Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi has lost her appeal against a death penalty for allegedly blaspheming Islam's prophet Mohammad, Thursday.
The two-judge panel upheld the mother of five's sentence in the Lahore High Court despite "glaring contradictions" in the witnesses' testimonies, according to her lawyer Naeem Shakir.
He told Morning Star News the case was clearly a "premeditated conspiracy" against Bibi.
"I pointed out the conflicting accounts of the prosecution witnesses, as each one of them had a different narrative regarding the exact location where the local village council was convened in which Asia had allegedly confessed that she had spoken ill of Islam's prophet and sought forgiveness from the villagers," Shakir said.
"There is also discrepancy in the number of people present as each witness gave different figures."
Bibi, the first woman to be sentenced to death for blasphemy in the Muslim-majority country, has been imprisoned since 2010 after an altercation with Muslim colleagues in 2009 led to her arrest.
Her case has since been surrounded by controversy with the murder of former Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer by his bodyguard in January 2011 for supporting Bibi, and the last minute postponement of her appeal date on five occasions.
The verdict was reportedly celebrated by hardline Islamic groups, who erupted in celebration after the decision was handed down.
According to Release International, Bibi's legal team will take her appeal before the Supreme Court.
"Asia's husband and the team are very disappointed and downhearted at the decision," Release Chief Executive, Paul Robinson stated. "Her legal team is planning to appeal to the Supreme Court."
"We join others around the world in calling on the Pakistani authorities to show clemency and pardon Asia, so she can be reunited with her family."
