Freed by court, Pakistani Christian woman still a prisoner

Kathy Gannon, The Associated Press

Aasia Bibi still lives the life of a prisoner, nearly three months after the Pakistani Christian woman was acquitted of blasphemy and released from death row. She spends her days in seclusion for fear of being targeted by angry mobs clamouring for her death. In her hideout, she longs for her children who were taken to Canada for their safety.

A friend says guards are preventing the 54-year-old Bibi from opening a window in her hiding place.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is weighing a petition by Islamist extremists and right-wing religious parties that rallied against her acquittal and demand her execution.

Her case goes to the core of one of Pakistan's most controversial issues -- the blasphemy law, often used to settle scores or intimidate followers of Pakistan's minority religions.