#AsiaBibi - #Pakistan court to hear appeal against Asia Bibi blasphemy acquittal

Supreme court to consider petition against last year’s quashing of conviction.

Pakistan’s supreme court is to consider a petition on Tuesday against the acquittal of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman whose blasphemy conviction was overturned in October.

Bibi, who spent eight years on death row, has been held at a secret location since her death sentence was quashed after hardline Islamists threatened to kill her if she was freed.

Her lawyer, Saiful Malook, has said he is confident the court will reject the petition. If so, she is likely to be flown out of the country within hours.

It emerged last week that Bibi’s daughters had already left Pakistan for Canada, one of several countries to have offered sanctuary to the farm worker and her family.Since her acquittal, Bibi’s supporters have called on the international community to ensure her safety. Her lawyer and Christian organisations appealed for her and her family to be given asylum in a western country. Australia, Spain and France are also thought to have offered sanctuary.Bibi’s case has been raised in the UK parliament several times since she was acquitted but not freed. The prime minister, Theresa May, has declined to answer questions about whether the UK has considered an offer of asylum, saying she does not want to further endanger Bibi and her family by discussing her case.

Bibi, who has five children, was accused by Muslim villagers of insulting the prophet Muhammad in a row over a cup of water. She was convicted of blasphemy in 2010 and sentenced to death.

After the supreme court overturned the verdict in October, saying there was no evidence to support the conviction, hardline Islamists staged violent protests and brought cities across Pakistan to a standstill.

In the days following the court ruling, Bibi’s lawyer fled to the Netherlands, saying his life was in danger.

Pakistan’s prime minister, Imran Khan, was accused of capitulating to the extremists’ demands after he agreed the supreme court would consider their petition against its ruling. In return, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), a fast-growing political party dedicated solely to punishing blasphemy, ended its protest.

In November, Bibi’s family claimed they were being hunted by extremists going house to house with their photographs to try to track them down.