Pakistan's leading rights watchdog has expressed concern that a man on death row in a Karachi prison is scheduled to be hanged on May 23 despite an informal moratorium on executions since 2008.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan expressed 'alarm' at the scheduled hanging and called on the government to stay the execution and announce a 'formal moratorium on executions'.
'HRCP has received with serious concern and dismay reports that Behram Khan, a death row prisoner in Karachi, is set to be hanged on May 23. The last execution of a death row prisoner in the country had taken place in late 2008,' the organisation said in a statement.
Executions were suspended by the Pakistan People's Party when it came to power after the 2008 general election.
'HRCP has welcomed the suspension of executions and has on numerous occasions called upon the government to keep the promise it had made in 2008 to convert almost all death sentences into life imprisonment,' the statement said, adding, 'HRCP wishes to remind the government that the reasons that had caused the stay of executions have not changed.' Among these reasons are 'well-documented deficiencies of the law, flaws in administration of justice and investigation methods.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan expressed 'alarm' at the scheduled hanging and called on the government to stay the execution and announce a 'formal moratorium on executions'.
'HRCP has received with serious concern and dismay reports that Behram Khan, a death row prisoner in Karachi, is set to be hanged on May 23. The last execution of a death row prisoner in the country had taken place in late 2008,' the organisation said in a statement.
Executions were suspended by the Pakistan People's Party when it came to power after the 2008 general election.
'HRCP has welcomed the suspension of executions and has on numerous occasions called upon the government to keep the promise it had made in 2008 to convert almost all death sentences into life imprisonment,' the statement said, adding, 'HRCP wishes to remind the government that the reasons that had caused the stay of executions have not changed.' Among these reasons are 'well-documented deficiencies of the law, flaws in administration of justice and investigation methods.