Asia Bibi: Pakistan releases Christian woman who spent eight years on death row for blasphemy after drinking from wrong cup
A Christian woman who spent eight years on death row in Pakistan on blasphemy charges has been acquitted — prompting street protests from Islamists furious at the verdict.
The country’s top court ordered Asia Bibi be released in what human rights advocates are hailing as a landmark ruling for religious freedom.
The charges date from 2009 when the farm labourer fetched water for her fellow workers. After sipping from a cup, two Muslim women refused to drink from a vessel used by a Christian and demanded she converted to Islam.
When she refused, a mob to later accused her of blasphemy by insulting the prophet Mohammed. She was subsequently convicted and sentenced to death in 2010.
Ms Bibi’s family have maintained that she never insulted the prophet and in previous hearings her lawyer pointed to contradictions in testimony from witnesses.
The case outraged Christians worldwide and been a source of division within Pakistan, where two politicians who tried to help her were assassinated.
Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar cited the Quran in his ruling, writing: “Tolerance is the basic principle of Islam,” and noting the religion condemns injustice and oppression.
Ms Bibi, who has been held at a secret location for security reasons, is now expected to leave the country.
Her husband, Ashiq Masih, hailed the verdict: “I am very happy. My children are very happy. We are grateful to God. We are grateful to the judges for giving us justice. We knew that she is innocent.”
Her lawyer, Saiful Mulook, called the court ruling “great news” for Pakistan.
“Asia Bibi has finally been served justice,” he added. ”Pakistan’s Supreme Court must be appreciated that it upheld the law of the land and didn’t succumb to any pressure.”
However, the Islamist Tehreek-e-Labaik (TLP) party called for people to take to the streets, and demanded that the judges who were involved in overturning the sentence be killed.
The party was founded from a movement supporting a bodyguard who assassinated Lahore provincial governor Salman Taseer for advocating for Ms Bibi in 2011. Federal minister for religion Shahbaz Bhatti was also killed after calling for her release.
The TLP’s leader also called for Imran Khan’s government to intervene.
“The patron-in-chief of TLP, Muhammad Afzal Qadri, has issued the edict that says the chief justice and all those who ordered the release of Asia deserve death,” party spokesperson Ejaz Ashrafi said.
Streets were blocked in major cities as protesters condemned the ruling, paralysing parts of Islamabad, Lahore and other cities.
In February, Bibi’s husband, Ashiq Masih, and one of her daughters met Pope Francis shortly before Rome’s ancient Colosseum was lit in red one evening in solidarity with persecuted Christians, and Ms Bibi in particular.
The Pope told Bibi’s daughter: “I think often of your mother and I pray for her.”
Christians make up only about 2 per cent of Pakistan’s population and critics of the blasphemy law say it is often used to persecute them and other minorities.
“This is a landmark verdict. For the past eight years, Asia Bibi’s life languished in limbo,” said Omar Waraich, deputy South Asia director for Amnesty International.
“The message must go out that the blasphemy laws will no longer be used to persecute the country’s most vulnerable minorities.”
Asia Bibi: Pakistan acquits Christian woman on death row
A Pakistani court has overturned the death sentence of a Christian woman convicted of blasphemy, a case that has polarised the nation.
Asia Bibi was convicted in 2010 after being accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammad in a row with her neighbours.
She always maintained her innocence, but has spent most of the past eight years in solitary confinement.
The landmark ruling has already set off violent protests by hardliners who support strong blasphemy laws.
Demonstrations against the verdict are being held in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Multan. Clashes with police have been reported.
The Red Zone in the capital Islamabad, where the Supreme Court is located, has been sealed off by police, and paramilitary forces have been deployed to keep protesters away from the court.
What was Asia Bibi accused of?
The trial stems from an argument Asia Bibi, whose full name is Asia Noreen, had with a group of women in June 2009.
They were harvesting fruit when a row broke out about a bucket of water. The women said that because she had used a cup, they could no longer touch it, as her faith had made it unclean.
Prosecutors alleged that in the row which followed, the women said Asia Bibi should convert to Islam and that she made three offensive comments about the Prophet Muhammad in response.
She was later beaten up at her home, during which her accusers say she confessed to blasphemy. She was arrested after a police investigation.
Fallout to continue
By Secunder Kermani, BBC News, Islamabad
The court delivered its verdict quickly, no doubt aware of the sensitivity of the case and the danger of a violent reaction to it.
