Pakistani criminal defence investigator Sohail Yafat receives BBC Inspirations award 2020
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Justice Project Pakistan’s criminal defence investigator Sohail Yafat. Photo: JPP
LAHORE: Owing to his relentless efforts for the rights of prisoners in the country, Justice Project Pakistan s criminal defence investigator Sohail Yafat has been selected among the recipients of the BBC Inspirations 2020 award.
The award is given to inspirational people with extraordinary personal stories from around the world. The accolade seeks to acknowledge and appreciate the efforts of unsung heroes who have shown great resilience and determination in uplifting their communities, breaking social taboos, and overcoming obstacles.
“I am humbled that the BBC has deemed me worthy of this prestigious award I feel I still have a long, long way to go, said Yafat, according to a statement issued by the Justice Project Pakistan (JPP).
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Sohail Yafat was in his 20s and working in an IT college in Lahore when he was wrongfully incarcerated for murder and facing death row. Behind bars he continued to fight for justice, while also quietly revolutionising his prison when he organised its first ever Christmas party. After a decade in jail, Sohail was released. He joined the legal charity Justice Project Pakistan as a private investigator. Through their work, the number of executions has dropped in Pakistan. Sohail is now working on building a reintegration centre to support recently released prisoners.
Emily Webb caught up with Sohail to name him one of the winners of BBC Inspirations 2020. For full details of the awards and Covid-19 related changes, please check the revised terms on our website: www.bbcworldservice.com/inspirations.
SC seeks assistance on mentally-ill death-row inmates
Medical board submits reports on two schizophrenic inmates
Supreme Court of Pakistan. PHOTO: AFP
ISLAMABAD:
A larger bench of the Supreme Court on Tuesday asked amici curiae to assist it on the questions as to why mentally-ill prisoners could not be executed and whether they could be hanged if they recover after treatment.
The five-member bench, headed by Justice Manzoor Ahmad Malik, was hearing clubbed petitions of Kanizan Bibi, Imdad Ali and Ghulam Abbas, who have spent 30, 18 and 14 years, respectively, on death row, while exhibiting acute symptoms of mental illness.
During the hearing, a medical board constituted by the apex court submitted its reports, regarding two mentally-ill death-row prisoners, declaring both the inmates as schizophrenic patients.
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December 16, 2020
ISLAMABAD: Mehdi Khan was 100-year-old by the time he was awarded sentence on a murder charge. He was too weak to walk and visually impaired; his heart and lungs malfunctioned. When police came for his arrest, he was in a wheelchair which accompanied him to jail in Gujrat.
An appeal was filed for his bail in February 2020 on grounds of old age and illness under Rule 146 of the Punjab Prison Rules. Prison Department was asked to furnish a reply. Medical examination confirmed the critical health conditions, according to Mehdi Khan’s lawyer, Hamza Haider. However, authorities and the complainant opposed his release.
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