Death row Briton leaves Pakistan - committing crimes abroad

You —

[quote][size=18]Death row Briton leaves Pakistan[/size]

A British man who spent 18 years in a Pakistani jail has been freed and has flown out of the country, a day after his death sentence was lifted.

Mirza Tahir Hussain, 36, of Leeds, West Yorkshire, is expected to arrive at Heathrow Airport later on Friday.

He was convicted in 1989 of murdering a taxi driver, but always said the killing was in self-defence.

His brother Amjad said Hussain had suffered "beyond belief" and added: "We are delighted and thrilled".

He said Hussain would need help to adjust to life outside prison.

Asked by reporters how his mother had reacted to the news of the release, he said: "She can't wait to hold her son in her arms."

Mr Hussain said President Pervez Musharraf, who commuted the death sentence on Thursday to life imprisonment, "had shown himself to be an enlightened man who has rectified this miscarriage of justice".

News of his release broke on Friday morning when Pakistan's Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao told reporters: "Mirza Tahir Hussain... is a free person now and he can go wherever he wants to go."

Later, a British High Commission spokesman was reported as saying Hussain was on his way home.

Before Hussain was freed, there were pleas for clemency from the Prince of Wales, Prime Minister Tony Blair, European politicians and human rights groups.

[b]Death sentence[/b]

The interior ministry in Pakistan said he had been released into the care of the British High Commission in Islamabad.

Greg Mulholland, the Hussain family's MP in Leeds, said: "Yesterday was wonderful when his sentence was commuted, but today we have the news everyone was really hoping for."

Hussain was originally acquitted of the murder by Pakistan's High Court, but an Islamic court sentenced him to death in 1998.

The sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2003, and a review petition was rejected a year later.

But the government put off his execution several times, most recently until the end of this year.

Authorities had hoped a blood-money settlement, permitted under Islamic law, could be reached with the dead man's family.

But the relatives refused to negotiate, saying to do so would be dishonourable.

The family of the victim said on Thursday they were furious the sentence had been commuted and planned to appeal against the decision.

[url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_yorkshire/6157012.stm]BBC News[/url][/quote]

I find this pretty sickening. If someone has been convicted of murder in another country, it's the county's laws that should be used.

Now I am not saying the guy should have been killed. But at the same time releasing a convicted murderer into britain just becasue his offence was abroad does not make it right.

His sentence should have either been reduced to life or he should have a retrial. Not just released.

Britons have a history of committing murder abroad, then getting away with it. There were those nurses in saudi a few years ago. Then there was a nanny in America. in each case convicted murdereres got off virtually scott free.

Forum

You — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 - 15:57

If you don't report a crime, you cannot blame the justice system for failing you.

But all that is secondary to this topic.

This topic is about a convicted murderer being released onto british streets.

This is a cavalier attitude to foreign affairs, and I strongly disagree with it.

latifah — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 - 21:57

As the man concerned was a British citizen, it is surely the duty of the government to do their best to aid his bid for justice abroad.

Unfortunately, the justice system in certain countries is very corrupt and cannot be trusted. There was some good evidence that this guy was a victim of rough justice, so the government was right to put Pakistan under pressure to overturn the death sentence or release him.

When British justice has proven to be untrustworthy, other governments have applied political pressure, like in the case of the Irish prisoners who were framed in the 1970s/80s.

If they had done nothing then no doubt they would be criticized as well for not caring about an asian citizen of the UK.

You — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 - 22:18

With all the political pressure applied, I am certain once the case got all the way upto the supreme court, it would have been easier to buckle.

In third world countries, the justice system may not be as strong as here, but once it gets that far up, it will be strong.

And why not come to some sort of agreement to try the guy uder british law, and then reprison him in the UK if found guilty?

His conviction was not overturned. He was just released.

latifah — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 - 22:35

Wasn’t he originally acquitted of the murder by Pakistan's High Court?

He was then put on another trial by a “sharia” court and found guilty.

It does appear that his conviction was in that court was unsound. Therefore, the Brit were right to put pressure on Pakistan to release him.

MuslimBro — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 - 13:36

[quote="Admin"]If you don't report a crime, you cannot blame the justice system for failing you.[/quote]
And if you do report a crime, you cannot be sure if it will be recorded.

[quote="Admin"]Wasn’t he originally acquitted of the murder by Pakistan's High Court?

He was then put on another trial by a “sharia” court and found guilty.[/quote]
That's correct.

Dawud — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 - 16:16

[quote="latifah"]Wasn’t he originally acquitted of the murder by Pakistan's High Court?

He was then put on another trial by a “sharia” court and found guilty.

It does appear that his conviction was in that court was unsound. Therefore, the Brit were right to put pressure on Pakistan to release him.[/quote]

Yes he was aquitted by the high court, but then the Shari'ah court saw that it could come under their jurisdiction (well someone did anyway) and so he was retried in the shari'ah court.

