French Embassy and Justice Project Pakistan Collaborate to Reveal the Challenges Faced by Death Row Prisoners in Pakistan

Islamabad –(Adnan Hameed) : Justice Project Pakistan (JPP) in collaboration with the Embassy of France in Pakistan debuted a short film, ‘Unfathomable’, the first in a series of films uncovering the lives of death row prisoners in Pakistan, during an event held for the public, Pakistani policymakers, Ambassadors of various countries and representatives of international organisations. 67 judges from the Federal Judicial Academy, representatives of foreign missions, institutions and NGOs involved in the promotion of human rights also attended. “As for the supposed deterrent nature of capital punishment, it is an illusion and a lie, demonstrated by so many international statistics" said French Ambassador to Pakistan, H.E Mr. Nicolas Galey. Sarah Belal, Executive Director of Justice Project Pakistan also remarked, “Every country’s journey towards compliance with international standards on the death penalty is tethered in their own sociocultural context. The most important yet often overlooked step is understanding the contextual landscape within which executions have historically taken place in the country.” The film, directed by Sikander-Vincent Khan, uncovered the disadvantages and injustices faced by Pakistani death row prisoners throughout their lives, from child-labour, hazardous-workplaces, mental-illness and destitute poverty, and later within the criminal justice system, both during their trials and on death row. Based on original reseach collated by JPP, Pakistan has swelled to one of the largest death rows in the world, with 6,039 prisoners on death rows across the country, the majority in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. While 99% of these prisoners are male, 62 death row prisoners are women. Every year, JPP publishes an annual statistics report, “Death Penalty in Pakistan: Data Mapping Capital Punishment,” analysing current trends in Pakistan's criminal justice system. Justice Project Pakistan (JPP), is a legal action non-governmental organization dedicated to representing the most vulnerable Pakistani prisoners facing the harshest punishments, including those facing the death penalty, mentally ill prisoners, victims of police torture, juvenile prisoners, and overseas Pakistani prisoners. JPP was formed in Lahore, Pakistan in December 2009. JPP investigates, advocates, educates, and litigates, building public and political support as well as legal precedents that will lead to systemic reform of the criminal justice system in Pakistan. Our work combines strategic litigation, fierce domestic and international public and policy advocacy campaigns, and building the capacity of stakeholders who can improve the representation and treatment of individuals facing capital punishment in Pakistan and abroad.