ICC Note:
From prison in Pakistan, Asia Bibi wrote a letter to Pope Francis over the Christmas holiday declaring that only God could liberate her from prison. Asia has been languishing in Pakistani prison for four and a half years after being accused and convicted of blasphemy under Pakistan’s controversial anti-blasphemy laws. Many human rights groups agree that the controversial laws are often abused, often to the determent of religious minorities in Pakistan. Please pray for Asia Bibi and her continued struggle.
1/6/2013 Pakistan (Christian Today) – The Catholic Pakistani mother sentenced to death for blasphemy, has written to Pope Francis saying that only God can liberate her.
According to an article in the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines News Service (CBCP News), Asia Bibi said, “I also hope that every Christian has been able to celebrate the Christmas just past with joy. Like many other prisoners, I also celebrated the birth of the Lord in prison in Multan, here in Pakistan.”
She continued by saying that “only God will be able to free me” and made a point of thanking the Renaissance Education Foundation that helped make her “dream come true” to spend Christmas with her husband and children by bringing them to Multan.
“I would have liked to be in St Peter’s for Christmas to pray with you, but I trust in God’s plan for me and hopefully it will be achieved next year,” she told Pope Francis.
Bibi is awaiting the conclusion of an appeals process after being incarcerated for four and a half years without trial.
Working as a farmhand in June 2009, she was asked to fetch water for some of her co-workers. She complied, but some of her Muslim colleagues refused to drink the water as they considered Christians to be “unclean”.
Arguments reportedly followed and witnesses maintain that Bibi verbally abused the two women, their religion, and the prophet Muhammad.
A few days later, complaints were made to a cleric about these alleged derogatory comments, resulting in a mob coming to her house and beating her and members of her family.
Bibi was rescued by the police but, under pressure from the crowd, they charged her under Section 295 C of the Pakistan Penal Code, the country’s notorious anti-blasphemy law.
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