Pakistan hangs teen killer despite global outcry
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 4 August 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Pakistan hangs teen killer despite global outcry, 4 August 2015, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/55ee965923.html [accessed 26 January 2017] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
August 04, 2015
Abdul Majeed (left), brother of Shafqat Hussain, sits beside Hussain's body in an ambulance after his execution in Karachi on August 4.
Pakistan executed Shafqat Hussain, convicted of killing a child in 2004, despite appeals from global human rights groups, prison officials and relatives said August 4.
His lawyers said he was 14 when found guilty and his confession was extracted by torture, but Pakistani officials ruled that he was an adult at the time of his conviction.
He was hanged shortly before dawn at a jail in Karachi, after being allowed to meet his family one last time before midnight.
His execution was postponed four times this year by legal challenges and an international outcry from human rights groups and the United Nations.
UN rights experts said his trial "fell short of international standards," and urged Pakistan to investigate claims he was underaged and confessed under torture.
The government of Kashmir, Hussain's home region, urged President Mamnoon Hussain late August 3 to postpone the execution to allow further inquiries, but the hanging went ahead as planned.
Pakistan has hanged around 180 convicts since restarting executions in December.
Based on reporting by AFP and BBC.com
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
