Four executions last month, 200 convicted in South Sudan
South Sudan has carried out at least four executions since the beginning of this month. Two men convicted of murder were hanged in Juba on 12 November and two others in Wau on 18 November.
More than 200 individuals are believed to be on death row throughout the country. This has to be stopped, says the spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Cécile Pouilly in a press statement.
The UN agency is worried about the situation. Pouilly: “South Sudan's justice system is struggling to establish itself after decades of civil war. Police and prosecutorial services are not available in much of the country and, when available, do not have the resources to conduct proper investigations and prosecutions. We are particularly concerned about the limited access to legal representation during trials, including for people sentenced to death”.
She adds that the overwhelming majority of individuals in prison in South Sudan do not have legal representation or the right to free legal aid in serious criminal, civil, land and family matters. “As a result, they are often unable to mount an adequate defence or to contest the use of forced confessions in court. Unclear bureaucratic procedural requirements also hinder the exercise of the right of appeal”.
The human rights commissioner wants South Sudan to implement a moratorium on the death penalty: “International law requires that the death penalty may only be carried out pursuant to a final judgement rendered by a competent court in a fair trial, including legal representation and the right to appeal to a court of higher jurisdiction”.
It is unclear whether the four individuals executed this month had any access to legal representation. Despite that South Sudan voted in favour of a UN resolution on a moratorium of the use of the death penalty, at least 14 individuals are believed to have been executed since the country gained its independence in July 2011. The actual number of individuals executed is likely to be higher, as the Government does not publicly disclose information about death sentences or judicial executions, states the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
File photo: Execution victims are being transferred from Farajalla to the morgue at Wau
Related:
Execution site found near Wau in South Sudan ( 18 December 2012)