Arab coalitions against the death penalty calls on Arab countries to respect the right to survival and to freeze the death penalty to arrive at abolishing it

Press release

The tenth of October this year brings memories of the Arab spring that started from Tunisia ten months ago, both Arab and international action continues to abolish the death penalty, and freeze its force till the year 2015 when it should be abolished, as an indicator of least faith in the human right to life, this life given by the Creator to human beings of different peoples and tribes, and only Him, may suspend the right to survive.

The undersigned Arab coalitions against death penalty note the growing circle of defenders of the right to life, and advocates for the need to purify Arab legislations from dozens of items that include the death penalty in national laws in various Arab countries, activists for the humanization of criminal justice in line with the provisions and the spirit of the International Bill of Human Rights.

There is no doubt that the movements, protests, and social revolutions which call for freedom, justice, dignity and equality of citizens, respect for the human rights, building of civil society on the principle that people are the source of powers, non-discrimination among citizens, the rule of law, good governance, the separation of powers, and other things that we see in many Arab countries, and all this opens a wide door for Arab coalitions against the death penalty in various Arab countries, each according to the level of success of these movements and social revolutions, to activate the demands to halt the death penalty and to move towards abolishing it from the texts and spirit of legislation.

In this context, Arab coalitions against the death penalty renew their demands in the following points:

1 – Join and ratify the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, concerning abolition of the death penalty.

2 – Values ​​the continued freezing of the implementation of the death penalty practiced by some Arab countries such as Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Jordan and others.

3 – Continue the approach to reduce the use of the death penalty, especially with political opponents, as is the case in Iraq and Bahrain, to arrive at its cancellation from Arab laws.

4 – Continue the penal reform method , including the adoption of alternatives to the penalty of deprivation of freedom.

5 – Cancel the article which permits the execution of minors in the Arab Charter of Human Rights.

6 – Appeals to Arab governments that continue to implement the policy of the death penalty, the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in particular, to stop the death penalty for the hundreds convicted (including more than 150 Syrians, and 29 Jordanians) and replace that with other penalties.

7 – Calls upon institutions of national justice in Arab countries that had been, or still are, witnessing protests and popular revolts, especially in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen, Libya, and Syria, not to let any of the officials who killed or wounded any of the citizens who peacefully participate in the protests, marches, and sit-ins to escape punishment.

Coalitions signed:

1 – The Arab Coalition against the death penalty.

2 – Egyptian Coalition against the Death Penalty.

3 – Palestinian Coalition Against the Death Penalty

4 – Jordanian Coalition against the death penalty.

5 – Lebanese Coalition against the death penalty.

6 – Yemeni Coalition against the death penalty.

7 – Iraqi Coalition against the death penalty.

8 – Mauritanian coalition against the death penalty.

9 – Syrian Coalition against the Death Penalty

10 – Kuwaiti Coalition for the International Criminal Court

11 – Bahrain Human Rights Society.

12 – Gulf Forum for civil society institutions

9/11/2011