Amnesty International has published its annual report on the death penalty. The positive Trends are overshadowed by the message on the introduction of the death penalty for homosexuals in Brunei.
“The global number of executions is as low as in the last ten years. This is the main result of our report,” said Chiara Sangiorgio, an expert on the issue of the death penalty at Amnesty International. Especially in the countries that have, in the past few years, most of the people, see Amnesty a significant decline. “We’re talking about here, for example, from Iran, Pakistan, and Iraq,” said Sangiorgio.
The new Figures would be for the human rights organization a reason to look optimistic into the future. However, shortly before the publication of the report, in 2018, a message, which overshadowed the positive Trend came: The Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, announced that for homosexuality and for adultery in the future, the death penalty is imposed.
Death penalty for homosexuals
The announcement sparked worldwide horror. The spokesperson for the UN high Commissioner for human rights, Ravina Shamdasani, said: “The UN high Commissioner for human rights calls on the government of Brunei, to prevent the entry into force of a law providing for the death penalty for a number of crimes. Including adultery and consensual sexual intercourse fall under Gay. The law would also introduce flogging and Amputation as cruel and inhuman punishment for various Offenses.” In Germany, the Federal government ordered the Ambassador to Brunei, to protest against the introduction of Sharia criminal law.
Worldwide communities criticized the LGBT-the law plans. Among other things, Hollywood actor George Clooney called for a Boycott of luxury hotels owned by the ruler of Brunei. The Sultan showed himself unimpressed: 3. April the new laws came into force.
“Already now we hear from the LGBT Community in Southeast Asia, that the law has worsened the General Situation. Since the act came into force, hiding many of the activists and the fear,” says Chiara Sangiorgio.
Currently, the Amnesty expert, there are about ten countries in which consensual sex among Homosexuals under penalty of death. However, it is often impossible to assess from the outside whether it is in individual cases, to a claimed rape, or homosexuality, or sexual relations outside of marriage. In some countries, a distinction should be made between criminal law and religious law, the so-Sangiorgio.
Death penalty outlawed increasingly
For almost 60 years, Amnesty International is fighting worldwide for human rights and against the death penalty – with success, more and more States abolish the death penalty.
17. December 2018 approved 121 out of the total 193 UN member States for a death penalty moratorium. Only 35 States voted in the UN General Assembly, however, 32 countries abstained. “The global abolition of the death penalty is getting closer” was the title of the Amnesty International, the message.
In 20 countries to 2018 death sentences were carried out in 54 they were spoken. Many countries, led by China, to keep the Numbers secret. In Syria due to the armed conflict, there is no reliable information.
The Trend is confirmed in this year’s report. In the past year, Burkina Faso has abolished the death penalty. In the Gambia a Moratorium on executions, and the country is considering to abolish the death penalty completely. In Malaysia, the new government has introduced a de facto Moratorium, however, is not officially confirmed. And in the United States, the death penalty was declared in the state of Washington to be unconstitutional. Nevertheless, in 2018, a total of 25 people in the US were executed.
Less executions in Iran and in Pakistan
In Iran, with over 253 executions in the second place, the list had been executed in 2018, half as many people as 2017, Sangiorgio. The main reason was an Amendment to the drugs act by increasing the for the death penalty of the relevant amount of Drugs. Also in Pakistan, the Numbers had dropped significantly: in 2018, there were 14 executions in the previous year, over 250.
“We are confident that this Trend that we have over the past several decades, seen more,” says the Amnesty expert.
China still leads the list
In other countries the Trends are, according to the report, however, negative. China in the past years the list. Amnesty estimates that thousands of people every year in the people’s Republic of executed. The specific Figures are, however, classified as a state secret.
The number gives the number of executions in the country, a Plus behind the number says that Amnesty posed of more cases than the customizable,. China carries out the most executions. How many is unknown, but Amnesty estimates that every year thousands are executed.
In Saudi Arabia there were 149 in some cases, public executions by beheading. The Kingdom announces the number, in order to ensure, according to their own information for deterrence. In Egypt to 2018, 43 people were executed and more than 717 people sentenced to death – many of them because of “politically motivated violence” or “terrorism”.
In Vietnam, at least 85 people were executed – it is noteworthy in this year that the government announces this figure at all. In Japan and in Singapore, so many people have been executed since more than ten years: in Japan, 15 in Singapore, 13 people.
In sub-Saharan Africa, there were 2018, only four countries in which executions took place: in Somalia, in South Sudan, in the Sudan and in Botswana. 17 African countries have abolished the death penalty completely, in almost as many countries South of the Sahara a Moratorium for years.
Death penalty will soon be history?
Overall, Chiara Sangiorgio is optimistic that the Trend towards a global abolition of the death penalty continues. As the United Nations was founded in 1945, were only abolished in eight of the then 51 member States of the death penalty. Today, 103 of the 193 UN member States have abolished the death penalty.
“The pressure must not subside, as also the development in Brunei,” says the expert. “But we are confident that we can banish in the near future, finally, the death penalty worldwide in the history books.”