PCHR’s Democratic Development Unit organized two meetings on “death penalty
under the Palestinian National Authority (PNA)” over the past 2 days. The
first one was on Monday, 18 February, in the Women’s Affairs Center in Gaza
City, for 30 female university students and graduates. The second was today
in PCHR’s Khan Yunis branch for 26 university graduates and civil society
activists.
The
meetings are part of a series of events organized by PCHR in the context of its
abolition of the death penalty project. They aim to increase public awareness
and gather public opinion to abolish the death penalty in the Occupied
Palestinian Territory (OPT), and to cancel legislation legalizing the death
penalty. In addition, these activities aim to formulate public opinion against
Israeli extra-judicial executions perpetrated in the OPT.
The
meetings over the past two days discussed the strengthening international drive
towards abolishing the death penalty in national legislation, and considering
this form of penalty as a violation of the right to life and as a form of cruel
and inhumane treatment. It is noted that on 18 December 2007, the UN General
Assembly issued a decision calling for a moratorium on the death penalty as a
prelude to abolition.
The
meetings witnessed lengthy discussion, and opinions varied between support and
opposition of the death penalty.
