WORLD DAY AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY: FREE MIRZA HUSSAIN

11.02.44am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 11th Oct 2006

On the 10th October 2006, the fourth World Day against the Death Penalty, Liberal Democrat MEP Liz Lynne joined thousands of people around the world to call for universal abolition of the death penalty and for the immediate release of Mirza Tahir Hussain, a British citizen currently on death row in Pakistan.

Liz Lynne MEP, co-founder of the European Parliament's Friends of Pakistan Group said:

"The theme of 'a failure of justice' is particularly pertinent to Mirza Tahir Hussain because Amnesty International believes his trial did not conform to international fair standards. It is now the eleventh hour, but we will not rest until we obtain justice for Mirza Tahir Hussain.

"President Musharraf heard the collective voice of Europe during his recent visits to Brussels and London. When I met with him privately I told him, in no uncertain terms, that the carrying out of this execution would cast a shadow over the reputation of Pakistan within the EU, as it would clearly represent a rare combination of excessive cruelty and profound injustice.

"President Musharraf has the constitutional power to commute the death sentence and there is clear precedent. I call on him today to show mercy and serve Mirza Tahir Hussain with the justice he deserves.

"Imagine yourself as an 18 year old on holiday and in another country, you take a taxi. It turns into a nightmare, there are no witnesses but the taxi driver ends up dead and you go straight to the first police station. You say he pulled a gun on you and what happened was self-defence on your part.

"This leads to a legal process over 18 years, 18 years that a young man has spent in prison away from his family. Condemning him to death then finding him innocent then starting again until every appeal is exhausted. He is condemned to death a second time, after half a lifetime in prison."