ACHRS Hosts Meeting On Death Penalty Conference

On Tuesday 31st January 2023, ACHRS hosted the meeting between the ECPM (Together Against The Death Penalty) ‎and the Jordan Coalition Against the Death Penalty (JCADP). ‎Raphaël Chenuil-Hazan, the ECPM executive director, Nicolas Perron, the ECPM program director, led the meeting along with the board members of the JCADP headed by Dr. Hamdi Murad, the president of the coalition.

The executive director, Raphaël Chenuil-Hazan, revealed that the ECPM wants to host the Fourth Regional Congress Against the Death Penalty in the Middle East, specifically in Amman, Jordan.

Chenuil-Hazan explained the possible benefits of the conference for the region. The conference would be beneficial to strengthen civil society in Jordan as the space for civil society activism is shrinking. Amman would be an appropriate place for the congress thanks to its geographical location and the presence of strong abolitionist forces such as King Abdullah II.

Furthermore, Jordan is surrounded by countries with high execution rates such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Syria. Therefore, bringing the congress to Amman could help to open the discussion about the abolition of the death penalty in Jordan and the wider region.

The ECPM expressed interest in a comparative approach to assess the similarities and differences between the Middle East countries concerning the death penalty. The members of the coalition were all in favor of the conference in Amman and provided suggestions and comments for the organization.

The ECPM inquired about the current status of the death penalty in Jordan. The members of the coalition explained that the death penalty is only carried out under pressure of the public. The leadership in Jordan is strongly in favor of abolition. Nevertheless, due to cultural and religious beliefs, the vast majority of the public is in favor of the death penalty, especially in cases of terrorism.

At the end of the meeting, the coalition made plans on how to proceed with the organization of the event. The ECPM stated they are currently trying to gather support from the parliament.

The event will most likely be held in the second week of July. The conference opening will be an important event in which all groups of Jordanian society are represented.

The JCADP is a coalition of civil society ‎organizations with members of varying professions such as journalists, lawyers, academics and ‎judges. The coalition was established in 2007 at the initiative of ACHRS.