Shafqat Hussain was 14 or 15 when he was sentenced for kidnapping and killing a seven-year-old boy.
"Sending child offenders to the gallows is a monstrous government response to the vicious Peshawar school attack. The government's apparent aim to execute someone for crimes allegedly as a child is an affront to basic decency, as well as a violation of children's rights," deputy Asia director at HRW said.
HRW states that there are several hundred prisoners facing execution in Pakistan. On December 17, Pakistan's government decided to rescind a death penalty moratorium "in terrorism related cases." This was a reaction to the attack on the school in Peshawar. As of Monday, six executions have been carried out.
Last week, Taliban gunmen attacked a school in Peshawar, North Pakistan, killing over 140 people, most of whom were children. A Taliban statement claimed the attack was a response to military operations conducted by Pakistani armed forces.
