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Italy trying to relocate freed Bibi

ITALY has said it is working to help relocate the family of a Pakistani Christian woman acquitted eight years after being sentenced to death for blasphemy, amid warnings from her husband that the family’s life is in danger in Pakistan.

Italy’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday it was coordinating with other countries to ensure safety for Asia Bibi, pictured, and her family. In a statement, the ministry said it was ready to act on whatever the Italian government might decide.

A lawmaker in German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative party has also called for Germany to grant Bibi refuge, after her husband, Ashiq Masih, appealed for help from the West. Bibi was convicted in 2010 of insulting Islam’s prophet, but Pakistan’s top court acquitted her last week.

Protests by hardline Islamists prompted the government to impose a travel ban on Bibi until her case is reviewed. Bibi’s case has been closely followed in Italy for years, and Pope Francis met earlier this year with her family.