UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. UN human rights chief calls on Israel to reject proposals to introduce the death penalty for Palestinians Human rights
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has called on Israeli authorities to abandon plans to introduce legislation that would make the death penalty mandatory exclusively for Palestinians, both in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and in Israel. According to Volker Türk, such proposals are contrary to international law in a number of respects.
The amendments submitted to the Israeli Knesset would lower the threshold for the death penalty. They raise serious concerns among human rights activists due to discrimination against Palestinians and violations of their due process rights, as well as other violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. against her under any circumstances,” Turk noted. “Such punishment is inconsistent with respect for human dignity and creates an unacceptable risk of executing innocent people.”
The High Commissioner added that such proposals are inconsistent with Israel’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Turk noted that the language of the proposed legislation, as well as statements Israeli politicians indicate that it would only apply to Palestinians, who are already often convicted in unfair trials.
The proposed changes, if adopted, would also amend military law applicable to the occupied West Bank and would require military courts to impose the mandatory death penalty for all crimes involving intentional homicide. murder.
The High Commissioner recalled that depriving any Palestinian from the West Bank or Gaza Strip of the fair trial guarantees enshrined in the Fourth Geneva Convention is a war crime.