Web pages about "Death Penalty"

Tireless witness to state killing

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:08:06 +0000

“When I walked out of the execution chamber, I had just watched a man electrocuted to death. He looked at my face before they killed him. The cold protocol that all the guards followed shocked me. I came outside the prison into the dark and vomited."

Sister Helen Prejean’s remarkable life has had many turning points, none greater than early on the morning on 5 April 1984, when she witnessed the execution of a man who had become her friend.

It was a defining moment for Sister Prejean, whose life was changed forever when in the early 1980s she went to live among poor African Americans in New Orleans. She left a comfortable middle-class life in the suburbs to discover “another America, one which my eyes had been blind to”. She remembers vividly her shock at seeing so much poverty, injustice and police abuse.

Soon afterwards, she became a pen pal to Patrick Sonnier, who was on death row. The letters soon became visits, and two and a half years later came the moment from which there was no turning back – being with Patrick Sonnier when he was executed.

“It just took my life and turned it inside out. I had been a witness to a state killing so I had to tell the story. I also became involved with the victim’s family and saw their suffering and how the death penalty had nothing to do with their healing. If anything, it prolonged their waiting for this illusory healing, which was supposed to come to them by sitting on the front row and watching Patrick die.”

Her involvement with Patrick Sonnier turned Sister Prejean into a formidable opponent of capital punishment. She translated her experiences into a Pulitzer Prize winning book, Dead Man Walking, which then formed the basis of the film written and directed by Tim Robbins.

Sister Prejean also took on, with considerable success, two of the world’s most powerful institutions – the Roman Catholic Church and the US state ¬– and shows no signs of relaxing. Now approaching her 70th birthday, she is still tirelessly campaigning around the world to end capital punishment. She gives around 100 talks a year and continues to visit men and women on death row.

Sister Prejean talks passionately about the many levels of injustice she believes are associated with capital punishment – the racism, the scapegoating of the poor, the damage it does to those who administer it and to society at large, the killing of innocent people and the robbing human beings of their dignity.

“There is no dignity in killing a defenceless person,” she says. “This was the heart of my dialogue with Pope John Paul in 1997. I said that Amnesty International has a principled stand, no exceptions, but the Catholic Church doesn’t. I showed him where he had left a loophole for the death penalty - in his encyclical called The gospel of life - ‘in cases of absolute necessity’. I said to him that you can’t leave it up to governments because they’ll always say it’s absolutely necessary.

“When the Pope came to St Louis in 1999, for the first time he put the death penalty along with all the other pro-life issues. He said no to the death penalty because it is cruel, and unnecessary because we have prisons, and then he added that 'even those among us who have done a terrible crime have a dignity’.

“So our task is to teach people, now we’ve got the policy straight!” says Sister Prejean. “There are 65 million Catholics in the USA. The states that have the most Catholics in them are the states that use the death penalty the least. We can end the death penalty by mobilizing the 65 million Catholics.”

She says Amnesty International taught her that human rights are inalienable, that they are not given by governments to people for good behaviour and cannot be taken away from them for bad behaviour.
“Amnesty became my teacher – far quicker than my own Catholic church, which [at that point] had a compromised position on the death penalty. Amnesty has also taught me about spirit and about how you organize people, and how you go about educating people.”

One of the main lessons Sister Prejean learned was to begin with simple methods. “Write a letter to someone," she suggests. "If we let that rose fully unfurl it will change our whole life because it is about standing up for the dignity of each person. It is not so much they [the prisoners on death row] who need to be changed. It is us. It will teach us we have one life – and it counts. We’ve got to do essential things, not trivial things.”

UN reinforces call to end executions

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 18:16:39 +0000

A record number of countries have given their support to the campaign to end capital punishment.

On Thursday, a large majority of states from all regions adopted a second United Nations resolution calling for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty.

Amnesty International has welcomed the breakthrough for the resolution, which was adopted in the UN General Assembly (Third Committee). The number of co-sponsors has risen to 89, two more than last year.

The increased support for this resolution is yet further evidence of the worldwide trend towards the abolition of the death penalty.

