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Pakistan set to rule on woman facing death for blasphemy

Pakistan set to rule on woman facing death for blasphemy
The daughters of Pakistani Christian woman Aasia Bibi pose with an image of their mother. Pakistan's top court is set to announce on Wednesday a final verdict on Aasia Bibi who has been sentenced to death in 2010 on blasphemy charges. (Reuters)
Updated 30 October 2018

Pakistan set to rule on woman facing death for blasphemy

Pakistan set to rule on woman facing death for blasphemy
  • Bibi was arrested in 2009 after a quarrel with Muslim women.
  • Group of Islamists have demanded her execution, and the governor of Punjab was assassinated in 2011 for supporting her

ISLAMABAD: A defense lawyer says Pakistan's top court is set to announce a final verdict on a Christian woman sentenced to death in 2010 on blasphemy charges.
Saiful Malook, a lawyer for Asia Bibi, says the Supreme Court will announce a verdict on Wednesday, and that he is "hopeful for Bibi's acquittal."
Bibi was arrested in 2009 after a quarrel with Muslim women. Group of Islamists have demanded her execution, and the governor of Punjab was assassinated in 2011 for supporting her.
Insulting Islam is punishable by death in Pakistan, and the mere rumor of blasphemy can ignite lynchings.
Her case is being closely watched internationally as a test of minority rights in Pakistan.
Bibi's first appeal was dismissed, but the Supreme Court stayed her execution in 2015.