Human Rights - Death Penalty 

By: Tayam Mourad / Ali Hage Sleiman

What is the Death Penalty? The death penalty is a type of capital punishment in which a government or state executes (kills) a person, usually but not always for committing a significant crime. 

The problem with the death penalty is that it is a violation of the right to life, which is the most fundamental of all human rights. It also infringes on the right not to be tortured or subjected to other brutal or degrading treatment or punishment. Furthermore, the death penalty degrades the basic dignity of every human being.

The risk of executing an innocent person is inherent in the death penalty. Since 1973, at least 186 people in the United States have been exonerated after being wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death.

The death sentence in the United States is a clear violation of international human rights law. It is frequently used arbitrarily and discriminatory, with no regard for fundamental due process rights. Furthermore, execution procedures and death row conditions have been branded as harsh, inhumane, or degrading punishment, if not outright torture.

There are many things that US residents can do to help spread awareness in abolishing the death penalty. One of them being the signing of multiple petitions that Congress has access to in order to spread awareness that this sort of punishment is not accepted by the people, as well as peaceful protests. 

Survey-

Our group conducted a survey on-campus with a total number of 23 respondents, this is what they thought about the death penalty infringing on human rights.

Video on Death Penalty:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZciixlZmmA

Modalities used:

-Blog

-Survey

-Image

-PowerPoint

-Video

-Ideas

-Website

-Statistics

References: 

New tools to raise awareness on the abolition of the death penalty in Africa. International Federation for Human Rights. (n.d.). September 13, 2019, from https://www.fidh.org/en/region/Africa/new-tools-to-raise-awareness-on-the-abolition-of-the-death-penalty-in

Gloss, S. R. (n.d.). Rate of false conviction of criminal defendants . www.pnas.org. August 5, 2012, from https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1306417111

CR, C. (2011, February 3). The death penalty is a human rights violation. ccrjustice.org. Retrieved from https://ccrjustice.org/sites/default/files/assets/files/CCR%20Death%20Penalty%20Factsheet.pdf

WR, J. (2021, February 18). Innocence. Death Penalty Information Center. Retrieved from https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/policy-issues/innocence

MJ, L. (2021, January 9). Stop federal executions. Death Penalty Action. Retrieved from https://deathpenaltyaction.org/federal-death-penalty/