[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

July 20



GLOBAL:

Death penalty executions at a 25 year high, Amnesty reports


The number of people executed around the world has reached a sobering new 
record. New figures released by Amnesty International show a 50 % rise in 
executions in 2015.

More than 1634 people were condemned to death in 25 countries worldwide, that's 
573 more than in 2014. The human rights watchdog said it marked an alarming 
development, and the real figures could be even higher, as the numbers for 
China are unknown.

"The dramatic rise in executions that we recorded in 2015 was down to huge 
increases, primarily huge increases, in just 3 countries - Iran, Pakistan and 
Saudi Arabia. Together these 3 countries accounted for almost 90 % of all the 
executions that we recorded in 2015, again, excluding China," explained Audrey 
Gaughran, Director for Global Issues and Research, from Amnesty International.

The report notes that China regards death penalty figures as a state secret. 
When asked about the report a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry claimed that 
Amnesty released 'unfair' statements about the country.

Saudi Arabia, Iran and Pakistan were responsible for 89% of the executions in 
2015. The Saudi kingdom was responsible for more than 158 executions and Iran 
for 977, which represents an increase of 76% and 31% respectively from 2014. In 
Pakistan, there were 326 recorded deaths, the most executions in the country's 
history.

According to Amnesty's report, Iran and Pakistan executed minors at the time of 
their deaths. In the Middle East and Africa, the majority of the people are 
condemned because of terrorist actions.

The organisation has been campaigning to end the death penalty since 1977 when 
only 16 countries had abolished it. They noted that 102 countries abolished the 
act entirely by the end of 2015, making a total of 140 abolitionist countries 
around the world.

(source: euronews.com)

*************

A map of countries that still have the death penalty---see: 
http://www.west-info.eu/a-map-of-countries-that-still-have-the-death-penalty/

(source: west-info.eu)






PAKISTAN:

PHC stays executions of 3 militants


Peshawar High Court (PHC) stayed the execution of three militants on Tuesday by 
suspending the verdict of a military court for their involvement in alleged 
attacks on security forces and other terror related activities. A divisional 
bench of the PHC comprising of Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Waqar Seth also 
issued notice to the federal government to file a reply till next hearing.

The bench stayed the execution on judicial review appeals filed by 3 convicts 
Tabib, Muhammad Ayaz and Azizur Rahman through their counsels Ghulam Mohiuddin 
Malik and Arif Jan. The counsels informed the court that the petitioners were 
awarded death penalty by military courts and their sentences were approved by 
the Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif on July 14, 2015.

They argued the petitioners had not been given the chance to defend themselves, 
terming the trial a violation of the right to a fair trial. Malik said that 
Tabib went missing from Abbottabad on October 30, 2014 and his whereabouts were 
unknown since then. Similarly, they said that Muhammad Ayaz, a resident of 
Barikot Swat, was arrested from a security checkpoint in 2009 and was 
transferred to several different places from time to time. Applicants' counsels 
argued that even family members were not allowed to meet him.

The counsels contended that Azizur Rahman who was a resident of Matta area of 
Swat was arrested by security forces in 2010 and was kept at different 
internment centres since then. They said that their family members of the 
convicts came to know through media that they had been awarded the death 
sentence and that the army chief had approved their execution.

The counsel contended that none of them had been given a fair trial nor it was 
known under what crimes they had committed to merit the death sentence.

The bench stayed their executions and sought replies from the federal 
government. Besides, those whose death sentences were approved by the army 
chief include Muhammad Qayyum Bacha who was given the death penalty for 
carrying out an attack on on law enforcement agencies. Muhammad Asif, who was a 
member of the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi got the death sentence on charges of 
target killing.

Other militants who were convicted are Barkat Ali, Hussan Dar, Ishaq, and 
Behram Sher who were active members of the banned TTP and were sentenced to 
death for carrying out attacks on security forces.

(source: The Daily Times)






BANGLADESH:

2 get death for killing doctor


Special Tribunal Judge Nitai Chandra Saha yesterday handed down death penalty 
to 2 men for killing Dr Shafiqul Islam, owner of Jess Clinic in Jessore town, 
on July 29, 2009, said Prosecutor SM Badruzzaman Palash, who conducted the case 
on behalf of the government. 2 others were acquitted.

The convicted are Ashiqur Rahman Bablu, 40, son of Rajab Ali, and Saiful Islam 
Jakir, 36, son of Miratul Haque, both of Ghope Nawapara in the town.

The acquitted are Rabbu alias Mursalin of New Town, and M Raihan of Ghope 
Nawapara.

Dr Shafiqul Islam, the then treasurer of the Jessore district unit of BMA and 
also owner of Jess Clinic, was killed by the criminals inside his clinic at 
around 10:00pm on July 29, 2009.

Abdus Salam Dhabak, father of the deceased, filed a case with Jessore Kotwali 
Police Station in this connection on July 30, 2009.

