Skip to main content

PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS: DO NOT RATIFY THA’ER RMAILAT’S DEATH SENTENCE

On 6 April 2008, the Palestinian High Military Court in Jenin sentenced Mr Tha’er Mahmoud Husni Rmailat to death by firing squad. Mr Rmailat, an officer of the Palestinian Military Intelligence, was convicted for the murder of a member of the Palestinian National Security Forces.

The World Coalition Against the Death Penalty (WCADP) is concerned that Mr Rmailat was not given the guarantees of a fair trial. In particular, his lawyer indicated that he was given only one day's notice before the hearing when the legislation of the Palestinian Authority requires that a written notice be sent 72 hours in advance; and that his client was denied a psychological evaluation.

The WCADP notes with satisfaction that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree on 22 June 2005 requesting that all death sentences pronounced by the State Security courts be retried in civilian courts as they were considered to fall short of international standards for fair trials and due process. It also notes that no execution has been carried out since July 2005.

It is concerned however that death sentences continue to be pronounced in conditions that contravene both international standards and the national legislation.

On 18 December 2007, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution calling upon member states that maintain the death penalty to:
- Respect international standards that provide safeguards guaranteeing the protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty, in particular the minimum standards, as set out in the annex to Economic and Social Council resolution 1984/50 of 25 May 1984;
- Establish a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty.

In the spirit of the 2005 presidential decree, attached to the fair administration of justice, and of the United Nations General Assembly resolution, the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty calls upon President of the Palestinian authority Mr Mahmoud Abbas
1) not to ratify Tha’er Rmailat’s death sentence;
2) to issue a Presidential Decree declaring a moratorium on the death penalty, pending total abolition by the Palestinian Legislative Council.

(Version française)

Le 6 avril 2008, la Haute Cour Militaire palestinienne de Jenine a condamné M. Tha’er Mahmoud Husni Rmailat à être exécuté par un peloton d’exécution. M. Rmailat, un agent des services secrets militaires palestiniens, était poursuivi pour le meurtre d’un membre des forces nationales de sécurité palestiniennes.

La Coalition mondiale contre la peine de mort s’inquiète du fait que M. Rmailat n’aurait pas eu droit à un procès équitable. Son avocat a notamment indiqué qu’il n’avait été informé de la tenue de l’audience que la veille alors que la législation de l’Autorité palestinienne exige qu’une note écrite soit envoyée 72 heures à l’avance, et que son client n’avait pas eu droit à une évaluation psychologique.

La Coalition mondiale se félicite du décret pris le 22 juin 2005, par lequel le président de l’Autorité palestinienne Mahmoud Abbas a exigé que les condamnations à mort prononcées par la Cour de Sécurité de l’Etat soient examinées à nouveau par des tribunaux civils, considérant qu’elles n’étaient pas conformes aux normes internationales relatives aux procès équitables et au respect des procédures. Elle note également qu’aucune exécution n’a eu lieu depuis juillet 2005.

La Coalition s’inquiète cependant que des condamnations à mort continuent à être prononcées dans des conditions qui ne sont pas en accord avec les normes internationales et la législation nationale.

Le 18 décembre 2007, l’Assemblée générale des Nations unies a adopté une résolution appelant les Etats membres qui maintiennent la peine de mort à :
- Observer les normes internationales garantissant la protection des droits des personnes passibles de la peine de mort, en particulier les normes minimales, énoncées dans l’annexe à la résolution 1984/50 du Conseil économique et social, en date du 25 mai 1984;
- Instituer un moratoire sur les exécutions en vue de l’abolition de la peine de mort.

Dans l’esprit du décret présidentiel de 2005, attaché à une administration équitable de la justice, et de la résolution de l’Assemblée générale des Nations unies, la Coalition mondiale appelle le président de l’Autorité palestinienne M. Mahmoud Abbas à :
1) ne pas ratifier la condamnation à mort prononcée à l’encontre de M. Tha’er Rmailat
2) prendre un décret présidentiel déclarant un moratoire sur la peine de mort, en attendant l’abolition définitive de la peine capitale par le Conseil législatif palestinien.

Source : http://www.worldcoalition.org/

Comments

Most viewed (Last 7 days)

South Carolina | Inmate who believes he’s died repeatedly can’t be executed, judge rules

SPARTANBURG — A 59-year-old man sentenced to death for killing a state trooper in Greenville County in 2000 can’t be executed because of a mental illness that’s left him incoherent and believing he’s immortal, a Circuit Court judge has ruled. John Richard Wood is the first condemned inmate in South Carolina found not competent to be executed since the state restarted capital punishment in September 2024. The seven executions since then include three men who chose to die by firing squad — the latest in November. Wood, convicted 24 years ago, was among death row inmates in line to receive a death warrant after exhausting their regular appeals.

Idaho eyes restart of death row executions as firing squad draws near

BOISE, Idaho — Idaho’s prison system has nearly completed execution chamber upgrades to carry out the death penalty by firing squad as the state’s lead method and will have a team of riflemen ready to go by the time a state law takes effect this summer. As part of the transition, the Idaho Department of Correction hopes to limit participation by its officers as the shooting of condemned people in prison to death is prioritized over lethal injection. Toward that effort, prisoner leadership sought to implement a push-button technology to avoid needing IDOC workers to pull the triggers.

