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Al Mezan condemns the issuance of a new death sentence in Gaza and calls for the complete abolition of this practice

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31 January 2023 |Reference 09/2023

On Monday morning, 30 January 2023, the Supreme Criminal Chamber of the Court of First Instance in Gaza sentenced a 30-year-old man to death by hanging, following his conviction for possession and trafficking of narcotics, based on the indictment materials and pursuant to Article 415 of the Law of Penal Procedures No. 3 of 2001.

 

This is the first death sentence issued by the Gaza judiciary in 2023 and the 59th since the State of Palestine ratified the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) in 2019, which aims at the abolition of the death penalty.

 

Al Mezan remains deeply concerned about the continued issuance of death sentences in the Gaza Strip and reiterates its strongest condemnation of this practice, which constitutes a form of inhuman punishment in violation of international legal standards. This punishment also violates Palestine’s obligations under international human rights law arising from the State’s accession to international treaties, including ICCPR, its Second Optional Protocol, and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT). Moreover, this punishment is widely regarded as ineffective at deterring or preventing serious crime.

 

Al Mezan calls on all competent Palestinian authorities to immediately halt the use of the death penalty, abolish it completely, and replace it with more efficient punishments in compliance with Palestine’s international obligations.