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Jerusalem August 30,1998
The First
Death Sentence Approved by President Yasser Arafat
Today,
30 August, 1998, President Yasser Arafat approved on a death
sentence that was released yesterday by the military Court
in Gaza against three brothers, Faris, Muhammad, and Ra’ed,
from Abu Sultan family, who were accused of killing two
brothers from al-Khalidi family on Thursday, 27 August,
1998. Two of the Abu Sultan brothers, Muhammad and ‘Ra’ed
have been already executed by gunfire at 2:35 in the
afternoon today in the police Arafat city in Gaza. So far,
the military and state security courts have released twenty
death sentences of the sort.
The
approval of the President on such a sentence is considered
one of the most dangerous and most harsh punishments. It is
both a mental and physical torture for a human being.
The
Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group (PHRMG),
stresses on the importance of canceling this death sentence
for the following reasons:
1.
The accused person might be proven innocent, and his life
cannot be brought back if the court proves that he was
innocent after the execution.
2.
The death penalty is harsh and not fair.
3.
The punishment is released against the accused in the name
of society, and the society has not given life to a person
to have the right to take it away.
4.
Until now, the death penalty has not been proven to be
effective
The
PHRMG
assures the right of the PNA and its institutions to protect
the public and assure their safety, and preserve discipline
by punishing whoever violates the law, especially whoever
commits murder. However, for the sake of a person’s right to
life, the PHRMG,
disapproves of this death sentence, and asks the President
of the PNA, and the Cabinet, as well as the Palestinian
Legislative Council, to release a law that eliminates the
death penalty.
The
PHRMG
calls for the urgency to cancel the death sentence against
Faris, and punish him otherwise. In addition, it is God
himself who has the right to take a life away, even if the
person was a murderer. We call for the urgency of canceling
this death sentence regardless of the charges pressed, in
respect for human life.The First Death Sentence
Approved by President Yasser Arafat
Today, 30 August, 1998, President Yasser Arafat approved on
a death sentence that was released yesterday by the military
Court in Gaza against three brothers, Faris, Muhammad, and
Ra’ed, from Abu Sultan family, who were accused of killing
two brothers from al-Khalidi family on Thursday, 27 August,
1998. Two of the Abu Sultan brothers, Muhammad and ‘Ra’ed
have been already executed by gunfire at 2:35 in the
afternoon today in the police Arafat city in Gaza. So far,
the military and state security courts have released twenty
death sentences of the sort.
The approval of the President on such a sentence is
considered one of the most dangerous and most harsh
punishments. It is both a mental and physical torture for a
human being.
The Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group (PHRMG),
stresses on the importance of canceling this death sentence
for the following reasons:
1. The accused person might be proven innocent, and his life
cannot be brought back if the court proves that he was
innocent after the execution.
2. The death penalty is harsh and not fair.
3. The punishment is released against the accused in the
name of society, and the society has not given life to a
person to have the right to take it away.
4. Until now, the death penalty has not been proven to be
effective
The PHRMG assures the right of the PNA and its institutions
to protect the public and assure their safety, and preserve
discipline by punishing whoever violates the law, especially
whoever commits murder. However, for the sake of a person’s
right to life, the PHRMG, disapproves of this death
sentence, and asks the President of the PNA, and the
Cabinet, as well as the Palestinian Legislative Council, to
release a law that eliminates the death penalty.
The PHRMG calls for the urgency to cancel the death sentence
against Faris, and punish him otherwise. In addition, it is
God himself who has the right to take a life away, even if
the person was a murderer. We call for the urgency of
canceling this death sentence regardless of the charges
pressed, in respect for human life.
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