On the occasion of the 20th World Abolition of Death Penalty Day
2022, Bangladeshi human rights organizations Bangladesh Institute of Human
Rights (BIHR) and JusticeMakers Bangladesh have called for the abolition of all
clauses containing the provision of death penalty in the existing laws in
Bangladesh. Today, on October 10, 2022, BIHR and JusticeMakers Bangladesh urged
to the government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh to abolish death
penalty.
Advocate Shahanur Islam, Secretary General of JusticeMakers
Bangladesh and BIHR, has demanded for life imposing life imprisonment in
serious crimes instead of death penalty to avoid cruel, inhuman and humiliating
punishments like death penalty.
Advocate Shahanur Islam said that although most of the countries
in the world are in favor of abolishing cruel, inhuman and humiliating
punishments like death penalty, still 42 countries of the world, including
Bangladesh continue the death penalty, and on the other hand, about 80% of the
world, i.e. 155 countries, have completely abolished the death penalty legally
or against the death penalty in practice
Furthermore, Advocate Shahanur Islam said that various studies
have shown that the death penalty is no more effective than life imprisonment
in controlling crime. Moreover, the imposition of the death penalty often
carries the risk of wrongfully convicting innocent people; because of no
justice system absolutely operates out of error decision. Thus, the death
penalty remains an unacceptable threat to human rights, he added.
Advocate Shahanur Islam also said that universal human rights are
based on the right to human life and dignity, and the state should not have the
power to deny human rights merely as a punishment by taking away this intrinsic
value of a man's life by imposing the death penalty.
Moreover, referring the Amnesty International's global report,
JusticeMakers Bangladesh and BIHR also pointed out that 220 people were
sentenced to death in Bangladesh in 2019, where 39 defendants did not have a
defense lawyer and the international justice standards were not followed by
Bangladeshi courts when applying the death penalty.
Finally, Advocate Shahanur Islam stated that if the social factors
responsible for the occurrence of crime are identified and initiatives are
taken to eradicate them and the proper implementation of existing laws can be
established, all types of serious and heinous crimes will be reduced and
therefore life imprisonment is sufficient as the maximum punishment, instead of
death penalty.
With
Best Regards
Advocate
Shahanur Islam
Secretary
General
Bangladesh
Institute of Human Rights (BIHR)
JusticeMakers
Bangladesh
Cell:
01720308080
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