Saudi Arabia criminal justice system violating rights of Pakistanis: HRW report
HRW says Saudi Arabia has executed 73 Pakistanis during the past four years, more than any other foreign nationality. Photo: AFP
(Web Desk) – Saudi Arabia executes more Pakistanis than any other foreign nationality annually with "rampant due process violations" in the criminal justice system for Pakistani defendants.
This was stated in a report titled ‘Caught In A Web: Treatment Of Pakistanis In The Saudi Criminal Justice System’ by the Human Rights Watch.
Nearly all executions of Pakistanis were for heroin smuggling with 20 in 2014, 22 in 2015 and 7 in 2016. As many as 17 have been executed in 2017.
The report which was released on Wednesday is based on interviews conducted by Justice Project Pakistan. It says the criminal justice system of Saudi Arabia is violating the right to due process and fair trials for Pakistani defendants.
The report is based on interviews with twelve Pakistani citizens detained and put on trial in Saudi Arabia in recent years, as well as seven family members of nine other defendants.
“The glaring defects in the criminal justice system are especially acute for Pakistanis, who face substantial difficulties finding legal assistance, navigating Saudi court procedures, and getting consular services from Pakistani Embassy officials,” stated the report.
It says such violations include long detention periods without legal charges or trial, lack of access to legal assistance, faulty translation services, and pressure on detainees to sign confessions.
The recommendations made in the report for the government of Pakistan include provision of adequate consular services for Pakistani detainees in Saudi Arabia, ensuring Pakistani detainees have access to legal representation and educating Pakistani migrant workers about the flaws in Saudi Arabia’s criminal justice system prior to their departure.
HRW says there are about 1.6 million Pakistanis living in Saudi Arabia and most of them are migrant workers. It also says Saudi Arabia has executed 73 Pakistanis during the past four years, more than any other foreign nationality.
