UN Rights Experts Urge Pakistan not to Execute Juveniles

聯合國人權專家督促巴基斯坦不要處決青少年

A group of independent United Nations human rights experts welcomed the last-minute decision by the Pakistani authorities to postpone the hanging of Shafqat Hussain， who was convicted as a minor， while calling on them to halt the execution altogether.

Mr. Hussein， who was convicted and sentenced to death for kidnapping and involuntary manslaughter， was due to be hanged on Thursday， but the authorities decided just hours before to grant a stay of execution， according to a news release issued by the experts.

The authorities also announced an inquiry into his age at the time he was convicted， and on the alleged torture he suffered during his interrogation. Mr. Hussain was 14 years old when he was arrested in connection with the disappearance of a young boy. His confessions were obtained after he was reportedly tortured over nine days by police officers after his arrest in 2004.

“We welcome the decision delaying Mr. Hussain’s execution， but we continue to call on the Pakistani authorities definitively to halt his execution，” said the experts， which include Christof Heyns， the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial， summary or arbitrary executions； Juan E. Méndez， the Special Rapporteur on torture； and Kirsten Sandberg， the current Chairperson of the UN Committee on the Rights of Child.

“Putting him through the ongoing agony of not knowing whether he may be executed in the next few days is cruel and one cannot help but wonder why a – seemingly – rushed inquiry into his age is only now being conducted，” they noted. “Pakistan should carry out serious investigations into all cases of children in death row across the country.”

According to human rights groups， more than 8，000 people are on death row in Pakistan. Out of this number， several hundred may have been sentenced for crimes they committed as children.

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