(source: The Daily Star)






INDIA:

Behind bars


Prison administration is integral to the justice delivery system which, many 
feel, calls for urgent reflection. The system has been almost unchanged since 
its inception though a change in nomenclature has been effected over time. Our 
prisons are no longer called 'jails'; they have been christened as correctional 
homes in keeping with the changed ethos.

Even though the prison infrastructure has improved considerably over the years, 
we still have a long way to go as far as treatment of the inmates 'inside these 
correctional homes are concerned. The findings of a recent study titled the 
'Death Penalty Research Project' are distressing. In this 1st-ever 
comprehensive study of the socio-economic profile of prisoners sentenced to 
death, researchers at Delhi's National Law University (NLU) have found that by 
and large they belong to the economically vulnerable sections, backward 
communities and religious minority groups. This is important because a 
prisoner's economic status and level of education directly affects his ability 
to effectively participate in the criminal justice system to secure a fair 
trial.

As it appears from the report, such prisoners have found it difficult to 
negotiate the burdens imposed by our criminal justice system. As a result, the 
death penalty often disproportionately affects those who have the least 
capabilities to negotiate our criminal justice system. The research team 
identified 385 prisoners and got access to 373 of them. Referring to the right 
to be present at one's own trial, the study found that only 1 out of the 4 
interviewed had attended all the hearings. Some prisoners would merely be taken 
to the court premises by the police and then confined to a court lock-up 
without ever being produced in the courtroom. Of 189 prisoners, 169 did not 
have a lawyer. Again, although the person arrested has to be informed about the 
reason for the arrest, 136 prisoners allegedly said that they were taken away 
to 'sign papers' and were never allowed to go home again. Besides, 166 
prisoners were not produced before a Magistrate within 24 hours of the arrest 
... which is mandatory. Weeks and months passed before they were produced in 
court; sometimes the arrest was recorded only at that point of time.

The interim period was often spent in alleged torture. The researchers 
interviewed a majority of the 385 prisoners on death row, of whom one said he 
would be happy to be killed rather than being tortured every day. Out of 92 
prisoners who had confessed in police custody, 72 had made statements allegedly 
under torture. Death-row prisoners were often kept locked while the trial 
proceeded, and at least 2 were not in a position to follow the proceedings of 
the trial.

The report states that even when prisoners were present in court, "the very 
architecture of several trial courts often prevents any real chance of the 
accused participating in their own trial." They were often confined at the rear 
of the courtroom while the interaction between the judge and the lawyers took 
place in the front. A person charged with a crime has the right to an 
interpreter if he does not understand the language used in court, and to 
translated documents. But this requirement is seldom complied with. Over 1/2 
the prisoners interviewed said they did not understand the proceedings at all, 
either because of the obstructive court architecture or the language used 
(often English). Part of an accused's right to a fair hearing is the right to 
challenge evidence produced against them. In India, trial courts can question 
the accused directly at any stage, and the Supreme Court has ruled that the 
persons must be questioned separately about every material circumstance to be 
used against them, and in a form they can understand.

The study found that these provisions were routinely dishonoured. Over 60 % of 
the prisoners interviewed said they were only asked to give "yes/no" responses 
during their trials, with no meaningful opportunity to explain themselves. 7 
out of 10 prisoners said their lawyers did not discuss case details with them. 
Almost 77 % never met their lawyers outside the court, and the interaction 
inside the court was perfunctory. Many of the prisoners preferred to engage 
private lawyers despite their economic vulnerability because of the putative 
incompetence of the underpaid legal aid lawyers. The higher the courts, lesser 
the information the prisoners have about their cases. As often as not, they 
ascertain the progress of the trial through the prison authorities or media 
reports though it is not just death-row prisoners who face such violations. The 
constitutionality of the death sentence was last upheld in May 1980 by the 
Supreme Court. It had ruled that the death penalty did not infringe the right 
to life as guaranteed by Article 21 of the Constitution. However, it should be 
awarded only in the 'rarest of the rare' cases. Surprisingly, most prisoners 
sentenced to death in India are not eventually executed. Less than 5 % of those 
sentenced by trial courts have actually been executed. In most of the cases, 
their death sentences were commuted by the higher courts following appeals.

The NLU report makes it clear that its findings do not necessarily suggest that 
the state authorities intentionally discriminate against poor or less educated 
prisoners. But the report does allege that the system is so biased that there 
is a degree of indirect discrimination at work which worsens the chances of 
fair trial for prisoners from disadvantaged backgrounds. Yet issues pertaining 
to fair trial rights and treatment of prisoners on death row by the criminal 
justice system are almost never discussed with due seriousness. Indirect 
discrimination happens when a seemingly impartial and innocuous practice 
affects particular groups adversely, even if it is not deliberately directed at 
the groups. Given the irreversible nature of the death penalty, it is 
particularly important that fair trial rights are scrupulously safeguarded. 
Every death sentence imposed following an unfair trial violates the right to 
life. It has been suggested by some observers that the only way to end this 
injustice is to impose an immediate moratorium on the use of the death penalty 
as a 1st step towards abolition of the same. The Law Commission of India, in a 
report last year, recommended the abolition of the death penalty in phases, 
beginning with ending it for all offences except those related to terrorism.