Asia Bibi's lawyer, closely flanked by a policeman, told me he was "happy" with the verdict, but also afraid for his and his client's safety.
Even after she is freed, the legacy of her case will continue. Shortly after her conviction a prominent politician, Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, was murdered for speaking out in her support and calling for the blasphemy laws to be reformed.
The killer - Mumtaz Qadri - was executed, but has become a cult hero with a large shrine dedicated to him on the outskirts of Islamabad.
His supporters also created a political party - campaigning to preserve the blasphemy laws - which gathered around two million votes in this year's general election.
It's the same party which many fear could be responsible for violent unrest in the coming days.
What is blasphemy in Pakistan?
Laws enacted by the British Raj in 1860 made it a crime to disturb a religious assembly, trespass on burial grounds, insult religious beliefs or intentionally destroy or defile a place or an object of worship, punishable by up to 10 years in jail.
Several more clauses were added in the 1980s by Pakistan's military ruler Gen Zia ul-Haq:
- 1980 - up to three years in jail for derogatory remarks against Islamic personages
- 1982 - life imprisonment for "wilful" desecration of the Koran
- 1986 - "death, or imprisonment for life" for blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad
- What are Pakistan's blasphemy laws?
What did the Supreme Court say?
The judges said the prosecution had "categorically failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt".
The case was based on flimsy evidence, they said, and proper procedures had not been followed. The alleged confession was delivered in front of a crowd "threatening to kill her".
The ruling heavily referenced the Koran and Islamic history. It ended with a quote from the Hadith, the collected sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, which calls for non-Muslims to be treated kindly.
Why is this case so divisive?
Islam is Pakistan's national religion and underpins its legal system. Public support for the strict blasphemy laws is strong.
Hardline politicians have often backed severe punishments, partly as a way of shoring up their support base.
- Christians: Pakistan's 'forgotten minority'
- The last hours of a Christian sanitary worker in Pakistan
But critics say the laws have often been used to get revenge after personal disputes, and that convictions are based on thin evidence.
The vast majority of those convicted are Muslims or members of the Ahmadi community, but since the 1990s, scores of Christians have been convicted. They make up just 1.6% of the population.
What happens now?
There are fears that there could be a violent response to her acquittal.
As with her previous trials and appeals, large crowds gathered outside the court in Islamabad on Wednesday demanding her conviction be upheld and the execution carried out.
She has been offered asylum by several countries and is expected to leave the country.
Her daughter, Eisham Ashiq, had previously told the AFP news agency that if she were released: "I will hug her and will cry meeting her and will thank God that he has got her released."
But the family said they feared for their safety and would likely have to leave Pakistan.
Dragging army into Asia Bibi case is unfortunate: DG ISPR
ISLAMABAD: Director General ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor has said that the judgment of the Supreme Court in Asia Bibi case is a legal matter and dragging Pakistan Army into it is regrettable, Radio Pakistan reported.
Minister says restraint should not be misconstrued as weakness
Talking to the PTV this morning, he said that the government is currently engaged with the protesters and we want amicable and peaceful resolution of the matter.
Mobile services suspended in Islamabad, Pindi, Lahore
The Director General ISPR however made it clear that Pakistan Army will play its constitutional role if requested by the government.
The army spokesperson said every Muslim loves the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and there’s no compromise on this.
“Asia Bibi case is in courts for the last 10 years and the religious parties have staged sit-ins against the Supreme Court verdict, it is a legal matter and it will be better if the law is allowed to run its course on the matter,” the military official added.
“Islam teaches us peace, forgiveness and love,” the DG ISPR said.
Further, Major General Ghafoor said: “The Army is working on eliminating the menace of terrorism from Pakistan and that peace will be maintained across the country.”
The DG ISPR continued, "We should not drift away from what Islam teaches us nor the law." He added, "We want the situation to be resolved in a peaceful manner."
He further said, "In accordance with the law and Constitution, people should refrain from statements against the army."
"We are close to winning the war against terrorism and our attention should not be diverted," Major General Ghafoor continued.
Government, protesters reach agreement to end sit-ins over Asia Bibi acquittal
ISLAMABAD: The government and protesters' leaders have reached an agreement to end to end three days sit-ins across the country.
The government's negotiating teams and the Ulema will hold a joint press conference shortly in Lahore, the sources added.
