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Pakistan Top Court Says Schizophrenia Not a Mental Illness
[An Nahar] Lawyers and rights groups say convicted murderer Imdad Ali, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia while in prison in 2012, cannot be executed as he cannot understand his crime and punishment. However in a detailed judgment issued Thursday the Supreme Court said schizophrenia was an "imbalance," exacerbated by stress, that could be treated by drugs. Therefore it was a "recoverable disease" and not a mental disorder, according to the ruling. As such, it could not be used to delay Ali's death sentence, which now could go ahead as early as next week. Rights groups slammed the ruling, with Amnesty calling it "a deeply worrying development." "It is utterly reprehensible if this Supreme Court judgment leads to the execution of Imdad Ali, who has been clearly diagnosed as mentally ill," said Champa Patel, Amnesty's South Asia program director, in a statement. International laws regarding mental disability are "important safeguards", she added. Maya Foa, a director of Reprieve, called the ruling "outrageous" and said it flies in the face of accepted medical knowledge -- including in Pakistain. Posted by: Fred 2016-10-22 |
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