As a Pakistani court upheld on Thursday the death sentence of a Christian woman for a 2010 conviction for blasphemy, Bishop Rufin Anthony of Islamabad/Rawalpindi appealed to the world for prayers for the woman, calling the court's decision "heart breaking". Asia Bibi, a 50-year-old mother of five, had appealed before the Lahore High Court against the ruling, in which she was found guilty of insulting Islam's Prophet Muhammad, but the court rejected her appeal Thursday, her lawyer Sardar Mushtaq said. “We have the right to appeal in 30 days, and we will continue this legal battle by approaching the Supreme Court of Pakistan,'' Mustaq told Associated Press. Bishop Anthony has appealed to Christians around the world to join them for “a day of prayer for Asia Bibi and others accused of blasphemy." Meanwhile Lahore Archdiocese has set aside this Sunday as a day of prayer for Asia Bibi, urging everyone to be a part of it.
Meanwhile in neighbouring India, Bishop Thomas Dabre of Pune described the death sentence on Asia Bibi as an affront to the dignity of us all. Speaking to AsiaNews, he said the upholding of the death sentence of Asia Bibi on Thursday by Lahore court is against all norms of both human and international laws, against human dignity and human rights. Bishop Dagre hoped international authorities and bodies would pressure the Pakistan government into withdrawing this punishment as well as these draconian Blasphemy laws, which , he said, betrays a mindset that are against present day affirmation of human rights.
Asia Bibi's case drew global criticism in 2011 when Pakistan's minister for minorities Shahbaz Bhatti and eastern Punjab governor Salman Taseer were killed for supporting her and opposing blasphemy laws. Mushtaq said Bibi was arrested after Muslim women told a cleric in a village in the eastern Punjab province that she had made ``derogatory remarks'' about the prophet. He said the trouble began when the women objected to Bibi using their drinking glass because she was not a Muslim, setting off a heated verbal exchange. Mushtaq said they have a strong case and will try their best to save her life.
International and local human rights groups have called for amending blasphemy laws introduced by the military dictator Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq in 1980s. In a statement Thursday, Amnesty International called for Bibi's release. ``This is a grave injustice,'' said David Griffiths, Amnesty's Deputy Asia Pacific Director. He said there were serious concerns about the fairness of the trial. ``Her mental and physical health has reportedly deteriorated badly during the years she has spent in almost total isolation on death row. She should be released immediately and the conviction should be quashed,'' he said. Under Pakistani blasphemy laws, insulting the Quran or the Prophet Muhammad can be punished with life imprisonment or death. Experts say the laws often are exploited for personal gain. Pakistan imposed a moratorium on executions in 2008 and has never executed anyone convicted of blasphemy. Instead, such cases usually linger on appeal. (Source: AP/AsiaNews)
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