ICC Note:

As Asia Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to death for allegedly committing blasphemy, gets set to have her final appeal heard by Pakistan’s Supreme Court, protests in Australia are calling for her immediate release. Since 2009, Bibi has been imprisoned on charges of blasphemy originating from a dispute she had with Muslim coworkers. Bibi’s case quickly gain international fame after two major Pakistani officials were assassinated for standing up for the Christian woman. Will Pakistan finally do the right thing and find Bibi not guilty of the false charges that have ruined her life for the past seven years?

10/04/2016 Pakistan (Christian Daily) – The death sentence handed to Pakistani Christian mother Asia Bibi over a blasphemy charge has sparked a protest in Australia calling on the government to intervene in the case and help save her from being executed.

The protesters say Bibi was falsely accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammad and are now calling on the Australian government to have a diplomatic engagement with the Pakistani government to make sure the Christian mother has a fair trial. They also want protection for Bibi’s family, the judicial team, and her legal representatives to prevent them from being harmed by local hardline Muslims, the British Pakistani Christian Association (BPCA) details.

In a letter to be submitted to the Parliamentarians in New South Wales, the demonstrators are demanding that the Australian government guarantee the continuous enforcement of the principle of “one law for all” in their country. They are also asking the government to consider once again donating $49 million in aid to Pakistan.

BPCA chairman Wilson Chowdhry also released a statement decrying Pakistan’s failure to protect Bibi and other Christian minorities. Echoing the demands of the protesters, he said Australia can be a significant player in the case, pointing out that the United Kingdom, the United States, and other major donors have started donating aid to help improve human rights in Pakistan.

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