Reduce crimes requiring capital punishment: Speakers

Justice Project Pakistan highlights anomalies in the criminal justice system

Speakers called for reduction in number of offences calling for capital punishment and strengthening the courts so that people get a fair trial free of torture and intimidation.

“We should move towards fair trial and fewer number of capital offences,” said Pakistan Peoples Party lawmaker Nafisa Shah at the world premiere of Justice Project Pakistan’s film, The Sinner, at the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) the other day.

She also added that there is an absence of the victim’s side in the debate while highlighting the flaws in the criminal justice system that allows the rich and influential to find their way out through compromise or by better criminal defence. United Nation’s Human Rights Commission Officer of Human Rights Christine Chung  and Director Development Kamran Rajar also spoke at the launch of the film.



Justice Project Pakistan Executive Director Sarah Belal moderated the panel discussion after the film screening. During the panel discussion Christine Chung pointed out the global decrease in executions and responsibilities of the government of Pakistan under international treaties. “It is a global trend that the executions are going down, the government of Pakistan has signed and ratified International covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) which asks to stop executions,” she said.

Kamran Rajar raised the need to reduce the number of capital offences.  Currently Pakistan has 27 crimes punishable by death.

Nafisa Shah also called for all forms of torture laws to be reviewed. JPP in collaboration with The Spinning Head Films launched The Sinner at the United Nations Human Rights through Cinematography Festival 2017. The film was directed by Asim Rafiqui, an independent photojournalist whose work has appeared in Time, Harpers, Newsweek and National Geographic amongst others.

A retired executioner, who has hanged at least 1,800 Pakistani prisoners and has never allowed interviews before, takes us into his world. Jan Masih teases out details of how executions are conducted in Pakistan, how they are often botched and most poignantly - the terrible price he has paid for his job. “We expect a monster, a killer, someone with no empathy and unworthy of our sympathy. Instead, we find a broken man,” Sarah Belal said.



Jan is terrified by the ghosts of the men he has hanged. He makes some jarring confessions — many of which will be wake up calls for those who support the death penalty. Jan and the other subjects of the film (including families of executed prisoners and serving police officers) serve as stark reminders of how much the death penalty asks of the people charged with carrying it out. Screenings in other cities will be organised soon. Sarah Belal, JPP Executive Director adds: “The death penalty is ugly, uncomfortable to talk about and difficult to own – but worse still is how much it asks of those tasked with carrying out. Jan Masih is one such casualty. We hope this film offers more insight into how executions are carried out in Pakistan, and will motivate genuine reform of a practice that has punished far too many people already.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 10^th, 2017.