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Marcus Andersson

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Våldet i Pakistan

The Asia Bibi blasphemy case involves Pakistani Christian woman Aasiya Noreen (Urdu: آسیہ نورین‬‎ – Āsiyaah Naurīn [ˈɑːsiɑː nɔːˈriːn], born c. 1971; commonly known as آسیہ بی بی‬ Āsia Bibī), who was convicted of blasphemy by a Pakistani court and was sentenced to death by hanging in 2010. In October 2018, the Supreme Court of Pakistan acquitted her based on insufficient evidence, though she will not be allowed to leave Pakistan until the verdict has been reviewed, a process that can take years.In June 2009, Noreen was accused of blasphemy after an argument with co-workers while harvesting berries. She was subsequently arrested and imprisoned. In November 2010, a Sheikhupura judge sentenced her to death by hanging. The verdict was upheld by Lahore High Court and received worldwide attention. Various petitions for her release were created by organisations aiding persecuted Christians such as Voice of the Martyrs, including one that received 400,000 signatures, and Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis called for the charges to be dismissed. She received less sympathy from her neighbors and Islamic religious leaders in the country, some of whom adamantly called for her to be executed. Minorities minister Shahbaz Bhatti and Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer were both assassinated for advocating on her behalf and opposing the blasphemy laws. Noreen's family went into hiding after receiving death threats, some of which threatened to kill Noreen if released from prison. Muslim cleric Maulana Yousaf Qureshi announced a bounty of 500,000 Pakistani rupees (₨) to anyone who would kill her.On 31 October 2018, the Supreme Court of Pakistan acquitted Noreen citing "material contradictions and inconsistent statements of the witnesses" which "cast a shadow of doubt on the prosecution’s version of facts." The decision sparked protests headed by Islamist parties in major cities of the country. The decision was praised by human rights groups and those advocating on behalf of Christian minorities, such as International Christian Concern, Open Doors, and Aid to the Church in Need.On 2 November 2018 however, the Government of Pakistan signed an agreement with the Tehreek-e-Labbaik political party (TLP), which was leading the protests; this agreement barred Asia Bibi from leaving the country. This agreement between the Government of Pakistan and Tehreek-e-Labbaik has led to "allegations [that] the government was capitulating to extremists". The governments of Italy, Canada, and other Western countries, are currently working to help Asia Bibi leave Pakistan. On 7 November 2018, Asia Bibi was released from the New Jail for Women in Multan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied that she had left the country and said that she remains in Pakistan.
The blasphemy law in Pakistan has resulted in the killing of over 60 people due to accusations, as well as dozens of communal attacks which have taken place against religious minorities on the pretext of blasphemy, and has been used by individuals as a tool for revenge against other people. Noreen was the first woman in Pakistan to be sentenced to death for blasphemy, and would have been the first person in Pakistan to be executed for blasphemy under the current law.

Asia Bibi

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