A protest against the death penalty outside the US Supreme Court in Washington. The UN expressed concern about the increase in executions in the US Human Rights
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk is deeply concerned about the upcoming execution of two prisoners in the United States, UN Human Rights Office spokesman Seif Magango said on Wednesday.
He recalled that six other prisoners were executed in the United States in five different states over 12 days last month. “The increase in executions is deeply worrying,” the spokesman said.
Robert Roberson is scheduled to be executed on October 17 in Texas despite substantial evidence of wrongful conviction, he said. Derrick Ryan Dearman is scheduled to be executed in Alabama on the same day.
“We oppose the death penalty under any circumstances,” Seif Magango said. “This penalty is incompatible with the fundamental right to life and creates an unacceptable risk of death for innocent people. The evidence shows that the death penalty does not deter crime.”
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has called on the United States to join the “growing global consensus” for universal abolition of the death penalty, starting with an immediate moratorium on executions.