URGENT ACTION
executions TEMPORARILY HALTED in pakistan
A temporary halt to planned executions was ordered by the Pakistan
Prime Minister on 18 August until he has spoken to the President, Asif
Ali Zardari, who is opposed to the death penalty. Thousands will be at
risk of execution after President Zardari’s term in office ends on 8
September.
At least eight men were scheduled to be executed across Pakistan between 20 and 25 August. In Sindh province: Attaullah alias Qasim, Muhammad Azam alias Sharif and Jalal alias Abdul Jalil, who are in Sukkur Jail, Behram Khan and Shafqat Hussain in Karachi Central Prison; and in the Punjab; Muhammad Munir Hussain in Vehari Jail, Zulfiqar Ali Khan in Kot Lakhpat Jail, and Mohammad Ameen.
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif halted these planned executions on
Sunday 18 August, after the President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari,
asked to speak to him about plans to resume carrying out the death
penalty.
Shafqat Hussain and Mohammad Ameen were juveniles when the crimes
were committed. Pakistan is a State Party to the International Covenant
on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the
Child, which forbid the imposition of capital punishment for crimes
committed by persons below 18 years of age. Shafqat Hussain claims he
was subjected to ill-treatment during interrogation under police
custody.
The prisoners have all been convicted of various crimes that
include murder and kidnapping. Behram Khan claims he was subjected to
ill-treatment during interrogation under police custody and that he did
not receive a fair trial after he failed to bribe law enforcement
officials. Munir Hussain’s family say he suffers from mental illness and
his lawyers are trying to arrange an independent mental health
examination. Attaullah and Muhammad Azam were convicted for killing a
Shi’a Muslim doctor. They and Jalal are reported to be members of
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, an armed group that has claimed responsibility for a
number of attacks, targeting the Shi’a Muslim minority, that have
claimed hundreds of lives. Zulfiqar Ali Khan was arrested for murder on
14 April 1998. According to his lawyer, he committed the crime in
self-defence. During the 14 years he has been on death row, Zulfiqar Ali
Khan has gained a Masters Degree in Political Science and a Master of
Business Administration. He is also known as ‘The Educator’ at Adiala
Jail as he has contributed to the education of hundreds of other inmates
while in prison.
Please write immediately in English, Urdu or your own language:
Welcome the Prime Minister’s decision to halt executions and urging
the Pakistan government to establish an official moratorium on all
executions in the country as a first step towards abolition of the death
penalty in line with four UN General Assembly resolutions;
Calling on the Pakistan government to ensure that any measures taken
to combat crime do not violate human rights standards regarding law
enforcement and the right to a fair trial; and
Urging the Pakistan President and government to commute all existing death sentences.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 01 OCTOBER 2013 TO:
�
President
Asif Ali Zardari�Pakistan Secretariat, Islamabad
Pakistan�Fax: +92 51 920 4974
Email:http://www.presidentofpakistan.gov.pk/index.php?lang=en&opc=8
Salutation: Dear President
Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif
Prime Minister House
Islamabad
Pakistan
Fax: +92 51 921 3780, +92 51 922 1596
Salutation: Dear Prime Minister
�
Also send copies to your own government in your country.
Please check with your
section office if sending appeals after the above date. This is the
first update of UA 224/13. Further information:
http://amnesty.org/en/library/info/ASA33/010/2013/en
URGENT ACTION
EXECUTIONS TEMPORARILY HALTED IN PAKISTAN
ADditional Information
More than 8,000 prisoners are at risk of being executed should the
government of Pakistan resume the implementation of the death penalty.
The Interior Minister reportedly said that 450 convicts were awaiting
imminent execution as they have exhausted their legal appeals. These
executions would be the first to be authorized by the government of
Pakistan since late 2008, with the exception of the execution of a
soldier by military authorities in late 2012.
After a succession of high-profile killings across the country
since taking office in June 2013, the government of Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif has promised to recommence executions as it faces pressure to
improve the law and order situation. There is no compelling evidence
that the death penalty is a deterrent in capital crimes compared to
other forms of punishment. The most comprehensive study carried out by
the UN in 1988 and most recently updated in 2008 concluded that there is
no proof that executions are a greater deterrent to crime than life
imprisonment. Amnesty International’s concern is heightened by the fact
that in Pakistan many death sentences are handed down after trials that
do not meet international fair trial standards. These trials are
characterized by a lack of access to legal counsel and an acceptance of
evidence inadmissible under international law. Statements extracted
through torture continue to be used as evidence in court. Defendants
often face restrictions in trying to access a lawyer or are given
state-appointed lawyers who are often poorly trained and paid, and may
not represent their clients vigorously unless given further payments by
the defendant or their family. In addition, the right to fair trial has
been undermined in trials before lower courts which continue to sentence
people to death. These courts operate with restricted public access and
with the requirement for trials to be completed within a matter of days
or weeks, putting judges under extreme pressure to convict.
Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases and
under any circumstances, regardless of the nature of the crime, the
characteristics of the offender, or the method used by the state to
carry out the execution. The organisation considers the death penalty a
violation of the right to life as recognized in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and the ultimate cruel, inhuman and
degrading punishment.
Names: Attaullah alias Qasim; Muhammad Azam alias Sharif; Jalal
alias Abdul Jalil; Behram Khan; Shafqat Hussain; Muhammad Munir Hussain;
Dr Zulfiqar Ali Khan; Mohammad Ameen.
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