HRCP criticises death in cyber crimes

Published November 8, 2008

LAHORE, Nov 7: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has expressed its dismay over the government’s prescribing the death penalty for those involved in cyber-crimes.

In a statement here on Friday, the HRCP said: “The prime minister has, on numerous occasions, promised to discourage the imposition of capital punishment and execution of death penalty convicts.”

The statement reads the HRCP wishes to remind the government that under customary international human rights law, the death penalty is accepted only in very rare circumstances – including the most extreme nature of crime carried out with the use of lethal weapons. The human rights guarantees and safeguards against the imposition of the death penalty are numerous.

The international community is moving towards the abolition of death penalty and for sound reasons. The HRCP apprehends that the ordinance on ‘cyber-terrorism’ promulgated on Thursday will be seen as an oppressive law unless the punishments are proportionate to the crime and do not involve the death penalty, it said.

The legal system in Pakistan does not guarantee due process and therefore the imposition of the death will only add to the miscarriage of justice suffered by thousands of people executed by the state.

The HRCP urged the government to immediately exclude the death penalty from the list of punishments prescribed under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Ordinance, it concluded.

Opinion

Editorial

Short-changed?
Updated 24 Nov, 2024

Short-changed?

As nations continue to argue, the international community must recognise that climate finance is not merely about numbers.
Overblown ‘threat’
24 Nov, 2024

Overblown ‘threat’

ON the eve of the PTI’s ‘do or die’ protest in the federal capital, there seemed to be little evidence of the...
Exclusive politics
24 Nov, 2024

Exclusive politics

THERE has been a gradual erasure of the voices of most marginalised groups from Pakistan’s mainstream political...
Counterterrorism plan
Updated 23 Nov, 2024

Counterterrorism plan

Lacunae in our counterterrorism efforts need to be plugged quickly.
Bullish stock market
23 Nov, 2024

Bullish stock market

NORMALLY, stock markets rise gradually. In recent months, however, Pakistan’s stock market has soared to one ...
Political misstep
Updated 23 Nov, 2024

Political misstep

To drag a critical ally like Saudi Arabia into unfounded conspiracies is detrimental to Pakistan’s foreign policy.