ICC Note:

After Pakistan’s judiciary stalled Asia Bibi’s blasphemy case on the grounds of “conflict of interest,” protesters continue to organize as they demand the court to administer a death sentence. The most recent protest was organized by Jamaat Ahle Sunnat at the Punjab Assembly. Jamaat Ahle Sunnat is a Muslim religious organization. In addition to the protests, #hangAsia began appearing in Tweets within the last several days in Pakistan and became a trending Twitter hashtag today.

10/09/2016 Pakistan (Meri News) – Judiciary in Pakistan has again stalled resolution of the blasphemy case of Christian woman Asia Bibi. Two days prior to the hearing of Asia Bibi’s appeal in the Supreme Court, fundamentalist organisations published advertisements and video clippings, warning the Judiciary not to accept Bibi’s appeal.

After this, one of the judges, Justice Hamid-ur Rehman, took this opportunity to recuse himself from the three-member bench hearing the appeal, on the grounds of “conflict of interest”. As a result, Asia Bibi, a Christian woman on death row for blasphemy, has had her appeal adjourned.

After the adjournment, Asia’s lawyer, Saif-ul-Mulook, said it would probably take weeks or months for a replacement judge to be found and for the appeal to be rescheduled.

The Asian Human Rights Commission called upon all parties to refrain from violence and demanded justice in Asia’s case. The AHRC also called upon the State to repeal the draconian law with retrospective effect.

“The State must assert its writ over the fundamentalist religious groups, as was envisaged in the National Action Plan (NAP). Religious fundamentalism will have to cede permanently for the nation to become pluralistic and tolerant,” the AHRC said in a statement

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