PRI’s death penalty fact-finding mission to Yemen

PRI staff from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) office went on a fact-finding mission to Yemen, 31 July – 4 August. The purpose was to gain a better understanding of the death penalty and its use in the country.
During the visit meetings were held with relevant human rights organisations, the EU delegate to Yemen and with the UNICEF office.
 

One of the issues raised was the execution of children. Although the Yemeni Penal code prevents death penalty for children and those who are mentally ill, they continue to be executed along with women and men. The execution of children was attributed, by some organisations, to a misunderstanding among the judicial system and society about the age of criminal responsibility; contrary to all conventions ratified by Yemen, they still consider the age of criminal responsibility to be 15 years.

It was discovered by PRI during its meetings that only eight percent of the population are formally registered upon birth. Age assessments for children in conflict with the law are carried out medically in the absence of their birth certificates. This can lead to errors in the determination of ages. Accurate statistics relating to the death penalty and its use are not available. It is evident however that the application of the death penalty is widespread across the country.

PRI will engage and work with MENA civil society in the spirit of the Alexandria Declaration of 2008 by hosting a second regional conference on “The Death Penalty in the Middle East and North Africa: Risks, Opportunities, Proposed Tools and Strategies” in Alexandria, September 2010. More information about the conference will shortly be available on PRI’s website.

PRI’s global death penalty abolition project

PRI’s current programme of work on the abolition of the death penalty focuses on 20 countries in five regions of the world. In the Middle East and North Africa, PRI is working in Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia and Yemen. The objective of the work in the region and indeed, across the globe is to:

• Challenge society’s attitudes in relation to the effect and efficacy of the death penalty;

• Support governments and other stakeholders in progressing towards abolition, including increasing transparency on application of the death penalty, establishing moratoria on sentencing and executions, reducing the scope of application in law and the number of death sentences passed, and increasing awareness of the relevant international standards and norms;

• Challenge governments to consider carefully whether sanctions intended to replace the death penalty, and treatment of long-term prisoners comply with international standards and norms

• Increase safeguards and promote greater accountability in the criminal justice system through holistic policy development and legal reform, including improved prison management.

PRI’s death penalty abolition project is being implemented with the financial assistance of the European Union, under the Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR).