Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

India appeals to UN court to halt execution of 'spy' Kulbhushan Jadhav

India on Monday (15) appealed to the UN's top court to order Pakistan to suspend its planned execution of an Indian national convicted of spying.

In an emergency hearing, lawyers for New Delhi urged the International Court of Justice to halt the execution of Kulbhushan Sudhir Jadhav.


Jadhav was arrested in the southwestern province of Balochistan last year and Pakistani officials claim he has confessed to spying for Indian intelligence services.

But India has denied he was a spy, and last week lodged a protest at the ICJ in The Hague accusing Pakistan of "egregious violations of the Vienna convention".

Jadhav was "an innocent Indian national, who, incarcerated in Pakistan for more than a year on concocted charges, deprived of his rights and protection accorded under the Vienna Convention, has been held incommunicado... and faces imminent execution," Indian lawyer Deepak Mittal told the tribunal Monday.

Pakistan has failed to respond to all Indian demands for information about the case, snubbing requests for documents including the charge sheet, and has not provided Jadhav with consular access, he said.

Islamabad has also not replied to a visa application by Jadhav's parents seeking to travel to Pakistan to visit their son.

"All that we know is what we have seen in the media in Pakistan," Mittal told the tribunal at the start of the day-long hearing.

"India believes that the farcical nature of the proceedings and unjust trial by a Pakistan military court... has led to a serious miscarriage of justice."

Jadhav "has been denied the right to be defended by a legal counsel of his choice," he added.

India is seeking the immediate suspension of the death sentence against Jadhav who it claims was 'kidnapped from Iran, where he was carrying on business after retiring from the Indian Navy'," according to court documents.

New Delhi ultimately wants the tribunal to order Islamabad to annul the sentence.

It also wants the ICJ, set up in 1945 to rule on disputes between nations in accordance with international law, to declare that the Pakistani military court violated the Vienna Convention by imposing a death sentence on Jadhav and broke human rights laws.

Pakistan will present its arguments to the afternoon session.

Nuclear archrivals India and Pakistan routinely accuse one another of sending spies into their countries, and it is not uncommon for either nation to expel diplomats accused of espionage, particularly at times of high tension.

But death sentences have rarely been issued in recent years.

More For You

Man found guilty of rape and murder of Irish backpacker in India

McLaughlin, 28, from County Donegal, was found dead in a field in Goa in March 2017. (Photo credit: Twitter)

Man found guilty of rape and murder of Irish backpacker in India

A COURT in India has found Vikat Bhagat guilty of the rape and murder of Irish backpacker Danielle McLaughlin.

McLaughlin, 28, from County Donegal, was found dead in a field in Goa in March 2017.

Keep ReadingShow less
Alderman Alastair King

King, who serves as the global ambassador for the City of London, will be in Mumbai to discuss trade and investment under his mayoral theme, 'Growth Unleashed.'

Lord Mayor of London to visit India for trade talks

THE LORD MAYOR of London, Alderman Alastair King, is set to visit India for a week starting Saturday, aiming to promote free trade and capital flows between the two countries.

King, who serves as the global ambassador for the City of London, will be in Mumbai to discuss trade and investment under his mayoral theme, “Growth Unleashed.”

Keep ReadingShow less
trump-modi-washington-getty

The meeting came hours after Trump criticised India’s business environment and announced plans for reciprocal tariffs on countries that impose duties on US imports. (Photo: Getty Images)

Modi and Trump agree to resolve trade disputes, discuss tariff concerns

INDIA and the US have agreed to begin negotiations aimed at resolving trade and tariff disputes, following talks between Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and US president Donald Trump in Washington.

India has committed to increasing purchases of US oil, gas, and defence equipment, while both sides pledged to address trade barriers.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pablo-Escobar-merchandise-Getty

Escobar, killed by security forces in 1993, remains a figure of global interest, with his image appearing on souvenirs like T-shirts, mugs, and keychains. (Photo: Getty Images)

Colombia considers ban on Pablo Escobar merchandise

COLOMBIA’s Congress is considering a bill that would ban the sale of merchandise featuring drug lord Pablo Escobar and other convicted criminals.

The proposed law aims to curb the glorification of Escobar, who was responsible for thousands of deaths during his time leading the Medellín cartel, reported BBC.

Keep ReadingShow less
Assisted dying bill: Judge approval scrapped for expert panel safeguard

Polls show most Britons back assisted dying, with supporters calling for the law to reflect public opinion.

Assisted dying bill: Judge approval scrapped for expert panel safeguard

Eastern Eye

THE proposed new assisted dying law for terminally ill people will be amended to remove the requirement that a high court judge sign off on each case, Labour MP Kim Leadbeater said on Tuesday (11).

Opponents of assisted dying said the change would weaken the safeguards around protecting vulnerable people from being coerced or pressured into taking their own lives.

Keep ReadingShow less