Analysis

In 2015, Pakistan accounted for 20% of executions worldwide. However, 2020 saw a suspension of executions and a decline in sentences. Currently, there are more than 4,000 prisoners sentenced to death awaiting execution.
Persons sentenced to death live in precarious conditions. Several prisoners share designated cells of less than 8m2, and diseases and infections (such as tuberculosis, scabies, gastric disorders, etc.) are prevalent due to overcrowding. Prisoners facing the death penalty are transferred to new cells daily and are under constant surveillance. They are only allowed to leave their cells for an hour a day and must be handcuffed when doing so. Only a few activities are permitted, one of them is undergoing training towards a qualification.
Those with death sentences confirmed by the High Court are only allowed to interact with others through the bars of their cell’s door. Visits from relatives and lawyers systematically take place in the presence of guards at the expense of confidentiality and privacy.

Prison Insider gathered information on the detention conditions of prisoners sentenced to death in nine countries. Here is an overview of the situation in Pakistan.

— * The information presented comes principally from the organisation Justice Project Pakistan. Additional sources were also used which are mentioned when referenced.

Women are allowed to keep their children with them until the age of three or six.