UN chief calls on States to abolish death penalty

3 July 2012 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on Member States which use the death penalty to abolish this practice, stressing that the right to life lies at the heart of international human rights law.

“The taking of life is too absolute, too irreversible, for one human being to inflict on another, even when backed by legal process,” Mr. Ban told a panel organized by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on ‘Moving away from the death penalty – Lessons from national experiences’ at UN Headquarters in New York.

“Where the death penalty persists, conditions for those awaiting execution are often horrifying, leading to aggravated suffering,” he added.

In 2007, the General Assembly endorsed a call for a worldwide moratorium of the death penalty. Since then, the practice has been abolished by countries like Argentina, Burundi, Gabon, Latvia, Togo and Uzbekistan. More than 150 States have either abolished the death penalty or do not practice it.

However, Mr. Ban noted, the death penalty is still used for a wide range of crimes in various countries. In particular, he expressed concern that 32 States retain the death penalty for drug-related offences, and its use on juvenile offenders.

“I am also very concerned that some countries still allow juvenile offenders under the age of 18 at the time of the alleged offence to be sentenced to death and executed,” Mr. Ban said. “The call by the General Assembly for a global moratorium is a crucial stepping stone in the natural progression towards a full worldwide abolition of the death penalty.”

The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, has also repeatedly called for the universal abolition of the death penalty, citing a host of reasons ranging from the fundamental right to life to the possibility of judicial errors.

In addition, Mr. Ban’s Guidance Note of 2008 on the UN Approach to Rule of Law Assistance stated that the UN will not establish or directly participate in any tribunal that allows for capital punishment.

Source: UN News, July 3, 2012

World Day against the Death Penalty: the President of the European Parliament

World Day against the Death Penalty

Brussels -

Monday 10/10/2011

World Day against the Death Penalty (Brussels ).

Marking today the World Day against the Death Penalty, the President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek stated:

"The opposition to capital punishment underpins our European values.

Even the best justice system is subject to human errors, and these mistakes can only become evident with time and through judicial reviews.

But our opposition to capital punishment is even more fundamental: it is anchored in the belief that no justice is ever achieved when the state takes away the life of its own citizen. Whether we look at deterrence, punishment or redress, there is no justification for the death penalty. It is the ultimate cruel and inhumane punishment.

I remain extremely worried about the case of Yousef Nadarkhani in Iran who may still face the death penalty. Any punishment in his case would be unjustified.

I was greatly saddened by the case of Troy Davis in the US, which strongly symbolises all the reservations of the abolitionist movement worldwide. The EU and especially the European Parliament will always stay vigilant: from China to Iran, from Bahrain to Yemen, we will keep pressure on governments and raise awareness among civil society about the ills of capital punishment.

On this note, I would like to praise the government of Gabon, which abolished the death penalty in 2010. I reiterate our appeal to every country still applying the death penalty to abolish it or establish, pending its abolition, a moratorium on executions and death sentences."

Source: The President of the European Parliament, October 10, 2011

Benin closer to abolishing the death penalty

Benin has committed to abolition of the death penalty in recent years

Benin has taken an important step towards abolishing the death penalty after the country’s National Assembly yesterday voted in favour of ratifying an international treaty banning capital punishment.

Benin would be the 74th state worldwide to join the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which calls for the death penalty to be abolished.

“The Beninese authorities should be commended for this important step that would bring their criminal justice system in line with the global trend to outlaw this cruel punishment,” said Véronique Aubert, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Africa.

“Benin’s President Boni Yayi must act swiftly to finalize Benin’s ratification of the Optional Protocol and Benin’s example must be followed by neighbouring West African countries who have yet to abolish the death penalty,” said Véronique Aubert.

While Benin’s penal code has allowed for the death penalty to be handed down for various offences, Beninese authorities have not executed anyone for more than 2 decades.

To Amnesty International’s knowledge, the last executions in Benin took place in September 1987, when 2 people were shot after receiving death sentences for ritual murder. The previous year, six people had been executed by shooting after being convicted of armed robbery and murder. The last death sentence was handed down in 2010 to a woman sentenced in absentia for murder.

At least 14 people are currently on death row in Benin’s prisons.

Benin joins other countries in moving towards the abolition of the death penalty in Africa. To date, 16 African countries have abolished the death penalty for all crimes, including three – Burundi, Togo and Gabon – in the last 2 years.

Despite these important advances, work remains to be done to abolish the death penalty worldwide.

In 2010, 23 countries carried out executions and 67 imposed new death sentences. Among the methods of execution used were beheading, electrocution, hanging, lethal injection and shooting.

“The death penalty is the ultimate cruel and inhumane punishment, and should never be used by any state under any circumstances,” said Véronique Aubert.

“Those countries that still execute offenders are increasingly isolated as they battle against the changing tide of global public opinion and legal practice on the death penalty.”

Source: Amnesty International, August 20, 2011