SAFE AT LAST

Asia Bibi Arrives in Canada From Pakistan After Blasphemy Acquittal

Christian woman spent eight years on Pakistan’s death row.

Asia Bibi, the Christian woman who spent eight years on death row in Pakistan over dubious accusations of blasphemy, has been reunited with her children after she arrived safely in Canada early Wednesday. Bibi was sentenced to be hanged in 2010 after being accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammad, but her conviction was overturned last year by Pakistan’s supreme court. Though she was cleared, she has been forced to leave Pakistan after repeated death threats from religious extremists who led mass protests against her acquittal in October 2018. Her lawyer, Saiful Malook, told The Guardian that Bibi had arrived in Canada, where two of her five daughters are believed to have already been granted asylum. “It is a big day,” said the attorney. “Asia Bibi has left Pakistan and reached Canada. She has reunited with her family. Justice has been dispensed.”