No one above law, says Amnesty on Musharraf's conviction.

WASHINGTON -- Amnesty InternatioAnal, a leading campaigner for human rights, said on Tuesday that Pakistan's judgement against former military ruler Pervez Musharraf proved that no one was above the law but strongly opposed the death sentence.

Earlier in the day, Gen Musharraf was convicted of 'high treason' and sentenced to death for suspending the Constitution when he imposed a state of emergency in November 2007.

Responding to the conviction Amnesty International's Deputy South Asia Director, Omar Waraich, said: 'No one is above the law, and it is encouraging to see Pakistan break with a history of impunity for powerful generals. At the same time, it is crucial that he receives a fair trial without recourse to the death penalty.'

Amnesty has been campaigning for decades for the abolition of death penalty.

'The death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment; it metes out vengeance, not justice,' said Mr Waraich while explaining the group's position on this issue.

Amnesty, however, demanded that Gen Musharraf and the government he led must be held to account for all human rights violations committed during their time in office, not just a select few.

The...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT