Capital punishment in the Middle East
Capital punishment is legal in most countries of the Middle East. Much of the motivation for the retention of the death penalty has been religious in nature, as the Qur'an allows or mandates executions for various offences.
Moratoria and abolition
[edit]Israel
[edit]Almost all death penalties were abolished by legislation in 1954 except for serious crimes committed during wartime. The last execution to ever take place in Israel was that of Adolf Eichmann, who was convicted for his role in the Holocaust, in 1962.
A moratorium has since been placed on all further execution of any individual.
Legal formalities aside, popular sentiment in favor of the death penalty occasionally rises in Israel in response to particularly heinous crimes. After the Sbarro suicide bombing, right-wing newspapers called for the perpetrators to be executed but Ahlmam Tamimi was only sentenced to prison.[1]
In January 2018, the Knesset made a preliminary vote on a bill introducing death penalty for terrorism.[2][3]
Turkey
[edit]In Turkey, capital punishment was fully abolished in 2004 for all crimes.[4]
In 2018, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his right-wing government coalition partners agreed to a proposal that could see the death penalty restored in Turkey against anyone sentenced for terrorism.[5]
Abolition advocacy
[edit]Attempts
[edit]In Lebanon in 2008, then-Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar introduced a draft law to Parliament which would abolish the death penalty.[6] While the law failed to pass, he continued to advocate for the abolition for the rest of his time in office.[7]
Farouk Ksentini, chairman of Algeria's National Advisory Commission for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights (CNCPPDH), stated in 2010 that he would advocate for the abolition of the death penalty. This aroused opposition from Islamist groups.[8]
Places with the death penalty
[edit]The following, groups, nations, or governments currently enforce the death penalty:
- Libya[9]
- Egypt[10]
- Iraq[11]
- Iraqi Kurdistan[citation needed]
- Kingdom of Saudi Arabia[12]
- Syria[13]
- Gaza[14]
- Palestinian Authority[15]
- Lebanon[16]
- Jordan[17]
- Iran[18]
- Qatar[19]
- United Arab Emirates[20]
- Yemen (Hadi and Houthi governments)[21]
- Sultanate of Oman[22]
References
[edit]- ^ en, Jonathan S. Tobin. "Israel and the Death Penalty". Archived from the original on 18 November 2018.
- ^ "Netanyahu demands death penalty for Halamish terrorist". The Times of Israel. 27 July 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
- ^ "Israeli death penalty advocates win preliminary vote in parliament". Reuters. 3 January 2018.
- ^ "Death Penalty Cannot be Reinstated in Turkey". FIDH.
- ^ "Turkish leaders agree to bring back death penalty". Ahval News.
- ^ "Najjar presents draft law to abolish death penalty". The Daily Star. 11 October 2008.
- ^ Josie Ensor (29 August 2009). "Justice Ministry campaigns to abolish death penalty". The Daily Star.
- ^ Ademe Amine (1 March 2010). "Algeria resurrects death penalty debate". Maghrebia.
- ^ "Libya death sentences cast long shadow over rule of law". BBC News. 11 August 2015.
- ^ Adham Youssef; Ruth Michaelson (8 September 2018). "Egypt sentences 75 Muslim Brotherhood supporters to death". theguardian.com. The Guardian. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ^ Coker, Margaret; Hassan, Falih (17 April 2018). "A 10-Minute Trial, a Death Sentence : Iraqi Justice for ISIS Suspects". The New York Times.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia executed record number of people in 2019 (BBC)". BBC News. 21 April 2020.
- ^ Stewart, Catrina (21 December 2011). "Syria brings in death penalty for opposition". independent.co.uk. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ^ "Hamas Executes Prominent Commander After Accusations of Gay Sex". Newsweek. 2 March 2016. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
- ^ "Palestinian Authority Death Sentences Surge in West Bank, Gaza". 15 December 2008. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012.
- ^ Fisher, Ian (29 February 2004). "Lebanon Resumes Capital Punishment". The New York Times.
- ^ "Jordan: 15 executions 'shocking' says human rights group". TheGuardian.com. 5 March 2017.
- ^ "Iran: Man executed for drinking alcohol". 10 July 2020.
- ^ "Qatar hands death penalty to Nepali". Archived from the original on 17 July 2020.
- ^ "British man sentenced to death in UAE for selling marijuana". 26 June 2012. Archived from the original on 26 June 2012.
- ^ "Yemen: Huthi-run court upholds death sentence against Baha'i prisoner of conscience". 23 March 2020.
- ^ "Death penalty introduced for drug offenders in Oman". 22 April 2015. Archived from the original on 17 July 2020.
