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Pakistan ranks third in executions race with unprecedented number of hangings in 2015
NEW YORK: Amnesty International reports that there was a dramatic 54 per cent increase in executions globally in 2015, with Pakistan carrying out 326 executions last year – the highest ever recorded by Amnesty International for the country.
Combined with Saudi Arabia and Iran, the three countries are responsible for nearly 90 percent of all global executions.
In 2015, Pakistan completely removed a seven-year moratorium on the death penalty after Taliban militants gunned down more than 150 people, most of them children, at Peshawar's Army Public School on Dec 16, 2014.
The human rights organisation said that the figure of at least 1,634 people executed last year – up from 1,061 in 2014 – does not include executions in China where data on the death penalty is considered a state secret.
According to the report, the number of executions recorded in Saudi Arabia increased by 76pc to 158, while those in Iran rose 31pc to 977.
Amnesty said it received information that both Iran and Pakistan executed people in 2015 who were under the age of 18 when their crimes were committed, and it said juveniles face the death sentence in several other countries.
Champa Patel, Amnesty International’s Director of South Asia Regional Office told media that “Over the past year, Pakistan has vaulted to the number three spot for recorded state executions in the world – a shameful position no one should aspire to. Only to be beaten by Iran and Saudi Arabia.”
Patel said Pakistan executed 326 people last year. Most of those executed were not convicted of terror-related offences, and there is evidence that at least two and possibly more of them were juveniles when they committed their alleged crimes.
“The death penalty is always a rights violation, but its use in Pakistan is all the more troubling given the serious fair trial concerns – including insufficient access to lawyers and endemic police torture to extract confessions,” said Patel.
In the United States, 28 people were executed in 2015, nearly half in Texas, the most active death penalty state, which put 13 people to death, the report said. Missouri executed six people, Georgia five, Florida two and Oklahoma and Virginia one each.
Amnesty was unable to confirm whether judicial executions took place in Syria. A minimum of two executions each were attributed to China, Malaysia, North Korea and Vietnam, giving a final figure of 1,634.
Comments (48) Closed
All the men hanged in Pakistan were murderers convicted after trials and appeals by the courts.
Congratulation to Pakistan.
India, worlds second largest population, executed only one person last year. Incredible.
We Pakistanis don't care what amnesty or any other human rights watch organization ranks or says about us.
We have no problem with such rankings. Our law enforcement agencies and judiciary need not pay attention to all this. If US can kill Osama violating the sovereignty of a nation and police of European countries can execute terrorists in hot pursuit so can we kill our terrorists also.
And the best way, of course, is to let them go through judicial process and hang them if found guilty.
@8-Pass Charlie AGREED
How many executions took place in Pakistan from 2010 to 2015? What is average execution number for these years?
What does Amnesty want for those who destroy schools, bomb parks, public places, attack military installations, and try to create a state of panic and fear to achieve their objectives? I believe people in Pakistan do not appreciate Amensty protest!! It is meaningless, unwanted and shows immature approach to the serious problems Pakistan is facing for a long time.
I am proud of Pakistan they are doing something which is good for our country.
Every country has their own set of culture, climatic and psychological factors resulting in crime motivation, and every country must tackle the problems through specially devised ways. To generate the required sense of fear in the uneducated, mostly lawless masses for not observing law and order and to create understanding for value of Human Lives, capital punishment is necessary in our conditions. We need that to get our things in order so no more international crying please.
Tell Amnesty international to probe childeren working under age in USA in Fast food units also.
It does not matter even if Pakistan secures first position in this category as long as true & fair justice is done. A real culprit has got to be punished, this is the rule of humans.
Where was amnesty international when dozens of peoples killed in Lahore attack or Peshawar school attack or dozens or terrorist attack in Pakistan in the last decade or killing of thousands of innocent people mostly in Karachi or other places etc etc..... I can go on and on and on.
We got peace after hanging the murderers. End of story.
Pakistan is highly ranked probably because of stern measures by powered military controlled actions against the terror networks within the country and cannot be compared with other countries like SA, China & Iran where mostly politically active people are targeted apart from regular criminals.
This proves that Amnesty International (AI) is a lobby, working against certain countries including Pakistan.
I hope one day they will suffer the same way as many parents, kids and partners suffers after losing their loved ones.
@8-Pass Charlie Very well said.
US has the largest prisoners population in the world. It is 698 prisons per 100,000 population and in Pakistan it is 43 per 100,000 people. Why don't talk about them.
what about the hundred of thousand killed by the terrorist in these countries?
Pakistan has its problems that are totally different from western world , therefore the law of eye for an eye is the only way for a country like Pakistan. No need for amnesty here.
this practice minimize the over all killing in Pakistan and specially for terrorist they will know that there is rule of law in pakistan and these practice keep the world in peace.
I would suggest amnesty intetnational and human rights agency should have their head quarters on Pak-Afghan borders then in a comfortable NY!
None of the countries mentioned were not having any operation for elimination of terrorist from their soil, our scenario is different, we are on war against terrorism.
So? Thats the law of the land, don't see anything wrong
Pakistan and China should stop capital punishment.
There was a ban on moratorium since 2008 until 16 December carnage happened if you spread it over 07 years it makes only 46 hangings which is not bad. Secondly, everyone hanged was directly or indirectly linked to terrorism, violence and mass killings. Let alone number of people killed in terrorist activities are thousand times more than these hangings.
These self defenders of human rights need to be told the reality that they are nothing but pursuing their own ideas of justice. They are free to do so; just don't expect every body else to pay any attention to them.
Condenmed prisoners who are hung are usully terroristsrv, murderer of one or more persons or people involved in espionage. If the Amensty International considers it as unjust than they may collect all prisoners on death row and transform them into better citizens.
High executions are related to high terrorism. Why don't you compare executions with activities of terrorism, which resulted in killings of thousands of innocent people in Pakistan.
@8-Pass Charlie ..... TOTALLY AGREED
Pakistan come 1st and human rights or amnesty comes later.. You dont say anything when they kill people..where is the human rights??
Criminals and terrorists must pay the price for there crimes. We have paid over the top price for others wars while they enjoyed the peace and rub our nose at every opportunity. While they invaded other countries directly and indirectly and committed crimes against humanity how conveniently there media remains silent. We need to bring peace to our country Govt. must do what ever it takes. Amnesty international should focus on Israel who has imprisoned millions of living human beings in there own home lands from last 60 years.
Where was Amnesty when scores of young children who didn't even saw their 10th birthday were butchered with straight bullets, when not even a single day in Karachi went without a sectarian killing.....I think Civil Society must rise against the so called NGO's....and above all where were these NGO's and Amnesty when Raymond Davis openly fired at Civilians and escaped...
All these rules are for humans while terrorists killing without reason are savage anti-human monsters that need to be exterminated from roots.
Dear All, kindly check background of those who got hung by gov.
Also please go to the house those are affected by their terrorist activity and also visit site where they killed som body,
Pakistan also ranked on top for large number of terrorism attacks in the country
The wounds these murderers and terrorists have given us will never heal they killed our budding children cold blooded, they are killing the innocents people in parks and on roads, who are these NGO's ??, who want to save the lives of criminals and are not interested in drying the tears of shattered mothers, sisters and wives and common people..
Justice delayed is justice denied.
We must keep in account the ratio of crime specially terrorism that has also gone down considerably.
@M.Saeed well said. Terrorists are savage killers of innocent people. They must be given special punishment.
Good riddance. Terrorists need to be dealt with the tough way.
Keep on going Pakistan, good work !! Amnesty better survey the public reaction ...
@Red Yes, execution ended in India.
These protestors wouldn't be marching in the streets if their loved ones were victims of gruesome terror attacks or murdered in cold blood.
Death penality by state should be last option and should be exercised in rare cases.
Extraordinary circumstances demand extraordinary measures.
We should not give much importance to what Amnesty says,
We aimed to protect our homeland from all evil and enemies. We will not spare even a single enemy of our motherland.
Most civilized countries have halted execution.