Christian woman acquitted after years on death row

Pakistan’s Supreme Court has acquitted a Christian woman who has been on death row for almost 8 years on blasphemy charges.

Asia Bibi, a mother of five, was convicted of blasphemy in 2010 and sentenced to hang after she was accused of defiling the name of the Prophet Muhammed during an argument the year before with Muslim colleagues.

The workers had refused to drink from a bucket of water Bibi had touched because she was not Muslim. At the time, Bibi said the case was a matter of women who didn’t like her “taking revenge.

She won her appeal against the conviction and subsequent death sentence on Wednesday. The landmark ruling has already set off protests by hardliners who support strong blasphemy laws.