Bulletins ARYNews 1200 8th October 2018
- 6 years ago
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court will begin today hearing of the final appeal of a Christian mother on death row for blasphemy, a notorious case which could see her become the first to be executed under the controversial laws.
Asia Bibi, a mother of five, has been on death row since 2010, when Pope Benedict XVI joined in international calls for her release.
In 2015 her daughter met with Pope Francis, who as the head of the Catholic Church offered prayers for her mother.
It was not clear if the three-judge Supreme Court bench would issue their ruling Monday. If they uphold Bibi’s conviction, her only recourse will be a direct appeal to the president for clemency.
Hardliners in Pakistan regularly call for her execution. One of the most vocal groups, the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP), has vowed to attend the hearing.
But rights activists have warned that carrying the sentence out would be appeasement of populist extremists and a huge blow for minorities, who already face pervasive discrimination in the deeply conservative Muslim country.
The allegations against Bibi date back to 2009, when she was working in a field and was asked to fetch water. Muslim women she was labouring with allegedly objected, saying that as a non-Muslim she was unfit to touch the water bowl.
Asia Bibi, a mother of five, has been on death row since 2010, when Pope Benedict XVI joined in international calls for her release.
In 2015 her daughter met with Pope Francis, who as the head of the Catholic Church offered prayers for her mother.
It was not clear if the three-judge Supreme Court bench would issue their ruling Monday. If they uphold Bibi’s conviction, her only recourse will be a direct appeal to the president for clemency.
Hardliners in Pakistan regularly call for her execution. One of the most vocal groups, the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP), has vowed to attend the hearing.
But rights activists have warned that carrying the sentence out would be appeasement of populist extremists and a huge blow for minorities, who already face pervasive discrimination in the deeply conservative Muslim country.
The allegations against Bibi date back to 2009, when she was working in a field and was asked to fetch water. Muslim women she was labouring with allegedly objected, saying that as a non-Muslim she was unfit to touch the water bowl.