URGENT ACTION APPEAL
---------------------------------- 9 May 2006 UA 127/06 Imminent Execution PAKISTAN: Ilyas (m) Ghulam Abbas (m) Muhammad Asif (m) The three men named above are scheduled for execution on 19 May; they were sentenced to death for murder. The victims' families are known to be negotiating with the convicted men's families, and it is possible that they will agree to accept payment of compensation in exchange for allowing the men's sentences to be commuted. Even if the negotiations fail, President Musharraf has the power to commute the men's death sentences Ilyas, Ghulam Abbas and Muhammad Asif were convicted of the murder of five people near the town of Rahwali, in the province of Punjab. It is not known when they were sentenced to death, but they were originally scheduled for execution on 9 May 2006. The Lahore High Court postponed the execution until 19 May to allow time for the negotiations over blood money. BACKGROUND INFORMATION In 2005 at least 241 people in Pakistan were sentenced to death and at least 31 were executed, the majority for murder. Many well-off convicts were able to escape punishment under provisions of the Qisas and Diyat Ordinance, which allows relatives of murder victims to accept compensation and pardon the offender. Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases. The death penalty is a symptom of a culture of violence, and not a solution to it. It has not been shown to have any more deterrent effect than other punishments and carries the risk of irrevocable error. The death penalty is the ultimate form of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, and a violation of the right to life, as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights instruments. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible: - calling on President Musharraf to use his powers under article 45 of the Constitution of Pakistan to commute the death sentences of Ilyas, Ghulam Abbas and Muhammad Asif immediately; - calling for an immediate moratorium on all executions in the country, in line with worldwide trends to abolish the death penalty with a view to an eventual abolition of the death penalty. APPEALS TO: General Pervez Musharraf Pakistan Secretariat, Islamabad, Pakistan Fax: 011 92 51 9221422 E-mail: CE at pak.gov.pk Salutation: Dear President Musharraf COPIES TO: Ambassador Jehangir Karamat Embassy of Pakistan 2315 Massachusetts Ave. NW Washington DC 20008 Fax: 1 202 686 1544 Email: info at pakistan-embassy.org Please send appeals immediately. Check with the Colorado office between 9:00 am and 6:00 pm, Mountain Time, weekdays only, if sending appeals after May 19, 2006. Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that promotes and defends human rights. This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including contact information and stop action date (if applicable). Thank you for your help with this appeal. Urgent Action Network Amnesty International USA PO Box 1270 Nederland CO 80466-1270 Email: uan at aiusa.org http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/ Phone: 303 258 1170 Fax: 303 258 7881 ---------------------------------- END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL ----------------------------------
