A Christian woman who was sentenced to death in Pakistan for blasphemy has won her appeal and been acquitted in a landmark ruling.
Asia Bibi was convicted in 2010 after being accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammad in a row with her neighbours.
She always maintained her innocence but has spent most of the past eight years in solitary confinement.
Her case has been deeply divisive in Pakistan where there is strong support for the blasphemy laws.
Asia Bibi’s case gained added prominence when a regional governor, Salman Taseer, who had appealed for leniency for her was murdered in a public square in Islamabad by his own bodyguard.
His killer was sentenced to death but remains a hero to many.
There is tight security in the capital, Islamabad, amid fears of violence.
Hardline religious clerics have called on their supporters to take to the streets.
[…] Last week, Islamists hit the streets en masse after the Supreme Court acquitted her of charges. […]
Comments are closed.