Capital punishment in Pakistan

Capital punishment was legal in Pakistan since its inception till 2008. At least 241 people were sentenced to death in Pakistan in 2005, and at least 31 were executed - the fifth highest number in the world. Pakistan ranked fifth (total cases - not per capita) after The Peoples Republic Of China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United States. [http://www.amnesty.org.uk/news_details.asp?NewsID=16975 AIUK: Pakistan- Spate of imminent executions in wake of Mirza Hussain case] ]

More than 3,000 people were on the country's Death Row, many sentenced by lower courts. Amnesty International recorded 13 executions in 1999. [http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engACT530032000?open&of=THEMES/DEATH+PENALTY Amnesty International: Death Penalty News September 2000] ]

Controversially Pakistan was one of only eight countries in the world (China PRC, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, United States and Yemen), that since 1990 executed prisoners who were under 18 years old at the time of committing a crime. Pakistan along with the United States and Yemen have now raised the minimum age to 18 in law to be eligible for execution. [http://web.amnesty.org/pages/deathpenalty-facts-eng Amnesty International: Facts and Figures on the Death Penalty] ]

Hanging was the most common method of execution until its abolition.

End of the death penalty

The end of the death penalty in Pakistan is unclear. Despite a previous announcement of moratorium by the newly-elected government, a convicted murderer was hanged on 12 August 2008. [http://news.google.fr/news?ned=us&hl=en&ned=us&q=%22executed%22&ie=UTF-8&as_drrb=q&as_qdr=h&as_mind=11&as_minm=8&as_maxd=12&as_maxm=8&nolr=1]

References

ee also

* Mirza Tahir Hussain