The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) has criticised the Sri Lankan government’s announcement that it resume carrying out executions, calling it an “egregious violation” of international human rights law.
Earlier this week the United Kingdom and European Union reiterated their opposition to Sri Lanka's proposed implementation of the death penalty.
“Resuming executions would be an egregious violation of Sri Lanka’s obligations under international human rights law, a serious threat to human rights in the country, and it would be inconsistent with the global trend towards the abolition of the death penalty,” said Frederick Rawski, ICJ’s Asia-Pacific Director.
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“At least 150 countries have now either abolished the death penalty or instituted an official or unofficial moratorium. There is a growing understanding around the world that the death penalty is an unacceptable assault on rights and dignity,” Rawski added.
The ICJ went on to state that it “calls on the Government of Sri Lanka to reject the resumption of executions and to do away with the death penalty once and for all”.
See more from the ICJ here.
