DRC: International medical experts urge an end to child executions
Amnesty International and medical experts from seven countries have sent an open letter to the heads of government in China, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Philippines, Iran, Sudan and the USA urging them to stop using the death penalty against children. The letter has been signed by 17 medical experts with outstanding credentials in the field of child and adolescent psychology, psychiatry and social development. Endorsing the call of the experts to abolish juvenile executions, Irene Khan, Secretary General of Amnesty International, said, "Child offenders should not be punished as if they were adults. Governments must amend their laws and practices to conform with international human rights standards and end the death penalty for offenders under the age of 18."
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL-PRESS RELEASE
AI Index: POL 30/033/2004 (Public)
3 September 2004
Amnesty International and medical experts from seven countries have sent
an open letter to the heads of government in China, Pakistan, the
Democratic Republic of Congo, Philippines, Iran, Sudan and the USA urging
them to stop using the death penalty against children.
The letter has been signed by 17 medical experts with outstanding
credentials in the field of child and adolescent psychology, psychiatry
and social development.
"Although adolescents generally know the difference between right and
wrong, they can suffer from diminished capacities to reason logically, to
control their impulses, to think through the future consequences of their
actions, and to resist the negative influences and persuasion of others,"
says the letter. "They should face punishment for criminal actions, but
the sanctions which can be imposed on mentally competent adolescent
offenders should not be the same as those faced by adults found guilty of
the same offences."
Endorsing the call of the experts to abolish juvenile executions, Irene
Khan, Secretary General of Amnesty International, said, "Child offenders
should not be punished as if they were adults. Governments must amend
their laws and practices to confirm with international human rights
standards and end the death penalty for offenders under the age of 18."
Background Information
International standards prohibit the execution of child offenders --
people who were under 18 years old at the time of the crime. These
standards include the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the American Convention
on Human Rights and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the
Child. This prohibition is now so widely accepted as to constitute a
principle of customary international law. The relevant standards are
respected by the overwhelming majority of the 80 countries which still
retain and use the death penalty.
For more information on Amnesty International's campaign "Stop Child
Executions!", see: http://web.amnesty.org/pages/deathpenalty-children-eng