“SHAMS” center strongly condemns inflicting death by handing by the Court of First Instance of Gaza, upon two citizens (a woman & a man) who are: (G.H) and (Z.Q) residents of Gaza Strip, according to their involvement in joint murdering as they were accused of joint murdering. This sentence is the fourth one issued following Palestine deposited its instrument of accession to the Second Protocol, annexed to International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 1898 on 6/6/2018. Also, this sentence is the second capital punishment in the Palestinian history inflicted upon a woman, as another sentence was previously issued in 2016
“SHAMS” center emphasizes its earlier positions of disapproval of inflicting death penalty. As death penalty is an infringement upon human rights in particular the right to life, while the period since issuance and until execution it is a real kin of torture where people feel inhumane degrading treatment as per the Convention against Torture. Besides, the capital punishment puts the human life on the line, and addresses the efficiency of such penalty in regard to the social perspective. In addition, such penalty reflects the social structure of the community and the overall political environment.
“SHAMS” center emphasizes that capital punishment is the only irreversible penalty once executed. Accordingly, the center assures that death sentences in the Palestinian territories are issued with considerable legal shortcomings, and fail to meet the respect for right to defense, guarantees afforded to the accused persons, and the exhaustion of all the judicial reviews minimally. Additionally, studies & statistics have shown that death penalty doesn’t represent a public deterrent so; it is nothing but a form of violence not a solution for it. By contrast, other states which have preferred to respect the human life & dignity, and abolished the death penalty, have been high with respect to the suppression of crimes.
Consequently, the challenge that comes to the forefront in this regard is to fulfill justice and equality among the citizens, guarantee the equitable distribution of wealth, and to find ways to decent life. In addition to establish a developed infrastructure, pay attention to the education sector and its quality due to its principal role to guarantee the best present & future of the younger generations and to educate the rising generations on good manners.
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