26\9\2013

13\2013

On 24 September 2013, Gaza court of first instance sentenced Fathi Faris al-Ashram, 47 years old, from al-Tufah suburb in Gaza city, to death after condemning him of murdering in breach of articles (214, 215, 216) of the penal code.

ICHR views such sentence with great concern as it constitutes a flagrant violation of the right to life which is enshrined in international conventions of human rights.  In this context, it stresses that it doesn't ignore the danger of the charges leveled against the accused. It also stresses that perpetrators of crimes should be brought to justice and never be given the chance to escape punishment once the charges leveled against them prove to be right.

While we express our deep concern over the mentioned court's sentence, ICHR demands that:

• The government in the Gaza Strip shouldn't endorse death sentences in breach of the law as it has no jurisdiction to do that.
• Issuance of death sentences should stop in accordance with the effort of the international community to cancel death penalty and commute it to a penalty whereby criminal justice could be realized.