NEIN ZUR TODESSTRAFE! – OHNE AUSNAHME!

The time has come to abolish the death penalty worldwide. The case for abolition becomes more compelling with each passing year. Everywhere experience shows that executions brutalize those involved in the process. Nowhere has it been shown that the death penalty has any special power to reduce crime or political violence. In country after country, Weiterlesen

A resolution calling for a global moratorium on executions will be introduced at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) 62nd session which begins on 18 September 2007. The adoption of such a resolution by the UN’s principal organ would be an important milestone towards the abolition of the death penalty. The High Commissioner for Human Weiterlesen

Amnesty International today issued an urgent appeal to Yemen’s President to halt the execution of a child offender, which is scheduled to be carried out this Saturday. In addition to writing to President ‘Ali ‘Abdullah Saleh, the organization has also issued an Urgent Action on behalf of the now 19-year-old man. Hafez Ibrahim is facing Weiterlesen

As the one year countdown to the Beijing Olympics begins, time is running out for the Chinese government to fulfil its promise of improving human rights in the run-up to the Games. Amnesty International’s latest report finds that several Beijing-based activists continue to face ‘house arrest’ and tight police surveillance, while those in other parts Weiterlesen

Amnesty International is outraged at the recent beheading of a child offender in Saudi Arabia. According to press reports, the execution took place in the city of Taif on 21 July 2007. Dhahian Rakan al-Sibai’i was sentenced to death for a murder he allegedly committed when he was just 15 years old. He was held Weiterlesen

Amnesty International today welcomed the promulgation of legislation by Rwanda to abolish the death penalty. Rwanda is the first country in the Great Lakes region to abolish the death penalty and strongly confirmed the worldwide trend to end capital punishment by becoming the 100th country to abolish the death penalty in law, with another 30 Weiterlesen

The release of six foreign medical workers today is a very welcome move that brings an end to a case that has been riddled with injustice and caused enormous suffering to all involved — the six medics who were twice sentenced to death and the families of children who became infected with HIV at a Weiterlesen

One of the cruellest anomalies of the modern system of capital punishment: Geography means everything (Houston Chronical) In 1969, “Houston” became the first word to be spoken by a human being on the moon, beginning astronaut Neil Armstrong’s famous message back to earth. Four decades later, the City of Houston, or rather Harris County where both Weiterlesen

UPDATE 18 July 2007: Amnesty has heard from Sina Paymard’s lawyer that he was not executed last night, but his family have 10 days to reach a financial settlement with the victim’s kin. If the money is not raised, then they are determined to have Sina executed. Further information will be posted here as soon as Weiterlesen

Today’s announcement that the Libyan authorities have commuted the death sentences on six foreign medics is a very welcome, but overdue and insufficient step, Amnesty International said. The six — a Palestinian doctor and five Bulgarian nurses — have been in prison since 1999 and under sentence of death since 2004 for allegedly infecting hundreds Weiterlesen