[RE: UA-339-2006 PAKISTAN: A man deprived of a fair trial faces imminent execution; UP-200-2006: PAKISTAN: Execution of Mirza Tahir Hussian delayed for another two months]
———————————–
PAKISTAN: Death penalty; unfair trial; violation of the right to life; denial of justice
Dear Friends,
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is pleased to announce that Mr. Mirza Tahir Hussain, who has spent the last 18 years in prison and was to be executed, has been released.
The AHRC wishes to thank all those who responded to our urgent appeals and signed the on-line petition condemning Mirza Tahir Hussian’s impending execution. Your actions have contributed to sparing Mr. Mirza Tahir Hussain’s life and securing his release.
Yesterday, the President of Pakistan commuted the execution of Mr. Mirza Tahir Hussain, who was sentenced to death by an Islamic Sharia Court for murder after he had already been acquitted by a secular court in 1996.
Mirza Tahir Hussian was acquitted by the High Court of Lahore in 1996 but was later sentenced to death by an Islamic Sharia Court in a trial that failed to meet the internationally recognised standards of fair trial. Mirza Tahir Hussian should have been released following the acquittal judgment. The AHRC believes that Mirza Tahir Hussian is a victim of Pakistan’s duel court system and should be paid compensation for the years he spent in detention as a result of the unacceptable Sharia Court sentence. Under this system, Mirza Tahir Hussian was not protected from double jeopardy and has been unduly punished despite having been acquitted, including living under the threat of imminent execution.
Once again, thank you for your support.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ahrchk@ahrchk.org)
To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER
SAMPLE LETTER
