The lawyer of the only Pakistani Christian woman to be given the death penalty for alleged blasphemy met her in prison in late October, reporting that she is safe and in good health.
The final appeal for Aasiya Noreen, commonly known as Asia Bibi, is pending before Pakistan’s top court, after Lahore High Court turned down her appeal on technical grounds. Through Malook, a prominent attorney and expert in Islamic law, Noreen had been allowed to take the final appeal against her death penalty to the Supreme Court in Islamabad in July 2015. The mother of five has been in prison since the summer of 2009.
Visit to the prison
Because several foreign news agencies had contacted him over rumours that Noreen’s health was worsening, defence lawyer Saif-ul-Malook ‘decided to visit the prison and personally meet Asia, to ascertain if the news was correct’. He was accompanied by Asia Bibi’s husband, Ashiq Masih, on his 21 October visit to the Multan Women’s Prison.
‘There are three death cells in this prison and Asia is the only death convict, so two cells are empty. She has been given one servant who sits outside the lockup for any help’, Malook said. ‘Asia is probably the only prisoner in Pakistan who has been given a TV set in her cell. She looked healthy and normal, but I still asked her if she suffered any serious illness. Asia totally denied she ever suffered any serious illness since 2009 in prison.’
Malook stated that the deputy-superintendent of police was also present during his meeting with Asia. ‘There are no men in the prison, and one extra female police officer is deployed outside her chamber so that her security could be ensured’, he said.
Conflicting reports
Malook’s account of Noreen’s health contrasts with reports, which began to surface a year ago, that she had become seriously ill. Since that time, hard evidence or on-the-record testimony about her condition has been scarce and what information has emerged has been inconsistent.
However, Open Doors International said in October that ‘people close to the case’ have told church contacts in Pakistan that the prison is an overcrowded, unsanitary ‘hell hole’, and that Noreen is in poor health.
Malook had previously served as the prosecution lawyer in the murder case of the former Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer, who was assassinated after visiting Asia Bibi in prison and supporting her case.
Taseer was shot and killed by Mumtaz Qadri in Islamabad on 4 January 2011. Qadri reportedly confessed to shooting Taseer to punish him for opposing Asia Bibi’s blasphemy conviction. Because of death threats from hardliners, no lawyer would agree to represent Qadri’s prosecution. After months of no representation, Malook took up the case. When the trial judge, Pervez Ali Shah, convicted Qadri and sentenced him to death in October 2011, the judge was threatened and finally sent to Saudi Arabia for fear of his life. A Supreme Court landmark decision in early October reconfirmed the death sentence. This vindicated Malook's bold prosecution of the case. However, this verdict has provoked a backlash against Aasiya Noreen by extremists.
The Supreme Court hearing of Noreen’s case should begin sometime in January or February 2016. Malook remains ‘quite hopeful’ that she will be acquitted and released, citing ‘insufficient evidence’ against her under either civil or Islamic law.
