Pakistani court refuses to halt execution of paraplegic
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 21 September 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Pakistani court refuses to halt execution of paraplegic, 21 September 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/561d049628.html [accessed 22 May 2023] |
| 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 21, 2015
Pakistan's highest court has refused to halt the execution of a paraplegic death-row convict.
According to a lawyer and an international rights group, the Supreme Court rejected a plea to grant a stay of execution for Abdul Basit on September 21.
Basit's mother, Nusrat Perveen, said her last hope was a pardon from President Mamnoon Hussain.
She quoted officials at a jail in the city of Faisalabad as telling her that Basit would be hanged before dawn on September 22.
Basit, 43, has been on death row since 2009 after being convicted of murdering a man. He has been using a wheelchair since contracting meningitis in prison in 2010. Basit has always maintained his innocence.
According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, authorities have hanged more than 230 people after lifting a 2008 moratorium on executions in December 2014.
Based on reporting by AP
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
