Two Christians and a Muslim man get death penalty in Pakistan for blasphemy

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmDEYWCOD79qHi28RQUMhyf61erCwfx9ZExCpMPeKeAmMW57KRuthQdlM1kfJmmoBkvL1EqBTx9sYzbOpscvjXK0T5VfYlbA-UY49-i5FnnkdK6HesAVw0-wWm-Vefnowms7se6wMwNqc/s1600/Pakistan+Islam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Blasphemy is an extremely sensitive issue in Pakistan." border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmDEYWCOD79qHi28RQUMhyf61erCwfx9ZExCpMPeKeAmMW57KRuthQdlM1kfJmmoBkvL1EqBTx9sYzbOpscvjXK0T5VfYlbA-UY49-i5FnnkdK6HesAVw0-wWm-Vefnowms7se6wMwNqc/s400/Pakistan+Islam.jpg" title="Blasphemy is an extremely sensitive issue in Pakistan." width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blasphemy is an extremely sensitive issue in Pakistan.</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">2 Christians and a Muslim man were on Tuesday sentenced to death by a Pakistani anti terrorism court for committing blasphemy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Anti-Terrorism Court of Gujranwala district announced the verdict in the case which was pending for the last one year.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">ATC Gujranwala Judge Bushra Zaman handed down death penalty to Anjum, Javed Naz (who are both Christians) and Jaffer Ali for committing blasphemy. Naz and Ali have been sentenced to an additional 35 years each.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The judge also imposed a fine of Rs 5 million on Anjum and Rs 8 million each on Naz and Ali.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Gujranwala city police had arrested Anjum, Naz and Ali a year ago on blasphemy charges.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The judge announced the verdict after prosecution presented all witnesses.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Anjum, a resident of Farid Town, some 80km from Lahore ran a chain of Locus Schools System in Gujranwala. Asif, Anjum's brother, told PTI that his brother never committed any blasphemy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Javed Naz was a cousin of Anjum and employed at one of his schools. When Anjum fired Naz on corruption allegations he turned against my brother," he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Asif said later Naz started blackmailing Anjum by claiming that he had his voice recorded in which he had made blasphemous remarks.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"When Anjum stopped paying money to Naz, he along with his Muslim friend Ali got a blasphemy case registered against Anjum," he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Police during investigation also booked Naz and Ali in the blasphemy case.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"My brother is innocent and we will challenge the ATC verdict in the superior court," Asif said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Blasphemy is an extremely sensitive issue in Pakistan. 2 high-profile politicians then Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer and minorities minister Shahbaz Bhatti were murdered in 2011 after calling for reforms to the blasphemy law.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Pakistan's tough blasphemy law has attracted criticism from rights groups, who say they are frequently misused to settle personal scores.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Source: firstpost.com, June 28, 2016</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">- Report an error, an omission:<a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com" target="_blank"> deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a></span> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span> <span style="font-size: small;"> - Follow us on <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> </b>and <b><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank">Twitter</a></b></span></div></div>

Blasphemy Christians Islam Islamic Law Pakistan Two Christians and a Muslim man get death penalty in Pakistan for blasphemy

Blasphemy is an extremely sensitive issue in Pakistan. 2 Christians and a Muslim man were on Tuesday sentenced to death by a Pakistani anti ...

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UN drugs agency ignores global drug execution crisis in annual report

