— Court informed about softened laws that prisoners can benefit from
—Requested to direct govt to provide urgent legal, consular support
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday heard a writ petition filed under Article 199 of Constitution over the imprisoned Pakistanis in Iranian jails, currently on death row, and issued notices to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development and Ministry of Interior to present a report.
The petition was filed by Justice Project Pakistan (JPP), a human rights advocacy organisation, in which a breakdown of offenses committed by Pakistanis in Iran was sought from the authorities concerned.
The petitioners further requested the court to direct the federal government to provide urgent legal representation to those captivated in the Iranian prisons presently on the death row. It was maintained by the petitioners that such legal representation should make attempt to attain stay orders on the death sentences and employ efforts for the early extradition of those convicted of serious crimes.
The LHC was informed that the Iranian Parliament had softened its drug-trafficking laws in 2017 under which the death penalty is given. The threshold of holding, producing or distributing drugs – punishable by death sentence- was scaled-up from 30 grams to 2 kilograms for synthetic drugs and from 5 kilograms to 50 kilograms for natural drugs.
It was maintained before the court that in the same year, the Iranian judiciary head Sadegh Amoli Larijani had also announced that those on the death row can file a review application under the amended laws for their sentence to be reviewed, and in case of success, could turn their death penalty into an imprisonment of up to 30 years and a fine.
The petition said that there are currently about 5300 people in Iranian prisons on death row due to drugs-related offences. The court was informed that a large number of these inmates are Pakistani citizens, and can benefit from the new laws if adequate measures are taken by the government at the right time.
While talking to Pakistan Today, JPP spokesperson Rimmel Mohydin said, “The government of Pakistan has a rare chance to save the lives of its citizens, who could very well be executed if it does not act quickly. The LHC has taken the critical first step, and it must be seen through by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Diplomatic intervention aside, it is the constitutional duty of Pakistan’s consular staff in Iran to ensure representation and access to justice for its citizens.”
Pakistan is under an obligation to provide consular support to its citizens abroad under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (VCCR).
