Pakistan Christian Asia Bibi In High Court Over Death Sentence

ICC Note:
The case of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman wrongly accused of blasphemy, is set to be heard in court today. It remains to be seen whether or not she will receive the death sentence.
3/15/2014 Pakistan (BosNewsLife)-A Pakistani court will hear the appeal of a Pakistani woman who has been “languishing in prison since 2009” after she was sentenced to death on charges of blasphemy against Islam, amid hope her conviction may be overturned, advocacy officials involved in the case told BosNewsLife Saturday, March 15.
Asia Bibi’s appeal was due to be heard Monday, March 17, “by a double bench at the Lahore High Court”, confirmed Nasir Saeed, the Britain-based director of the Center for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS).
CLAAS Pakistan Director Joseph Francis said he was “hopeful” that “if there is no pressure on the judges by the extremists and the case is handled with care, consideration, and due diligence with the judges being left free to take their decision, her conviction will be overturned.”
Bibi has always denied that she defiled the name of the prophet Mohammed during an argument with Muslim co-workers while working in the fields, according to CLAAS, which says it supports Christians “persecuted for their faith in Pakistan.”
However a court convicted the 45-year-old mother-of-five and sentenced her to death in 2010, in a case
that attracted national and international attention.
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