<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNTBVxbiAKcrGPTLJtEzMWAAIsQNe1FZdjNefSnvhPYhhrx1YHh_pAcZvfctSi67NtW7UwBpvkjAxXDVnjVNC5H6yxAHhYGNqizqCm5VJXsIBQMAFZpstkaOVkFrb_06aiWF0AQUw0QaQ/s1600/UN+building.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="UN Building, NYC" border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNTBVxbiAKcrGPTLJtEzMWAAIsQNe1FZdjNefSnvhPYhhrx1YHh_pAcZvfctSi67NtW7UwBpvkjAxXDVnjVNC5H6yxAHhYGNqizqCm5VJXsIBQMAFZpstkaOVkFrb_06aiWF0AQUw0QaQ/s400/UN+building.jpg" title="UN Building, NYC" width="400" /></a></div>A new report by the UN’s Office on Drugs and Crime fails to mention the use of the death penalty for drug crimes, despite a surge in executions of alleged drug offenders in countries where the UN agency funds counter-narcotics police.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">UNODC unveiled its 2016 World Drug Report today (23 June) and warned that the number of drug users has risen worldwide. However, the 174-page document included no reference to the increased number of death sentences and executions in countries like Iran, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">While the UNODC’s report lamented the number of deaths from drugs overdoses, it made no reference to the 638 alleged drug offenders who were hanged in Iran last year, up from 367 in 2014.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">UNODC recently announced a new $20m funding deal for Iranian drug operations, which will support law enforcement training and equipment that has previously been linked to arrests and executions.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Earlier this year 56 countries, including all 28 EU member states, signed a statement condemning the failure of a UNODC-administered summit to address the death penalty for drug crimes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The statement also appeared to warn the UNODC over its human rights record, noting the need to “prevent criminal justice or other forms of international assistance resulting in a death sentence being applied, and to hold international agencies to account for compliance with this and all other human rights obligations.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Commenting, Maya Foa, Director of Reprieve’s Death Penalty Team, said:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“The UN’s World Drug Report completely ignores the global resurgence in the death penalty for drug crimes, which has seen states like Iran and Saudi Arabia execute hundreds of alleged drug offenders.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“This seems all too convenient an omission given that the body which authored the report, the UN’s Office on Drugs and Crime, continues to fund Iranian and Pakistani drug raids which routinely send drug mules to death row.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Instead of whitewashing the world’s drug executions crisis, UNODC should face up to its human rights responsibilities, and freeze its support for drug police in countries which apply the death penalty for narcotics offences.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The UNODC report is available <a href="http://www.unodc.org/doc/wdr2016/WORLD_DRUG_REPORT_2016_web.pdf">here</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Source: Reprieve, June 23, 2016<br /><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: small;">- Report an error, an omission:<a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com" target="_blank"> deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a></span> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span> <span style="font-size: small;"> - Follow us on <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> </b>and <b><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank">Twitter</a></b></span></div>

Drug trafficking Iran Pakistan Saudi Arabia United Nations UNODC UN drugs agency ignores global drug execution crisis in annual report

A new report by the UN’s Office on Drugs and Crime fails to mention the use of the death penalty for drug crimes, despite a surge in executi...

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2015: Aftab Bahadur Masih, “I just received my Black Warrant”

