010, when she was sentenced to hang for insulting Prophet Muhammad,
an allegation she denies.
The Supreme Court of Pakistan has set up a three-member
bench headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar and comprising Justice
Asif Saeed Khosa and Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel, to hear the final
appeal against the execution of Asia Bibi on October 8.
The court has issued a notice to the additional
prosecutor general of Punjab Province to be present for the hearing.
Also in attendance will be lawyers Syed Fayyaz Ahmed Sherazi,
Saif-ul-Malook Chaudhry, and others.
The Supreme Court had earlier adjourned her death sentence
appeal on October 13, 2016, after one of the 3 judges recused himself from
the case.
Sensitive blasphemy laws
So far nobody has been convicted under blasphemy laws which
were introduced by former military dictator Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq in 1980s.
Insulting the Prophet Muhammad in Pakistan is a crime
punishable by death, while offending the Koran, Islam holy book, incurs life
imprisonment.
The blasphemy laws remain an extremely sensitive issue in
the predominantly Muslim nation and they have drawn intense criticism even
within the country. Rights organizations say the law is often misused to
settle personal scores.
Former Punjab governor Salman Taseer and
Catholic minister Shahbaz Bhatti were both assassinated in
2011 after they defended Asia Bibi and spoke out against her death sentence
and the misuse of the blasphemy laws.
Crucial hearing
Asia Bibi has been detained since 2009 on charges of
blasphemy reported by Muslim women and an Imam, following an argument over
sharing a bowl of water with fellow workers in a field. In November 2010
she was given the death sentence by the lower court in Nanka district and four
years later the verdict was confirmed by Lahore High Court.
If Asia Bibi's appeal is rejected by the Supreme Court, her
only recourse will be a direct appeal to the President for clemency. If
that fails, she could become the first person in Pakistan to be executed for
blasphemy.
Family
Ashiq Masih, the husband of Asia Bibi told Catholic News
Service on Friday that if his wife is released, the entire family will
immediately seek sanctuary in one of several countries that have offered them
exile, because it is too dangerous for them to remain in Pakistan.
Ashiq, a builder from Sheikhupura, Pakistan, was in England
with his youngest daughter, Eisham Ashiq, as guests of Aid to the Church in
Need, a Catholic charity helping persecuted Christians.
Popes
Earlier in 2010, Pope Benedict XVI had added his voice to
international calls for the release Asia Bibi. During a special event
organized in Rome on 24 February to express solidarity for those persecuted for
their faith across the world, Pope Francis had a private meeting with
Ashiq and Eisham.
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