THE DEATH PENALTY Human rights protection ECHR case studies

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THE DEATH PENALTYHuman rights protectionECHR
case studies

• Alison Riley
• Legal English Course

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The right to life
The death penalty

• The implementation of
• a legal and ethical
  principle
• Can the State decide legitimately to deprive a
  person of his life?
• What is your view?

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Amnesty International 2009Report on the death
penalty

• Decapitation
• Firing squad/shooting
• Hanging
• Lethal injection
• Stoning
• Electric chair

• At least 714 people were put to death using these
  methods

• At least 2001 people were condemned to death in
  56 countries
• (Plus China, where data is kept secret)

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AI 2009 report

• "The death penalty is cruel and degrading, and an
  affront to human dignity,"
• said Claudio Cordone, Amnesty International's
  Interim Secretary General.

• "The Chinese authorities claim that fewer
  executions are taking place. If this is true, why
  won't they tell the world how many people the
  state put to death?"

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AI statistics 2009

• In addition to China, the worst offending nations
  were
• Iran at least 388 executions
• Iraq at least 120
• Saudi Arabia at least 69
• USA 52

• In 2009 capital punishment was applied
  extensively to send political messages
• to silence opponents
• to promote political agendas in China, Iran and
  Sudan

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AI report 2009 discrimination

• The report addresses the discriminatory way the
  death penalty was applied in 2009
• after grossly unfair trials

• The death penalty was used disproportionately
  against
• the poor
• minorities
• members of racial, ethnic and religious
  communities

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AI statistics 2010

• No stonings were reported in 2010 (but stoning
  sentences were reported in Nigeria, Pakistan,
  Iran)
• In addition to China, the worst offending nations
  were
• Iran 252 executions
• North Korea 60
• Yemen 53
• USA 46
• At least 527 executions, down on 2009 (714)

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The death sentence an irreversible penalty
ENGLAND Derek Bentley a teenager of 19 Crime
murder (1953) Facts his friend (16) shot a
policeman dead. They were committing a crime
together. Capital punishment hanging 1998 -
after 45 years Court of Appeal conviction
unsafe Derek Bentley was NOT GUILTY of
murder
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R v. DEREK WILLIAM BENTLEY (Deceased) COURT
OF APPEAL (CRIMINAL DIVISION) Royal Courts of
Justice The Strand, London WC2A 2LL Thursday
30th July 1998 B E F O R E THE LORD CHIEF
JUSTICE OF ENGLAND (Lord Bingham of Cornhill)
The judge misdirected the jury. New evidence
was assessed including medical and school
reports. Held the conviction was unsafe and
quashed.
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Not presented at trial

• Clear evidence of
• serious educational and behavioural problems
• impairment of intellectual and cognitive function
• that would affect the appellant's understanding,
  his judgment and his memory
• Consider MENS REA / culpability
• http//netk.net.au/UK/Bentley.asp

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U.S. Constitution

• The VIIIth Amendment prohibits
• cruel and unusual punishment
• The death penalty is not per se cruel and
  unusual punishment.
• But States must follow strict safeguards
• Case of
  Gregg v Georgia
• The electric chair frying in a chair?

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The right to life

• Article 2 ECHR Right to life
  (1950)
• Everyone's right to life shall be protected by
  law. No one shall be deprived of his life
  intentionally save in the execution of a sentence
  of a court following his conviction of a crime
  for which this penalty is provided by law.
  
• Paragraph 1 the death penalty is an exception to
  the right to life
• Paragraph 2 other exceptions are envisaged
  self-defence, lethal force in case of arrest,
  escape, riot.

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Right to life Prohibition of torture

• Articolo 3 ECHR Prohibition of torture
•  No one shall be subjected to torture or to
  inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. 
• European Court of Human Rights, Strasbourg
•  The Court must also recall that the Convention
  is a living instrument, which must be
  interpreted in the light of present-day
  conditions. the Court is influenced by the
  developments and commonly accepted standards in
  the penal policy of the member States of the
  Council of Europe  
  Tyrer case, 25 April 1978

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The death penalty in the UK

• No Bill of Rights
• Regulated by legislation
• In the past many capital crimes
• 20th century most serious crimes
• Murder, treason, piracy

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Abolition of the death penaltyUK

• Murder (Abolition of Death Penalty) Act 1965
• Abolished death penalty for murder
• Imposed a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment
• Crime and Disorder Act 1998
• Abolished the death penalty for
• treason, piracy with violence
• Last crimes punishable with the death penalty in
  the UK

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Public opinion and opinion polls

• Could the death penalty be reintroduced in
  Britain?
• Parliamentary sovereignty
• No fundamental laws
• And international obligations?
• And in Italy?
• Why could it be reintroduced?
• Public opinion emotional reactions?
• Fear and anxiety about public safety
• Political manipulation (instead of dealing with
  the causes of criminality)

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Abolition in Europe ECHR

• PROTOCOL No. 6 ECHR CONCERNING THE ABOLITION OF
  THE DEATH PENALTY
  Strasbourg, 28.IV.1983
• Abolishes the death penalty in peacetime
• Ratified by 46 Council of Europe member States
• Russian Federation signed (but did not ratify)
• 2) Protocol No. 13 (ECHR/CEDU) concerning the
  abolition of the death penalty in all
  circumstances
  
