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| shafqatShafqat Hussain executed: Pakistan hangs murder accused despite claims he was tortured into confessing when he was 14 | |
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| A Pakistani man convicted of killing a seven-year-old boy when he himself was aged 14 has been executed, sparking international outcry from human rights groups. | A Pakistani man convicted of killing a seven-year-old boy when he himself was aged 14 has been executed, sparking international outcry from human rights groups. |
| Shafqat Hussain was hanged shortly before dawn at Karachi Central Jail this morning, according to Pakistani official Iqbal Hassan. | Shafqat Hussain was hanged shortly before dawn at Karachi Central Jail this morning, according to Pakistani official Iqbal Hassan. |
| He was convicted of the murder, which took place in 2004, when he was a minor, and his execution had been delayed four times due to legal challenges amid controversy of executing a person who has committed offences while under the age of full legal responsibility. | He was convicted of the murder, which took place in 2004, when he was a minor, and his execution had been delayed four times due to legal challenges amid controversy of executing a person who has committed offences while under the age of full legal responsibility. |
| All appeals were rejected. | All appeals were rejected. |
| “Shafqat Hussain was this morning executed in Pakistan, despite widespread calls, both within and outside the country, for a stay,” said the legal aid group Justice Project Pakistan which represented Hussain. | “Shafqat Hussain was this morning executed in Pakistan, despite widespread calls, both within and outside the country, for a stay,” said the legal aid group Justice Project Pakistan which represented Hussain. |
| Pakistan does not allow the execution of a juvenile, but prosecutors argued Hussain was an adult at the time of the murder and had been working as a watchman at the time of his arrest. | Pakistan does not allow the execution of a juvenile, but prosecutors argued Hussain was an adult at the time of the murder and had been working as a watchman at the time of his arrest. |
| Shahazullah (L) and Makhni Bibi the parents of Shafqat Hussain, a convicted murderer speak to journalists after their son was hanged at a central jail in Karachi But Hussain’s lawyers said he had been tortured into confessing to the killing as a juvenile. | Shahazullah (L) and Makhni Bibi the parents of Shafqat Hussain, a convicted murderer speak to journalists after their son was hanged at a central jail in Karachi But Hussain’s lawyers said he had been tortured into confessing to the killing as a juvenile. |
| They argued school records showed he was 17 in 2004 when he was burnt with cigarettes and had his fingernails removed until he admitted to the murder. | They argued school records showed he was 17 in 2004 when he was burnt with cigarettes and had his fingernails removed until he admitted to the murder. |
| His family have said their son was 14 at the time. | His family have said their son was 14 at the time. |
| The human rights NGO Reprieve says Hussain told them he would have sworn "that a deer was an elephant" after being subjected to torture. | |
| Relatives were allowed to visit him for one last time on Monday evening, it is reported. | Relatives were allowed to visit him for one last time on Monday evening, it is reported. |
| “There are cigarette burns on his shoulder,” Hussian’s brother Manzoor told news agency Reuters the day before Hussain was hanged. | “There are cigarette burns on his shoulder,” Hussian’s brother Manzoor told news agency Reuters the day before Hussain was hanged. |
| “They also burnt his ankles with a heated rod. Those scars are still there.” | “They also burnt his ankles with a heated rod. Those scars are still there.” |
| An ambulance carries the body of Shafqat Hussain, a convicted murderer who was hanged at a central jail in Karachi | An ambulance carries the body of Shafqat Hussain, a convicted murderer who was hanged at a central jail in Karachi |
| His sister Sumera Bibi had added: “Why are we not getting justice from the government? We want justice. | His sister Sumera Bibi had added: “Why are we not getting justice from the government? We want justice. |
| "We are pleading that my brother’s case should be tried all over again.” | "We are pleading that my brother’s case should be tried all over again.” |
| Local and international human rights groups have criticised the decision. | Local and international human rights groups have criticised the decision. |
| Hussain was convicted under the Anti-Terrorism Act of Pakistan, despite no known links to any terrorist organisation, according to Amnesty International. | Hussain was convicted under the Anti-Terrorism Act of Pakistan, despite no known links to any terrorist organisation, according to Amnesty International. |
| In a statement on its website, David Griffiths, the group’s South Asia Research Director, said: “The government has shown a callous indifference not just to human life, but also to international law and standards. | In a statement on its website, David Griffiths, the group’s South Asia Research Director, said: “The government has shown a callous indifference not just to human life, but also to international law and standards. |
| “It has even ignored recommendations by one of its own bodies, the Sindh Human Rights Commission, to request the Supreme Court to consider the evidence relating to his juvenility and ‘confession’ extracted through torture. | “It has even ignored recommendations by one of its own bodies, the Sindh Human Rights Commission, to request the Supreme Court to consider the evidence relating to his juvenility and ‘confession’ extracted through torture. |
| “It is too late to save Shafqat Hussain’s life, but there are still thousands of others on death row in Pakistan who are at risk. | “It is too late to save Shafqat Hussain’s life, but there are still thousands of others on death row in Pakistan who are at risk. |
| "The government has taken at least 200 lives already over the past eight months – this must end immediately. | "The government has taken at least 200 lives already over the past eight months – this must end immediately. |
| "Authorities must impose a moratorium on the death penalty with a view to its eventual repeal.” | "Authorities must impose a moratorium on the death penalty with a view to its eventual repeal.” |
| Maya Foa, director of the death penalty team at the international human rights organisation Reprieve, said Hussain’s death represented “all that is wrong with Pakistan’s race to the gallows”. | Maya Foa, director of the death penalty team at the international human rights organisation Reprieve, said Hussain’s death represented “all that is wrong with Pakistan’s race to the gallows”. |
| Pakistani police make way for an ambulance carrying the dead body of convicted murderer Shafqat Hussain after his execution in Karachi “The government’s decision to push ahead with the execution despite calls to halt it from across Pakistan and around the world seems to have been more a show of political power than anything to do with justice," she said in a statement. | Pakistani police make way for an ambulance carrying the dead body of convicted murderer Shafqat Hussain after his execution in Karachi “The government’s decision to push ahead with the execution despite calls to halt it from across Pakistan and around the world seems to have been more a show of political power than anything to do with justice," she said in a statement. |
| “It is hard to see how anyone can now believe their claims that their enthusiastic resumption of hangings is anything to do with the safety and security of the country.” | “It is hard to see how anyone can now believe their claims that their enthusiastic resumption of hangings is anything to do with the safety and security of the country.” |
| Pakistan imposed a de facto ban on capital punishment in 2008, which was subsequently lifted in December following a Taliban attack on a school in the north-western city of Peshawar that killed 150 people, mostly children. | Pakistan imposed a de facto ban on capital punishment in 2008, which was subsequently lifted in December following a Taliban attack on a school in the north-western city of Peshawar that killed 150 people, mostly children. |
| Only Iran and China have executed more people than Pakistan this year, according to Amnesty International. | Only Iran and China have executed more people than Pakistan this year, according to Amnesty International. |
| Pakistan is believed to have the world’s largest number of inmates on death row, with more than 8,000 people awaiting execution. | Pakistan is believed to have the world’s largest number of inmates on death row, with more than 8,000 people awaiting execution. |
| Additional reporting by AP and Reuters | Additional reporting by AP and Reuters |