Joint statement Commemoration of the 16th World Day against the Death Penalty
Press release
9 October 2018
The Jordanian Coalition Against the Death Penalty (JCADP) and the Amman Center for Human Rights Studies (ACHRS) call onto the Government of Jordan to observe a moratorium on the use of the death penalty and to take effective steps towards its gradual abolition in law and practice.
On 10 October 2018, the international community will commemorate the 16th World Day against the Death Penalty. First recognised in 2003, the World Day against the Death Penalty aims at raising awareness about the negative effects of capital punishment and at reaching a global moratorium on the use of the death penalty.
The JCADP and the ACHRS remain opposed to the use of the death penalty under any circumstance and strive to reach a society where the rule of law, sanctity of human life, human rights, and tolerance prevail. The JCADP and the ACHRS consider the death penalty to be contrary to the spirit and letter of the right to life as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The JCADP and the ACHRS are deeply concerned about the resumption of executions in Jordan following an 8-year moratorium between 2006 and 2013. Since 2014, 26 individuals have been executed and more than 120 remain on death row. Reasons given for maintaining the capital punishment and resuming executions in the country, based on political, religious, and regional considerations, are unconvincing.
The JCADP and the ACHRS call onto the Government of Jordan to observe a moratorium on the use of the death penalty and to vote in favour of the United Nations General Assembly’s resolutions in this regard. The JCADP and the ACHRS further call onto the Government of Jordan to take effective steps towards the gradual abolition of the capital punishment in law and practice.
