Pakistan postpones execution of paraplegic
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 22 September 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Pakistan postpones execution of paraplegic, 22 September 2015, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/561d049c15.html [accessed 24 December 2015] |
| 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. |
September 22, 2015
Pakistani authorities have postponed the execution of the country's first known paraplegic convict on death-row, about an hour before he was to be hanged.
Prison officials said a magistrate made the decision after talking to Abdul Basit, 43, who was to be hanged before dawn on September 22.
Basit has been paralyzed from the waist down since contracting meningitis in prison in 2010 and uses a wheelchair. He has been on death row since 2009, convicted of murdering a man in a financial dispute.
Basit's sister Shugufta Sultana told The Associated Press news agency that the family was waiting outside the prison on September 22 when they were told of the postponement.
Pakistan's Supreme Court on September 21 rejected a plea to grant a stay of execution for Basit, who insists he's innocent.
According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, authorities have hanged more than 230 people since lifting a 2008 moratorium on executions in December 2014.
Based on reporting by AP, AFP and dpa
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
