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Pakistani soldier Muhammed Hussain is executed for murder | Pakistani soldier Muhammed Hussain is executed for murder |
(about 1 hour later) | |
A Pakistani soldier sentenced to death four years ago has become the first man to be executed in the country for almost four years, officials say. | |
Muhammed Hussain was condemned in 2008 for murdering his senior officer. | Muhammed Hussain was condemned in 2008 for murdering his senior officer. |
He was hanged at a jail in Punjab province early on Thursday morning. All his appeals for mercy were rejected. | He was hanged at a jail in Punjab province early on Thursday morning. All his appeals for mercy were rejected. |
Correspondents say the hanging ends what amounts to an unofficial moratorium on executions that has been observed since December 2008. | |
Every three months the president's office has issued a letter which has put a stay on all capital punishment - a routine that has been in operation for the last few years. | |
Human rights activists say that the critical factor in Mr Hussain's case was the fact that he was convicted by a military court. | |
They believe that Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari may have been unwilling to stay the execution because this case involved the military. | |
Rights activists have expressed concern over the hanging, but say it is unclear if this means the government will abandon moves to abolish the death penalty. | |
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan Chair Zohra Yusuf told the BBC's Orla Guerin in Islamabad that she did not think Thursday's hanging marked a government policy shift. | |
"Only recently the president asked the government to work on a draft law to abolish the death penalty," she said. | |
"I hope this does not have implications for other cases. But I am worried. And I am worried about what happens after March when this government finishes its term." | |
It is thought that there are about 8,000 people currently on death row in Pakistan - rights groups say it has one of the largest numbers of prisoners on death row in the world. | It is thought that there are about 8,000 people currently on death row in Pakistan - rights groups say it has one of the largest numbers of prisoners on death row in the world. |
Amnesty International says many death sentences are handed down after trials which appear to have been unfair, using evidence which would be inadmissible under international law. | |
Last year alone more than 300 prisoners were sentenced to death in Pakistan. | |
Media reports say that Mr Hussain's plea for clemency to President Asif Ali Zardari was rejected in December 2011. | Media reports say that Mr Hussain's plea for clemency to President Asif Ali Zardari was rejected in December 2011. |