Neither the Maldives Correctional Services nor the Home Minister was able to provide details about the mechanism of execution when contacted by the Maldives Independent. UPDATE 23 JULY The following letter has been sent to John Glen MP concerning the imminent use of the death penalty in the Maldives. The United Nations has said 20 prisoners, including at least five juvenile offenders, had been sentenced to death, and three men convicted of murder were at imminent risk of execution, despite concerns over whether they had had fair trials. According to Maldivian law, the death penalty can only be carried out should all of the murder victim's immediate relatives (heirs) choose to take the life of a convicted killer under the Islamic shariah principle of Qisas (retaliation in kind). Background In 2014, the Maldives government under President Abdulla Yameen announced that executions would resume after more than 60 years without the death . The Maldives voted against the United Nations moratorium on the death penalty in 2007 and 2008, then voted in favour of the moratorium in 2010, then abstained from voting in 2012 and 2014, and then voted against it again in 2016, 2018, and 2020. Death penalty violent and ineffective form of punishment, says UK. Ahmed Murrath, Mohammed Nabeel and Hussain Humaam Ahmed were the three men convicted of and sentenced to death, for murders committed between 2009 and 2012. The Maldives in 2014 ended a six-decade moratorium on capital punishment, with President Abdulla Yameen previously declaring the island nation would be ready for executions last month. UN expert urges Maldives to step back from "imminent" death penalty The Death Penalty, Third Edition, brings together all the legal issues related to the death penalty and provides case briefs for the most important United States Supreme Court death penalty cases. The execution must take place within seven days of the order. We found out that three men who had exhausted all their legal options were facing death by hanging. There is growing political unrest in the Maldives and this move is seen as International human rights groups Amnesty International and Reprieve, in a petition against the death penalty in the Maldives said Yameen was putting the country on the wrong side of history by this reckless course of action. Dr Afrasheem's heirs requested Humam's execution be delayed until the high-profile murder is solved. PDF Maldives Stakeholder Report for the United Nations Universal Periodic Yet now, when most of the world has turned its back on the sickening death penalty, the popular tropical nation risks being on the wrong side of history and earning global notoriety for reinstating its use of barbaric executions. In 2016, the official method of execution was changed from lethal injection to hanging. Or alternatively hold down the Ctrl key and scroll up or down with the mouse. [5], Last edited on 28 September 2021, at 16:06, United Nations moratorium on the death penalty, "Death Penalty News: The Maldives: The 1st execution in 60 years - help stop this", "Trouble in paradise: Maldives says it will carry out execution- La Croix International", "Maldives death penalty delays will be resolved by 8 October", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Capital_punishment_in_the_Maldives&oldid=1047020104, This page was last edited on 28 September 2021, at 16:06. If the accused denies the charges at any stage of prosecution, it will be legally impossible to issue the death sentence, she said. It is to be used as a deterrent, Mohamed Hussain Shareef, a senior advisor to Yameen and head of foreign relations of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) told Reuters in an interview in Colombo. Capital punishment in the United Arab Emirates - Wikipedia A U.N. human rights expert early this month said the Maldives will make a big mistake if it reinstates the death penalty, while Amnesty International has said the executions are a ploy by the government to distract attention from its own problems and ensure its political survival. Under international human rights law, it is unlawful to execute juveniles for any crime whatsoever. Naseer, who led the effort, has long claimed that capital punishment deters crime. The hangings will not be carried out in public, Shareef said, with the government constructing a special execution chamber on Maafushi island where the countrys main prison is located from 27 km (16 miles) from capital Male. Prisons authority asks for police help to bring back Gasim, Religious scholar sex assault trial starts, EPA rejects Maafaru runway expansion project, Infrastructure development pushing islands to tipping point, Military alert level raised as precautionary measure, Taxi driver was fatally stabbed during robbery, Arbitration case filed in Singapore over Fushidhiggaru lagoon. Crimes punishable by death include murder, adultery, apostasy, terrorism, and treason - however the punishment is not mandatory for any crime. This means that juveniles could potentially face execution in the archipelago. The age of criminal responsibility in the Maldives is 10, but for hadd offences, children as young as 7 years old can be held responsible. Background Maldives To Resume Death Penalty - The Organization for World Peace "The High Representative holds a strong and principled position against the death penalty," a, "The death penalty is