IRAQ: AI criticises reinstatement of death penalty

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

ANKARA, 12 Aug 2004 (IRIN) - Amnesty International (AI) has criticised the Iraqi interim government's recent decision to reinstate the death penalty, saying it will do nothing to restore security in the country.

"Amnesty does not believe that the death penalty can stop violent crime and there are studies to prove this," a spokesman for AI in London, James Dyson, told IRIN on Thursday.

"The death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. It violates the right to life. It is irrevocable and can be inflicted on the innocent," he added.

While acknowledging the deteriorating security situation in the country, along with the responsibility of the Iraqi interim government to protect its people, AI said the introduction of the death penalty was not an appropriate response. "What we do call for is a proper investigation of abuses and a fair trial to bring people to justice," he added.

AI, which works for an end to executions worldwide, has urged the interim Iraqi authority on frequent occasions not to reinstate the death penalty and to consider abolishing it on a permanent basis.

"There are signs that some Iraqi ministers may be reconsidering the move, but we have had no concrete response from them yet," Dyson said.

If the interim government of Iraq resumes executions, it will be moving sharply against the global trend towards the abolition of the death penalty, according to AI. Over half the countries in the world have now abolished it in law or practice. In the past decade, more than three countries a year on average have abolished it for all crimes.

Iraqi government officials made the announcement last Sunday, stating that capital punishment would be reinstated for a range of crimes including, murder, drug trafficking and endangering national security. Under the former regime of Saddam Hussein, executions were carried out for a wide range of misdemeanours, including opposing the regime.

The Iraqi government is standing by its decision, saying that the death penalty is needed due to present circumstances in the country and that it will only apply to particular crimes.

“A lot of people feel in these exceptional times that the death penalty will stop criminals from carrying out their activities,” Sabah Kadim, spokesman for Iraq interior minister, told IRIN in Baghdad on Thursday. “But we’re offering the stick and carrot approach to these people. If they come back into society, we will not prosecute them. We are confident that the majority of Iraqis want peace,” he added.

The move came as security incidents including kidnappings of foreigners, attacks against high-ranking Iraqi officials and insurgency within the country continue to rise.

[ENDS]