Quote: Hussain, a British-Pakistani, claims he is innocent. He was cleared by a secular court but retried and found guilty in an Islamic one. He now faces execution June 1 unless President Gen. Pervez Musharraf intervenes.
His muddled case, spanning two decades, is emblematic of Pakistan's corrupt and bifurcated legal system, described by a leading rights activist as "flawed" and in desperate need of reform.
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Mirza Hussain's family migrated to England from Pakistan when he was a boy. In December 1988, after training in Britain's reserve army, the 18-year-old came back to visit relatives living near Chakwal, about 56 miles south of Islamabad. On his way, he claims, his taxi driver stopped the car, produced a gun and physically and sexually assaulted him. In the struggle that followed the gun went off and the driver, Jamshad Khan, was fatally injured.
Hussain voluntarily reported the incident to police and was arrested. In September 1989, a sessions court sentenced him to death.
The high court revoked the death penalty in November 1992 due to serious discrepancies in the prosecution's case and ordered a retrial. In April 1994 his sentence was reduced to life in prison; in May 1996 the high court acquitted Hussain of all charges.
But a week later, while he was waiting for release, his case was referred to the Islamic, or Sharia, court on the basis that the crime he was charged of - "haraabah," or armed robbery - came under its jurisdiction.
In August 1998, in a split 2-1 verdict, the Islamic court's judges sentenced him to death again, although the legal provision he was tried under required a confession or witness to the crime. The prosecution had neither.
"It's a basic and fundamental flaw with our criminal justice system," said Hina Jilani, vice-chair of the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. "There should be just one set of laws."
Simply amazing. Your thoughts?
"About the only way to look at it, just a pity you are not POTUS KFLLCFII, seems as if we would all be better off."
Newark777 From United States of America, joined Dec 2004, 9348 posts, RR: 33 Reply 1, posted (7 years 6 days 12 hours ago) and read 1127 times:
I wonder how often this goes on in Pakistan and other Middle East nations without it ever making the news. A shame we have to still hear about things like this going on.
DIJKKIJK From France, joined Jul 2003, 1671 posts, RR: 5 Reply 2, posted (7 years 6 days 3 hours ago) and read 1063 times:
Quoting Newark777 (Reply 1): wonder how often this goes on in Pakistan and other Middle East nations without it ever making the news. A shame we have to still hear about things like this going on.
True, this case came out into the press probably only because the guy was a British National.
Never argue with idiots. They will bring you down to their level, and beat you with experience.
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From United States of America, joined Sep 2004, 3262 posts, 
From France, joined Jul 2003, 1671 posts, 
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