Posted: 03/19/2014 at 5:07pm | IP Logged

LAHORE, PAKISTAN (ANS) -- Asia Bibi, the Pakistani Christian mother of five, has suffered yet another setback, and remains on death row in an isolation cell at the women's prison in Sheikhupura, Punjab.

Asia Bibi, still on death row

According to AsiaNews (www.asianews.it), her appeal hearing which was set for today (March 17, 2014), has been postponed “to a later date”.

The Christian woman was sentenced to death without evidence on the basis of the country’s infamous blasphemy law.

The hearing was suddenly cancelled due to the absence of one of the two presiding judges. Under Pakistani law, two judges have to be present in death penalty cases for the entire trial.

The appeal process against Asia Bibi's conviction was announced on Friday, the Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement told AsiaNews.

Asia Bibi was arrested in 2009 on charges of insulting Muhammad. In 2010, she was sentenced to death under the country's “black law'”. Since then, she has been waiting for her appeal to be heard.

The High Court in Lahore, where the appeal will eventually be heard, will have to decide whether the Christian woman committed a crime, namely drank a glass of water from a well owned by a Muslim.

As a result of this act, she was accused “of contaminating” the well, which was followed by a row with fellow workers and eventually the indictment for “insulting Muhammad.”

Source: Assist News Service