Shafqat Hussain hanged to death in Karachi, Amnesty criticizes execution

Shafqat Hussain was allowed to meet his relatives last time before he was sent to the gallows.

It should be mentioned that Hussain’s execution was deferred four times due to the controversy regarding his juvenility.

The family members of the convict along with many human rights activists claimed that Hussain was a juvenile when he was awarded death sentence by an anti-terrorism court over the murder of a child.

An investigation stated that Shafqat Hussain was 23-years-old when he sentenced.

Shafqat’s execution “deeply sad day” for Pakistan: Amnesty International

Amnesty International has termed death row prisoner Shafqat Hussain’s execution in Karachi Central Jail a “deeply sad day” for Pakistan.

Pakistani police make way for an ambulance carrying the dead body of convicted murderer Shafqat Hussain – AFP

David Griffiths, Amnesty International’s South Asia Research Director has demanded Pakistan “immediately impose a moratorium on the death penalty after the execution of a man who was below 18 years old at the time of the crime, according to his lawyers, and who was tortured into a “confession” by police.

Pakistani volunteers shift the dead body of convicted murderer Shafqat Hussain to a mortuary after his execution in Karachi – AFP

Pakistani Kashmiri Abdul Majeed (L), brother of convicted murderer Shafqat Hussain, sits beside Hussain’s body in an ambulance after his execution in Karachi – AFP

Shafqat Hussain, who was sentenced to death for kidnapping and involuntary manslaughter in 2004, was this morning hanged in Karachi Central Jail. His execution had been stayed four times since Pakistan lifted the moratorium on executions in December 2014.

Pakistani Kashmiri Makhni Begum (R) and Shah Zula, the parents of convicted murderer Shafqat Hussain, react after Shafqat’s execution in Muzaffarabad – AFP

“This is another deeply sad day for Pakistan. A man whose age remains disputed and whose conviction was built around torture has now paid with his life – and for a crime for which the death penalty cannot be imposed under international law,” said Griffiths.

“The government has shown a callous indifference to not just human life, but also to international law and standards. It has even ignored recommendations by one of its own bodies, the Sindh Human Rights Commission, to request the Supreme Court to consider the evidence relating to his juvenility and ‘confession’ extracted through torture.”

Since Pakistan lifted a moratorium on executions in December 2014, Amnesty International has recorded at least 200 executions, the statement said.

“It is too late to save Shafqat Hussain’s life, but there are still thousands of others on death row in Pakistan who are at risk. The government has taken at least 200 lives already over the past eight months – this must end immediately. Authorities must impose a moratorium on the death penalty with a view to its eventual repeal,” the Amnesty official added.