Scottish politicians denounce death penalty

MSPs sign up to Amnesty's anti-death penalty campaign, ahead of World Day Against the Death Penalty

Scottish politicians have added their names to Amnesty International's campaign against the death penalty, ahead of World Day Against the Death Penalty on Monday 10 October.

The 44 MSPs, including Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs, Jim Hume, Ken MacIntosh and Patrick Harvie, are supporting Amnesty's campaign, which this year highlights the calculated cruelty and horror of the death penalty in Iran where those convicted of adultery whilst married are sentenced to death by stoning

Siobhan Reardon, Campaigner for Amnesty International in Scotland, said:

"The death penalty is the ultimate violation of a person's human rights; the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. It is irrevocable, runs the risk of being inflicted on the innocent, and has never been shown to work effectively as a crime deterrent.

"Although the death penalty is on the decline around the world, too many countries still adopt this as a system of punishment, some in the most brutal manner possible.  It’s staggering that the Iranian authorities could be so cruel that they deliberately prolong the suffering of a stoning victim by having rules on the precise size of the stones used. However, it’s true and it needs to stop.

"The support which Amnesty's campaign against the death penalty has received from the Scottish people, including politicians from across the political spectrum, is testament to the sense of justice and respect for human rights which exists in Scotland."

According to the Iranian penal code (Article 104), the stones used to kill the condemned person must “not be too large to kill the convict by one or two throws and at the same time not too small to be called a stone.” The stones are selected in a way which prolongs the suffering of the victim, with some stonings reportedly taking up to two hours.

The victim of a stoning is bound, covered in a shroud and buried in a pit - up to their waist if they are a man, up to their chest if they are woman. A doctor will periodically interrupt the stoning to check whether the victim is still alive; if so, the stoning will proceed.

Last year the case of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, a mother of two in her 40s who faced stoning for adultery, focused international attention on Iran’s use of stoning. Ashtiani remains in prison and could still be executed. Meanwhile, another 13 people are reportedly under a sentence of stoning in the country.

For more information about Amnesty International's campaign to stop stoning in Iran, go to amnesty.org.uk/stopstoning

The following MSPs have signed their name to support the abolition of the death penalty:

• Brian Adam MSP
• Clare Adamson MSP
• Jackie Baillie MSP
• Claudia Beamish MSP
• Marco Biagi MSP
• Neil Bibby MSP
• Chic Brodie MSP
• Margaret Burgess MSP
• Sarah Boyak MSP
• Rod Campbell MSP
• Malcolm Chisholm MSP
• Bob Doris MSP
• Kezia Dugdale MSP
• Annabelle Ewing MSP
• Linda Fabiani MSP
• Patricia Ferguson MSP
• Neil Findlay MSP
• John Finnie MSP
• Rob Gibson MSP
• Mark Griffin MSP
• Patrick Harvie MSP
• Jamie Hepburn MSP
• Jim Hume MSP
• Fiona Hyslop MSP (Cabinet Secretary for Culture & External Affairs)
• Bill Kidd MSP
• Richard Lyle MSP
• John Mason MSP
• Michael Matheson MSP
• Elaine Murray MSP
• Ken MacIntosh MSP
• Mark McDonald MSP
• Christina McKelvie MSP
• Fiona McLeod MSP
• Siobhan McMahon MSP
• John Park MSP
• Gil Paterson MSP
• Dennis Robertson MSP
• Drew Smith MSP
• Elaine Smith MSP
• Dave Thompson MSP
• David Torrance MSP
• Jean Urquhart MSP
• Maureen Watt MSP
• Humza Yousaf MSP

Find out more about the campaign