What do you think?
Rate this book
Trials: On Death Row in Pakistan
Winner of the Saltire Society First Book Award 2016
An Economist Book of the Year 2016
A Spectator Book of the Year 2016
In 2011, Isabel Buchanan, a twenty-three-year-old Scottish lawyer, moved to Pakistan to work in a new legal chambers in Lahore. The chambers was run by a determined thirty-three-year-old Pakistani lawyer, Sarah Belal, who had finally found her calling in defending inmates on Pakistan’s death row.
Belal and Buchanan struck up an unlikely friendship, forged through working in a system that was instinctively hostile to newcomers – and doubly so if they were female. At Sarah’s side, and with the help of Nasar, the firm’s legendary clerk, Buchanan plunged into the strange and complex world of Pakistan’s justice system. The work was arduous, underfunded, and dangerous. But for a young Scottish lawyer like Buchanan it was an unparalleled education, offering a window onto a much-misunderstood country and culture. Filled with beautifully drawn characters, she creates a narrative brimming with ideas and bursting with humanity. It is a story of Pakistan, but it is also a universal story of the pursuit of justice in an uncertain world.
An Economist Book of the Year 2016
A Spectator Book of the Year 2016
In 2011, Isabel Buchanan, a twenty-three-year-old Scottish lawyer, moved to Pakistan to work in a new legal chambers in Lahore. The chambers was run by a determined thirty-three-year-old Pakistani lawyer, Sarah Belal, who had finally found her calling in defending inmates on Pakistan’s death row.
Belal and Buchanan struck up an unlikely friendship, forged through working in a system that was instinctively hostile to newcomers – and doubly so if they were female. At Sarah’s side, and with the help of Nasar, the firm’s legendary clerk, Buchanan plunged into the strange and complex world of Pakistan’s justice system. The work was arduous, underfunded, and dangerous. But for a young Scottish lawyer like Buchanan it was an unparalleled education, offering a window onto a much-misunderstood country and culture. Filled with beautifully drawn characters, she creates a narrative brimming with ideas and bursting with humanity. It is a story of Pakistan, but it is also a universal story of the pursuit of justice in an uncertain world.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 7, 2016
4 people are currently reading
248 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 7, 2024
A tough read for multiple reasons.
Firstly, the subject matter of the death penalty in Pakistan arouses anger at the cruelty and wrong-headedness of those responsible
Then, the multitude of characters - many with similar Pakistani names makes it difficult to remember who is whom.
And the reinforcement of my personal feelings about religion again aroused strong feelings. People were killed or imprisoned for long periods either for non-existent crimes or grudges held by the rich and powerful or for criticising aspects of Islam. Ghastly.
The book at least made me aware of the dreadful aspects of society in Pakistan. I have a handful of Pakistani friends and acquaintances and they are all pleasant, caring people - nothing like the characters described in the book.
Firstly, the subject matter of the death penalty in Pakistan arouses anger at the cruelty and wrong-headedness of those responsible
Then, the multitude of characters - many with similar Pakistani names makes it difficult to remember who is whom.
And the reinforcement of my personal feelings about religion again aroused strong feelings. People were killed or imprisoned for long periods either for non-existent crimes or grudges held by the rich and powerful or for criticising aspects of Islam. Ghastly.
The book at least made me aware of the dreadful aspects of society in Pakistan. I have a handful of Pakistani friends and acquaintances and they are all pleasant, caring people - nothing like the characters described in the book.
August 31, 2019
I finished the book in one session, the mishmash of stories kept be completely captivated and engrossed in this very disturbing read. The small book is not only well researched as a subject level but laced with human stories which made the book super interesting. There is the idealist rich girl who runs the NGO, her brilliant munshi, and her PI who are fighting against an inept and largely indifferent Pakistani judicial system with superhuman strength.
I read the book sitting in Manama airport waiting for my connecting flight to Islamabad. As we were hauled into buses to be taken to our plane I was impressed with the extraordinary chivalry exhibited to women passengers travelling with us as men willingly vacated seats whenever they saw them standing, a situation oxymoron to the complete indifference to the plight of the hundreds of innocent languishing in jails. Isabel records her own distance to the PI tragedy when she goes to condole on the death of his wife and son. Maybe its the shear number of people in pakistan which renders us so distant from the plight of our fellow humans?