20 Minutes to Death: Witness to the Last Execution in France

The following document is a firsthand account of the final moments of Hamida Djandoubi, a convicted murderer executed by guillotine at Marseille’s Baumettes Prison on September 10, 1977. The record—dated September 9—was written by Monique Mabelly, a judge appointed by the state to witness the proceedings. Djandoubi’s execution would ultimately be the last carried out in France before capital punishment was abolished in 1981. At the time, President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing—who had publicly voiced his "deep aversion to the death penalty" prior to his election—rejected Djandoubi’s appeal for clemency. Choosing to let "justice take its course," the President allowed the execution to proceed, just as he had in two previous cases during his term:   Christian Ranucci , executed on July 28, 1976 and Jérôme Carrein , executed on June 23, 1977. Hamida Djandoubi , a Tunisian national, was sentenced to death for killing his former lover, Elisabeth Bousquet. He was execu...

China | Man sentenced to death for murder executed in Yunnan

Tian Yongming, who was initially sentenced for a series of violent crimes and then had his sentence changed to death early this year, has been executed in Yunnan province following approval from China's top court. The execution was carried out by the Intermediate People's Court in Yuxi, Yunnan, on Tuesday, with local prosecutors supervising the process. Before the execution, Tian was allowed to meet with his family members. The case dates back to September 1996, when Tian was sentenced to nine years in prison for the rape and attempted murder of his sister-in-law. After his release on July 15, 2002, he plotted revenge against the woman. On the night of Nov 13, 2002, he broke into her home armed with a knife.

South Dakota | Latest appeal from state's lone death row inmate denied

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit has rejected the latest appeal from Briley Piper, the only person on death row in South Dakota. In March 2000, Briley Piper, along with co-defendants Elijah Page and Darrell Hoadley, conspired to burglarize the Lawrence County home of 19-year-old Chester Poage before abducting and murdering him by beating, stabbing, and stoning in a remote area.  Piper was subsequently arrested, convicted of murder, and sentenced to death, while his accomplices received either a death sentence—carried out against Page in 2007—or a sentence of life imprisonment without parole. 

Iran to execute first woman linked to mass protests after ‘forced confessions’

Bita Hemmati and three others have been sentenced to death for 'collusion' and 'propaganda.' Advocates claim the charges are baseless, citing a secretive process and state-televised interrogations. Iranian authorities are preparing to execute Bita Hemmati, the first woman sentenced to death in connection with the mass protests in Tehran in late December and January, according to the US-based non-profit the Human Rights Activists News Agency. Judge Iman Afshari, of Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, sentenced Hemmati, her husband, Mohammadreza Majidi Asl, and Behrouz Zamaninezhad, and Kourosh Zamaninezhad to death on the charge of “operational action for the hostile government of the United States and hostile groups,” in addition to discretionary imprisonment period of five years on the charge of “assembly and collusion against national security.”  

Texas | James Broadnax's appeals: US Supreme Court denies 2 claims, confession pending

Despite an 11th-hour confession from another man, James Broadnax is slated to be executed by the state of Texas later this week.  Broadnax, 37, is scheduled to be put to death by lethal injection April 30 in Huntsville. He was condemned by a Dallas County jury in 2009 for the deaths of Stephen Swan, 26, and Matthew Butler, 28, outside their Garland music studio. Broadnax and his cousin, Demarius Cummings, had set out to rob the men, but left with only $2 and a 1995 Ford, according to previous reporting from The Dallas Morning News. 

Florida executes Chadwick Scott Willacy

STARKE, Fla. -- A Florida man who set his neighbor on fire after she returned from work to find him burglarizing her home was executed Tuesday evening. Chadwick Scott Willacy, 58, received a three-drug injection and was pronounced dead at 6:15 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke for the 1990 killing of Marlys Sather. It was Florida's fifth execution this year. The curtain to the execution chamber went up promptly at the scheduled 6 p.m. time, and the lethal injection got underway two minutes later, after Willacy made a brief statement.

Arizona | Man who murdered pastor crucifixion style requests plea deal after parents killed in plane crash

Adam Sheafe, the California man who admitted to killing a New River, Arizona, pastor in a crucifixion-style attack, has asked prosecutors to offer him a plea deal that would result in a natural life sentence rather than the death penalty he had previously sought. Advisory council attorneys representing Sheafe sent a formal plea offer to prosecutors this week, about two weeks after his father and stepmother died in a plane crash at Marana Airport on April 8, according to 12 News. Sheafe, 51, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of William Schonemann, 76, pastor of New River Bible Church, who was found dead inside his home last April.

Florida executes James Ernest Hitchcock

STARKE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man convicted of beating and choking his brother’s 13-year-old stepdaughter to death nearly 50 years ago was executed Thursday evening. James Ernest Hitchcock, 70, was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. following a lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. He was convicted of the July 1976 killing of Cynthia Driggers. The curtain to the death chamber opened promptly at the 6 p.m. execution time. Hitchcock’s entire body was covered in a sheet up to his head. He stared at the ceiling as the team warden made a call, then gave his final statement.