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Death Penalty Information
Friday, August 04, 2006
Pakistan - surge in executions - thousands await the gallows
Also see Amnesty Pakistan section
U N I T E D N A T I O N S
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN) -
[These reports do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]
1 - PAKISTAN: Thousands await gallows in jails
LAHORE, 2 August (IRIN) - More than 7,400 men and 36 women are waiting in 81 Pakistani jails to be hanged, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has confirmed.
In Punjab, the country's most populous province, more than 5,000 of its 53,000 prisoners face death. Many are serving their time confined to cells measuring just 10 sq metres. Intended for one prisoner, the cells often accommodate up to 10.
Pakistan retains capital punishment by hanging for a range of offences, including murder, drug smuggling, rape, attempted murder, kidnapping and acts of terrorism.
But the number of death sentences handed out annually far exceeds the number of hangings, meaning prisoners could remain in the terrible conditions on death row for up to 10 years, according to cases documented by the HRCP.
Rao Abid Hameed, who heads HRCP's Vulnerable Prisoners Project, said those sentenced to death did not get the same rights as other prisoners.
"They are very restricted in terms of time for exercise and access to other facilities available to other jail inmates," Hameed said.
IA Rehman, HRCP's director, said capital punishment was "inhumane" and "brutalises society".
Rehman maintained that flaws in the country's judicial system meant many did not receive fair trails.
"It's really sad that there has not been more public concern about the fate of these people," Rehman said, blaming the situation on "an increased acceptance of violence".
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf recently turned down a number of appeals for clemency, paving the way for the eight hangings that have taken place in the past week.
This year 253 people, including three women, have been sentenced to death, with 42 hanged. Last year 477 people were sentenced and 52 hanged, while in 2004, 394 were sentenced and 15 hanged.
Although 36 women face the gallows they are unlikely to be executed. Daulat Bibi, the last woman to be hanged, was executed in 1985.
A fierce international debate has so far kept Mirza Tahir Hussain Khan, a British national, from death. He received the sentence for a 1988 murder, but an international campaign and appeals from the British government for clemency mean Musharraf is still considering his case.
Jawed Khan - who activists say was 14-years-old when he was found guilty of murder in 2003 - is being held in Faisalabad Central Jail awaiting his death sentence.
The Juvenile Justice Systems Ordinance (JJSO) bans death for persons under 18. However, as Amnesty International (AI) said in its appeal over Khan's case, the law is frequently ignored. In the absence of documentation age is often hard to prove.
KH/GS/DS[ENDS]
U N I T E D N A T I O N S
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN) -
[These reports do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]
1 - PAKISTAN: Thousands await gallows in jails
LAHORE, 2 August (IRIN) - More than 7,400 men and 36 women are waiting in 81 Pakistani jails to be hanged, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has confirmed.
In Punjab, the country's most populous province, more than 5,000 of its 53,000 prisoners face death. Many are serving their time confined to cells measuring just 10 sq metres. Intended for one prisoner, the cells often accommodate up to 10.
Pakistan retains capital punishment by hanging for a range of offences, including murder, drug smuggling, rape, attempted murder, kidnapping and acts of terrorism.
But the number of death sentences handed out annually far exceeds the number of hangings, meaning prisoners could remain in the terrible conditions on death row for up to 10 years, according to cases documented by the HRCP.
Rao Abid Hameed, who heads HRCP's Vulnerable Prisoners Project, said those sentenced to death did not get the same rights as other prisoners.
"They are very restricted in terms of time for exercise and access to other facilities available to other jail inmates," Hameed said.
IA Rehman, HRCP's director, said capital punishment was "inhumane" and "brutalises society".
Rehman maintained that flaws in the country's judicial system meant many did not receive fair trails.
"It's really sad that there has not been more public concern about the fate of these people," Rehman said, blaming the situation on "an increased acceptance of violence".
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf recently turned down a number of appeals for clemency, paving the way for the eight hangings that have taken place in the past week.
This year 253 people, including three women, have been sentenced to death, with 42 hanged. Last year 477 people were sentenced and 52 hanged, while in 2004, 394 were sentenced and 15 hanged.
Although 36 women face the gallows they are unlikely to be executed. Daulat Bibi, the last woman to be hanged, was executed in 1985.
A fierce international debate has so far kept Mirza Tahir Hussain Khan, a British national, from death. He received the sentence for a 1988 murder, but an international campaign and appeals from the British government for clemency mean Musharraf is still considering his case.
Jawed Khan - who activists say was 14-years-old when he was found guilty of murder in 2003 - is being held in Faisalabad Central Jail awaiting his death sentence.
The Juvenile Justice Systems Ordinance (JJSO) bans death for persons under 18. However, as Amnesty International (AI) said in its appeal over Khan's case, the law is frequently ignored. In the absence of documentation age is often hard to prove.
KH/GS/DS[ENDS]
# 10:33 AM 
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