Bob Unruh – The Supreme Court of Pakistan has concluded that a story accusing a Christian woman who offered her Muslim co-workers water was “concocted” to charge her with the capital offense of blasphemy, and “the appellant being innocent deserves acquittal.”
The stunning decision frees Asia Bibi, a Christian mother who had been jailed for nine years on the charge and was appealing her conviction and death sentence.
Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar read the verdict that the judgement of the high court is reversed and Bibi should be set free if she is not wanted in any other case.
She was arrested in 2009 and convicted in 2010 under section 295-C of Pakistan’s penal code that punishes blasphemy against Muhammad with the death penalty. She was sentenced to execution by hanging.
The American Center for Law and Justice, which represented Bibi, said she “had been accused of speaking disparagingly about the prophet but her real crime was that she offered water to Muslim co-workers who believed Asia had made the water ceremonially unclean by drinking from the same cup.”
“They asked her to convert to Islam, which Asia refused. Five days after this argument between the women, a Muslim cleric lodged a complaint against Asia after a mob of Muslims beat her and forced her to confess,” ACLJ said.
The Supreme Court, however, found the confession was made under the threat of violence and that the story of her “blasphemy” was “concocted.”
The court said: “The alleged extra-judicial confession was not voluntary but rather resulted out of coercion and undue pressure as the appellant was forcibly brought before the complainant in presence of a gathering, who were threatening to kill her; as such, it cannot be made the basis of the conviction.”
Further, the ruling said there “is an inordinate delay of about five days in lodging of the [complaint] which casts a serious doubt and shadow about the probity of the witnesses, and in fact, after the deliberations, a false story was concocted by the witnesses and reported to the police.”
ACLJ cautioned, however, “the danger for this Christian mother of 5 is not over.
“Islamabad, the seat of the highest court in Pakistan, was on high security alert today,” the legal group said. “Rangers were deployed around the court and other parts of the capital. And there are reports of mobs in the streets burning tires over the court’s decision to release her.
SF Source WND Oct 2018