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Yesterday, 16th October 2014, death row mother of 5 Asia Bibi heard her appeal for mercy rejected by Lahore High Court. Sentenced to death by hanging under Pakistan’s notorious Blasphemy laws, Asia returned to her squalid prison cell to await her fate.
In disgust, London band ooberfuse today release FREE, a music video crying out for an end to the persecution of non-Muslim religious minorities in Pakistan and around the world. They join a British Pakistani Christian Association protest this Saturday from 11:00 – 13:00 at 10 Downing Street.
You can hear the radio play edit by clicking (here).
Cherrie Anderson, frontwoman of the band, explains : “We have been calling out for Asia’s release ever since we translated Asia’s autobiography into English. Asia’s own words inspired our defiant anthem FREE. We will carry on our campaign until religious minorities around the world enjoy the freedoms people of all faiths and none enjoy here in the UK.”
Asia’s husband Ashiq said : “This appeal was supposed to be a ray of hope, but the rejection of the appeal has shattered our confidence.”
Abdul Hameed Rana, senior supreme court lawyer and attorney to Asia, said :“The history of this trial confirms the problems emanating from Pakistan’s legal system. Extra-judicial confessions, incongruence within testimonies from prosecution witnesses, along with procedural glitches from the police, have been ignored. Moreover, there was also a significant amount of duress within the hearing which had in attendance a large number of Islamic clerics.”Chairman of the BPCA, Wilson Chowdhry, said; “This day is a nail in the coffin of justice system in Pakistan. International scrutiny held no sway, unlike in the case of Meriam Ibrahim in Sudan. Pakistan. The intolerance in Pakistan has reached record highs and it will not be long till the bubble bursts and minorities their are more openly targeted, in the the same manner as those in Iraq, Syria and other countries in the Islamic World.”
