Pakistan on Wednesday went ahead with the execution of a Christian on death row allegedly tortured into confessing to murder as a 15-year-old, despite pleas of mercy pouring in for clemency for the man who already spent over two decades behind bars. Aftab Bahadur Masih, 38 now, was executed in Kot lakhpat Jail here after spending 23 years in prison. He was convicted of murdering a woman and her two children here in 1992.
Masih’s execution comes days after Shafqat Hussain — also convicted for a crime reportedly committed as a child — was granted a last-minute reprieve. The Justice Project Pakistan (JPP) and other rights groups said Masih was just 15 at the time of his arrest. They also claimed that Masih was tortured to confess the crime. They say he was convicted on the basis of a confession extracted through torture from his co-accused Ghulam Mustafa, along with another eyewitness, and both have since retracted their statements (about his involvement in the crime).