Ref: 52/2013

On Wednesday, 14 August 2013, Lawyer Raji
Sourani, Director of the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), sent a
letter to Mr. Ismail Haniya, Prime Minister of the Gaza government, in which he
expressed deep concern over the Gaza government’s intention to execute new
death sentences publicly. 

In the beginning of his letter, Sourani
stressed the Palestinian Authority’s right and duty to combat crimes, including
murders and collaboration with Israeli occupation forces, but he demanded using
penalties that can ensure deterrence of crimes and maintain our humanity and
dignity as a people having a just cause. 
He added that from this perspective, PCHR rejects the application of the
death penalty as it has not proved to be a deterrent to crimes.  Sourani emphasized that the execution of
death sentences before the public constitutes a form of humiliation that
aggravates the cruelty of this inhuman penalty.  

Souarni called on Mr. Haniya to intervene to
stop the application of the death penalty, especially under the current
circumstances facing the Palestinian people under the Israeli occupation and
the Palestinian political split, which require stopping the application of such
irrevocable penalty. 

Sourani further pointed out in his letter that
countries such as China, the United States, Saudi Arabia and Iran, apply this
penalty extensively from various perspectives, but the levels of crimes in
those countries have not decreased.

This letter came in response to recent
statements by officials in Gaza, including that of Dr. Ismail Jaber, the
Attorney General in Gaza, concerning the government’s intention to execute new
death sentences publicly in order to deter crimes in the Gaza Strip.