#HangAsia trends as Pakistan decides today whether to hang Asia Bibi for blasphemy

Michael Nugent

Asia Noreen Bibi, a Christian mother from Pakistan, will find out today whether she will be hanged, after seven years in prison following a farcical blasphemy conviction. And two Pakistani politicians who questioned her sentence have been murdered: the governor of Punjab Salman Taseer, killed by his own bodyguard, and Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, who predicted his death.

Today, as Asia Bibi’s final appeal will be heard, the hashtag #HangAsia is trending in Pakistan. Three twitter users have even changed their twitter usernames to #HangAsia. Please counter this sickening trend by tweeting today with the hashtag #SaveAsiaBibi

Whatever the verdict of today’s appeal, Asia Bibi needs the support of the outside world more than she ever did. International pressure can make the difference in cases like this. So please sign and share the following petition, organised by Michael Sherlock of Human Rights for Atheists, Agnostics and Secularists: 

https://www.change.org/p/united-nations-urgent-save-asia-bibi-from-imminent-execution-for-blasphemy-in-pakistan-sign-share

You can read more details of the case here:
http://www.michaelnugent.com/2016/10/13/save-asia-bibi/

Absolam

Signed and shared.

pauldla

S&S

Hellrun

Disgusting

smacl

Signed and shared.

Just read that hearing has been adjourned, more on here.

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday adjourned a hearing of the final appeal against the execution of Asia Bibi, accused for blasphemy.

The hearing was adjourned after one of the three-member bench, Justice Iqbal Hamid-ur-Rehman, recused on the grounds that he also heard the Salman Taseer case.

A letter was written to the chief justice to appointment another judge to the bench.

It is unclear when the hearing will resume.

silverharp

the judges are crapping themsleves, they know they will be killed if they overturn the decision

smacl

silverharp wrote: »

the judges are crapping themsleves, they know they will be killed if they overturn the decision

Reading between the lines, they'll delay indefinitely, leaving the poor woman to rot in prison rather than take any more decisive action that could have repercussions either way. Barbaric stuff.

Pherekydes

Signed and shared.

Michael Nugent

As mentioned above, today’s appeal of Asia Bibi’s death sentence has been adjourned, after a judge withdrew because he had been involved in a related case. The judge said he had overseen the appeal hearing of Mumtaz Qadri, who was convicted of murdering the Governor of Punjab Salmaan Taseer, who had campaigned for Asia Bibi to be released.

Please continue to campaign for the release of Asia Bibi.

smacl

Interesting that it makes headline news on the BBC but is nowhere to be seen on RTE. Pure speculation, but I wonder is it related to embarrassment over our own blasphemy laws?

goose2005

smacl wrote: »

Interesting that it makes headline news on the BBC but is nowhere to be seen on RTE. Pure speculation, but I wonder is it related to embarrassment over our own blasphemy laws?

More likely that the British have a closer connection to the Indian subcontinent, and RTE are very lazy about anything that isn't UK/USA.

recedite

smacl wrote: »

I wonder is it related to embarrassment over our own blasphemy laws?

goose2005 wrote: »

More likely that the British have a closer connection to the Indian subcontinent, and RTE are very lazy about anything that isn't UK/USA.

Both valid points. Also the general reluctance to touch anything that could be interpreted as "Islamophobic".

Peregrinus

I think it's mainly that RTE doesn't generally devote a lot of resources to the Indian subcontinent. They don't generally have a policy of avoiding stories about blasphemy; a search of their site throws up 18 relevant stories in the past two years (including "Saudi man given death penalty for renouncing faith"), they have covered the Asia Bibi story in the past, and a search for "blasphemy Pakistan" throws up six stories, including "Pakistan schools hold anti-Malala day". So blasphemy generally, blasphemy in Islam and blasphemy in Pakistan in particular are certainly not topics they systematically avoid. I think it's more down to the fact that yet another stage in the seemingly interminable legal process that she is caught up in is not considered sufficiently newsworthy for a broadcaster that generally pays little attention to the Indian subcontinent. Hell, even her Wikipedia page has stopped updating with further details of each step in the process.

ABC101

Apparently religious minorities are treated poorly in Pakistan, Less than 2% of the population is non Muslim, of that 2% ..80% are illiterate, probably not by accident either.

Must be a frightening place to live if you can be accused of a crime and are unable to defend yourself, nor are you able to discern what process is being used against you.

b_mac2

Can't believe these absolute savages were ever allowed develop nuclear weapons.