Oman participates in death penalty discussion in Geneva

The Sultanate of Oman took part in a panel discussion on the death penalty organised by the Human Rights Council at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in Geneva.

Ambassador Idris Abdulrahman Alkhanjari, Permanent Representative of the Sultanate of Oman to the UN, delivered a statement on behalf of the GCC countries in which he said that the GCC countries wished to express their commitment to the rule of law as an essential tool for achieving justice and protecting the rights of all individuals under its jurisdiction.

This commitment extends to the death penalty, which is limited to cases of very serious crimes and is only implemented after securing a fair trial and fulfilling all legal and judicial guarantees, added Ambassador Alkhanjari.

He affirmed that there is no international consensus for or against the death penalty imposed in accordance with the proper application of the law. Accordingly, the retention or abolition of the death penalty is determined by each country according to its circumstances, religious and cultural backgrounds, the Ambassador explained.

He pointed out that from this perspective, many countries around the world, which rely on Islamic law as part of the sources of their legislation, use the death penalty with strict legal guarantees endorsed by the true Islamic law, in line with the obligations of countries under international human rights law and relevant international standards.

At the end of his speech, the Ambassador stressed that the GCC countries call for respect for all cultural, social and religious backgrounds. He said the GCC countries also seek recognition of the right of each country to adopt its own legal and legislative systems as an independent and sovereign entity as guaranteed by international law.

This is an unofficial English version of an Arabic report. To view the official Arabic text, click here.