105 countries voted in favour of the draft resolution, 48 voted against and 31 abstained. A range of amendments proposed by a small minority of pro-death penalty countries were overwhelmingly defeated.
“We urge all states that still carry out executions to take immediate steps to implement the resolution and establish a moratorium on executions," says Amnesty International's Yvonne Terlingen,

137 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice, as of November 2008. During 2007, at least 1,252 people were executed in 24 countries. At least 3,347 people were sentenced to death in 51 countries.

The decrease in countries carrying out executions is dramatic. In 1989, executions were carried out in 100 states. In 2007, Amnesty International recorded executions in 24 countries.

The draft resolution adopted on Thursday by the Third Committee of the General Assembly has still to be adopted by the General Assembly sitting in plenary in December.

UN General Assembly reinforces call for moratorium on executions

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 19:48:20 +0000

Amnesty International welcomes today’s adoption by the General Assembly’s Third Committee of a second resolution calling for a worldwide moratorium on the use of the death penalty. More countries voted for the resolution and less voted against it this year compared to last year, and the resolution attracted more co-sponsors.

“The increased support for this year’s resolution is very important. It demonstrates once again that the world is on a steady path towards abolishing the death penalty,” said Yvonne Terlingen, Head of Amnesty International’s Office at the UN.

It is significant that in the League of Arab States one country voted in favour, ten abstained or were absent and ten voted against. This is a remarkably better result than last year (when one country voted in favour, five abstained or were absent, and 15 voted against the resolution. Compared to last year, no less than five countries in the League changed their position from voting against to abstaining or being absent. In total 105 countries voted in favour of the resolution, 48 against and 31 abstained. (Last year’s figures were 104 – 54 -29) 89 countries co-sponsored the resolution, two more than last year. A range of amendments proposed by a small minority of pro death penalty countries were all, overwhelmingly, defeated.

“We applaud those states that have imposed a moratorium or taken steps to restrict the death penalty. We urge all states that still carry out executions, including Japan that actually increased the rate of executions last year, to take immediate steps to implement the resolution and establish a moratorium on executions,” said Yvonne Terlingen.

Background information

Amnesty International opposes the death penalty because it is irrevocable and there is always a chance that innocent men and women will be executed in any country that maintains this punishment. The death penalty is inherently arbitrary and discriminates against those who are poor, marginalized or belong to minority communities.

137 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice, as of November 2008. During 2007, at least 1,252 people were executed in 24 countries. At least 3,347 people were sentenced to death in 51 countries. [http://www.amnesty.org/en/death-penalty]

The decrease in countries carrying out executions is dramatic. In 1989, executions were carried out in 100 states. In 2007 Amnesty International recorded executions in 24 countries.

In December 2007 the UN General Assembly adopted its first resolution “Moratorium on the use of the death penalty” (62/149), reaffirming the UN’s commitment towards abolition of the death penalty. That resolution was adopted by 104 votes in favour, 54 against and 29 abstentions.

To coincide with the death penalty debate Amnesty International organized a panel discussion with judges and prosecutors from Japan, Jordan, Nigeria and the USA. The panellists told UN delegates why judicial systems, even the most developed ones, fail to prevent fatal mistakes in death penalty cases and why they now oppose the death penalty.
[http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/ACT50/018/2008/en]

For further information contact Yvonne Terlingen
Head of Amnesty International Office at the United Nations
Telephone: + 1212 867 8878 ext. 2
Mobile: + 1917 406 1185

Majority support expected in UN vote on death penalty moratorium

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:25:08 +0000

A large majority of states from all regions are expected to back a second resolution by the UN General Assembly (Third Committee) on Thursday, calling for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty.

The draft resolution to be voted on reaffirms resolution 62/149 of 18 December 2007, "Moratorium on the use of the death penalty". It welcomes the decisions taken by an increasing number of States to apply a moratorium on executions and the global trend towards the abolition of the death penalty.

It also welcomes the report of the UN Secretary-General on the implementation of
resolution 62/149; and requests the Secretary-General to provide a report on progress made in the implementation of both resolutions to the UN General Assembly in 2010 (65th session).

The General Assembly is expected to endorse the decision in a plenary session in December.

One-hundred-and-thirty-seven countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice. During 2007, at least 1,252 people were executed in 24 countries. At least 3,347 people were sentenced to death in 51 countries.

Afghanistan moves towards a wide use of executions

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:41:27 +0000

The Afghan government executed nine people last week. The move follows reports that President Hamid Karzai has recently approved death sentences for at least 111 people on death row in Afghanistan.

It is widely thought that, by approving these executions, President Karzai is trying to bolster his popularity among the Afghan people, who increasingly complain of rising criminality and the government's failure to impose the rule of law.

These latest executions are the first since October 2007, when the government executed 15 people. They signal a potential change back to the times of Taliban rule when the death penalty was widely used.

"This may be just the beginning of a campaign by some authorities to reintroduce the harsh policies of the Taliban," said Sam Zarifi Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific director. "The Afghan government has a right and responsibility to bring to justice those suspected of criminal offences, but for justice to prevail, the proceedings must meet basic international standards of fairness and comply with human rights standards. The death penalty constitutes the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment"

The death penalty is handed down in Afghanistan for crimes such as kidnapping, murder and rape. However, the majority of court proceedings are marred by serious substantive and procedural irregularities, such as the failure of police and the judiciary to investigate cases properly, political interference in the investigative and judicial processes, and lack of access for detainees to a defence lawyer.

According to Afghan law, all death sentences have to be endorsed by three courts (primary, appeal and Supreme Court) before they go to the president who has to sign the execution order, or pardon those accused.

The Taliban used the death penalty until the end of their rule in 2001. After they fell from power the new government observed a self-imposed moratorium that ended three years later with the execution of Abdullah Shah in April 2004.

"The sudden rush in executions is of serious concern, given that Afghanistan's fledgling justice system is largely incapable of providing fair and sound trials," said Sam Zarifi. "The authorities should impose an immediate moratorium on all executions in Afghanistan, with a view to abolishing the use of this horrific punishment."

President Karzai recently said in a public address that he would not bow to pressure on his government from the international community or human rights organizations to end the use of the death penalty.

"We call on President Karzai to publicly reaffirm the commitment given by his Chief of Staff to Amnesty International in 2003 that there would be a moratorium on executions while judicial reform is carried out," said Sam Zarifi.

Afghanistan: Stop Move Toward Wide Use of Executions

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:04:18 +0000

The Afghan government must immediately repeal the death sentences against 111 people who are on death row, Amnesty International said today, following reports of the execution of nine people since last week, which may signal further executions ahead.

"The sudden rush in executions is of serious concern, given that Afghanistan's fledgling justice system is largely incapable of providing fair and sound trials," said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific director. "The authorities should impose an immediate moratorium on all executions in Afghanistan, with a view to abolishing the use of this horrific punishment."

Death sentences for at least 111 people have been recently approved by President Hamid Karzai, who signs the final execution orders. This move is widely seen as an effort by President Karzai to bolster his popularity among the Afghan people who increasingly complain of rising criminality and the government’s failure to impose the rule of law.

“There is no evidence that the death penalty has a deterrent effect on crime anywhere in the world, and particularly not in Afghanistan,” Sam Zarifi said. “If President Karzai is serious about sending a message about ending criminality and extending the rule of law, he should begin by dealing with the higher levels of government people facing credible allegations of serious human rights abuses and engaging in criminal enterprises, as well as Afghanistan’s massive narcotics business.”

These latest executions are the first since October 2007, when the government executed 15 people.

The death penalty was widely used by the Taliban during their rule which ended in 2001, but after they fell from power the new government observed a self-imposed moratorium which ended three years later with the execution of Abdullah Shah in April 2004. According to Afghan law, all death sentences have to be endorsed by three courts (primary, appeal and Supreme Court) before they go to the president who has to sign the execution order, or pardon those accused.

"This may be just the beginning of a campaign by some authorities to reintroduce the harsh policies of the Taliban," said Sam Zarifi. "The Afghan government has a right and responsibility to bring to justice those suspected of criminal offences, but for justice to prevail, the proceedings must meet basic international standards of fairness and comply with human rights standards. The death penalty constitutes the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment”

The death penalty is handed down in Afghanistan for crimes such as kidnapping, murder and rape. However, the majority of court proceedings are marred by serious substantive and procedural irregularities, such as the failure of police and the judiciary to investigate cases properly, political interference in the investigative and judicial processes, and lack of access for detainees to a defence lawyer.

President Karzai recently said in a public address that he would not bow to pressure on his government from the international community or human rights organizations to end the use of the death penalty.

"We call on President Karzai to publicly reaffirm the commitment given by his Chief of Staff to Amnesty International in 2003 that there would be a moratorium on executions while judicial reform is carried out," said Sam Zarifi.

Death penalty in Viet Nam – proposed reforms a welcome step towards abolition

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 11:18:24 +0000

A former treasurer of a local post office in the Bac Lieu province of Viet Nam is facing a death sentence on charges of embezzlement. Tang Thi Ba was sentenced to death on 29 May on for embezzling 15 billion Vietnamese dong (just over US$900,000). She had been arrested in December 2006 and admitted the charges in court.

The prosecutors sought a life sentence, but the court sentenced her to death because of the amount of money involved. On 29 August, the court of appeals upheld Tang Thi Ba’s death sentence. Her final recourse is now appealing to the President for commutation of the sentence.

The death penalty may be imposed for 29 offences in Viet Nam’s Penal Code. These offences include economic crimes, such as fraud, embezzlement, smuggling, counterfeiting and offering bribes; manufacturing, concealing and trafficking in narcotic substances.

According to media reports Viet Nam has executed at least three people this year, and at least 28 people have been sentenced to death. However, executions are rarely reported and the actual number is believed to be much higher. In 2007, more than 25 people were executed.

International standards for fair trial are not followed in practice in Viet Nam. Legal counsel is often assigned to defendants at the last minute, allowing little pre-trial preparation. The defence is not always allowed to call or question witnesses, and private consultation with counsel may be limited. In many cases, all the defence counsel can do is plead for clemency.

On 3 November, the government presented amendments on some clauses of the Penal Code. In the amended law, the government proposed to remove the death sentence on offences of embezzlement, bribery and production of fake goods (including fake food, medicine), amongst others, which would reduce the number of capital offences to 12.

According to the government, to fight against corruption effectively, it is important to combine and act on several measures simultaneously instead of meting out a death sentence.

Amnesty International is calling on the Vietnamese authorities to carry out the proposed reforms and introduce a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty

"Viet Nam abstained in December 2007 when the UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution on a moratorium on the use of the death penalty," said Martin Macpherson from Amnesty International. "Amnesty International welcomed the fact that Viet Nam didn't vote against the resolution.

"The resolution expresses deep concern about the application of the death penalty. It calls on states that still maintain it to respect international safeguards guaranteeing the rights of those facing the death penalty, to reduce the number of offences for which the death penalty may be imposed and to establish a moratorium on executions with the view to abolishing the death penalty.

"A second resolution on a moratorium on the use of the death penalty will be introduced at this 63rd session. The resolution will be put to a vote at the Third Committee around 18 November. Amnesty International calls on Viet Nam to join with the majority of countries in the world in voting in favour of a moratorium."

Indonesia: Make today's executions the last

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 19:38:54 +0000

Today's execution of three people known collectively as the “Bali Bombers” should be the last time Indonesian authorities use the death penalty, said Amnesty International.

The three, Amrozi bin H. Nurhasyim, Ali Ghufron, alias Mukhlas, and Imam Samudera, were convicted of involvement in the 12 October 2002 bombings on the island of Bali, which killed 202 people and injured a further 209.

“The Bali Bombers perpetrated a horrific atrocity,” said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific director. “But to continue the cycle of violence through state sanctioned killings is to answer the violation of human rights with further violations.”

"Amnesty International expresses its sympathy for the victims of violence and their loved ones who suffered a great loss. The organization recognises the need for all who committed crimes to be brought to justice but points out that there is no clear evidence that the death penalty is an effective deterrent."

These executions bring the total number of people executed in Indonesia since 26 June to ten. Prior to that, only one person was executed in 2007, compared to 11 in the last decade.

The rise in the number of executions flies in the face of UN General Assembly Resolution 62/149 of December 18 2007, which calls for a moratorium on executions, and runs counter to the global trend away from the use of the death penalty.

Amnesty International called on Indonesia to immediately cease all executions and follow the example of the 137 nations that have already abolished the death penalty in law or practice.

“The executions of the Bali bombers may create martyrs whose memory risks increasing support and recruitment to their cause” said Sam Zarifi. “There is no reliable evidence that the executions will deter further criminal acts”.

Indonesia resumed executions on 26 June 2008 after a 14 month hiatus. At least 107 people are believed to be under sentence of death in Indonesia. At least 5 of them were sentenced to death for acts of terrorism.

President-elect Obama: 100 days to demonstrate commitment to human rights

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 17:31:44 +0000

The election of Barack Obama to the US presidency opens new opportunities for an end to the seven-year assault on human rights by the US administration.

Amnesty International urged US President-elect Obama to make human rights central to his new administration on Wednesday. The organization is calling for certain concrete steps in his first 100 days in office that would demonstrate a genuine commitment to bringing the USA into line with its international obligations.

The new president will have the authority to rectify some of the unlawful policies and practices adopted during his predecessor’s term in office in the name of counter-terrorism and national security.

Counter terror with justice: a human rights challenge

In the first 100 days, Amnesty International is calling on the new administration to:

announce a plan and date to close Guantánamo;
issue an executive order to ban torture and other ill-treatment, as defined under international law;
ensure that an independent commission to investigate abuses committed by the US government in its “war on terror” is set up.

These demands are part of a “checklist” of actions Amnesty International is asking the new US President to take during the first 100 days in office.

Promoting human rights at home and abroad

Amnesty International has numerous human rights concerns in relation to the USA. The organization is seeking a meeting with President-elect Obama to discuss how the USA will take forward policies that will advance internationally recognized human rights both at home and abroad.

Take action

Call on President-elect Barack Obama to demonstrate a commitment to human rights in his first 100 days in office.

Bali bombers to face firing squad

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:07:33 +0000

Three men convicted of involvement in the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings, which killed 202 people and injured a further 209, are to be executed in early November. The announcement was made by a spokesman for the Indonesian Attorney General's office on 24 October.

Amrozi bin H Nurhasyim, his brother Ali Ghufron and Imam Samudera, were sentenced to death by the Denpasar District Court in 2003. They were convicted for their part in three bombs which exploded in two nightclubs on the Indonesian island on 12 October 2002. The majority of the dead and injured were tourists.

Some time in November, officials from the Indonesian government will take the three men from their cells in Nusakambangan prison, to a field, where they will be blindfolded, placed before a firing squad and shot through the heart.

In the past few months Indonesia has moved away from the global trend towards abolition of the death penalty and has stepped up the number of executions. Up until June 2008, Indonesia had executed just 11 people in the last decade. The execution of the Bali bombers will bring the number of executions in the last six months to 10. At least a further 107 people are believed to be on death row.

The rise in the number of executions flies in the face of the UN General Assembly Resolution 62/149 of 18 December 2007, which calls for a moratorium on executions. The death sentences of Amrozi, Ghufron and Samudera also violate Article 15 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ratified by Indonesia in 2006) as well as the Indonesian Constitution – both of which ban the retroactive application of criminal laws. The three were tried and sentenced to death under the Law on Combating Criminal Acts of Terrorism, brought into force after the 2002 bombings. Nevertheless the Indonesian Supreme Court rejected the three men's appeal on these grounds in 2007.

Heads of state of abolitionist countries within the region, including Timor-Leste and New Zealand (which lost citizens in the bombings), have publically stated their opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances, specifically including the case of the Bali bombers. Other states in the region yet to take such a principled stand include Australia, which has abolished the death penalty.

While the Bali attacks were a horrific atrocity, Amnesty International firmly believes that to continue the cycle of violence through state sanctioned killing will not bring redress for the victims, and furthermore answers the violation of human rights with further violations.

The organization says that there is no reliable evidence that the death penalty deters future criminal acts, and in this particular case, the executions may only serve to perpetuate such atrocities. There is a serious risk that the executions will turn the bombers from murderers to martyrs, whose memories will be used to increase support and recruitment to their cause. As the executions approach, the three men themselves have made very public calls for their supporters to seek retribution for their deaths.

Amnesty International says that the death penalty is the ultimate denial of human rights. It is the premeditated and cold-blooded killing of a human being by the state. It is a cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment that violates the right to life as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception regardless of the nature of the crime, the characteristics of the offender, or the method used by the state to kill the prisoner. The organization calls on Indonesia to draw a line under its policy of escalating executions and to establish an immediate moratorium with a view to abolition. The sentences of people awaiting execution on death row should be commuted without exception.