09/03/2019 Pakistan (International Christian Concern) – Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian woman formally sentenced to death under Pakistan’s notorious blasphemy laws, has called attention to other blasphemy cases in her first interview with the media since being released. According to the US State Department, 77 individuals, mostly Muslims, are currently in prison in Pakistan due to blasphemy charges.
Speaking to the Sunday Telegraph, Bibi said, “I request the whole world to pay attention to this issue. They way any person is alleged of blasphemy without any proper investigation, without any proper proof, that should be noticed.”
“This blasphemy laws should be reviewed and there should be proper investigation mechanisms while applying this law,” Bibi continued. “We should not consider anyone sinful for this act without any proof.”
On May 8, 2019, Bibi was finally allowed to leave Pakistan and seek asylum in Canada. Her departure brought to a close nearly a decade of controversy regarding Pakistan’s blasphemy laws and the false accusations that landed Bibi on death row.
In 2009, Bibi was falsely accused of committing blasphemy by Muslim coworkers while working in a field in Pakistan’s Punjab province. The Muslims became angry with Bibi because she, a Christian whom they considered spiritually filthy, had used the communal watering bowl.
In 2010, Bibi was found guilty of committing blasphemy on very little evidence and was the first woman to be sentenced to death in Pakistan’s history. After almost a decade of legal delays and appeals, Bibi was finally found not guilty by Pakistan’s Supreme Court on October 31, 2018. She was then allowed to seek asylum with her family in Canada seven months later.
For interviews, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: press@persecution.org.
