“This positive development is very encouraging for all of us advocating for the abolition of the death penalty in the region.”
PGA Members from Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia welcome the news that the State of Palestine has deposited on 18 March 2019 the instrument of accession to the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty (ICCPR-OP2). This development follows the signing of the treaty by President Mahmoud Abbas in June 2018.
The ICCPR-OP2 provides that “each State Party shall take all necessary measures to abolish the death penalty within its jurisdiction”, which means that Palestine must now amend its criminal law to remove the capital punishment. It is impossible to withdraw from the ICCPR-OP2, thus making abolition of the death penalty irreversible.
Although Lebanon has not carried out any execution since 2004, our legislation retains the death penalty and dozens of people still live under the weight of a death sentence. I am glad my government has recently taken concrete measures to protect the rights of those faced by the criminal justice system, like the creation of a national preventative mechanism against torture. I plan on introducing a private member’s bill to remove this cruel sentence. Seeing the State of Palestine move forward on the path of abolition encourages me to work with my colleagues so one day Lebanon might also be abolitionist. Honourable Georges Okais, Member of the House of Deputies of Lebanon, member of the Committees on Administration and Justice, Foreign Affairs, and Human Rights, PGA Member; former judge
As a Moroccan parliamentarian and a member of PGA and the Network of Parliamentarians against the Death Penalty in Morocco, I am inspired by the commitment of Palestine to the abolition of the death penalty. We have been working towards such a result as well and are in the process of reducing the number of capital crimes in our domestic law. This positive development is very encouraging for all of us advocating for the abolition of the death penalty in the region. Honourable Zohour el Wahabi, Member of the House of Representatives of Morocco, member of the Justice, Legislation and Human Rights Committee, PGA Member
The news that the government of Palestine has taken such a significant step is heart-warming. Tunisia has not executed anyone since 1991 but individuals are still being sentenced to death, as was demonstrated very recently with the sentencing of 41 men convicted of terrorism-related offences. In the face of violent crimes and atrocities, it is not easy for parliamentarians to take a stand for the right to life but I do hope that this development will embolden governments in the region and my fellow parliamentarians to take steps forward, for a better protection of human rights. Honourable Bochra Bel Haj Hmida, Member of the Chamber of Deputies of Tunisia, PGA member ; Head of the Commission on Individual Liberties and Equality.
