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Woman freed from death row after blasphemy accusation flees to Canada for safety

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Woman freed from death row after blasphemy accusation flees to Canada for safety

Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian woman who was freed from death row last year after being convicted of blasphemy, has fled for safety, her lawyer, Saif Ul Malook told reporters on Wednesday.

The mother of five was convicted in 2010 after being accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammad, an offense, punishable by death or life imprisonment under Pakistan’s penal code.

Read also: At least 4 killed in blast near Sufi shrine in Pakistan’s Lahore

While her case triggered outrage and support from Christians worldwide, the law has reportedly been used unduly against minority religious groups in the country and to go after journalists critical of the Pakistani religious establishment.

BBC learnt that the supreme Court’s dismissal of her sentence last year led to violent protests by the Islamist movement Tehreek-e-Labbaik TLP who support strong blasphemy laws, while more liberal sections of society pressed for her release.

She has since been separated from her family since the overturning of the sentence in 2018 while her children are already in Canada.

However, report has it that she had already arrived in Canada, where her daughters have been granted asylum.

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