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrKdfcQIge5Ho_i7o7XP4lUEEAVKYcYpQQgnIvsqfGZoTq0-ucUMM9EmXAHQMmjs_nhbIx56T2sDRq1CkfoRiuFdwyScHvmGjPjSf5ZJux4r60H6N6sBc-j2PgeJZXOkWIqkQJGIQyzN0/s1600/Aftab_Bahadur_Masih.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img alt="Two faces of Aftab Bahadur Masih, separated by two decades on death row." border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrKdfcQIge5Ho_i7o7XP4lUEEAVKYcYpQQgnIvsqfGZoTq0-ucUMM9EmXAHQMmjs_nhbIx56T2sDRq1CkfoRiuFdwyScHvmGjPjSf5ZJux4r60H6N6sBc-j2PgeJZXOkWIqkQJGIQyzN0/s320/Aftab_Bahadur_Masih.jpg" title="Two faces of Aftab Bahadur Masih, separated by two decades on death row." width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A year ago today, Pakistan amid its ravenous 2015 execution binge hanged Aftab Bahadur Masih in Lahore for a 1992 murder.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Left: Two faces of Aftab Bahadur Masih, separated by two decades on death row.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">According to the anti-death penalty organization <a href="http://reprieve.org.uk/" target="_blank">Reprieve</a>, Masih <a href="http://www.dawn.com/news/1187331" target="_blank">was only 15 years old</a> when he committed the crime. According to Masih himself, he never committed it at all -- but instead was tortured into confession by the police.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Don't take my word for it. Masih wrote a <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jun/09/22-years-pakistan-death-row-what-purpose-execution" target="_blank">moving first-person essay</a> for the Guardian (read below) that was published hours before his hanging.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I just received my Black Warrant. It says I will be hanged by the neck until dead on Wednesday, 10 June. I am innocent, but I do not know whether that will make any difference.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jun/09/22-years-pakistan-death-row-what-purpose-execution" target="_blank">Read the rest here.</a> Masih was also a self-taught painter; one of his products can be seen in <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2015/06/09/as-pakistan-resumes-executions-a-juvenile-catholics-case-sparks-alarm/" target="_blank">this Wall Street Journal</a> story.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Reprieve launches the "<b>Juveniles on Death Row Project</b>" to find those detained as children who are now languishing on death row, and stop their executions. Together we can save many lives, but we urgently need extra funds to get this new project off the ground. <a href="http://deathpenaltynews.blogspot.fr/2016/06/reprieve-juveniles-on-death-row-project.html" target="_blank">Click here to find out HOW YOU CAN HELP</a>.</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Source: <a href="http://www.executedtoday.com/2016/06/10/2015-aftab-bahadur-masih-i-just-received-my-black-warrant/" target="_blank">ExecutedToday.com</a>, June 10, 2016</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">My 22 years on Pakistan’s death row could end this week. What purpose will my execution serve?</span></b></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;">By Aftab Bahadur</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>I am an innocent man who’s spent all my adult life awaiting death, sentenced under legislation meant to stop terrorists. But I still paint and live in hope</i></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />The following piece was published by The Guardian on June 9, 2015:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Aftab Bahadur is currently in Central Jail Lahore (Kot Lakhpat), where he is scheduled to be hanged at roughly 3am BST on Wednesday morning. He was sentenced to die for a crime on 5 September 1992 where a woman – Sabiha Bari – and her two sons were murdered. Ghulam Mustafa, a plumber with whom Aftab worked as a plumber’s apprentice, was arrested early in the morning of 6 September 1992, and implicated Aftab under torture. Ghulam is set to die on Wednesday as well, but has recanted his statement and said Aftab had nothing to do with the crime. The only “eyewitness” to the crime who testified against Aftab has recently made a statement before a religious minister that he was coerced into his testimony, that he was not even there, and that he certainly did not see Aftab commit the crime. Aftab insists he is innocent. According to Aftab, when he was arrested the police asked for a 50,000 rupee bribe and said they would let him go if he paid. As a plumber’s apprentice, Aftab said he could not pay.</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Aftab was convicted under the Speedy Trials Act in April 1993. Special trials under the Act were intended for terrorists, but they been abused in a number of high-profile cases. Aftab has now been on death row for over 22 years. This is an essay he recently wrote from his prison cell, translated from the Urdu by Reprieve, who are helping to provide him with pro bono legal assistance:</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">I just received my Black Warrant. It says I will be hanged by the neck until dead on Wednesday, 10 June. I am innocent, but I do not know whether that will make any difference. During last 22 years of my imprisonment, I have received death warrants many times. It is strange, but I cannot even tell you how many times I have been told that I am about to die. Obviously it feels bad whenever the warrants are issued. I start to count down the days, which is in itself painful, and I find that my nerves are shackled in the same way as my body. In truth, I die many times before my death. I suppose my life experience is different from that of most people, but I doubt there is anything more dreadful than being told that you are going to die, and then sitting in a prison cell just waiting for that moment. For many years – since I was just 15 years old – I have been stranded between life and death. It has been a complete limbo, total uncertainty about the future.</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">I am a Christian, and sometimes that is difficult here. Unfortunately, there is one prisoner in particular who has tried to make our lives more difficult. I don’t know why he does it. I got very upset over the Christian bombings that took place in Peshawar. This hurt me deeply, and I wish that Pakistani people could possess a sense of nationality that overrode their sectarianism. There is a small group of us here who are Christians, just four or five, and we are now all in one cell, which has improved my life.</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">I do everything I can to escape my misery. I am an art lover. I was an artist – just an ordinary one – from my early days, when I was first conscious of anything. Even back then, I was inclined towards painting, as well as writing verses. Although I had no training, it was just a gift of God. But after I was brought to jail I had no other way to express my feelings, as I was then in a state of complete alienation and loneliness. I began some time ago to paint all the signs for the Kot Lakhpat jail, where I am held. Then I was asked to do signs for other jails. Nothing in this world can give me more happiness than the feeling when I paint some idea, or feeling on the canvas. It is my life, so I am happy to do it. My workload is great, and I am exhausted at the end of each day, but I am glad of that, as it keeps my mind off other things.</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">I have no family to visit me, so when someone does come, it is a wonderful experience. It allows me to reap ideas from the outside world that I can then lay down on my canvas. Being asked about how I was tortured by the police brought back terrible memories that I turned into pictures, though it would perhaps have been better not to have to think of what the police did to try to get me to confess falsely to this crime.</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">When we heard the news about lifting the death penalty moratorium in December 2014, fear prevailed throughout the cells of the prison here. There was an overriding sense of horror. The atmosphere hung, gloomy, over us all. But then the executions actually started at Kot Lakhpat jail, and everyone started to go through mental torture. Those who were being hanged had been our companions for many years on this road to death, and it is only natural that their deaths left us in a state of despair.</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">While the death penalty moratorium was ended on the pretext of killing terrorists, most of the people here in Kot Lakhpat are charged with regular crimes. Quite how killing them is going to stop the sectarian violence in this country, I cannot say. I hope I do not die on Wednesday, but I have no source of money, so I can only rely on God and on my volunteer lawyers. I have not given up hope, though the night is very dark.</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">-- Aftab Bahadur was executed in the early hours of Wednesday 10 June 2015.</blockquote><div><b>Related article:</b><br /><br /><ul><li><a href="http://deathpenaltynews.blogspot.fr/2015/06/pakistan-executes-aftab-bahadur.html" target="_blank">Pakistan executes Aftab Bahadur, sentenced to death at 15, despite evidence of innocence</a>, June 10, 2015</li></ul><br /><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">- Report an error, an omission:<a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com" target="_blank"> deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a></span> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span> <span style="font-size: small;"> - Follow us on <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Death-Penalty-News-206848499362906/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> </b>and <b><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank">Twitter</a></b></span></div></div></div>

Innocence Juvenile offenders Moratorium Pakistan 2015: Aftab Bahadur Masih, “I just received my Black Warrant”

A year ago today, Pakistan amid its ravenous 2015 execution binge hanged Aftab Bahadur Masih in Lahore for a 1992 murder. Left: Two faces of...

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Reprieve: Juveniles on Death Row Project

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHruZxo0_xiO-LwEGi3eAOnFvi0FrwVKFmhJI2YGlqybjjsndKlga-X-rRj7qgsUU6_LiRgTbuSxzxyj2ZBvDn_qIrCrZpA5WRcADOz7XqLTdBEyhgMtTx6pZ9R2XP3bolVxyt2s28o7s/s1600/Reprieve+Juvenile+Offenders+on+DR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHruZxo0_xiO-LwEGi3eAOnFvi0FrwVKFmhJI2YGlqybjjsndKlga-X-rRj7qgsUU6_LiRgTbuSxzxyj2ZBvDn_qIrCrZpA5WRcADOz7XqLTdBEyhgMtTx6pZ9R2XP3bolVxyt2s28o7s/s400/Reprieve+Juvenile+Offenders+on+DR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Seeing a child with a noose around their neck would make anyone turn away in horror. It's not something most people imagine is still happening. But it's likely there are hundreds of prisoners on death rows around the world who were detained as children - potentially as many as 800 in Pakistan alone.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thousands of Reprieve supporters have already taken action to save the lives of Ibrahim Halawa in Egypt and Ali Al-Nimr in Saudi Arabia - both sentenced to death for attending political protests when they were children. Now we want to make sure other kids like them never end up on the world's death rows. Here's how we're going to do it together.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We're launching our dedicated Juveniles on Death Row Project - to find those detained as children who are now languishing on death row, and stop their executions. Together we can save many lives, but we urgently need extra funds to get this new project off the ground.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>All donations to Reprieve are being matched and will make twice the difference</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Act now - double your donation, double your impact.</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://reprieve.bsd.net/page/contribute/double-your-impact" target="_blank">Donate now</a></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We know what a huge difference we can make on the ground, so your support right now will go a long way. Recently, a prisoner in Malawi was freed on the day of his court hearing after Reprieve staff found that his mental health assessment listed his age as 17, and even took place on the children's wing. He had been sentenced to death after the police beat him and forced him to sign a forged 'confession'.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But cases like this often just fall through the cracks - unless we're there to pick them up. With the funds we raise right now, we can work with our local partners to locate juveniles who are facing execution, investigate their cases and provide lawyers to take their cases to court. We can expose countries where children are being sentenced to death. We can save lives right now, and together we can apply public and legal pressure to stop it for good.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Our Juveniles on Death Row Project is new and will be entirely funded by our supporters. Will you join those taking the lead in getting this project off the ground <a href="https://reprieve.bsd.net/page/contribute/double-your-impact" target="_blank">by making a donation now</a>?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">All prisoners facing execution are at risk of extreme human rights abuses, but children are particularly vulnerable and in need of our help. They often face torture to extract false confessions and being put on trial for their life without proper legal representation. They end up on death row in adult prisons where conditions are brutal. They face years on death row, then the hangman's noose or the executioner's sword.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Anyone who cares about justice will agree that death row is no place for any child - so let's make sure we stop it for good.</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We have the law and public opinion on our side. The execution of people arrested as children is banned under international law and even domestic law in many countries - which gives us the chance to save lives right now and reduce execution rates worldwide.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We know we can make a difference when we're on the ground - and with your donations our Juveniles on Death Row Project can get our team to the frontline and increase our presence where we're needed most.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thank you to everyone who donates right now to help make this happen.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Matched Funding - how it works</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A group of Reprieve's generous supporters have put together a pot of 30,000 pounds to match any donations to Reprieve up to that amount - meaning that we can raise a total of 60,000 pounds to fund our work.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's simple - the more donations we receive, the more of the matched fund we will get, and the more people we can help.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Source: <a href="http://www.reprieve.org.uk/juveniles-on-death-row-project/" target="_blank">reprieve.org.uk</a>, June 2016</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">- Report an error, an omission:<a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com" target="_blank"> deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a></span> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span> <span style="font-size: small;"> - Follow us on <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Death-Penalty-News-206848499362906/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> </b>and <b><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank">Twitter</a></b></span></div></div>

Donation Egypt Juvenile offenders Pakistan Saudi Arabia Reprieve: Juveniles on Death Row Project

Seeing a child with a noose around their neck would make anyone turn away in horror. It's not something most people imagine is still hap...