As per the five-point agreement:
- a prompt action will be taken to place Asia Bibi's name on Exit Control List,
- a review petition, which is the right the complainant, will be filed against her acquittal and the government will not oppose it,
- the protesters who were arrested on October 30 and later on will be released soon.
- Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan will apologize to those whose sentiments have been unnecessarily hurt during the protests.
- Legal action will be taken for the protesters, if killed following acquittal of Asia Bibi.
Asia Bibi: anti-blasphemy protests spread across Pakistan
Anti-blasphemy campaigners bring country to standstill in protest over acquittal of Bibi
Thousands of Islamist protesters have brought Pakistan to a standstill, burning rickshaws, cars and lorries to protest against the acquittal of a Christian woman who spent eight years on death row on false charges of blasphemy.
The release of Asia Bibi is a small step towards a more open Pakistan
Traffic jams held up ambulances and forced mothers to feed their babies by the side of the road, while authorities shut schools across most of the country.
Footage from the protests shows anti-blasphemy campaigners clubbing and throwing shoes at posters of Pakistan’s chief justice and the new prime minister, Imran Khan, who on Wednesday night threatened a fierce government response if protesters did not disperse.
“We are ready to sacrifice our lives for this noble cause,” one told the Guardian, “and have rejected whatever rubbish the prime minister said in his speech”.
The landmark release of Asia Bibi, a 47-year-old farm labourer, has pitched the state into the latest of several battles with supporters of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), a rabid, fast-growing political party that exists solely to punish blasphemers. Asia was charged with insulting the prophet Muhammad after she drank from a cup of water before passing it to Muslim fruit-pickers.
Police have so far shied away from arresting protesters and the powerful armed forces, which often appear to align with Islamists, have yet to issue a statement, despite TLP leaders daring to call for mutiny in its ranks.
On Thursday, rightwing religious organisations, including Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JUD), a charity founded by UN-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed, and the Jamaat-Ulema-e-Islam, announced that they would join the TLP protest on Friday, in what could become an unmanageable conflagration.
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Pakistan's prime minister Imran Khan has called for calm after furious protests across the country over the acquittal of a Christian woman
Mr Khan spoke on TV several hours after the Supreme Court ordered the acquittal of Asia Bibi - a decision that sparked protests across the country and calls for the judges to be killed.
The mother-of-three, 47, was convicted of blasphemy in November 2010 after being accused of defaming the Prophet Muhammad.
The blasphemy law in Pakistan carries a mandatory death penalty and many hardline religious groups are opposed to it being amended.
Mr Khan said: "They are inciting you for their own political gain, you should not get trapped by them for the sake of the country, they are doing no service to Islam.
"We will protect people's properties and lives, we will not allow any sabotage, we will not allow any traffic to be stopped.
"They are not serving Islam, but trying to increase their vote bank," Mr Khan said of the clerics. "They are doing their politics."
Protests were staged in major cities across Pakistan with club-wielding demonstrators blocking Islamabad's main highway and barricading roads in Karachi and Lahore.
Thousands of supporters of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik party, led by firebrand cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi, took to the streets in protests, demanding Ms Bibi's public execution.
Asia Bibi, Accused of “Blasphemy” in Pakistan, Has Been Acquitted, Is In More Danger Than Ever
Asia Bibi, a Christian woman who has for years been on death row in Pakistan for alleged “blasphemy” against Muhammad, has been acquitted by way of the Pakistani Supreme Court and ordered to be freed – however she is not at all out of threat.
It all began for Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Catholic wife and mom, on June 14, 2009 – or extra exactly, all of it ended for her on that day. She recounted in August 2013:
I, Asia Bibi, had been sentenced to death as a result of I used to be thirsty. I’m a prisoner as a result of I used the similar cup as the ones Muslim girls, as a result of water served by way of a Christian woman was once considered unclean by way of my silly fellow fruit-pickers.
Picking fruit with a bunch of Muslim girls, Bibi was once ordered to fetch water for them – and drank a little bit of it herself within the stifling heat. A Muslim woman rebuked her for doing so, announcing to the opposite girls: “Listen, all of you, this Christian has dirtied the water in the well by drinking from our cup and dipping it back several times. Now the water is unclean and we can’t drink it! Because of her!”