And yes he said that the cabbie tried to physically and sexually assualt him at gun point. Durring the ensuing struggle the kid managed to accidentally shoot the cabbie with his own gun.

peacegirl — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 - 22:26

[quote="Admin"]If you don't report a crime, you cannot blame the justice system for failing you.

But all that is secondary to this topic.

This topic is about a convicted murderer being released onto british streets.

This is a cavalier attitude to foreign affairs, and I strongly disagree with it.[/quote]

sorry....BUT NO WAY IS THIS SECONDARY! Why follow the pakistani justice system for this one case??? when there are many many people getting away. it's not fair to hang this man, and then go and let someone else free coz they have contacts with the police. Thats all I'm saying.

Funzo — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 - 22:53

i dont know think the man purposely killled the cabbie in pakistan dere are a lot of those people who go out to sexually assault innocent people and a reaction in shok wud justify his actions im not saying he is innocent all i am saying is dat dere is reason 2 believe he is innocent but then again the human mind is comlicated it cud hve been smething completely different

eH — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 - 11:09

With the exception of one person here, your staggering ignorance, lack of compassion and downright stupidity appals me.

What makes this worse is the deceitful admin who is undoubtedly aware of the facts of the case, chooses to withhold them from you – the unaware and uneducated.

Here is a story of a miscarriage of justice of chilling proportions involving two Muslims in a Muslim country. He had the backing, help and support of the British government, Amnesty International and Prince Charles. Did he get any support from the Muslim community? No, what he gets is snide cheap remarks from people who are totally unaware of their ignorance yet revel in their perceived self-importance.

In case anyone is interested, here are the facts:-

A taxi driver sexually molests him as an 18 year old. In the ensuing altercation, he kills the taxi driver who was attempting to rape him.

He is tried and sentenced to death by the sessions court in Islamabad. This decision was overturned by the Lahore High Court, which noted serious discrepancies in the case.

He was retuned to the sessions court and sentenced to life imprisonment. This was overturned yet again by the High Court, which acquitted him. Get it? He was pronounced innocent.

As an illegal political gesture, his case was passed to the Shariat in contravention of both Pakistani and Islamic law. He was sentenced to death in a two-one decision, with the dissenter strongly recommending acquittal of all charges.

Under concerted international pressure from the previously mentioned parties he was released following 18 years of imprisonment for committing no crime.

So, what kind of support does he get from his own community? Stupid, ignorant comments devoid of any understanding, intelligence or compassion.

Would anyone here care to defend the corrupt, evil, vicious Sharia court? If so, please prepare yourself and do some research first.

eH — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 - 12:52

[quote="peacegirl"] 😂 😂 😂 😂 don't make me laugh!!![/quote]

Exactly! what an idiotic, unprincipled, bigoted, nonsensical, offensive statement - it is better that an inncocent man was executed than to undermine a corrupt sharia court.

And you wonder why people dislike and do not trust muslims?

mmm — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 - 15:07

[quote="eH"][quote="peacegirl"] 😂 😂 😂 😂 don't make me laugh!!![/quote]

Exactly! what an idiotic, unprincipled, bigoted, nonsensical, offensive statement - it is better that an inncocent man was executed than to undermine a corrupt sharia court.

And you wonder why people dislike and do not trust muslims?[/quote]

In response to your last sentence.... Unlike you, I don't think there is much wrong with Muslims and I DO NOT NEED TO CONFORM TO WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK TO BE CORRECT. The west say it’s wrong so it’s wrong. I should wear a skirt so I will. Hang on is that beer? I’ll have that too. Wait mum where are you going? Tokyo Project Night Club son! Can I come with you?

Your last post. Wow! Such big words for such a small mind.

Now I am going to prove you wrong, but because your ARROGANCE EXCEEDS YOUR INTELLIGENCE you won’t admit it to. It’s a disease, get it checked! 😉

Anyone heard of another person on death row abroad? No?

So why is this guy so famous? It is another chance for the media to undermine Islam and its Law, which is stated by……….. Not Tony Blair not Bush…… but Allah SWT. Let me reiterate that [color=blue]Shariah Law is STATED BY ALLAH.[/color]

One Paki on death row and such hoo ha? What about all the Palestinians being butchered? YOU CALLED ME UNPRINCIPLED?

DID I SAY HE WAS [color=red]NOT[/color] INNOCENT? You silly little girl.
Is death a bad thing? Do you doubt that Allah will reward him for a wrongful sentence if it was? YOU SAID MY STATEMENT WAS OFFENSIVE BUT YOU QUESTION MY LORD? THAT IS OFFENSIVE. Pathetic little girl.

The Shariah Law is above all other.

The Media love Islam vs the rest of the world. Especially when it ‘seems to be inhuamne’ to low IQ people who don’t understand it.

mmm — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 - 15:09

[quote="eH"]

Would anyone here care to defend the corrupt, evil, vicious Sharia court? If so, please prepare yourself and do some research first.[/quote]

Ah I didn't read your last sentence. Your not Muslim. Disregard my last post. 😂

By the way your research into the Shariah Courts is very indepth so many quotes gave me eye strain 😂 😂 😉