UN RIGHTS CHIEF CONDEMNS MULTIPLE EXECUTIONS IN IRAQI AS ‘OBSCENE’

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From: UNNews <UNNews@un.org>
Date: 19 Apr 2013 13:00:00 -0400
Subject: UN RIGHTS CHIEF CONDEMNS MULTIPLE EXECUTIONS IN IRAQI AS 'OBSCENE'
To: news11@ny-mail-p-lb-028.ptc.un.org

UN RIGHTS CHIEF CONDEMNS MULTIPLE EXECUTIONS IN IRAQI AS 'OBSCENE'New
York, Apr 19 2013 1:00PMThe United Nations human rights chief today
<"http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=13253&LangID=E">condemned
the rampant use of the death penalty by the Iraqi Government, which
executed 21 people earlier this week, stressing the country's justice
system is still not functioning adequately and should not carry out
capital punishment at all.

The High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay described the Iraqi
justice system as "too seriously flawed to warrant even a limited
application of the death penalty, let alone dozens of executions at a
time."

The Government has executed 33 individuals in the past month, and the
ministry of justice announced that a further 150 people may be
executed in the coming days. A total of 1,400 people are believed to
be currently on death row, and 129 people were executed in 2012 alone.

"Executing people in batches like this is obscene," Ms. Pillay said.
"It is like processing animals in a slaughterhouse. The criminal
justice system in Iraq is still not functioning adequately, with
numerous convictions based on confessions obtained under torture and
ill-treatment, a weak judiciary and trial proceedings that fall short
of international standards. The application of the death penalty in
these circumstances is unconscionable, as any miscarriage of justice
as a result of capital punishment cannot be undone."

The Government maintains that it only executes individuals who have
committed terrorist acts or other serious crimes against civilians,
and have been convicted under an anti-terrorism law passed in 2005.
However, Ms. Pillay expressed concern about one of the articles of the
law, which broadens the scope of terrorism-related acts.

Ms. Pillay called on the Government "to halt executions, conduct a
credible and independent review of all death row cases and disclose
information on the number and identity of death row prisoners, the
charges and judicial proceedings brought against them, and the outcome
of the review of their cases."

Prisoners convicted on terrorism-related charges are apparently unable
to exercise the right to seek pardon or commutation of their
sentences, as prescribed in the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights, and Ms. Pillay noted that the presidential authority
to pardon or commute death sentences is hardly ever exercised.

"I am the first to argue there must never be impunity for serious
crimes. But at least if someone is jailed for life, and it is
subsequently discovered there was a miscarriage of justice, he or she
can be released and compensated," she said.

Ms. Pillay said she was pleased that one part of Iraq – the Kurdistan
Region – is already upholding an unofficial moratorium on the death
penalty, and urged the central Government to follow suit and heed the
repeated calls by the international community to establish a
moratorium on all executions with a view to abolish the death penalty
in accordance with repeated UN General Assembly resolutions. She added
that around 150 countries have now either abolished the death penalty
in law or in practice, or introduced a moratorium.Apr 19 2013 1:00PM
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