Saudi Arabia rejects UN report on death penalty

Saudi Arabia has rejected a report from the United
Nations secretary-general urging countries to scrap the
death penalty, stating that this was punishment approved
under Islamic law to protect the rights of victims.

The UN report was issued recently at a Human Rights
Council meeting in Geneva. Faisal Trad, Saudi ambassador
to the United Nations in Geneva, said the Kingdom had
every right to define its own laws.

“Saudi Arabia is an Islamic state, fully sovereign, and is
proud that Islamic law is the basis of the country’s
constitution. Islam ensures justice and protects the rights of
all without discrimination, in addition to the right of life for
all. The death penalty is a legal measure to protect the right
to life and interests of the community,” he said.

He said articles five to 19 of the report supported the views
of countries that had scrapped capital punishment. “The
report, unfortunately, did not include any views from
countries that believe this punishment is an integral part of
measures to achieve justice and protect the rights of
victims,” he said.

Trad said the Kingdom was committed to honoring Article 6
of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,
which guarantees the right to apply the penalty, including a
commitment to ensure fair trials for all those accused of
capital offenses.

He said the Kingdom’s courts only sentence people to death
for offenses such as murder and drug trafficking.

The country’s judiciary is independent and protects the
rights of all parties according to international law. In
addition, lawyers are allowed to perform their duties without
any interference, he said.