Ref: 09/2008

Date: 12 March 2008

PCHR Organized 2 Meetings on the Death Penalty in the PNA

PCHR democratic Development Unit has organized 2 new meeting on the death penalty. The first meeting was held on Monday, 10 March 2008 in the offices of the Palestinian Society for Democracy and Law in Rafah. At least 30 individuals representing a number of NGOs in Rafah attended the meeting. The second meeting was held on Wednesday, 12 March 2008, in cooperation with Sharek Youth Forum in Gaza City. At least 30 students and graduates of al-Azhar University in Gaza and a number of civil society activists attended the meeting.

The two meetings are part of a series of activities carried out by PCHR in the context of the implementation of a project against the death penalty. Such activities aim at raising the awareness of the public and creating a public opinion calling for the abolishment of the death Penalty from Palestinian laws in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). They further seek to exert pressure to stop extra-judicial execution carried out by Israeli Occupation Forces against Palestinians in the OPT.

The meetings discussed an escalating international trend towards the abolishment of the death penalty from domestic laws, since it constitutes a violation of the right to life and a form of cruel and inhuman punishment. On 18 December 2007, the United Nations Assembly issued a resolution calling to stopping the use of the death penalty as a prelude to completely abolish this severe penalty.

During the meetings, discussions were opened among the participants who were divided between support and opposition for the death penalty.