On the occasion of the World Day Against the Death Penalty, DI and its member organisations call on all citizens around the wrold to take action to end executions in the MENA region.
Between January 2005 and September 2008, the following states had executed 32 juvenile offenders: Iran (26), Saudi Arabia (2), Sudan (2), Pakistan (1), Yemen (1).
DI supports an important global initiative to end – once and for all – the practice of executing people for crimes committed as children. You can also join this international call to end all executions of juvenile offenders:
Source: Child Rights Information Network (CRIN)
We invite you to join a global initiative to end – once and for all – the practice of executing people for crimes committed as children. Today, although every country in the world is party to treaties prohibiting the death penalty for juvenile offenders, there are still five states – Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Pakistan, and Yemen – that continue to execute child offenders. Over the past three years, these five states* have executed 32 juvenile offenders, and have over 100 juvenile offenders still on death row.
A change in practice by these five states would result in universal adherence to the ban on juvenile executions. We invite NGOs – local, national, regional and international – to sign the petition calling for strong action by this year’s UN General Assembly to make the ban on juvenile executions a reality. The signatures will be presented to UN member states in mid-October, in advance of their debate on the rights of the child, to demonstrate the conviction of NGOs around the world that no one should ever be executed again for a crime committed as a child.
* Between January 1, 2005 and September 2, 2008, the following states are known to have executed 32 juvenile offenders: Iran (26), Saudi Arabia (2), Sudan (2), Pakistan (1), Yemen (1).
Sign the petition here: