31 international human rights organizations issued a warning cry from Brussels, the Belgian capital, condemning the Israeli occupation authorities' approval of a law that legalizes the execution of Palestinian prisoners in the occupied West Bank. These organizations affirmed in a joint statement that this legislation represents an unprecedented human rights regression, disregarding all international legal standards, and demanded that the European Union and its member states move from condemnation to taking practical and urgent measures to stop these systematic violations.
This human rights action comes at a time when the Israeli Knesset finally approved the law with a majority of 62 votes. The new legislation allows for the imposition of the death penalty by hanging on prisoners convicted of killing Israelis. Among the most prominent dangers of this law is that it allows for sentences to be issued by a simple majority of judges without the need for unanimity, grants full immunity and secrecy to the identity of the perpetrators, and imposes strict restrictions on prisoners' communication with their lawyers by limiting it to visual contact only, which undermines the foundations of justice and fair trial.
On the diplomatic front, these organizations joined a broad opposition front that included the foreign ministers of eight Arab and Islamic countries, including Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Qatar, who described the law as a dangerous escalation. In a related context, the European Union threatened to impose economic and political sanctions on Tel Aviv if the death sentences are actually implemented, coinciding with popular and political movements in several countries, including Mauritania, which witnessed massive demonstrations with the participation of dozens of parties condemning the decision that opposing Israeli figures described as a 'moral stain'.
These legislative developments coincide with a tragic reality experienced by about 9,500 Palestinian prisoners in occupation prisons, including hundreds of children and women who face harsh detention conditions. Statistics indicate that 89 prisoners have been martyred since October 7, 2023, as a result of systematic torture policies and deliberate medical negligence, which reinforces international fears that the death penalty law will turn into a legal liquidation tool added to the series of violations practiced by the prison service against Palestinians.
The new legislation represents a dangerous regression from international legal standards and directly violates the Fourth Geneva Convention and the principle of prohibiting discrimination.
شارك برأيك
31 International Organizations Condemn Occupation's Legislation to Execute Palestinian Prisoners and Demand European Action