cruel and inhumane, and has not been shown in any way to act as a deterrent to crime. Amnesty International UK Section Charitable Trust. COLOMBO (Reuters) - Despite international pressure the Maldives will reintroduce the death penalty after a 60-year moratorium to try and reduce the rising number of murders and stop drug trafficking, a senior advisor to President Abdulla Yameen said on Tuesday. Press Release July 20, 2017 Maldives: Halt first execution in more than 60 years The Maldives must immediately halt its first execution planned in more than sixty years and preserve its positive death penalty record, Amnesty International said today. . A company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (01735872). Steady 55% of Americans Support Death Penalty for Murderers Delays in carrying out the death penalty due will be resolved by October 8, the home minister has said, despite international condemnation about the country resuming executions. Adopted on 27 April, the new regulation provides for the use of the death penalty for the offence of intentional murder, including when committed by individuals under the age of 18. The Russian invasion has led to many civilian deaths and mass displacement. COLOMBO (Reuters) - Despite international pressure the Maldives will reintroduce the death penalty after a 60-year moratorium to try and reduce the rising number of murders and stop drug. The authorities have since amended legislation, clearing the way for executions to take place, including removing the power from the executive to grant pardons or commutations in intentional murder cases a breach of their rights under international human rights law. While the age of criminal responsibility is 10 in the Maldives, some crimes under the country's Sharia laws -- known as Hadd offenses -- have an age of responsibility of 7. Although there had been delays, Home Minister Ahmed Azleen said the technical issues leading to the delays were now resolved, Sun Online reported Saturday. Story highlights Maldives reinstates the death penalty after 61. Similar provisions in the recently ratified Penal Code, allowing for the application of the death penalty for crimes committed when below the age of 18, are also deeply regrettable," Ravina Shamdasani, a spokeswoman for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, "We urge the Government to retain its moratorium on the use of the death penalty in all circumstances, particularly in cases that involve juvenile offenders and to work towards abolishing the practice altogether.". Maldives defends death penalty and flogging - Minivan News Maldives to execute death row inmates by hanging Capital Punishment In The Maldives - Encyclopedia Information Amnesty International UK's vital work depends on the generosity of our supporters to fund our ongoing fight for human rights. At the moment, overwhelmingly the people of Maldives are in support for implementation. If the public is against it, the very populist current government cannot move ahead with the killings. . In August 2017, the Maldives president Abdulla Yameen announced this his country was planning to carry out its first executions in more than six decades. No other book available brings together a discussion of the major constitutional issues surrounding the death penalty with a broad array of . The Maldives' continued use of the death penalty undermines government efforts and commitments to end gender-based discrimination. For unknown reasons, the executions were not carried out. The Maldives still has time to turn back, consolidate its positive record on the death penalty, and impose a full moratorium on its implementation as first step," said Biraj Patnaik. As of today, 141 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice; in the Asia-Pacific region, 20 countries have abolished the death penalty for all crimes and a further seven are abolitionist in practice. The United Nations and Amnesty International have urged the government not to reintroduce the death penalty by hanging, citing concerns whether some inmates facing the death penalty had had fair trials. People in Ukraine are facing a catastrophic human rights crisis. Republic of the Maldives in connection with its use of death penalty and related issues, including (i) the implementation of accepted recommendations from the country's 2015 . [4] Again, however, the date passed with no executions being carried out. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Maldives pledges to uphold moratorium on death penalty The United Arab Emirates has sentenced several people to death by stoning. Maldives - Committee Against Torture (LOIPR) - Death Penalty - June Agnes Callamard, the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions urged the government to maintain the de facto moratorium on the death penalty, calling the resumption of executions a great setback for the country and the entire region. FIDH expresses its utmost concern over the recent decision of the government of the Maldives to overturn a six-decade-old moratorium on the death penalty. Especially alarming is the possibility that children as young as 7 years old can receive death sentences, representing an egregious affront to fundamental human rights and the . The announcement of their executions comes as the Maldives faces huge political tensions. 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