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Paris awards Asia Bibi honorary citizenship

by Desmond Busteed

Mrs Bibi, mother of five, was condemned to death for blasphemy after her Muslim co-workers objected to her drinking from the same water as them and accused her of insulting Muhammad. The High Court in Lahore upheld her sentence in October 2014.

The Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, who proposed the honour said: "Falsely accused of insulting the Prophet of Islam, Asia Bibi is the victim of squabbles between families in her village linked to her adherence to the Christian faith in a majority Muslim country.

"To be an honorary citizen is to embody the values of Paris, the values of liberty and tolerance. By this bold gesture, I wish to testify to the solidarity of Paris towards the numerous women around the world of all confessions who are religious obscurantism and political extremism, Ms Hildago added.

In December, the Socialist Mayor unveiled a banner of Mrs Bibi which has remained on display on the steps of the City Hall.

It reads: "To support her in her fight against ignorance and obscurantism, Anne Hildago wishes that Paris raises Asia Bibi to the level of honorary citizen, a rare distinction granted to the world's most emblematic defenders of human rights."

On 30 November 2014 the Supreme Court in Pakistan agreed to re-open the case, with a new trial expected to begin in May.

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