Pakistan Grants Extra Protection For Christian Woman Sentenced To Death For Islamic Blasphemy
ICC. Note
The Pakistani governments grants the protections after reports of mistreatment of Asia Bibi by a prison guard. Asia Bibi has been sentenced to death after she was falsely accused of blasphemy against Muhammad
10/13/2011 Pakistan (enerpub)-Pakistan’s Federal Ministry for inter-religious harmony – appointed as a delegate for religious minorities – has “intensified all the controls of the case and ordered an internal investigation” to protect the life and conditions of Asia Bibi in jail in Sheikupura (in Punjab) this is what the Catholic Akram Gill, Minister for interreligious harmony says in an interview with Fides, following press reports that tell of ill-treatment towards Asia Bibi, a Christian woman unjustly sentenced to death for blasphemy.
According to Asia Bibi’s husband, Ashiq Masih, over the past 15 days, a female prison guard named Khateeja has mistreated Bibi. The guard demanded to be present when Bibi used her personal toilet, which is located in the confinement cell. When Asia complained, the guard began to threaten and mistreat her. Asia made a complaint to the prison authorities who have suspended the guard for three months.
Akram Gill of the ministry for inter-religious harmony remarked, “As members of the executive, to help Asia Bibi, we will contact the prison authorities to ensure that the woman is assured maximum protection and humane conditions. As for the rest, her case is now in the hands of the judiciary system: we are waiting for the appeal trial and we cannot interfere with the judiciary”.
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