ISLAMABAD: Pakistan hanged 324 people last year to rank third worldwide in terms of executions, but the vast majority of those put to death had no links to militant groups or attacks, rights groups said in a report.
The government lifted a moratorium on executions in late 2014 as a measure to deter militancy after Taliban gunmen attacked the Army Public School in Peshawar and killed 134 students and 19 adults.
Of the 351 executions that followed, only 39, or about 1 in 10, involved people linked to a known militant group or guilty of crimes linked to militancy, according to a report prepared by the Reprieve, an international human rights group, and Justice Project Pakistan.
Pakistan now ranks after China and Iran, carrying out 324 hangings in 2015 alone, the report says. Juveniles, mentally ill prisoners, and prisoners who had been tortured or had not received fair trials were among those executed, shows an analysis of media reports and data from courts, prisons and legal teams.
“The numbers show that government’s claims do not match the reality,” said Maya Foa, director of the death penalty team at Reprieve. “Those going to the gallows are too often the poor and vulnerable,” she said in a statement. “It is hard to see how hanging people like this will make Pakistan safer.”
A spokesperson for the Interior Ministry did not respond to requests for a comment. The government initially said the unofficial moratorium was only being lifted in cases connected to militancy, but broadened it later to cover all cases, the report said. The hangings have drawn condemnation from international partners, but have been broadly popular at home.
