She comes out of her silence for the first time since her release. Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi, now in exile in Canada, recounts the ordeal she experienced in her country, where she was sentenced to death in 2010, then acquitted at the end of 2018, after a vast international campaign of support.

"My story, you know it through the media. But you are far from representing my daily life, in prison, or in my new life," confides the one who has become an icon of religious freedom, on the back cover of d '"Finally free !" (Éditions du Rocher), published Wednesday in French.

This exclusive story was reconstructed by French journalist Anne-Isabelle Tollet, a former correspondent in Pakistan who led a campaign of support for Asia Bibi.

#Asiabibi book #Finallyfree! releasing on 29th Jan. Anne-Isabelle Tollet visited her in a secret place and met her.

What a joy to see this little bit of woman, lively and sparkling!

What a joy to see this little bit of woman, lively and sparkling! "@AnnisaTollet pic.twitter.com/Rvq9rlWUpb

- Iqbal Latif (@ilatif) January 27, 2020

"I, Asia Bibi, condemned to be hanged because I was thirsty", begins Asia Bibi in this story. "I have become a prisoner of fanaticism," says the former illiterate farm worker from the pen of the journalist. The Islamists, even if they are "not representative", "dictate their will (...) because they do not hesitate to plant bombs", she accuses, certain that her conviction for "blasphemy "is the work of judges in the pay of extremists who want to drive out the Christians.

Blasphemy is an inflammatory subject in Pakistan, where simple accusations are sometimes enough to lead to murderous lynchings.

Christians, who represent around 2% of the overwhelmingly Muslim Pakistani population, suffer from "all kinds of contempt" when they are not simply eliminated, like this couple of Christians burned alive in a village close to that of Asia Bibi, she remembers.

Sentenced to death, the "blasphemer" is thrown in prison with, often, "tears for only cell mates".

Life in prison

"A long chain drags on the filthy ground, it connects my throat to the handcuffed hand of the guard who pulls me like a dog on a leash. Deep within me, a dull fear leads me towards the depths of darkness. A throbbing fear who will never leave me, "she wrote.

Behind bars, there are many who want to grant the wish of fellow prisoners who scream "To death!" or "Hanged!" when Asia Bibi walks down the halls.

His cellmate, a Muslim, dies of poisoning because she is deemed "too nice" with the outcast. "If I were you, I would be careful what I eat ...", we advise Asia Bibi.

She says that a Taliban commando will even manage to break into her prison before being captured not far from her cell.

In this "antechamber of death" that is her cell, Asia Bibi finds salvation only in the prayers addressed to the Blessed Virgin, chasing away suicidal thoughts and dashed hopes.

Life in exile

The governor comes to visit her and promises to "get her out of there": she will learn later that he has been murdered. The guard enters her cell at night to beat her. Pope Benedict XVI calls for his release: this intensifies hatred towards Christians in Pakistan and the head of Asia Bibi is put at price by a mullah.

She will not even believe it when, finally, the Supreme Court acquits her. On May 9, 2019, an official press release fell: "Asia Bibi left Pakistan voluntarily" for Canada.

But it is a question mark that follows the "Finally free" at the head of the penultimate chapter. Because the threat knows no borders. Upon the arrival of Asia Bibi, an Islamist posts a video on social networks claiming that he too went to Canada to kill the "blasphemer". Since then, she has lived in a secret place.

With AFP

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