Things have taken a turn for the worse for Asia Bibi, 50, the falsely accused Christian woman who has been languishing in Pakistani prison for six years now despite her declining health.
Bibi was accused of blasphemy in Pakistan for sharing her faith in God to other women, according to Bruce Allen of Forgotten Missionaries International. She was then sentenced to death, although an appeal has been filed at the Supreme Court with no news yet on when her case will be heard. But time is running out for the Christian woman since her health has been steadily declining, Allen said.
"She's suffering from internal bleeding. She requires urgent medical treatment. She vomits blood. She suffers terrible pain, and she can hardly eat," he said. "Here's this woman, languishing in a prison under this death sentence for a crime that she vehemently denies."
Sources revealed that Bibi's lawyers have requested that she be moved to a prison in Lahore, where she would be able to receive some medical treatment, as well as see her family more often.
Allen said the Christian minority in Pakistan is suffering from injustice. "Under the current law, the abuses are enormous against religious minorities in Pakistan," he said. "They can always be threatened with blasphemy and the accused often has little hope of defending himself or herself."
Although there is a reform effort underway, there's a long way to go yet to get the bill signed into law, Allen said.
He warned of increased harassment and outright persecution in the days ahead. "If the law is going to be changed into a better thing, potentially, they [Pakistani authorities] may say, 'Well, now is the time that we have to take action while this is still the current law and it is easy to abuse,'" Allen said.
