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Join us in advocating for a fair, proportionate, and human rights-compliant application of the law.
Our advocacy efforts include comprehensive research, public awareness campaigns, and collaboration with local and international organizations. We conduct in-depth investigations into death row cases, identifying human rights violations and challenging unfair trials through strategic litigation. We collaborate with key stakeholders including government institutions, judicial academies, national human rights commissions, and international organizations to push for reforms in sentencing practices, evidentiary standards, and access to legal representation. We believe that every life is valuable and that the death penalty disproportionately affects marginalized communities, including individuals from low-income backgrounds and those with psychosocial disabilities.
We have successfully intervened in numerous cases, providing legal support to individuals facing execution. Our case studies reveal not only the legal battles we fight but also the personal stories of those who have suffered under this system—stories of wrongful convictions, mental illness, and torture. Each story serves as a powerful reminder of why our work is essential and why the death penalty is an irreversible and unjust form of punishment.
Through our initiatives, we strive to educate the public about the realities of capital punishment and advocate for reform. We push for greater accountability, improved legal standards, and limiting the application of the death penalty to vulnerable groups such as juveniles and individuals with psychosocial disabilities. Our vision is a future where every individual is treated with dignity and respect.
Join us as we advocate for a fair, proportionate and human rights-compliant justice system.
The Safia Bano case marked a turning point in Pakistan’s legal landscape concerning capital punishment and the treatment of mentally ill prisoners on death row. Safia Bano’s husband, Imdad Ali, was sentenced to death in 2002 for a murder committed in 2001. However, Ali had been diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2012 while on death row, raising critical questions about the legality and morality of executing individuals with severe mental illnesses. The case exposed the deep flaws in Pakistan’s criminal justice system, particularly in its handling of mental health issues and the death penalty.
Safia Bano filed a petition arguing that executing her husband, who had been medically declared a chronic schizophrenic, would violate both Pakistani law and international human rights standards. The case highlighted the absence of clear legal protections for mentally ill prisoners and the lack of adequate mental health care within the prison system. Despite strong medical evidence supporting Ali’s diagnosis, the lower courts upheld his death sentence, setting the stage for a high-stakes legal battle in the Supreme Court.
In a landmark judgment in 2021, the Supreme Court of Pakistan ruled in favor of Safia Bano, holding that mentally ill prisoners could not be executed. The court recognized schizophrenia as a serious mental disorder that impairs a person’s understanding of reality and criminal responsibility. The judgment stated that executing individuals with severe mental illnesses violated the constitutional right to dignity and protection from cruel and inhumane punishment. The ruling also referenced international legal standards, including the UN’s prohibition on executing individuals with mental disabilities.
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Our research publications on capital punishment serve as critical tools in advocating for justice reform. Through rigorous documentation and evidence-based analysis, these reports highlight systemic flaws in sentencing practices, document the experiences of vulnerable defendants, and propose practical frameworks for reform that align with Pakistan's obligations under international human rights law. Our publications provide key stakeholders with data-driven insights that support strategic litigation, inform policy dialogue, and strengthen safeguards for at-risk populations within the criminal justice system.
Learn MoreExploring the complexities of capital punishment
Imdad Ali is 50-year-old former electrician from Vehari, who has been in prison for nearly 16 years. Sentenced to death in 2001 over a shooting, Imdad has spent 14 years on death row. psychiatrist at the prison has deemed him a “treatment-resistant case.”
No Time to Sleep is a powerful and immersive performance piece by Justice Project Pakistan (JPP) that charts the last 24 hours of a death row prisoner’s life before his imminent execution.
The piece follows the emotional and psychological turmoil faced by prisoners in their final hours, highlighting the profound human cost of capital punishment. Performed in real-time over a continuous 24-hour period, the project draws attention to the mental and emotional strain endured by death row inmates, their families, and even prison staff.
Kaniza Bibi was sentenced to death in 1989 at the age of 16 for the alleged murder of her employer’s wife. Her conviction was based on a confession extracted under torture, despite evidence of abuse and the fact that she was a juvenile.
While on death row, Kaniza developed severe schizophrenia and spent years in solitary confinement with little medical care. Justice Project Pakistan (JPP) took up her case, highlighting the legal and human rights violations. Her story became a symbol of the flaws in Pakistan’s justice system and the need for reform.
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