[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 58 (Tuesday, April 4, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2217-S2218]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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   SENATE RESOLUTION 109--ENCOURAGING THE GOVERNMENT OF PAKISTAN TO 
 RELEASE AASIYA NOREEN, INTERNATIONALLY KNOWN AS ASIA BIBI, AND REFORM 
          ITS RELIGIOUSLY INTOLERANT LAWS REGARDING BLASPHEMY

  Mr. PAUL (for himself and Mr. Coons) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 109

       Whereas, in June 2009, Asia Bibi allegedly insulted the 
     Muslim faith during a confrontation with Muslim neighbors and 
     drank from a water source shared by these Muslim neighbors;
       Whereas, in November 2010, Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian 
     woman, was sentenced to death by hanging after being 
     convicted of blasphemy by a Pakistani District Court under 
     Article 295-C of Pakistan's penal code;
       Whereas, according to the United States Commission on 
     International Religious Freedom, Pakistan's blasphemy laws 
     set severe punishments, including death or life in prison, 
     and have been levied against religious minorities, including 
     Christians, Hindus, and Ahmadiyya and Shi'a Muslims, as well 
     as Sunni Muslims;
       Whereas a petition calling for the immediate release of 
     Asia Bibi has generated over 690,000 signatures, and 250,000 
     of the signatures, roughly a third of the total amount, were 
     made by petitioners from the United States;
       Whereas, in January 2011, Pakistani politician Salmaan 
     Taseer, the governor of Punjab province, who campaigned for 
     Asia Bibi's release and called for reform to Pakistan's 
     blasphemy codes, outraged religious conservatives and was 
     assassinated by his security guard, Mumtaz Qadri;
       Whereas, in March 2011, Federal Minister for Minority 
     Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti was assassinated in Islamabad, 
     Pakistan, after receiving death threats for his support of 
     reforming Pakistan's blasphemy codes and calling for the 
     release of Asia Bibi;

[[Page S2218]]

       Whereas, in October 2014, the Lahore High Court of Appeals 
     upheld the death sentence of Asia Bibi;
       Whereas the execution of Mumtaz Qadri in February 2016 
     resulted in street protests that called for the death of Asia 
     Bibi;
       Whereas, in Pakistan, mere accusations of blasphemy, even 
     by private individuals, often lead to violence against those 
     accused by private actors;
       Whereas Pakistan's human rights problems include poor 
     prison conditions, arbitrary detention, lengthy pretrial 
     detention, a weak criminal justice system, lack of judicial 
     independence in the lower courts, and governmental 
     infringement on citizens' privacy rights;
       Whereas Asia Bibi is at risk of extrajudicial murder even 
     if she is released;
       Whereas, in Pakistan, violence, abuse, and social and 
     religious intolerance by militant organizations and other 
     nongovernmental actors contribute to a culture of lawlessness 
     in some parts of the country; and
       Whereas there is great concern for Asia Bibi's safety 
     during her incarceration due to reports that prisoners who 
     are members of religious minorities face a heightened risk of 
     mistreatment, torture, or murder: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) urges the Government of Pakistan to immediately and 
     unconditionally release Asia Bibi and ensure that she, her 
     family, and her legal counsel are afforded all necessary 
     measures to ensure their safety; and
       (2) urges the Government of Pakistan to reform its laws to 
     reflect democratic norms and ideals and work to promote 
     tolerance of religious minorities, whether Muslim, Christian, 
     Hindu, or other ostracized, so that no one is in danger of 
     persecution from the government or their neighbors for 
     exercising their right to free speech and practicing their 
     religion.

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