[JURIST] The International Court of Justice [official website] (ICJ) on Monday heard the case [press release] of the coming execution of Indian officer Kulbhushan Jadhav [The Hindu backgrounder] who was sentenced to death [JURIST report] by a Pakistani Field General Court Martial earlier this year. Both India and Pakistan made their arguments before the court, wherein India accused Pakistan of violating the Vienna Convention [text] and conducting a “farcical trial.” India also demanded an immediate suspension of Jadhav’s death sentence, expressing fears that Pakistan would execute him prior to the end of the ICJ hearing. In response, Pakistan argued that the case is a matter of national security and the ICJ lacks jurisdiction over the outcome. Jadhav, an Indian national and former member of the Indian Navy, has been in Pakistan’s custody since March of 2016.

Pakistan’s use of the death penalty since December 2014 in both the civilian and military courts has faced widespread criticism. When the country’s six-year death penalty moratorium was lifted [JURIST report] that month, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif [official profile] said the death penalty would only be applied to terrorism-related cases. However, in March of last year the Pakistan Ministry of Interior lifted the country’s moratorium on the death penalty, permitting hangings for all prisoners [JURIST report] who have exhausted all possible appeals. The UN estimates that several hundred of the 8,000 inmates on Pakistan’s death row are minors [JURIST report].