Double-murder convict executed in Lahore

Tight security arrangements made around prison; over 100 prisoners executed following lifting of moratorium

LAHORE: Death row prisoner Javed alias Jeedah was hanged on Wednesday in Kot Lakhpat Jail for committing double-murder in 1987, Express News reported.

Tight security arrangements were made in and around the prison during the execution of the convict early morning (June 3).

In 1989, the trial court had granted death sentence against Javed for killing two people in Lahore in 1987.

The decision was challenged by the convict in the Supreme Court, but the plea was later rejected.

On June 2, at least four death row prisoners were also hanged in jails across Punjab.

Read: Four murder convicts sent to the gallows

A moratorium on the death penalty had been in force since 2008, but executions were restarted in December after Taliban militants gunned down 154 people, most of them children, at a school in the restive northwest. Over 100 prisoners have been executed since then.

It was initially lifted only for those convicted of terrorism offences, but in March was extended to cover all capital offences.

The European Union, the United Nations and human rights campaigners had all urged Pakistan to reinstate the moratorium.
Critics say Pakistan’s criminal justice system is marred by police torture, poor legal representation for victims and unfair trials.

Human rights group Amnesty International estimates that Pakistan has more than 8,000 prisoners on death row, most of whom have exhausted the appeals process.