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About PRI| Regional conference on the establishment of a moratorium on the death penalty in the Arab world |
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May 2008 PRI's regional office in Amman together with the Swedish Institute in Alexandria, Egypt, and the Amman Centre of Human Rights Studies (ACHRS) are organising a regional conference on the UN resolution 62/149 calling for the establishment of “Moratorium on the Use of Death Penalty in the Arab World” due to be held at the Swedish Institute in Alexandria from 12-14 May 2008. The central objectives of the seminar are to consolidate the prospects of a moratorium on the death penalty leading to eventual abolition in those countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region that have started to renounce the practice and to encourage other countries in the MENA region which are retentionist to reconsider their position on the death penalty. The conference will be an opportunity for members of national coalitions to exchange expertise and good practice. A group of prominent legal experts, academics, government officials, journalists and human rights activists from the countries of the regional coalition are expected to attend the conference. Sweden and the EU will also send representatives. None of the 22 countries in the MENA region has yet abolished the death penalty although the overall picture varies greatly; Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia have not conducted an execution for over 10 years but still sentence convicted prisoners to death, whereas other countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iraq regularly execute convicted prisoners. Background information The 62nd UN General Assembly adopted resolution 62/149 on 23 December 2007 with a landmark text on the practice of the death penalty. It was the subject of more that 10 hours of heated debate in the Third Committee before it was approved by a recorded vote of 99 in favour, 52 against, with 33 abstentions. Two similar proposals for a moratorium reached the Assembly in 1994 and 1999; in the first case it was defeated by 8 votes while in the second it was withdrawn at the last minute. Therefore the adoption of the resolution in 2007 is seen as a victory for those who oppose the death penalty. Algeria voted in favour of the resolution whereas Several other MENA countries voted against. Morocco, Tunisia and UAE abstained. In 2007 PRI launched a two year project (2007 – 2009) on the abolition of the death penalty and alternatives to life imprisonment in four world regions - one being the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The project is co-financed by the European Commission. For the MENA region the project is implemented through PRI´s regional office in Amman and the countries covered by the project are Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia and Yemen, which are all at various stages of abolition. The aim of the project is to positively challenge the attitudes in the society towards the death penalty and support government and civil society efforts in progressing towards full abolition of the death penalty in law. In July 2007 PRI organized a regional conference in Amman which concluded with the formation of a regional coalition against the death penalty. As a result in countries like Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia and Yemen national coalitions against the death penalty have been formed. National strategies are currently being developed to meet the specific challenges in each of these countries. Sweden and the EU are encouraging all countries to abolish the death penalty. In countries which have abolished the death penalty, Sweden and the EU are trying in their efforts to ensure that this decision is not reversed and that it is proscribed in the constitution. For countries moving towards abolition and those that have imposed a moratorium on the death penalty, Sweden and the EU are focusing their efforts on supporting regional initiatives like the one the PRI has initiated. It is in this context that the joint seminar at the Swedish Institute in Alexandria is being held. The organisers believe that by bringing the regional voices together their work will be stronger and better heard. The seminar draw on the work and experiences of the regional Arab coalition and the national coalitions. Further information For further information on the conference please write to priamman@penalreform.org Death penalty
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