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2016 Report: Death penalty for gay sex in 10 to 14 nations

<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_e24siI8vgepd4DKW4IRcXaqsv-eORFKVKQMlt95PcD373FWZcTxeX0nM3lh7sgxDWrqEPjAXwD8mpaZAfVjVTeZpVtURxtuaB5jOFcqD_uZGp0VvfMfD0inB0y2yopol4Ufd-c14Sx8/s1600/Executed+for+being+gay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_e24siI8vgepd4DKW4IRcXaqsv-eORFKVKQMlt95PcD373FWZcTxeX0nM3lh7sgxDWrqEPjAXwD8mpaZAfVjVTeZpVtURxtuaB5jOFcqD_uZGp0VvfMfD0inB0y2yopol4Ufd-c14Sx8/s400/Executed+for+being+gay.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>10 nations with large Muslim populations have laws providing for the death penalty for same-sex activity.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Only a few actually impose the death sentence. Exactly how many is a difficult question.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The <a href="http://ilga.org/downloads/02_ILGA_State_Sponsored_Homophobia_2016_ENG_WEB_150516.pdf" target="_blank">2016 State-Sponsored Homophobia report</a> from ILGA, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, lists 13-14 places that threaten the death penalty for homosexuality, including the basic 10 plus several specific variations:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">One where executions occur - and go unpunished - despite the fact that there is no death-penalty law (<b>Iraq</b>);</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">One that has approved a death-penalty provision but has not yet incorporated it into the nation's laws (<b>Brunei</b>);</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">One that conducts executions but is not recognized as a nation (the Islamic State, also known as <b>Daesh</b>, <b>ISIS</b> and <b>ISIL</b>);</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">One where, in theory, a particular interpretation of its laws would provide for the death penalty but, in practice, no executions have been reported (United Arab Emirates)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The ILGA list is quite similar to this blog's list of those 14 countries, printed below:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A best-information-available list of countries/regions where executions for homosexual activity are carried out or are provided by current or future law:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Nations with such laws on the books; executions have been carried out</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">1. Iran</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">2. Saudi Arabia</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Nations with such laws on the books; no recent executions reported</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">3. Sudan</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">4. Yemen</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Nations with such laws on the books in part of the country; no verified executions for homosexual activity</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">5. Nigeria</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">6. Somalia</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Nations with such laws on the books; no executions reported</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">7. Afghanistan</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">8. Mauritania</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">9. Pakistan</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">10. Qatar</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Those are the "10 nations with large Muslim populations" mentioned in this article's 1st paragraph." In addition, executions and possible executions are an issue in 4 other places:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Nation with no such a law on the books; executions are carried out by militias and others</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">11. Iraq</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Not recognized as a nation; carries out executions</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">12. Daesh/the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Nation where such a law was scheduled to take effect in 2016 (but might not)</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">13. Brunei Darussalam</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Nation where some interpretations of existing law would provide for the death penalty, but no executions have been reported</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">14. United Arab Emirates</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">News coverage in all of those nations is unreliable at best, so specific evidence of executions for same-sex intimacy is rare. What's known about some specific countries is cited below.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In <b>Somalia</b>, a <a href="http://deathpenaltynews.blogspot.com/2013/03/gay-teen-stoned-to-death-in-somalia.html" target="_blank">gay teenager was reportedly stoned to death in 2013</a>, but those reports have not been verified.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In <b>Nigeria</b>,<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6940061.stm" target="_blank"> the BBC reported in 2007</a>, "More than a dozen Nigerian Muslims have been sentenced to death by stoning and for sexual offences ranging from adultery and homosexuality. But none of these death sentences have actually been carried out as they were either thrown out on appeal or commuted to prison terms as a result of pressure from human rights groups."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj85KMAwcQSWQ6aveguS1j5gJ4RUjyxxT5m6Ak7fKvfjyonv-tIcWiRfykQogXubTj1y2-ASaW6Hp9ZWJ5En6UIU3wImh7-KdKIxakySuFWqEh2wim-nVJ37CJxbDH3wJ62L_0yiuN9wxc/s1600/Executed+for+being+gay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj85KMAwcQSWQ6aveguS1j5gJ4RUjyxxT5m6Ak7fKvfjyonv-tIcWiRfykQogXubTj1y2-ASaW6Hp9ZWJ5En6UIU3wImh7-KdKIxakySuFWqEh2wim-nVJ37CJxbDH3wJ62L_0yiuN9wxc/s320/Executed+for+being+gay.