Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif lifted moratorium on capital punishment on Wednesday, a day after Taliban gunmen attacked the Army Public School in Peshawar and killed 132 students and nine staff.
The UN rights office also urged Pakistan’s army and security forces to respect international law during their counter-terrorism operations so as to avoid exacerbating bloodshed.
“To its great credit, Pakistan has maintained a de facto moratorium on the death penalty since 2008, and we urge the government not to succumb to widespread calls for revenge, not least because those at most risk of execution in the coming days are people convicted of different crimes, and can have had nothing to do with Wednesday’s premeditated slaughter,” UN human rights spokesman Rupert Colville said.
There is no evidence that imposing the death penalty has any impact whatsoever in deterring terrorism or other serious crimes, he said in remarks sent to journalists in Geneva. “In fact, by feeding a cycle of revenge, it may even be counter-productive,” Colville said.
He voiced hope that the perpetrators or planners of the mass school killing be brought to justice as soon as possible, while urging restraint by the Pakistani security forces. “It is extremely important to maintain the moral and legal high ground, as human rights violations by authorities, especially civilian casualties, simply harden attitudes and feed the spiral of violence,” Colville said.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 20th, 2014.
COMMENTS (18)
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@straightshooter:
Are you shooting straight or shooting blanks?
@wb: So if you don't want your comment to be judged irrelevant, you want to imply that on "moral high grounds" we should neglect atrocities in Kashmir and Indian help in massacre of millions of non Bengali origin in the present Bangladesh?
Pakistan is resuming executions because these terrorists continue their activities from jail using mobile phones, in visiting times, interviews and smuggling in and out SD cards. often they get free on bail or bribe the guards to release them swapping out to have some poor person take their place in prison for a lot of money. our jails cant hold them because they have too much money (unimaginable amounts) and there is just too many of them and they radicalize ordinary criminals like thieves rapists and murders whilst incarcerated with them.
@wb: Hey wb! If YOU don't remember Nehru's words in the UN, it takes quite a character to lecture us upon promises of convenience. We know very well what to say and what not to, when it comes to Kashmir and India. You, too, mind your own business.
@FaiselH: @ali ahmad:
Bravo! When it comes to Kashmir, remember your words.
@Salman:
Yeah?! Worse than 1971?
Mind your own business UN. Get the Kashmir plebiscite implemented, occupied land in Israel freed et all and then I'll say you have the moral authority to advise us.
This is something very inhuman statement from the organization which can reduce the trust of Pakistani nation it's establishment and political parties.we are the only victims of terrorism since 9/11.UN human rights gave it's statement for moral high ground of human and these terrorists are not human so don't give so importance to this statement.
Re-prashing it There is no evidence that not imposing the death penalty has any impact whatsoever in deterring terrorism or other serious crimes, he said in remarks sent to journalists in Geneva.
I think this org should be renamed as u(i)nhuman rights whatever.
No thank you. We don't need your advice and we don't need to take any "high ground" because we already have plenty of that in Pakistan, including the world's second highest mountain, K2.
While UN has supported hanging of drug smugglers in Iran, what moral authority UNHRGroup has to give lecture on us not to resume hanging of terrorists ? Why can't UNHRgroup give lecture to many American States to put death penalty on HOLD ? Those are not terrorists but criminals, yet death penalty are carried out in many Sates of America, why UNHRgroup not be able to put pressure on them ? Why this double standard ?
It is requested that the UN ""Human Rights Office"" maintains its classic impotence, as it has remarkably done in the past by keeping silent on the genocide of millions of Iraqis on the blatant lies of finding the non existent WMDs, Massacres in Palestine by the so called state of Israel, sponsored by the collective European guilt, and "American National Interests" worst than the so called 'Holocaust'.
They are not humans hence there are no human rights involved. End of!
UN please mind your own business !!
We donot care what UN has to say these are our children who were masacared in Peshawar we will eradicate every terrorist from Pakistan weather they belong to raw' CIA or USA. So my advise to UN is to shut up.
You killed soo many people in the name of counter terrorism after 9/11. Was that right?
"..not to succumb to widespread calls for revenge.." This is execution of a judicial order which was halted, not because of a consensus in the Pakistani parliament, rather, to please and make gain from the Atlantic states. Now, what examples can we get of revenge: maybe American bombing of Afghanistan was in revenge. Israeli Gaza strikes are in revenge (often tit-for-tat). Russian missile deployments are in revenge against the American shield. Indo/Pak fire exchange is motivated by revenge. Stop trying to decide for us, our Moral high ground!
I don't think there is any need to maintain 'high moral ground' against those terrorists who have killed innocent people. I wonder if the UN would have had urged the European countries to maintain moratorium on executions if any such terrorist incident would have had taken place in the US or in any European country