Pakistan urged not to execute prisoner

Khizar Hayat, a former police officer, was diagnosed with a mental illness

UN experts yesterday urged Pakistan to stay the “arbitrary execution” of a former police officer suffering from mental illness, just days before his sentence was to be carried out.

The appeal came two days before 55-year-old Khizar Hayat, who was convicted in 2003 of shooting a colleague, is due to be executed.

“The imposition of capital punishment on individuals with psychosocial disabilities is a clear violation of Pakistan’s international obligations,” said Agnes Callamard, UN expert on extrajudicial executions and Catalina Devandas, the special rapporteur on disabled rights.

They called for the execution to be halted and questioned the veracity of his conviction.

“During his trial, no evidence or witnesses were called in his defence and no questions were asked regarding his mental health, although he was later diagnosed with a mental health condition and has been receiving treatment for the past 10 years,” they said.

The execution order was issued just two weeks after the Pakistani Human Rights Commission issued an order directing a stay of the execution on humanitarian grounds.

‘Cruel punishment’

“Implementing the death penalty under these conditions is unlawful and tantamount to an arbitrary execution, as well as a form of cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment,” the UN panel said.

Two years ago, the World Psychiatric Association appealed against his execution, saying he was schizophrenic and didn’t understand the crime he had committed.