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>In <b>Sudan</b>, the death penalty is in frequent use, but there are no recent reports of executions for same-sex intimacy. In 2014, Sudan ranked at No. 6 worldwide in number of executions (23+) for various offenses, just below the United States, with 35, <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/act50/0001/2015/en/" target="_blank">according to Amnesty International</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Similarly, <b>Yemen </b>is No. 7 in frequency of executions overall, but the death penalty apparently has not been imposed recently for homosexual activity. <a href="http://www.refworld.org/docid/41501c7615.html" target="_blank">Researchers for Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board reported</a> more than 10 years ago, "Information on whether such sentences have been carried out was not found." More recently <a href="http://www.thetower.org/article/will-yemens-gay-community-survive-the-iran-backed-militias-trying-to-take-over/" target="_blank">an article on Yemen's gay community</a> in The Tower magazine stated, "Traditionally, that death penalty is not enforced, but citizens have been imprisoned for their sexual orientation."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Saudi Arabia</b> is No. 3 among the world's most avid executioners, with 90+ in 2014. At least in the past, beheadings were imposed for homosexual behavior, including <a href="http://www.refworld.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/rwmain?docid=3f7d4e1238" target="_blank">3 men in 2002</a>. Imprisonment and lashings are <a href="http://wikiislam.net/wiki/Persecution_of_Homosexuals_%28Saudi_Arabia%29" target="_blank">a more common punishment for same-sex activity</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Iran </b>is No. 2 in the world for frequency of executions, behind China. Those include executions for homosexual activity, although the facts are often unclear or misrepresented in such cases. (See, for example, "<a href="https://76crimes.com/2015/07/20/bogus-hanging-in-iran-bogus-tweets-in-egypt/" target="_blank">Bogus hanging in Iran, bogus tweets in Egypt</a>" and "<a href="https://76crimes.com/2014/08/11/series-of-public-hangings-in-iran-including-2-for-sodomy/" target="_blank">Series of public hangings in Iran, including 2 for sodomy.</a>")</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Evidence is a bit clearer about 2 war-torn areas - <b>Iraq </b>and the territory controlled by <b>Daesh/the Islamic State</b> (ISIS/ISIL). The ILGA report of 2015 noted that "Iraq, although [the death penalty is] not in the civil code, clearly has judges and militias throughout the country that issue the death sentence for same-sex sexual behaviours. ... We are also aware that in the Daesh (ISIS/ISIL)-held areas the death penalty is implemented (although a non-State actor, it is listed in the report)." For examples, see:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://76crimes.com/2012/09/28/iraq-has-become-a-death-trap-for-gay-men/" target="_blank">Iraq has become a death trap for gay men</a> (September 2012)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://76crimes.com/2015/05/07/islamic-state-has-reported-15-lgbti-executions/" target="_blank">Islamic State' has reported 15 LGBTI executions</a> (May 2015)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In some nations, the death penalty is on the books but is not imposed. ILGA in 2015 stated:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Brunei Darussalam</b> is due to activate t<a href="https://76crimes.com/tag/brunei/" target="_blank">he death penalty for same-sex sexual acts in 2016</a>, but it seems likely that like <b>Pakistan</b>, <b>Afghanistan</b> and <b>Qatar </b>although it is on the statute, it will not be implemented.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">ILGA reported in 2016 about Brunei: "there is no sign that the threatened death penalty is to be implemented."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">According to the U.S. Department of State, Mauritania belongs in this category too. <a href="https://cablegatesearch.wikileaks.org/cable.php?id=09NOUAKCHOTT815" target="_blank">A U.S. Department of State cable from 2009, released by WikiLeaks in 2011</a>, indicated that Mauritania has never imposed the death penalty for homosexual activity or any other crime.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">ILGA reported in 2016 that "although is understood that the <b>United Arab Emirates</b> has not implemented [the death penalty] under the Sharia code, it remains a possibility under interpretations current in the Emirates."</div><i></i><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><i>This blog post is a reprint of the newly updated version of this blog’s page about countries that threaten the death penalty for homosexuality, incorporating newly released information from the <a href="http://ilga.org/downloads/02_ILGA_State_Sponsored_Homophobia_2016_ENG_WEB_150516.pdf" target="_blank">2016 State-Sponsored Homophobia report</a> from ILGA, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association.</i></i><br /><i><i><br /></i></i></div><br /><b>For more information:</b><br /><br /><ul><li><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/02/24/here-are-the-10-countries-where-homosexuality-may-be-punished-by-death/" target="_blank">Here are the 10 countries where homosexuality may be punished by death</a> (Washington Post)</li><li><a href="http://old.ilga.org/Statehomophobia/ILGA_State_Sponsored_Homophobia_2015.pdf" target="_blank">State-Sponsored Homophobia — 2015</a> (pdf) (ILGA)</li><li><a href="http://ilga.org/downloads/02_ILGA_State_Sponsored_Homophobia_2016_ENG_WEB_150516.pdf" target="_blank">State-Sponsored Homophobia — 2016</a> (pdf) (ILGA)</li><li><a href="https://76crimes.com/2016/02/16/report-somalia-too-risky-for-lgbt-people/" target="_blank">Report: Somalia too risky for LGBT people</a> (February 2016, 76crimes.com)</li></ul><br /><ul><li><b>Find related content on DPN <a href="http://deathpenaltynews.blogspot.fr/search/label/Executed%20for%20being%20gay" target="_blank">here</a></b></li></ul><br />Source: <a href="https://76crimes.com/2016/06/08/death-penalty-for-gay-sex-in-10-to-14-nations-update/" target="_blank">76crimes.com</a>, June 9, 2016<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">- Report an error, an omission:<a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com" target="_blank"> deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a></span> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span> <span style="font-size: small;"> - Follow us on <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Death-Penalty-News-206848499362906/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> </b>and <b><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank">Twitter</a></b></span></div></div>

