Death Sentence

Death Sentence, sometimes also known as capital punishment, was a common punishment for crimes throughout the ages. The death sentence has increasingly fallen out of practice. Currently only 58 nations have the death sentence with 95 countries fulling abolishing it. Even in those countries where the death sentence is still practiced, there is a movement towards more humane methods of execution such as lethal injection.

Arguments against the death sentence

1. The death sentence has no deterrent effect. Academic debate has mainly focused on whether capital punishment has any deterrent effect,with many academics concluding it does not.
2. The death sentence is more costly than life imprisonment.Recent studies have demonstrated that the death penalty, which requires multiple layers of appeal to protect against the execution of innocent defendants, is more costly than life imprisonment.
3. The death sentence risks the execution of innocent defendants.
4. The death sentence is arbitrary and disproportionately affects minorities.
5. The death penalty prolongs suffering for victim's families by adding extensive post-trial appeals.
6. The death sentence disproportionately affects defendants with inadequate legal counsel

International Sources

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

Article 6 -

1. Every human being has the inherent right to life. This right shall be protected by law. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his life.
2. In countries which have not abolished the death penalty, sentence of death may be imposed only for the most serious crimes in accordance with the law in force at the time of the commission of the crime and not contrary to the provisions of the present Covenant and to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. This penalty can only be carried out pursuant to a final judgement rendered by a competent court.
3. When deprivation of life constitutes the crime of genocide, it is understood that nothing in this article shall authorize any State Party to the present Covenant to derogate in any way from any obligation assumed under the provisions of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
4. Anyone sentenced to death shall have the right to seek pardon or commutation of the sentence. Amnesty, pardon or commutation of the sentence of death may be granted in all cases.
5. Sentence of death shall not be imposed for crimes committed by persons below eighteen years of age and shall not be carried out on pregnant women.
6. Nothing in this article shall be invoked to delay or to prevent the abolition of capital punishment by any State Party to the present Covenant.

Regional Instruments

European Convention on Human Rights

Protocol 6

Article 1 - Abolition of the death penalty

The death penalty shall be abolished. No-one shall be condemned to such penalty or executed.

Article 2 - Death penalty in time of war

A State may make provision in its law for the death penalty in respect of acts committed in time of war or of imminent threat of war; such penalty shall be applied only in the instances laid down in the law and in accordance with its provisions. The State shall communicate to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe the relevant provisions of that law.

Article 3 - Prohibition of derogations

No derogation from the provisions of this Protocol shall be made under Article 15 of the Convention.

Article 4 - Prohibition of reservations

No reservation may be made under Article 57 of the Convention in respect of the provisions of this Protocol.

Article 5 - Territorial application

Any State may at the time of signature or when depositing its instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval, specify the territory or territories to which this Protocol shall apply. Any State may at any later date, by a declaration addressed to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, extend the application of this Protocol to any other territory specified in the declaration. In respect of such territory the Protocol shall enter into force on the first day of the month following the date of receipt of such declaration by the Secretary General. Any declaration made under the two preceding paragraphs may, in respect of any territory specified in such declaration, be withdrawn by a notification addressed to the Secretary General. The withdrawal shall become effective on the first day of the month following the date of receipt of such notification by the Secretary General.

All Member States of the Council of Europe have ratified Protocol 6 on the abolition of the death penalty, with the exception of Russia which is still to ratify it.

American Convention on Human Rights

PROTOCOL TO THE AMERICAN CONVENTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS TO ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY

PREAMBLE

THE STATES PARTIES TO THIS PROTOCOL,

CONSIDERING:

That Article 4 of the American Convention on Human Rights recognizes the right to life and restricts the application of the death penalty;

That everyone has the inalienable right to respect for his life, a right that cannot be suspended for any reason;

That the tendency among the American States is to be in favor of abolition of the death penalty;

That application of the death penalty has irrevocable consequences, forecloses the correction of judicial error, and precludes any possibility of changing or rehabilitating those convicted;

That the abolition of the death penalty helps to ensure more effective protection of the right to life;

That an international agreement must be arrived at that will entail a progressive development of the American Convention on Human Rights, and

That States Parties to the American Convention on Human Rights have expressed their intention to adopt an international agreement with a view to consolidating the practice of not applying the death penalty in the Americas,

HAVE AGREED TO SIGN THE FOLLOWING PROTOCOL TO THE AMERICAN CONVENTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS TO ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY

Article 1

The States Parties to this Protocol shall not apply the death penalty in their territory to any person subject to their jurisdiction.

