ABDUL BASIT Status: Death Row (7 Years) Paralyzed by the prison system Abdul Basit, a former administrator at a medical college, was convicted ofmurder and sentenced to death in 2009. Abdul has always maintained his innocence. After 18 months in prison, Abdul became ill with a severe fever that caused him to fall into a coma for approximately three weeks. At the time, guards were too busy putting down riots to notice his deteriorating condition. In the absence of necessary medical attention, Abdul was left paralyzed from the waist down. A Medical Board concluded in April 2012 that he was suffering from paraplegia and spinal atrophy. In 2011, medical officials concluded that Abdul's condition would be very difficult to treat in prison, but the following year, a new medical report concluded that Abdul was capable of administering his own physiotherapy in prison because no special equipment was needed—despite the fact that Abdul was confined to a wheelchair. Petitions to the High Court requesting Abdul's transfer back to a hospital have been denied repeatedly. He suffers from bedsores because he relies on neglectful guards to assist him with personal hygiene and to move him—which they do too infrequently. Abdul's case epitomizes the inability of Pakistan's justice system to comply with basic human rights standards. Not only does the system fail to rehabilitate prisoners, but in many cases it actually inflicts physical and psychological injuries upon them. A “MOST SERIOUS CRIME”: PAKISTAN'S UNLAWFUL USE OF THE DEATH PENALTY 36