Afghanistan Brunei Executed for being gay Homosexuality Iran Iraq ISIS Islam Islamic Law LGBT Nigeria Pakistan Qatar Saudi Arabia sharia Somalia Sudan UAE Yemen 2016 Report: Death penalty for gay sex in 10 to 14 nations

10 nations with large Muslim populations have laws providing for the death penalty for same-sex activity. Only a few actually impose the dea...

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Pakistan hangings pass 400

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4pUIByWUe8G-kSfpS1horpKEmCVRhOv9hYIe1NiGMQbdC1Z438fvkTqHC3ZbN9Qrn1uqh3-bS3U_lMyGEBVXkv1_C5GDjqlVmljugVPA8tZwZ38W0UQWtd7OjGVDGlHUITz6PypmGuKA/s1600/Death+Penalty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4pUIByWUe8G-kSfpS1horpKEmCVRhOv9hYIe1NiGMQbdC1Z438fvkTqHC3ZbN9Qrn1uqh3-bS3U_lMyGEBVXkv1_C5GDjqlVmljugVPA8tZwZ38W0UQWtd7OjGVDGlHUITz6PypmGuKA/s400/Death+Penalty.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Pakistan has executed over 400 people since resuming hangings in December 2014, according to new research from international human rights organisation Reprieve.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The country has become one of the world’s most prolific executioners since lifting a moratorium on hangings which had been in place for several years.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">According to publicly-available data analyzed by Reprieve, June has seen four hangings so far, bringing the total since the lifting of the moratorium to 404 – although the figure could be higher as not all executions in the country are necessarily reported.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">72 of those hangings have taken place in 2016, which means that Pakistan likely holds its position in the world’s top five executioners for the year so far - behind China, Iran and Saudi Arabia, but ahead of the USA. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Pakistan has seen a number of controversial death penalty cases recently. Abdul Basit, a paralysed prisoner who needs to use a wheelchair, continues to be held under sentence of death despite concerns that there is no way to execute him that would not carry a high risk of prolonged suffering. He recently told his lawyers that, during a previous attempt to hang him, the prison authorities had built a slope or ramp up to the gallows in order to take him to be hanged in his wheelchair.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Also facing potential imminent execution is Muhammad Anwar, despite his having been arrested as a child. His case is currently before Pakistan’s Supreme Court, as both Pakistani and international law prohibit the execution of people arrested for alleged offences which took place when they were under 18.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Commenting, Maya Foa, Director of Reprieve’s Death Penalty Team said: “That Pakistan has gone from a non-executing state to executing over 400 people in little over 18 months is truly shocking. The Pakistani Government seems indifferent to the plight of the many prisoners who should not even be on death row – those arrested as children, or suffering from severe physical or mental illnesses. They need to put a halt to all executions until a full review of this chaotic capital punishment system can be carried out.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Reprieve estimates that Pakistan’s current rate of execution for 2016 so far means it maintains its place in the world’s top five executioners, according to available figures. Reprieve is yet to finalise estimates for Saudi Arabia and Iran, but the former is believed to have executed close to 100 people, and the latter 195 (according to <a href="http://www.iranhrdc.org/english/publications/human-rights-data/chart-of-executions/1000000620-ihrdc-chart-of-executions-by-the-islamic-republic-of-iran-2016.html" target="_blank">Iran Human Rights</a>), in 2016 so far. Due to state secrecy, figures are unavailable for China but guesswork by human rights organizations tends to put them in the thousands. According to the <a href="http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/execution-list-2016" target="_blank">Death Penalty Information Centre</a> (DPIC), US executions for 2016 so far total 14. Due to the conflict in Iraq, it is extremely difficult to determine the use of the death penalty there, but according to Cornell Law School’s ‘<a href="http://www.deathpenaltyworldwide.org/country-search-post.cfm?country=iraq" target="_blank">Death Penalty Worldwide</a>’ site, there have been 22 executions confirmed for 2016.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Source: Reprieve, June 7, 2016</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: small;">- Report an error, an omission:<a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com" target="_blank"> deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a></span> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span> <span style="font-size: small;"> - Follow us on <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Death-Penalty-News-206848499362906/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> </b>and <b><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank">Twitter</a></b></span>

