FNs Højkommissær for Menneskerettigheder i uhørt kraftig fordømmelse af styret i Irak – sammenligner massehenrettelser med et slagtehus og mener ikke retsvæsenet i det mellemøstlige land er af en sådan beskaffenhed, at det bør dødsdømme nogen.
GENEVA, 19 April 2013: The United Nations human rights chief Friday condemned the rampant (tiltagende) use of the death penalty by the Iraqi Government, which executed 21 people earlier this week, stressing the country’s justice system is still not functioning adequately and should not carry out capital punishment (dødsdomme) at all.
The High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay described the Iraqi justice system as “too seriously flawed (svækket) to warrant (berettige) even a limited application of the death penalty, let alone dozens of executions at a time.”
The Government has executed 33 individuals in the past month, and the ministry of justice announced that a further 150 people may be executed in the coming days.
A total of 1.400 people are believed to be currently on death row, and 129 people were executed in 2012 alone.
“Executing people in batches like this is obscene,” Ms. Pillay said, adding:
“It is like processing animals in a slaughter-house. The criminal justice system in Iraq is still not functioning adequately, with numerous convictions based on confessions (tilståelser) obtained under torture and ill-treatment, a weak judiciary (retsvæsen) and trial proceedings that fall short of international standards”.
“The application (praksis) of the death penalty in these circumstances is unconscionable (urimelig), as any miscarriage of justice (justitsmord) as a result of capital punishment cannot be undone.”
The Government maintains that it only executes individuals who have committed terrorist acts or other serious crimes against civilians, and have been convicted under an anti-terrorism law passed in 2005.
However, Ms. Pillay expressed concern about one of the articles of the law, which broadens the scope of terrorism-related acts.
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