ISLAMABAD: The Delegation of the European Union (EU) and Justice Project Pakistan (JPP) hosted an event to commemorate the World Day Against the Death Penalty.

The event was attended by Ambassadors of EU member states, UN representatives, members of civil society organisations and parliamentarians.

EU Ambassador Androulla Kaminara, in her welcome address, recognised that Pakistan had carried out no executions for the past 22 months, as well as the landmark decision of the Supreme Court prohibiting the execution of prisoners who were severely mentally ill.

She said: “This year’s global theme is ‘women and the death penalty’ which focuses on inequalities within the justice system and how this disproportionately affects women as they engage with courts and law enforcement authorities. This makes access to justice much more difficult for women. While working towards the complete abolition of the death penalty worldwide for all crimes and genders, it is crucial to sound the alarm on the discrimination women face and the consequences it can have on a death sentence.”

JPP launched their latest campaign, titled ‘This Is (Not) A Game’, highlighting systemic issues in the criminal justice system, with a particular focus on the struggles of women who have to engage with the system and the difficulties they face in terms of access to justice.

Sarah Belal, the founder and executive director of JPP, said: “Although Pakistan sentences very few women to death, the justice system disproportionately affects women who have to engage with the system in one way or another, whether it is visiting a police station to file a complaint or to attend court hearings.”

The chief guest at the event was Riaz Fatyana, member of the National Assembly and chairman of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Law and Justice. The keynote address was delivered by award-winning filmmaker and actor, Sarmad Khoosat.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2021