Kuwait must halt imminent execution of seven prisoners

Four Kuwaiti men, Syrian man, Pakistani man and an Ethiopian woman due to be put to death on Wednesday

Executions would be first in the country for nearly six years

‘Kuwait must urgently commute these and all other death sentences to prison terms’ - Amna Guellali

Responding to news that the Kuwaiti authorities plan to execute seven prisoners tomorrow after a nearly six-year pause in all executions in the country, Amna Guellali, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director, said:

“The Kuwaiti authorities must immediately halt these executions. 

“While the Kuwaiti authorities have a duty to bring those responsible for serious crimes to justice, suspects must be tried in accordance with international law in trials that meet Kuwait’s international human rights obligations.

“Kuwait must urgently commute these and all other death sentences to prison terms and review its laws on the death penalty.

“The authorities must immediately establish an official moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty entirely.”

Yesterday, Kuwait’s main prosecution body announced that seven individuals - four Kuwaiti men, a Syrian man, a Pakistani man and an Ethiopian woman - would be executed on 16 November, having been convicted of murder. A Kuwaiti official told the Kuwait newspaper al-Qabas that the announcement of such executions “acts as a deterrent” and that executions are “a legitimate matter for retribution”, citing a verse from the Quran.

 

If carried out, these executions would be the first to take place in Kuwait since 25 January 2017, when a group of seven people - including a member of the royal family - were hanged in a mass execution.