Asia Bibi's final appeal set to be heard in court this week

The Supreme Court of Pakistan will be hearing on Oct. 13 the final appeal of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy, after years of being postponed.

Bibi, whose real name is Aasiya Noreen, was accused by her Muslim co-workers of blasphemy when they refused to drink from a cup she used because as a Christian, she was deemed unclean.

She allegedly told her co-workers: "I believe in my religion and in Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for the sins of mankind. What did your Prophet Muhammad ever do to save mankind?"

A report from the BBC stated that she was accused of blasphemy by a mob after a few days.

Bibi was sentenced to death in November 2010. She appealed the case but the ruling was upheld by the Lahore High Court. According to the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), her appeal before the Supreme Court will focus on the multiple errors in the case as well as her previous appeal.

The Supreme Court will be deciding whether the five-day delay in filing the complaint against Bibi could justify overturning her conviction. The delay could be harmful to the prosecution's case because it could mean that accusers planted the case in bad faith.

It was also noted that Bibi's accusers were not cross-examined during the trial which left their testimony against her uncontested. Bibi's testimony was not given much weight because of this error.

Extremist groups have been present at the court room during Bibi's previous trials. It is believed that the groups are trying to intimidate the judges in the lower courts. A reward of 500,000 rupees (about $4,700) has been offered by a Muslim cleric to anyone who kills Bibi.

Various human rights groups are observing Bibi's case. Christian Solidarity Worldwide scheduled a 24/7 prayer movement on Oct. 12 to pray for Bibi's acquittal. Release International asked the Pakistani government to repeal the blasphemy law and revoke Bibi's death sentence. ACLJ also started an online petition to save Bibi from her death sentence.