The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs commenting on the execution of seven prisoners Wednesday after a five-year hiatus, said “We renew our firm position rejecting the death penalty wherever it may be and in all circumstances and France is firmly committed to abolishing this unfair, inhumane and useless punishment in all parts of the world, stressing that execution is incompatible with humanity.
In the meantime, a local Arabic daily quoting Deputy Regional Director of Amnesty International for the Middle East and North Africa Amna Guellali said, “This punishment is extremely cruel.”
In a statement, Al-Guellali called on the Kuwaiti authorities to immediately stop future executions, stating that the death penalty is the ultimate form of cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.
Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception, regardless of the nature and circumstances of the crime, the innocence of the accused, and regardless of the characteristics of the offender or the method used by the state to carry out executions.
The organization stated that the death penalty constitutes a violation of the right to life, and while the Kuwaiti authorities have a duty to bring to justice those responsible for serious crimes, suspects must be tried in accordance with international law in trials that meet Kuwait’s international human rights obligations.
And she added: Kuwait must urgently commute these sentences and all other death sentences to prison sentences and review its laws related to the death penalty.
The authorities must impose an immediate official moratorium on executions in preparation for the complete abolition of this penalty.
The Vice-President of the European Commission, Margaret Schinas, expressed his regret that although “I raised the issue of executions yesterday and received assurances of non-execution, Kuwait carried out 7 executions today.”
He indicated, in a tweet on the account of the European Union Embassy in Kuwait on Twitter, that this will have repercussions on the discussions related to the proposal to put Kuwait on the list of countries exempt from the Schengen visa.
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