This submission provides information about some of the violations of several substantive rights set out in the Covenant with reference to the use of the death penalty, including by military courts, enforced disappearances, the blasphemy law, and the growing restrictions on the right to freedom of expression. The human rights violations that the submission draws attention to are interconnected, and linked to ongoing armed conflicts, political violence, and Pakistan’s National Action Plan to counter-terrorism. In many cases, both state and non-state actors suspected of criminal responsibility have not been held to account for human rights violations or abuses. Human rights defenders have increasingly experienced threats, harassment and other abuses from security forces and armed groups.
