Under the title "Human Rights Violations Related to the use of the Death Penalty and Limiting the Death Penalty to the Most Serious Crimes,” the Human Rights Council held a high-level panel discussion on the sidelines of its 52nd session on February 28, 2023.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, pointed out that the United Nations has opposed the death penalty in all circumstances for many years, as it is difficult to reconcile the application of the death penalty, which is the most severe punishment and irreversible, with human dignity and the right to life.
Turk further emphasized that the death penalty and the threat of its use can be used for other purposes, such as spreading fear, suppressing opposition, and stifling the legitimate exercise of freedoms. He urged countries that have not yet abolished the use of the death penalty to take the initiative in restricting it, especially for crimes that are not very serious.
Assistant Professor at Monash University Law School, Maya Sato, pointed out that only two countries have followed the international standard of limiting the death penalty to the most severe crimes intentional killing, out of 79 countries that have retained such a law. She noted that 77 countries still impose the death penalty for crimes that are not serious.
Executive Director for Justice Project in Pakistan, Sarah Bilal, pointed out that Pakistan has approximately 4,000 people sentenced to death row and more than 30 sentences to the death penalty. However, there has been clear progress in adhering to international treaties to bring the punishment into the same line as that of international human rights law. she also noted that more than 400 people are awaiting the implementation of death sentences for drug-related crimes in Pakistan. Yet, no executions have been carried out since 2010.
The speakers elaborated that many countries still execute the death penalty on drug-related crimes and do not abide by the ‘most serious ’ standard, as drug offenses are punishable by death in 38 countries. Between 2010 and 2020, at least 4,000 individuals were executed because of such crimes.
The participants in the discussion mentioned that there are countries where Islam is the state religion. Still, they did not impose the death penalty on people accused of religious or drug violations, which indicates that the death penalty is nothing but a symbol of the lethal control that the state holds over its citizen.
The debate concluded with a call for all countries that have retained the death penalty to take effective steps to restrict such law in their jurisdiction, taking into account the standard ‘most serious crime’ seriously.
The Saudi European Organization for Human Rights indicates that Saudi Arabia is one of the leading countries that still use the death penalty in crimes that are not considered the most serious, including expressing opinions, protesting, and drug offenses, in addition to other grave violations that involve judgments that lack fair trials and discrimination. The organization explains that Saudi Arabia relies on discretionary death sentences, which depend on the judge's assessment of the crime to try individuals who mostly do not face murder charges. According to the numbers, under the reign of King Salman, since 2015 until today, 496 individuals have been executed with punitive sentences, in addition to 12 minors.
The organization indicates that between 2010 and 2020, Saudi Arabia executed 386 people on drug charges. According to the European Saudi Organization's monitoring, those accused of drug crimes face widespread violations of justice conditions, ranging from discrimination and deprivation of the right to defend themselves to arbitrary judgments.
Despite the lack of transparency in the Saudi government's handling of the execution file, the organization's documentation confirms that dozens are at risk of execution on charges that are not considered the most serious under international law, including drug offenses, expressing their opinions, and participating in demonstrations.