[wanabidii] Fw: EU Urges Pakistan to Repeal Blasphemy Laws

EU Urges Pakistan to Repeal Blasphemy Laws

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: "ANS@Assist-Ministries.com" <ANS@Assist-Ministries.com>
To: ASSISTNEWS@sheperd.com
Sent: Monday, December 1, 2014 11:20 AM
Subject: EU Urges Pakistan to Repeal Blasphemy Laws

ASSIST News Service (ANS) - PO Box 609, Lake Forest, CA 92609-0609 USA Visit our web site at: www.assistnews.net -- E-mail: assistnews@aol.com Sunday, November 30, 2014 EU Urges Pakistan to Repeal Blasphemy Laws By Jeremy Reynalds Senior Correspondent for ASSIST News Service STRASBOURG (ANS) -- The European parliament called Thursday on Pakistan to overhaul its blasphemy laws with a view to repealing them, saying they were "increasingly used to target" Christians and other minorities. According to an article by the AFP News Service, the parliament expressed great concern about the case of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to death four years ago for blasphemy. Her sentence was upheld last month by a high court in Lahore, dashing hopes the conviction might be overturned or commuted to a jail term. In a non-binding resolution, members of the European parliament in Strasbourg, AFP reported that France expressed concern that blasphemy laws "are increasingly used to target vulnerable minority groups, including Ahmedis and Christians, in Pakistan." The resolution "calls on the government of Pakistan to carry out a thorough review of the blasphemy laws and their current application ... with a review to repealing the laws." It also "calls on the government of Pakistan to abolish the death penalty, including for blasphemy or apostasy." AFP said meanwhile, about 50 MEPs meanwhile wrote to EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini urging her to ask Pakistan to show clemency toward Asia Bibi. In a final recourse in her case, Bibi filed an appeal in Pakistan's top court Monday. Pakistan has never executed anyone for blasphemy and has had a de facto moratorium on civilian executions since 2008.     See all ASSIST News articles at www.assistnews.net Jeremy Reynalds is Senior Correspondent for the ASSIST News Service, a freelance writer and also the founder and CEO of Joy Junction, New Mexico's largest emergency homeless shelter, http://www.joyjunction.org He has a master's degree in communication from the University of New Mexico, and a Ph.D. in intercultural education from Biola University in Los Angeles. His newest book is "A Sheltered Life." Additional details on "A Sheltered Life" are available at http://www.ashelteredlife.net. Reynalds lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For more information contact: Jeremy Reynalds at jeremyreynalds@comcast.net. ** You may republish this story with proper attribution. Send this story to a friend. Note to our subscribers: It you really appreciate what we do through ANS and would like to make a donation to help us continue with this unique news service, you can do so in two ways. First, just go to our secure site at www.assistnews.net/assist/donations.htm, where you can sign up for a monthly gift or a one-off contribution (tax-deductible in the US). Second, if you prefer to send a check, just make it out to ASSIST, and mail it to ASSIST, PO Box, 609, Lake Forest, CA 92609, USA (also tax-deductible in the US). Thank you so much for caring! Dan Wooding Click here if you wish to unsubscribe ASSIST News Service is Sponsored By

--
Send Emails to wanabidii@googlegroups.com
 
Kujiondoa Tuma Email kwenda
wanabidii+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com Utapata Email ya kudhibitisha ukishatuma
 
Disclaimer:
Everyone posting to this Forum bears the sole responsibility for any legal consequences of his or her postings, and hence statements and facts must be presented responsibly. Your continued membership signifies that you agree to this disclaimer and pledge to abide by our Rules and Guidelines.
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Wanabidii" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to wanabidii+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.