  
  Vilnius, 3.V.2002
• Abolishes the death penalty in all
  circumstances, including war or imminent threat
  of war
• Ratified by 42 Council of Europe member States
• Armenia, Latvia, Poland sign but do not ratify,
  Russian Federation does not sign

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Protocol No. 13 (ECHR/CEDU) concerning the
abolition of the death penalty in all
circumstancesVilnius, 3.V.2002

• The member States of the Council of Europe
  signatory hereto,
• Convinced that everyones right to life is a
  basic value in a democratic society and that the
  abolition of the death penalty is essential for
  the protection of this right and for the full
  recognition of the inherent dignity of all human
  beings
• Have agreed as follows
• Article 1 Abolition of the death penalty
• The death penalty shall be abolished. No one
  shall be condemned to such penalty or executed.

• Les Etats membres du Conseil de lEurope,
  signataires du présent Protocole,
• Convaincus que le droit de toute personne à la
  vie est une valeur fondamentale dans une société
  démocratique, et que labolition de la peine de
  mort est essentielle à la protection de ce droit
  et à la pleine reconnaissance de la dignité
  inhérente à tous les êtres humains .
• Sont convenus de ce qui suit
• Article 1 Abolition de la peine de mort
• La peine de mort est abolie. Nul ne peut être
  condamné à une telle peine ni exécuté.

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The case of Soering v UK7 July 1989 ECtHR

• Facts
• brutal murder of Mr and Mrs Haysom in Virginia,
  USA (parents of Elizabeth)
• Killer Jens Soering (German), girlfriend
  Elizabeth present and implicated in the homicide.
• Events
• Soering and Elizabeth flee
• Arrested for fraud in England
• Elizabeth sentenced to 90 years imprisonment
• USA requests extradition of Soering to Virginia
• Soering challenges extradition
• In Virginia he would risk the death penalty

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ECtHR Soering v UK Death row
phenomenonviolates article 3 ECHR

• Death row phenomenon in breach of Art. 3 ECHR
• Average from 6 to 8 years on death row
• Extreme conditions
• Growing anguish as the prisoner awaits execution
• The Court considers
• Soering was only 18 when he committed murder
• Possible psychiatric condition
• Possible alternative extradition to Germany
• ? Extradition of Soering to the USA would
  constitute a violation of Article 3 by the UK
  (the extraditing State)

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ECtHR Strasbourg evolution in the case law

• 2 March 2010
• Case of Al-Saadoon and Mufdhi v UK
• Basra, Iraq murder of 2 British soldiers
• Detained by British authorities
• Can they be handed over to Iraqi authorities for
  trial?
• They risk the death penalty

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2010 Courts conclusions

• The death penalty, involving the deliberate and
  premeditated destruction of a human being by
  State authorities, causing physical pain and
  intense psychological suffering as a result of
  the foreknowledge of death, constitutes inhuman
  treatment ? violation of Article 3
• Protocols State practice ?
• are strongly indicative that Article 2 has
  been amended so as to prohibit the death penalty
  in all circumstances. (para.
  120)

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Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European
UnionNice, 7.XII.2000

• CAPO I
• DIGNITÀ
• Articolo 1
• Dignità umana
• La dignità umana è inviolabile. Essa deve essere
  rispettata e tutelata.

• KAPITEL I
• WÜRDE DES MENSCHEN
• Artikel 1
• Würde des Menschen
• Die Würde des Menschen ist unantastbar. Sie ist
  zu achten und zu schützen.

• CHAPITRE I
• DIGNITÉ
• Article premier
• Dignité humaine
• La dignité humaine est inviolable. Elle doit être
  respectée et protégée.

• CHAPTER 1
• DIGNITY
• Article 1
• Human dignity
• Human dignity is inviolable. It must be respected
  and protected.

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Right to life Nice Charter

• Articolo 2
• Diritto alla vita
• 1. Ogni individuo ha diritto alla vita.
• 2. Nessuno può essere condannato alla pena di
  morte, né giustiziato.

• Artikel 2
• Recht auf Leben
• (1) Jede Person hat das Recht auf Leben.
• (2) Niemand darf zur Todesstrafe verurteilt oder
  hingerichtet werden.

• Article 2
• Droit à la vie
• 1. Toute personne a droit à la vie.
• 2. Nul ne peut être condamné à la peine de mort,
  ni exécuté.

• Article 2
• Right to life
• 1. Everyone has the right to life.
• 2. No one shall be condemned to the death
  penalty, or executed.

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Death Penalty in 2010 Executing countries left
isolated after decade of progress

• 28 March 2011
• Countries which continue to use the death penalty
  are being left increasingly isolated following a
  decade of progress towards abolition, Amnesty
  International has said today in its new report
• Death Sentences and Executions in 2010

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AI Report 2010

• A total of 31 countries abolished the death
  penalty in law or in practice during the last 10
  years but China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the USA and
  Yemen remain amongst the most frequent
  executioners, some in direct contradiction of
  international human rights law.

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Suggested websites

• www.coe.int Council of Europe
• http//europa.eu - European Union
• www.parliament.uk - UK Parliament
• www.opsi.gov.uk - UK legislation
• http//www.amnesty.org/en/death-penalty/ratificati
  on-of-international-treaties Amnesty
  International (human rights death penalty
  international treaties)