HRCP

[Human Rights Commission of Pakistan]

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has been committed to the
abolition of the death penalty since it was founded in 1986.

The Commission advocates justice for the victims and their families
and supports maximum prison sentencing for the criminal where
appropriate. However, it is opposed to the death penalty and advocates
its abolition. The death penalty has had no proven deterrent effect
and poor prosecution and ineffective justice systems increase the
chances of miscarriage of justice and the execution of innocent
people.

Pakistan sanctions the death penalty for 27 offences – one of the
highest figures for any country. It has a large death row population –
present estimates are around 7, 500. The number of people sentenced to
death annually is 400 – 550; while executions have been far fewer.
Those who are given the death penalty are usually the poorest of the
poor and are illiterate and have no resources or support. Death row
inmates are often involved in lengthy appeals or spend years on death
row awaiting execution after all appeals are exhausted.

There is worldwide wide trend towards abolition of the death penalty.
Many countries have ratified the Second Optional Protocol to the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) aiming at
the abolition of the death penalty.