A Pakistani Christian woman whose blasphemy conviction was overturned was freed from prison on Thursday (November 8), after spending eight years on death row.
Officials say Asia Bibi is now at a secure location for fear of attacks on her life.
Last week, Islamists hit the streets en masse after the Supreme Court acquitted her of charges.
The government then struck a deal to end the protests, saying it would bar her from leaving the country.
Asia Bibi’s release Thursday sparked immediate fury from a hard-line Islamist party.
They’ve threatened to paralyze daily life across Pakistan if her acquittal is not reversed.
Bibi is a 53-year-old mother of five.
She was convicted in 2010 of making derogatory remarks about Islam during a disagreement with her neighbors.
In Pakistan, insulting Islam’s Prophet Mohammad carries a mandatory death penalty.
Only two percent of Pakistan are Christian but Bibi’s case has outraged Christians worldwide.
Pope Francis met with Bibi’s family earlier this year, and Italy said on Tuesday (November 6) it will try to help Bibi, who is Catholic, to leave Pakistan.
Officials say she was flown to an airport near the capital Islamabad.
On Thursday, a Pakistan foreign ministry spokesman denied she had been flown out of the country.
Bibi’s lawyer, who himself has fled Pakistan and sought asylum in the Netherlands would only confirm she was no longer in prison.
Image Credit: Irish Catholic