I read the book sitting in Manama airport waiting for my connecting flight to Islamabad. As we were hauled into buses to be taken to our plane I was impressed with the extraordinary chivalry exhibited to women passengers travelling with us as men willingly vacated seats whenever they saw them standing, a situation oxymoron to the complete indifference to the plight of the hundreds of innocent languishing in jails. Isabel records her own distance to the PI tragedy when she goes to condole on the death of his wife and son. Maybe its the shear number of people in pakistan which renders us so distant from the plight of our fellow humans?
March 23, 2019
An excellent expose into the shambles of the Pakistani legal system. This book confirmed what I knew about Pakistani police; corrupt and amoral, and verified what the world already knows about the Pakistani concept of rule of law. An ideal enshrined within the constitution of all democracies is in reality a farce. Nothing evidences this more clearly that the invocation of the blasphemy law in Pakistan. A law whose practice is in itself antithetical to the principles of Islam. A law that requires no evidence of intent and its corollary, the death sentence, seems to dispense with the need for any proof.
An important fact that I learnt having read this book; is that it is not just Pakistan that can make a travesty of laws. America is no less culpable. As is manifest by the treatment of prisoners in Baigram and the very existence of Gautanomo.
The book is worth buying and reading for just chapter 10, in which the author delivers a salient and damming indictment of Pakistan's blasphemy law. A law that in her own words: 'Bears little resemblance to the blasphemy law of any school of Sharia jurisprudence.' As such those convicted of blasphemy have no evidentiary protection of Sharia laws. Blasphemy laws seem to have a life of their own in Pakistan. They are outside the control of the courts and seem able to manipulate the murderous intentions of the masses.
The most harrowing conclusion the author makes is 'That those convicted of blasphemy are at high risk of being killed by the country's most passionate supporters of the law, poisoned to death in jails, stabbed to death in hospitals, or tortured to death by police, shot dead outside courtrooms, or mauled to death by mobs.'
I wish Allama Iqbal could read this book and rue the grim reality of poetic notion of Pakistan being a homeland for the Muslims.
An important fact that I learnt having read this book; is that it is not just Pakistan that can make a travesty of laws. America is no less culpable. As is manifest by the treatment of prisoners in Baigram and the very existence of Gautanomo.
The book is worth buying and reading for just chapter 10, in which the author delivers a salient and damming indictment of Pakistan's blasphemy law. A law that in her own words: 'Bears little resemblance to the blasphemy law of any school of Sharia jurisprudence.' As such those convicted of blasphemy have no evidentiary protection of Sharia laws. Blasphemy laws seem to have a life of their own in Pakistan. They are outside the control of the courts and seem able to manipulate the murderous intentions of the masses.
The most harrowing conclusion the author makes is 'That those convicted of blasphemy are at high risk of being killed by the country's most passionate supporters of the law, poisoned to death in jails, stabbed to death in hospitals, or tortured to death by police, shot dead outside courtrooms, or mauled to death by mobs.'
I wish Allama Iqbal could read this book and rue the grim reality of poetic notion of Pakistan being a homeland for the Muslims.
April 5, 2020
Great selection of cases from Pakistan’s death row. The structure is a bit messy but the writing is decently clear given the complexity and foreignness of the Pakistani legal system. The last chapter is brilliant. Insightful discussion on international law. However, this is definitely a personal account/opinion led book.
November 5, 2024
The book's goal is good, however it is written in a very chaotic way, you can easily get lost in the details.
September 16, 2016
Isabel Buchanan with this book just might have provided a small light of hope and inspiration to many pakistani locals who are concerned about their country. The book provides all the knowledge of controversial blasphemy law, inner workings of courtrooms in pakistan but better yet, how to get things done when all looks bleak. The storytelling is very well structured. I call it a must read for the locals.
January 29, 2017
Trials by Isabel Buchanan is a very important book, chronicles her time as a law internee in Pakistan. She works with a young Pakistani female social entrepreneur, Sarah Belal, who boldly saves innocent Pakistanis on death row. I also recommend watching TEDx talk by Sarah Belal (can be found on YouTube). It is a well written book with true heart breaking stories of prisoners on death row. The book exposes unjust laws and construes how they were formulated under the influence of dictators.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews