Death Row Inmate Believed in Appeal Hearing – But Then the Court Was Adjourned
The father of four, Asif Pervaiz, has been on death row for blasphemy since 2020.
Asif Pervaiz in a white prison uniform alongside a guard, lawyer Saif ul-Malook, and Sajid Christopher from HFO on the far right, during a previous court hearing.
Text: Johannes Morken
Asif Pervaiz, convicted of blasphemy, is currently held in Faisalabad prison. His wife, Maroline, along with his lawyer Saif ul-Malook and a team from Human Friends Organization, were present in the courtroom for his appeal.
Asif was arrested in October 2013, accused of sending blasphemous text messages. These accusations surfaced after he refused to convert to Islam. A colleague had pressured Asif to convert to Islam and also wanted him to marry his sister-in-law.
However, the father of four, Asif, refused to convert, wanting to remain a Christian. At the time of refusal, he was married to Karoline, and their two youngest children were newborn twins. In retaliation, the rejected colleague accused Asif of blasphemy and had him arrested. Since then, Asif has been in prison.
Despite a lack of evidence, Name was sentenced to death for blasphemy in September 2020. He has been waiting for his appeal to be heard in the Lahore High Court ever since.
On Thursday, 10 April, Asif, his family, the lawyer, and the HFO team believed the time had finally come. However, when Asif's case and a few others remained, the court was adjourned, and the judges left the courtroom. Once again, Asif Pervaiz is left in uncertainty, with no idea when his case will be heard.
“It is heartbreaking that Asif is not getting his appeal heard. He has now spent nearly 12 years in prison. We pray that he will get his case heard, be acquitted and released, and be able to live a good and peaceful life with his family,” says Sajid Christopher, head of Human Friends Organization (HFO).
HFO’s legal aid work is supported by Stefanus Alliance International. HFO has hired lawyer Saif ul-Malook, a Muslim himself, once defended the Christian woman Asia Bibi, who—after more than nine years in prison, eight of them on death row, was finally acquitted and released in 2019.