Bibi stood as much as her, responding: “I think Jesus would see it differently from Mohammed.” That drove the Muslim girls right into a fury, they usually began yelling at Bibi: “How dare you think for the Prophet, you filthy animal!” That’s proper, you’re just a dirty Christian! You’ve infected our water and now you dare talk for the Prophet! Stupid complain, your Jesus didn’t also have a correct father, he was once a bastard, don’t you realize that. You will have to convert to Islam to redeem your self on your filthy faith.”
The embattled woman stood her floor, responding: “I’m not going to convert. I believe in my religion and in Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for the sins of mankind. What did your Prophet Mohammed ever do to save mankind? And why should it be me that converts instead of you?”
Several days later, she was once arrested for blasphemy as an enraged mob beat her and screamed, “Death! Death to the Christian!” She has been in jail ever since, anticipating execution for her “crime.”
But in a choice that introduced an abrupt and all of a sudden glad finishing to her case, the Supreme Court of Pakistan dominated that Bibi had made a observation by which she “expressed her full respect to the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and the Holy Quran and she offered to take an oath on the Bible to the Investigation Officer (IO) to prove her innocence which was refused by the IO. Therefore, the appellant being innocent deserves acquittal.”
The Supreme Court famous the thinness of the prosecution’s case: “The entirety of the prosecution case revolved around the statement of two ladies, namely, Mafia Bibi (PW.2 [that is, prosecution witness 2]) and Asma Bibi (PW.3) and the extra-judicial confession of appellant. The said (PW’s) stated that the appellant, in the presence of other Muslim ladies, passed derogatory remarks against the Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم). It is pertinent to mention here that admittedly, as is evident from the contents of the FIR and also the statements of the witnesses, there were 25-30 ladies present at the spot when the appellant allegedly passed blasphemous remarks against the Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم), however, none of the other ladies except Mafia Bibi (PW.2) and Asma Bibi (PW.3) reported the matter to anyone. At this stage, it is to be noted that the said ladies did not appear before the Court to support the prosecution case.”
The Supreme Court’s ruling, as may well be expected in an Islamic Republic, was once completely Islamic. It famous that “no one could be allowed to defy the name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and be left unpunished.” It added, on the other hand, that “there is another aspect of the matter; sometimes, to fulfill nefarious designs the law is misused by individuals leveling false allegations of blasphemy. Stately, since 1990, 62 people have been murdered as a result of blasphemy allegations, even before their trial could be conducted in accordance with law.”
And that’s the threat that Asia Bibi faces now. CNN reported Wednesday that the Islamic motion Tehreek-e Labbaik “had previously vowed to take to the streets if Bibi was released, and protests broke out in Islamabad and Lahore soon after the ruling was announced. Within hours, the protests were large enough that government officials in the cities were urging people to stay inside and avoid adding to the chaos.”
Asia Bibi has suffered sufficient. She will have to be granted asylum within the United States or another nation the place she will reside in relative protection, clear of the mobs which are nowadays brandishing indicators studying “Hang Asia” and baying for her blood. It’s an issue of straightforward justice, one thing that Asia Bibi has had little or no alternative to enjoy. Those who hope that Asia Bibi will now obtain justice might hope that President Trump will step in and be sure that she is delivered to a safe haven – before he tackles the similar and bigger query of whether or not the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is in any authentic sense an best friend of the United States.
Pakistan’s Supreme Court acquitted on Wednesday morning Aasia Bibi, a Christian accused of blasphemy eight years ago.
The trial court and Lahore High Court’s verdicts sentencing her to death have been overturned. The court has also ordered that she be freed immediately if she isn’t wanted in any other cases.
The verdict on Aasia Bibi’s appeal challenging her death sentence was announced at 9:35am. The special bench hearing the appeal consists of Chief Justice Saqib Nisar, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa and Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel. The full verdict can be read here.
“As noted above, no one could be allowed to defy the name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and be left unpunished, but there is another aspect of the matter; sometimes, to fulfill nefarious designs the law is misused by individuals leveling false allegations of blasphemy,” read the court order.
Related: Top court’s Aasia Bibi verdict was according to the Constitution: PM Khan
“Stately, since 1990, 62 people have been murdered as a result of blasphemy allegations, even before their trial could be conducted in accordance with law. Even prominent figures, who stressed the fact that the blasphemy laws have been misused by some individuals, met with serious repercussions. A latest example of misuse of this law was the murder of Mashal Khan, a student of Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, who in April 2017 was killed by a mob in the premises of the university merely due to an allegation that he posted blasphemous content online,” read the court order.
