Pakistan to execute 500 Taliban militants

Germany has condemned Pakistan’s decision to execute 500 militans in the coming weeks.

The comments by Germany’s deputy foreign minister spokeswoman Sawsan Chebli on Monday come after Pakistan’s decision to execute imprisoned militants after a Taliban attack that killed 142 people, mostly children, in the city of Peshawar last week.
“I want to point out the moratorium implemented by Pakistan in 2008 is the best way,” Chebli said.
Chebli added: “At this point, as underlined many times before, the death penalty is an inhuman and cruel way of punishment.”
German policy remains opposed to the death penalty.
Pakistan imposed the moratorium on capital punishment following reported pressure from the European Union; however, the country has lifted the de facto ban after the deadly army-run school attack in Peshawar.
Six militants have been hanged since Friday amid rising public anger over Tuesday’s slaughter.
After the deadliest terror attack in Pakistani history, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ended the six-year moratorium on the death penalty, reinstating it for terrorism-related cases.
“Interior ministry has finalized the cases of 500 convicts who have exhausted all the appeals, their mercy petitions have been turned down by the president and their executions will take place in coming weeks,” a senior government official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
A second official confirmed the information. Of the six hanged so far, five were involved in a failed attempt to assassinate the then-military ruler Pervez Musharraf in 2003, while one was involved in a 2009 attack on army headquarters.
Sharif has ordered the attorney general’s office to “actively pursue” capital cases currently in the courts, a government spokesman said.
“Prime Minister has also issued directions for appropriate measures for early disposal of pending cases related to terrorism,” the spokesman said without specifically confirming the plan to execute 500.
The decision to reinstate executions has been condemned by human rights groups, with the United Nations also calling for it to reconsider.
Human Rights Watch on Saturday termed the executions “a craven politicized reaction to the Peshawar killings” and demanded that no further hangings be carried out.