Article 2

1. No reservations may be made to this Protocol. However, at the time of ratification or accession, the States Parties to this instrument may declare that they reserve the right to apply the death penalty in wartime in accordance with international law, for extremely serious crimes of a military nature.

2. The State Party making this reservation shall, upon ratification or accession, inform the Secretary General of the Organization of American States of the pertinent provisions of its national legislation applicable in wartime, as referred to in the preceding paragraph.

3. Said State Party shall notify the Secretary General of the Organization of American States of the beginning or end of any state of war in effect in its territory.

Article 3

1. This Protocol shall be open for signature and ratification or accession by any State Party to the American Convention on Human Rights.

2. Ratification of this Protocol or accession thereto shall be made through the deposit of an instrument of ratification or accession with the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States.

Article 4

This Protocol shall enter into force among the States that ratify or accede to it when they deposit their respective instruments of ratification or accession with the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States.

African [Banjul] Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights

The African Commission on Human and People's Rights has passed a relosution in relation to the death penalty

ACHPR/Res.136(XXXXIIII).08: Resolution calling on State Parties to OBSERVE THE moratorium on the death penalty -

The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, meeting at its 44th Ordinary Session held from 10th to 24th November 2008 in Abuja, Federal Republic of Nigeria :

RECALLING Article 4 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, which recognises the right of everyone to life, and Article 5(3) of the African Charter on the Rights and the Welfare of the Child which guarantees the non-application of death penalty for crimes committed by children;

CONSIDERING ACHPR/Res 42 (XXVI) calling on States to consider observing a moratorium on the death penalty, adopted at the 26 th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights held from 1 st to 15 th November 1999 in Kigali, Rwanda;

RECALLING Resolution 62/149 of the General Assembly of the United Nations, adopted in 2007 calling on all States that still retain the death penalty to, inter alia, observe a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty;

BEARING IN MIND Resolution 2005/59 adopted on 20 April 2005 by the United Nations Human Rights Commission calling on all States that still retain the death penalty to totally abolish the death penalty and, in the meantime, to observe a moratorium on executions;

CONSIDERING Resolution 1999/4 of the United Nations Sub-Commission on the Promotion and the Protection of Human Rights calling on all States that still retain the death penalty and are not observing a moratorium on executions, as part of the celebration of the millennium, to at least commute death penalty sentences into life imprisonment by 31 st December 1999, and to commit themselves to observe a moratorium on the execution of death sentences throughout the year 2000;

CONSIDERING the exclusion of the death penalty from the sentences that can be pronounced by the International Criminal Court, the Extraordinary Chambers of the Tribunals of Cambodia, the Special Court of Sierra Leone, the Special Juries for serious crimes in East Timor, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda; and

NOTING that at least 27 State Parties to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights have abolished the death penalty in law or de facto;

NOTING also that only six out of 53 State Parties to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights have ratified the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on the abolition of the death penalty;

NOTING further that some State Parties have so far failed to give effect to all the above resolutions relating to the observation of a moratorium on the death penalty, and others have observe the moratorium but have resumed the execution of death sentences or have expressed their intention to resume the execution of such sentences;

CONCERNED by the fact that some State Parties to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights apply the death penalty under conditions not respectful of the right to a fair trial guaranteed under the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and other relevant international norms:

Exhorts State Parties to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights that still retain the death penalty to:

Fully comply with their obligations under this treaty; and

Guarantee that every person accused of crimes for which capital punishment is applicable, benefits from all the guarantees of a fair trial included in the African Charter and in other relevant regional and international norms and treaties.

Urges State Parties that still retain the death penalty to observe a moratorium on the execution of death sentences with a view to abolishing the death penalty in conformity with Resolutions ACHPR/Res 42 (XXVI) of the African Commission and 62/149 of the General Assembly of the United Nations;

Calls on all State Parties that have not yet done so, to ratify the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on the abolition of the death penalty;

Calls on State Parties to the African Charter to include in their periodic reports information on the steps they are taking to move towards the abolition of the death penalty in their countries;and

Implores all State Parties to give their full support to the Working Group on the Death Penalty of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights in its endeavour to work towards the abolition of the death penalty in Africa.