Pakistani Christian mother faces death sentence

LAHORE, Pakistan — In spite of protests within Pakistan and abroad against the country’s blasphemy laws, the Lahore High Court upheld the death sentence Oct. 16 for a Christian mother accused of insulting Islam’s prophet, Muhammad.


Aasiya Noreen, known as Asia Bibi, is the first woman to be sentenced to death for blasphemy in Pakistan. Arrested in June 2009 after Muslim co-workers in a berry field 60 miles west of Lahore beat her when she refused to convert to Islam, her death sentence was announced in November 2010.


Bibi’s husband, Ashiq Masih, said they were hoping for some relief but that the verdict had devastated the family.
 


Bibi’s lawyer, Naeem Shakir, said Justice Anwarul Haq and Justice Shahbaz Ali Rizvi had rejected her appeal even though there were glaring contradictions in the witnesses’ testimonies.
 


David Griffiths, Amnesty International’s deputy Asia Pacific director, said, “The laws are often used to settle personal vendettas — both against members of minority religious groups and Muslims — while individuals facing charges are frequently targeted in mob violence. … However, the blasphemy laws violate international law and must be repealed or reformed immediately to meet international standards.”