Abdul Basit China Disabled inmate Iran Iraq Juvenile offenders Pakistan Saudi Arabia USA Pakistan hangings pass 400

Pakistan has executed over 400 people since resuming hangings in December 2014, according to new research from international human rights or...

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Pakistan Supreme Court to consider case of juvenile facing hanging

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiqeFNRY1dWkD9ACns9qxcEA0zI-NrapGY8iurh_jpvoTScL3ACxJrOVjE6CGsp9JEdGojYAhvw53AZEjKOoHPvA_OnL9Z_nkRBgwp2lipL46ERseFphu9LyxJK5mosRx7aZ-kSkMLy0I/s1600/noose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiqeFNRY1dWkD9ACns9qxcEA0zI-NrapGY8iurh_jpvoTScL3ACxJrOVjE6CGsp9JEdGojYAhvw53AZEjKOoHPvA_OnL9Z_nkRBgwp2lipL46ERseFphu9LyxJK5mosRx7aZ-kSkMLy0I/s400/noose.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Judges will tomorrow [Wednesday 8 June] consider the case of a prisoner who could be hanged at as little as three days’ notice, despite evidence that he was arrested as a child.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Muhammad Anwar was arrested when he was just 17 years old, and subsequently sentenced to death on murder charges. Although his birth certificate shows that he was a juvenile when arrested, he continues to be held under sentence of death, in violation of both Pakistani and international law.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">An execution warrant was issued for Anwar on 12 December last year, but the process was stayed at the last minute by the courts to allow the issue of his juvenility to be considered. His lawyers will tomorrow ask the Supreme Court to ensure that Pakistan’s Government complies with its legal obligations and commutes his death sentence. The court had previously been due to consider his case last month, but the hearing was postponed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Anwar was sentenced to death in 1998, five years after his arrest, and has now spent 23 years facing execution. In 2000, Pakistan introduced laws intended to bring it into line with international law banning the use of the death penalty against children. The country’s President subsequently decreed in 2001 that anyone facing the death penalty for offences committed when they were a child should have their sentence commuted to life.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Anwar’s family have since made a number of attempts to have his death sentence commuted, in line with Pakistani law, but no final decision has been taken by the authorities. They are now appealing to the Supreme Court in the hope that it will correct this historic mistake and ensure Anwar’s death sentence is commuted.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The nature of Pakistan’s death penalty system means that Anwar could face execution with as little as three days’ notice of receiving a ‘black warrant,’ which could be handed down at any time.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Maya Foa, Director of the death penalty team at international human rights organization Reprieve said: “Anwar and his family have spent years trying to get someone to take a proper look at the evidence of his juvenility. The bottom line is that he simply should not be facing execution under either Pakistani or international law. However, he has been the victim of bureaucratic incompetence by the Pakistani Government, and as a result his case has fallen between the cracks. The Supreme Court now has the chance to correct this historic wrong and commute his sentence.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Source: Reprieve, June 7, 2016</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">- Report an error, an omission:<a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com" target="_blank"> deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a></span> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span> <span style="font-size: small;"> - Follow us on <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Death-Penalty-News-206848499362906/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> </b>and <b><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank">Twitter</a></b></span></div></div>

Commutation Juvenile offenders Pakistan Pakistan Supreme Court to consider case of juvenile facing hanging

Judges will tomorrow [Wednesday 8 June] consider the case of a prisoner who could be hanged at as little as three days’ notice, despite evid...

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