Asia Bibi is FREE!

She made it to Canada with her family.

I feel overwhelming joy to share this news with you.

The first thing I urgently need to say is thank you! Thank you! A thousand times, thank you!

Thanks to your relentless effort over the last 10 years, we have achieved something wonderful, and something we can be proud of. We have managed to save an innocent woman from the death sentence... a sentence she received because of her Christian faith. Now, she can embrace her daughters and her husband and be truly free.

Thanks to your perseverance and generosity, we managed to activate public opinion, bring media attention to Asia Bibi's case, encourage Western governments to act, and bring her situation to the attention of international institutions.

Our collective strength overcame the Islamist radicals who called for Asia Bibi's execution, and encouraged Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan to resist the pressure from terrorists on the streets of Islamabad. In fact, this is exactly what we asked for in our last campaign, one of many we have launched to liberate Asia Bibi.

Thanks to your signature, and to hundreds of thousands of likeminded people who joined this international campaign, Asia Bibi is now free.

Thanks to the demonstrations and rallies you attended. Thanks to the prayer vigils you participated in. Thanks to the delivery of your signatures at embassies and international institutions. Thanks to your generous donations... Asia Bibi is FREE!

Do you remember when we brought Asia Bibi's family to Spain? During the First Congress of Persecuted Christians in Madrid (WeAreN 2015), Asia Bibi's daughter Eisham shared her testimony of faith and hope.

Thanks to you, we also shared her story with the world during the II WeAreN Congress in 2016. Eisham shared her mother's story at the United Nations headquarters in New York. She spoke about the injustice her brave mother was being subjected to, exclusively for her Christian faith!

And, thanks to the generosity of so many citizens, we managed to bring Asia Bibi's family before Pope Francis in the Vatican. This was a great consolation for all of them in moments of sadness.

Thanks to your altruism and charity, we paid for the legal defense of Asia Bibi and helped cover the cost of her hard and long criminal trial.

Thanks to your solidarity, and that of thousands of people all over the world, we produced the documentary Freedom for Asia Bibi. This documentary was even admitted as evidence before the Supreme Court of Pakistan during Asia Bibi's trial.

On October 31, 2018, the Pakistani Supreme Court overturned Asia Bibi's death sentence and acquitted her of all charges, ordering her immediate release.

But the Supreme Court's verdict inflamed fanatics who were bent on killing Asia Bibi. Protests organized by the extreme political and religious TLP party spread all over the country. Asia Bibi's life, despite her acquittal, was still hanging by a thread.

Since October, we've experienced months of tension. Asia Bibi was a free woman, but she was not free to leave Pakistan. Finally, in January, the Pakistani Supreme Court upheld Asia Bibi's acquittal by dismissing the appeal and re-declaring her guilt-free.

All that was left was to get her out of the country, but even this has not been easy.

Thanks to your continued effort and prayers, through many days of sorrow and frustration... today, I can tell you that it was worth it.

In Canada, CitizenGO hosted rallies to free Asia Bibi and published advertisements in major newspapers asking for her release and asylum. The Canadian option has prevailed, and we are incredibly happy that it has! In Canada, there is a well-established Pakistani Christian community. No doubt, Asia Bibi will feel welcome there.

The liberation of Asia Bibi has been a worldwide team effort.

This victory encourages us to continue working for religious freedom for all Christians who are persecuted around the world. Many Christians are still unjustly imprisoned, and our work is not done.

What lesson can we learn from this happy ending? I think we can learn that a group of thoughtful and committed citizens can change the world.

Asia Bibi is alive and FREE. Celebrate this great news with us. If you are a Christian, join me in praying for a long and happy life for Asia Bibi in the company of her loved ones.

Thank you, on behalf of Asia Bibi and the entire CitizenGO team!

Caroline Craddock and the entire CitizenGO team