The lawyer of the Pakistani Christian accused of blasphemy told a German newspaper that Bibi and her husband had arrived in Canada. Other sources insist she is still in Pakistan.
Image: Reuters/A. Karim
Advertisement
Asia Bibi, the Christian woman who spent eight years on death row on blasphemy charges in Pakistan, has arrived in Canada with her husband, her lawyer told German media early Friday.
"She is united with her family," Saif-ul-Malook told the German Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper. Bibi's two daughters already live in Canada.
The lawyer did not disclose any further details about Bibi's departure from Pakistan, citing security reasons.
Unconfirmed
However, the lawyer reportedly refused to confirm the statement after he was contacted by the German Catholic charity Missio hours later.
The Italian-language arm of Catholic charity Aid to the Church denied that Bibi had left Pakistan in a message on Twitter.
Previous reports said that Bibi could not leave her native country aboard a regular flight.
Shaan Taseer, the son of the former governor of Punjab, Salman Taseer, who was killed for supporting Bibi, told DW that Bibi is still in Pakistan.
Bibi was arrested in June 2009 after her neighbors complained she had insulted Prophet Muhammad. A year later, she was sentenced to death despite strong opposition from human rights groups.
She had been living under the "protective custody" of Pakistani authorities since her release from prison in November.
Bibi's acquittal on October 31 had led to violent protests by hard-line Islamists.
The Tehreek-e-Labbaik party, which petitioned the Supreme Court to reverse its earlier ruling, had called for new rallies after the top court this week rejected its petition.
But the nationwide rallies the extremists had called for on Friday mostly fizzled out, with the exception of some violence in the southern port city of Karachi.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported that Bibi's lawyer Saif-ul-Malook was still in Pakistan. He had returned to the country shortly before the final Supreme Court hearing after spending months abroad due to death threats.
"I'm in my apartment, I'm not going to my office," he told the newspaper.
Asia Bibi case highlights Pakistan's harsh blasphemy laws
Asia Bibi, a Pakistani-Christian woman, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani court on blasphemy charges in 2010. Who is Bibi, and why has her case attracted international attention?
Image: picture alliance/dpa
Leaving 'for Canada'
A decade after being accused of blasphemy, Asia Bibi left Pakistan with her husband Ashiq Masih for Canada. A family member told DW that Bibi's two daughters were waiting for her in Calgary. Her departure was delayed six months, reportedly due to extreme pressure from the deep state not to speak out against the state when she leaves the country.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/A. Ali
A dispute over water
In 2009, Asia Bibi was accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammad while she was working in a field in Punjab's Sheikhupura district. The Muslim women who were working with Bibi objected to her fetching water, saying that as a non-Muslim she was not allowed to touch the water bowl. The women then complained to a local cleric and leveled blasphemy charges against Bibi.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
A sensitive matter
According to local media, the argument in the field led to a mob attack on Bibi's house. Later, police took Bibi into custody and launched an investigation into the blasphemy accusations. Blasphemy is a sensitive issue in Pakistan, where 97 percent of the population is Muslim.
Image: Arif Ali/AFP/Getty Images
Controversial law
The blasphemy law was introduced by General Zia-ul-Haq, a military dictator, in the 1980s. Activists say they are often implemented in cases that have little to do with blasphemy and are used to settle petty disputes and personal vendettas. Christians, Hindus and Ahmadis — a minority Islamic sect — are often victimized as a result.
Image: Noman Michael
The Pakistani state vs. Bibi
In 2010, a lower court convicted Bibi of blasphemy. Although the defense lawyer argued that the blasphemy allegations were made to settle personal scores, the court sentenced Bibi to death by hanging. Bibi's family has been living under constant fear since 2010. Her husband, Ashiq Masih (R), says he has been fighting a battle for his wife's freedom ever since.
Image: picture alliance/dpa
Assassination of critics
In 2010, Salman Taseer (R), the then governor of Punjab province, backed Bibi and demanded amendments in the blasphemy laws. Taseer's anti-blasphemy law position angered extremists. In 2011, Taseer was gunned down by his own bodyguard in Islamabad. The same year, Shahbaz Bhatti, the then minister for minorities and a prominent blasphemy law critic, was also assassinated by unidentified gunmen.
Image: AP
Celebration of killings
After Taseer's murder, Qadri became a hero for Pakistani Islamists. Qadri was showered with rose petals by right-wing groups as he was taken to jail by the authorities. Qadri was sent to the gallows in 2016. Thousands of people – mostly supporters of Islamic groups – attended Qadri's funeral. Local media reported that Qadri's supporters built a shrine after his death to honor him.
Image: AP
Fear in the judicial community
After the killings of blasphemy law critics, many lawyers refused to take up Bibi's case in the higher courts. In 2014, the Lahore High Court upheld her death sentence. Pakistan's top court, the Supreme Court, was scheduled to hear Bibi's appeal against the conviction in 2016, but one judge refused to be a part of the judicial bench, citing personal reasons.
Image: Reuters/F. Mahmood
Victims of blasphemy law
According to the American Centre for Law and Justice, at least 40 Pakistanis were sentenced to death on blasphemy charges in 2016. The law is often used to target religious minorities and secular Muslims. Although there hasn't been any legal execution under the blasphemy law, there have been instances where angry mobs have lynched alleged blasphemers.
Image: APMA
Persecution of religious minorities
Pakistan's Christians and other religious minorities complain of legal and social discrimination in their country. In the past few years, many Christians and Hindus have been brutally murdered over unproven blasphemy allegations.
Image: RIZWAN TABASSUM/AFP/Getty Images
Threats from Islamists
Religious extremists in Pakistan, particularly the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) group, have warned the authorities against reversing Bibi's blasphemy verdict. The country's Christian minority fears that if the judges decide to reverse the death sentence, they could face a violent backlash from the country's hardline Islamic groups.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/B. K. Bangash
International support for Bibi
Rights groups and Western governments demand a fair trial in Bibi's case. In 2015, Bibi's daughter met with Pope Francis, who offered prayers for her mother at the Vatican. In 2014, Amnesty International dubbed the Lahore High Court's verdict against Bibi a "grave injustice." The American Centre for Law and Justice also condemned Bibi's sentence and urged Islamabad to protect religious minorities.
