PAKISTAN: Call to save the life of Asia Bibi, who is suffering from intestinal bleeding

Dear Friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the deteriorating health of Asia Bibi, who is on death row for allegedly committing blasphemy. The 50-year-old mother of five is suffering from intestinal bleeding and is being denied medical treatment by the jail authorities. She urgently needs medical care and her family members say that Bibi is so weak she can hardly walk. The provincial government has denied her access to treatment because extremist organisations are demanding that Bibi be executed immediately. Bibi has also not been allowed to meet her children and husband. She has not seen her children since December 2014, when they visited her last. 

Asia Bibi has been in prison since 2010, merely on an accusation of blasphemy. The Superintendent of Police has completed no investigation, required by law. Appeals for clemency by international organizations have failed, as the government does not want to annoy Muslim extremists. In Pakistan alone, more than 150,000 persons have signed a petition demanding justice for Asia Bibi.

CASE NARRATIVE: 

According to Asia Bibi’s family, and the British Pakistani Christian Association, Asia Bibi requires urgent medical treatment. Bibi, a 50-year-old Pakistani Christian woman, who is on death row for alleged blasphemy— a charge she vehemently denies— is now suffering intestinal bleeding. Bibi was sentenced to death following an accusation that she insulted Prophet Muhammad.

Her family was on a tour of Europe trying to galvanize support for Bibi, when they heard news about her deteriorating health that made them rush back to Pakistan. The family were to visit a #WeAreN Congress, organized by MasLibres.org, following their visit to the Vatican where they were received during the general audience by Pope Francis. According to information provided to http://maslibres.org/ , Bibi has been having problem with her stomach for several months, and things have now worsened to the point that she is suffering from “intestinal bleeding”.

Her family has said that Bibi is “so weak she can hardly walk.” She is struggling to eat; has visible traces of blood when vomiting; and is suffering severe intestinal pains, which are all causing great distress to the family. This has resulted in her solicitors challenging Pakistani authorities for better health care and a thorough medical investigation.

The family has informed the Asian Human Rights Commission that their lawyers are trying to get Bibi moved to Lahore Jail. The family resides in Lahore. And, the constant travel to Multan Jail, over 300 kilometers from Lahore, is taxing them. The family is in great distress.

Bibi’s family members have been in hiding for nearly five years. Soon after her conviction, crowds took to the streets calling for her death, some threatening to kill her if she ever got out. According to Bibi’s husband, “We [the family] get death threats. We can’t stay in one place for very long. We live in hiding. It’s very hard especially for the children. They can’t settle down or study. It’s not a normal life to be constantly living in fear.”

Bibi’s husband has lamented that the family has not been allowed to meet Bibi: “We saw her last December. We asked the warden to open the cell so we can hug her, but he didn’t. She kissed us from behind the bars. She cried deep from her heart.”

BACKGROUND:

In June 2009, Asia Bibi got into an argument with a group of Muslim women with whom she had been harvesting berries. The other women had gotten angry with her for drinking the same water as them. She was subsequently accused of insulting the prophet Muhammad (PBUH), a charge she denies, and was arrested and imprisoned. The Superintendent of Police never investigated the blasphemy charge. In November 2010, the Sheikhupura (Punjab Province) District and Sessions judge sentenced her to death. If executed, Bibi would be the first woman in Pakistan to be hanged for blasphemy. In Pakistan, the mere accusation of blasphemy can be a death sentence in itself. At least 50 people accused of blasphemy have been killed before their trials were even completed.

Please see the links related with the case of Ms. Asia Bibi:

http://www.humanrights.asia/news/ahrc-news/AHRC-STM-189-2014

http://www.humanrights.asia/news/urgent-appeals/AHRC-UAC-177-2010

http://www.humanrights.asia/news/forwarded-news/AHRC-FPR-062-2010

http://www.humanrights.asia/news/ahrc-news/AHRC-STM-001-2011

http://www.humanrights.asia/news/ahrc-news/AHRC-STM-036-2011 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Blasphemy is punishable by death in Pakistan. The former Dictator Ziaul Haq introduced blasphemy laws in the 1980s. Citizens have been misusing these laws to punish those they dislike, be they Muslim or non-Muslim. Authorities have failed check misuse, due to pressure by extremists.

The laws were enacted to protect against “wounding the religious feelings of any person,” specifically Islamic religious feelings. In 1992, the death penalty became mandatory upon conviction on blasphemy charges. So far, no person has been executed under the blasphemy law, but others have languished in prison for up to 14 years without any trial.

At least 10 persons are known to have been murdered during investigations surrounding a blasphemy charge. Last month, a prison guard at the notorious Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi shot and wounded a 70-year-old Scottish man with a history of mental illness who is on death row for blasphemy.

Salman Taseer, former Governor of Punjab Province, was executed by his own bodyguard for speaking in favor of Asia Bibi. Salman was silenced for speaking out against the blasphemy law; he was very vocal about the atrocities meted out in the name of blasphemy. The move cost him his life.

Blasphemy is an Achilles heel in Pakistan’s legal framework. Ambiguous and half-hearted government policies have caused legal lacunae with respect to blasphemy laws, which, in turn, have caused miscarriage of justice. The Constitution and other laws and policies officially restrict religious freedom. The government’s respect for and protection of the right to religious freedom continues to be poor. Civil society activists and legal experts have voiced their concern about the trend, but this concern has fallen on deaf ears. The increasing intolerance towards pluralism and interfaith harmony has seeped into the general populace and workings of the State.

SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please write letters to the following authorities calling them to immediately provide medical treatment to Asia Bibi, who is on death row since 2010 on the illegal charges of Blasphemy.

Furthermore, Bibi’s family members, especially her husband and her children must be allowed to visit her every week.

So that Bibi, can get the best possible medical treatment, Bibi should be shifted to Lahore.

And, the Superintendent of Multan Central Prison must be prosecuted for not providing proper medical treatment to a woman prisoner who is in death row.

And, most importantly, a process must be initiated so that Asia Bibi is released on both humanitarian grounds and due to the miscarriage of justice in her case.

The AHRC is writing a separate letter to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Question of Freedom of Religion and Faith calling for his/her intervention into this matter. 

To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER