THE DEATH PENALTY IN THE ARAB WORLD: THE ANNUAL REPORT BY ACHRS
We have the pleasure of releasing our 3rd annual report on the Death Penalty in the Arab world.
ACHRS opposes and actively campaigns against the death penalty in all cases and wherever it is used. It considers the death penalty a violation of the right to life and the ultimate form of inhuman, cruel and degrading punishment.
This report demonstrates again our commitment to this field.
The report provides a brief overview on the death penalty in 2008, general information about capital punishment in the Arab world and detailed information about the 21 Arab countries.
2008 saw both positive and negative developments concerning the death penalty in the Arab world.
First of all, there was a constant decrease in the number of executions in the Arab world in the last years, with some exceptions: Bahrain, Egypt, Libya and the UAE didn’t carried out executions in 2007 but resorted to the use of the death penalty in 2008; in Iraq and Yemen the number of executions in 2008 was higher than the year before.
Another positive development concerns the Arab countries’ votes at the UN General Assembly on moratorium on the death penalty: Bahrain, Jordan, Mauritania and Oman had voted against the Resolution in 2007 and abstained in 2008; Somalia had voted against in 2007 and in favour in 2008.
As for the previous annual reports, we highlight the lack of reliable and transparent information about the death penalty application in the Arab countries. We call for openness about the number of sentences and executions carried out by states, following the principles of accountability and transparency.
ACHRS hopes that civil society can significantly contribute to the promotion of a culture of human rights and to move towards abolition of the death penalty in the Arab countries and worldwide.