“It is to be noted that Islam as stipulated in Holy Book Quran teaches us, amongst many other virtues, to live in peace and harmony, with compassion and love to our other fellow human beings. It is however to be kept in mind that unless proven guilty, through a fair trial, as provided for in the Constitution and the law, every person is considered innocent, irrespective of their creed, caste and colour,” read the 56-page order.
“Moreover, it is also pertinent to mention that awarding a sentence is the duty of the State and no one else has the authority to take law into his hands and punish anyone on his own.”
The court added that there were many discrepancies and inconsistencies in the statements of the prosecution’s witnesses.
Protests break out
Religious groups have called for a protest across Karachi after Asr prayers, which is between 4pm and 5pm.
Reports of protests breaking out as of 9:41am outside the Punjab Assembly after the verdict was announced. Workers of a right-wing political party began gathering outside the assembly.
Islamabad’s hospitals have been put on high alert and the leaves of all paramedical staff have been cancelled. The metro bus service has been suspended in Lahore. Several schools have announced early closure and are sending children home.
SOwing to prevalent law and order situation, everyone is advised to please restrict their movement for the next few hours, said the Islamabad deputy commissioner. Faizabad, Aabpara, Barakahu and the Kashmir Highway are blocked by protesters, he said, adding that they have arranged for alternate routes that will be shared soon.
At 9:50am reports of minor unrest emerged from Karachi’s Numaish. Traffic on the EBM Causeway in Karachi’s Korangi has also been suspended after protests at Brook’s Chowrangi. Traffic at Teen Talwar in Karachi’s Clifton has also been blocked.
Traffic at Merewether Tower in Karachi has been blocked, as have roads in Baldia Town. The protest in Baldia is being led by MPA Qasim Fakhri. Protesters have begun burning tyres at Tower. Traffic has been blocked on the ICI Bridge in Karachi because of the protest at Tower.
People have begun gathering in Islamabad’s Faizabad as well. Roads in Karachi’s Saddar area were also blocked with motorcycles as protesters gathered at 9:50am.
Protesters also began gathering at Jamil Chowk on Ring Road in Peshawar. Reports of protesters on the Motorway and on Sheikhupura’s GT Road also poured in.
The Faizabad-Islamabad Expressway has been blocked. Shops in Sargodha were forcibly closed as protesters began protesting at 12 Block Chowk. Fatima Jinnah Road has also been blocked due to protests.
Supporters of right wing political parties blocked both tracks of GT Road in Gujjar Khan, near Rawalpindi.
Roads blocked for traffic
In Karachi and other cities across the country, roads have been blocked for traffic due to protests.
In Karachi, the Lyari Expressway, roads between Karachi and Hyderabad, Sharae Faisal at Star Gate, Tower Road, Numaish Chowrangi, Hub River Road, Baldia No 4, Shershah Road, Super Highway and 4k Chowrangi.
For traffic from Tower, a diversion has been created from Jinnah bridge towards MT Khan Road, MA Jinnah Road towards Baba-e-Urdu cut while II Chundrigar Road towards Uni Centre. Traffic from Numaish has been diverted towards 45 congress to PP Chowrangi. Traffic from Shershah has been diverted from Baldia to Labour Square and traffic from Mawach Goth is diverted towards 24 Market. Traffic on the Super Highway has been diverted to Al Asif Square towards Abul Hassan Isphahani Road.
Case history
On October 8, a special three-member bench headed by Justice Nisar reserved its verdict after hearing the final appeal against the execution of Aasia Bibi. The appeal challenged a verdict of the Lahore High Court handed down in 2014 to uphold a trial court’s decision to sentence her to death.
It was Aasia Bibi’s last chance to appeal her death sentence. If the court did not rule in her favour, her only chance was to appeal to the president for clemency. The court had said that the media cannot discuss or comment on the matter until its final judgement is issued.
A case was filed against Aasia by a prayer leader in the village of Katanwala in Nankana Sahib.
The prayer leader said Aasia had confessed to committing blasphemy during an argument with a Muslim woman over a bowl of water. The allegations are that Asia made comments during an argument with three Muslim women while they were working in a field in Sheikhupura. She was asked to get some water but the other women said she was unfit to touch the water bowl as she was Christian. The women later went to the prayer leader to complain.
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