[ad_1]
The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday dismissed the appeal against the acquittal of Asia Bibi, sentenced to death for blaspheming Islam.
"This appeal was rejected," said Judge Asif Saeed Khosa at the end of the hearing.
The death sentence was imposed on Asia Bibi in 2010. On October 31, 2018, the same court, the highest court in Pakistan, acquitted the Christian.
Due to the call, his release, which seemed imminent, was uncertain. This decision paves the way for the Christian to leave the country after years of judicial battle.
The absolution of the Christian provoked mbad demonstrations by Islamists who demanded their condemnation to the gallows.
Asia Bibi, a mother of five, was reported in 2009 by neighbors who claimed to have insulted Islam during a discussion in Punjab and were sentenced to death in 2010 for blasphemy. She spent eight years in solitary confinement.
A photo undated Asia Bibi published by the family – Photo: AP
The Christian lost the appeal to the Lahore Supreme Court in Punjab in 2014. The following year, the Supreme Court suspended execution after agreeing to consider his appeal, but the first hearing, scheduled for 2016, was adjourned following a challenge from one of the judges. s.
The Supreme Court of Pakistan considered the appeal of the death sentence against Asia on October 8 and reserved the verdict, noting that the witness statements contained contradictions. On the 31st, he decided to acquit himself.
Blasphemy is a delicate subject in Pakistan, and the case of Asia is so extreme that her family finds it inconceivable that she stays in the country if she is released.
After the acquittal of Asia Bibi, his lawyer left Pakistan, fearing for his life.
Her husband, Ashiq Masih, recorded a video asking for the family's asylum to Donald Trump, Theresa May and Justin Trudeau. Masih also sought asylum from Joseph Nadeem, who had sheltered his family after the death sentence of his wife for blasphemy in 2010.
The case of Asia Bibi sparked the death penalty. international outrage and led to at least two murders, according to Efe.
One of the murders was the former Punjab governor, Salman Tasir, who occurred in 2011. After publicly defending Asia Bibi, he had been killed by one of his bodyguards, Mumtaz Qadri. The bodyguard was executed in 2016 and buried as a hero.
Source link