GA/SHC/3929
Sixty-third General Assembly
Third Committee
28th & 29th Meetings

Statements made by country officials at the 63rd General Assembly Third Committee

In 2007, New Zealand had co-sponsored the General Assembly resolution calling for a moratorium, which represented a significant milestone in the quest for its eventual abolition. Five countries (Iran, Sudan, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan)  continued to execute juvenile offenders and had carried out 32 such executions in the past three years. She urged those States to take immediate steps to prohibit that practice by law and, while such efforts were ongoing, to adopt a moratorium on all executions of juvenile offenders.

LIE #1: Yemen denies implementing the death penalty for minors

YEMEN: In a dialogue session following the introduction of the reports, the representative of Yemen said his delegation was particularly surprised by the information included in paragraph 43 of the report of the Secretary-General on the moratorium on the death penalty (A/63/293), which stated that Yemen was one of five countries who continued to implement the death penalty against persons under 18 years of age. That claim was “totally groundless” and had been based on information from a non-governmental organization and not from State figures. The Secretary-General’s report on the issue should be based on State information and not on information from other groups or countries. Yemen had amended its crime and punishment law in 1994, and, currently, the maximum penalty against persons under 18 years of age in the country was imprisonment for a duration of 10 years. He called on the Secretariat to clarify the situation officially and asked for such misinformation to be avoided in the future.

STOP CHILD EXECUTIONS RESPONSE: If Yemen amended its crime and punishment law in 1994 where the maximum penalty for persons under 18 years of age is 10 year imprisonment, why then was Hafez Ibrahim sentenced to death for a crime allegdedly committed when he wa 16 years old. Why did did Ibrahim’s family have to pay 25 million Yemeni riyals (approximately USD$126,217) to the family of the victim as a compensation amount to pardon him for exchane of his lifein October 2007? What about Walid Haikal who has been facing execution in Yemen for over 7 years from the time he was 15 years old. Why was Walid Hussein Haykal sentenced to death at age 16 year old when it is documented in his father’s passport issued in the Yemeni consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia where he was born?

LIE #2: Iran rejects claim that Iran continues to use the death penalty against juveniles.

IRAN. Flagging the same report, the representative of Iran categorically rejected the claim made in paragraph 43 that Iran continued to use the death penalty against juveniles. Discussion surrounding the adoption of the General Assembly resolution on a moratorium of the death penalty had demonstrated the deep divide among Member States on that issue, and his delegation continued to hold strong reservations regarding the implications of a moratorium, as did many others. Those reservations aside, he said that persons in charge of preparing the report should have ensured that the information included was accurate. In the case of Iran, the information had come from a non-governmental organization and, before allowing those figures to be included in the report, the Secretary-General should have verified those figures with intergovernmental stakeholders or other officials within the country. At the very least, he added, the countries concerned should have been consulted on the information that was going to be included in the report.

Introduction of Draft Resolutions

SEYED HOSSEIN REZVANI ( Iran) said strengthening cooperation in the field of human rights helped promote mutual understanding and good neighbourliness among States. Due to different historical, regional, religious, cultural and national particularities, as well as differences in social systems, levels of development and concepts of value, it was only natural to have different views on human rights. Countries should be allowed to take measures to protect and promote human rights, while taking into account their own national conditions. It was neither practical nor feasible to demand that all countries adopt the same development model. The international community should, on the basis of mutual respect and through dialogue, deepen their mutual understanding and cooperate more to promote human rights. Cultural diversity should not be a cause for division within the international community, but should be viewed as an asset that enriched the common heritage of all peoples. In light of that, advancing a “policy of cultural hegemony” should be avoided. The practice of listening to others, rather than confronting or offending them, should be cultivated among those participating in international politics.

STOP CHILD EXECUTIONS RESPONSE: Iran continues to violate international human rights law. It has executed 6 children this year alone, and over 140 minors remain on death row awaiting execution.

LIE #3: Iran ensures compliance with international commitments
Also in reply to the statement made by France’s delegation, the representative of Iran said his delegation categorically rejected the allegations made regarding the execution of minors in his country. As a party to a number of major human rights instruments, Iran had ensured compliance with its international commitments, particularly with regard to restricting the application of the death penalty to the perpetrators of only the most heinous crimes. In addition, there had been no cases of death sentences carried out by stoning in his country in recent years, since a moratorium was in place to prevent such actions. The degree of freedom of expression in the country was evident in the publication of more than 300 news dailies, as well as other forms of media, which were all free to discuss and debate a wide range of political issues in the country.

STOP CHILD EXECUTIONS RESPONSE:
Iran has signed the ICCPR International Covenent on Civil and Political Rights and the Charter of the Rights of the Child which prohibits the execution of those who have comitted an offence before the age of 18 years. Iran continues to violate these treaties.

Lie #4: Sudan denies no penalties were applied to minors in he country, neither the death penalty nor any other.

SUDAN. Sudan’s delegate, referring to the same report, said the Secretary-General had exceeded his mandate by including information from non-State actors. The moratorium on the death penalty was a controversial issue that had not achieved consensus. Member States had given the Secretary-General a mandate to publish a report on the implementation of the moratorium, but it did not include permission to base his reports on information culled from non-governmental organizations or civil society. Regarding the Sudan’s inclusion in paragraph 43, he said that the information was incorrect and no penalties were applied to minors in the country, neither the death penalty nor any other. He asked Mr. Mbaidjol, who had provided the Secretary-General that information, why such groundless and inaccurate information was included in an official report. He also asked to be provided with the names of the minors that were alleged to have been executed in his country.

STOP CHILD EXECUTIONS ANSWER: 
Abdelrhman Zakaria Mohamed and Ahmed Abdullah Suleiman, both aged 16, were sentenced to death by the Criminal Court in Nyala the capital of South Darfur on 3 May 2007

For a Full look at the UN’s 63rd General Assembly Third Committee Report:
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/KSAI-7KV9HG?OpenDocument