The criminal justice system allegedly follows several practices which hurt the 
poor and the marginalised much more than others. What needs to be investigated 
is whether such practices are the result of entrenched socio-economic 
inequalities or whether indirect discrimination has been institutionalised. In 
its report last year on the death penalty, the Law Commission stated: "The 
vagaries of the system also operate disproportionately against the socially and 
economically marginalized who may lack the resources to effectively advocate 
their rights within an adversarial criminal justice system."

For a vibrant liberal-democratic India, the Death Penalty India Report does 
come as a rude shock. Principles of custodial care remain theoretical, although 
it is obligatory for the police to take care of their well-being and health. 
Hopefully, the findings of the report will make policy makers and prison 
administrators sit up and take notice, indeed to make meaningful interventions 
to ensure the rights of the undertrials and put in place a humane justice 
delivery system.

(source: thestatesman.com)



GAZA:

Hamas sentences 3 'spies for Israel' to death----Military court in Gaza 
sentences 3 local residents to death after they were convicted of spying for 
Israel.

A military court in Gaza on Tuesday sentenced 3 local residents to death after 
they were convicted of providing information to Israel's security services.

The Palestinian Interior Ministry, which is in charge of the security forces 
and which is controlled by Hamas in Gaza, said that the Supreme Military Court 
sentenced to death by strangling and shooting the 3 men, who according to the 
statement handed over information that harmed the public interest and the 
Palestinian national security.

The trial of the "spies" was held behind closed doors and without the presence 
of the media.

Hamas regularly claims to have captured "Israeli spies", and many times it 
tries them and sentences them to death.

In 1 such example, the group claimed to have exposed "the most dangerous 
intelligence agent" who allegedly worked for the Israel Security Agency (Shin 
Bet).

More recently, Hamas claimed it arrested an intelligence agent who had provided 
information to Israel for 14 years and who allegedly assisted in providing 
information which led to the elimination of terrorists and in the bombings of 
houses in Gaza.

Under Palestinian law, collaboration with Israel is punishable by death. All 
death sentences, however, require the approval of Palestinian Authority (PA) 
chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who issued a moratorium on death sentences in 2005.

Hamas ignores the moratorium and carries out the executions anyway, as it no 
longer recognizes the legitimacy of Abbas, whose four-year term expired in 
2009.

Amnesty International has previously called on Hamas to stop the executions of 
suspected collaborators, saying that the group "must immediately and totally 
cease its use of the death penalty."

(source: Israel National News)






SAUDI ARABIA/UNITED KINGDOM:

Boris Johnson Must Raise Juvenile Death Sentences in Saudi Meeting


The new Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, has been urged to use a meeting today 
with the Saudi Foreign Minister to call for an end to juvenile executions in 
Saudi Arabia.

According to a Foreign Office statement this morning, Mr Johnson is due to host 
the Saudi Foreign Minister, Adel al-Jubeir, later today, in one of a series of 
first meetings with the UK's "international partners". The meeting will 
reportedly take place alongside US Secretary of State John Kerry and the 
Foreign Minister of the UAE.

The meeting takes place amid concerns over Saudi Arabia's practice of juvenile 
executions - in particular, the cases of Ali al-Nimr, Abdullah al-Zaher, and 
Dawood al-Marhoon. All 3 face beheading, despite having been juveniles when 
they were arrested in 2012. The 3, who were arrested for allegedly attending 
protests, were tortured into signing 'confessions' which were used to convict 
them in secretive trials. The death sentences for all 3 juveniles were upheld 
last autumn, and they could now be executed at any time.

Although the use of the death penalty against juveniles is prohibited under 
international law, Saudi Arabia has executed at least 4 juveniles this year - 
including Ali Al Ribh, who was arrested at 2012 protests and executed during a 
mass execution of 47 people in January. The European Saudi Organization for 
Human Rights has said that currently "there is an execution every 2 days" in 
Saudi Arabia, and that there were now "alarm bells" for Ali, Dawood and 
Abdullah, among others on the country's death row.

The Foreign Office said last month that it has raised the 3 juveniles' cases 
with Saudi Arabia, and that "our expectation is that Ali al-Nimr and the 2 
others will not be executed." However, the UK appears not to have requested 
that their death sentences be commuted, and the 3 juveniles released.

Mr Johnson's meeting follows recent concerns that the UK could be risking 
complicity with the kinds of abuses suffered by the juveniles. Last month, an 
internal UK government report uncovered by human rights organization Reprieve 
stated that Britain's College of Policing was teaching the Saudi Interior 
Ministry high-tech forensic skills that could be "used to identify individuals 
who later go on to be tortured." Earlier this month, a report by the Home 
Affairs Select Committee highlighted the Foreign Office's refusal to provide 
details of the College???s contracts in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere, branding it 
"totally unacceptable".

Today's meeting also comes after members of the European Parliament urged 
Federica Mogherini - the EU's Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security 
Policy - to ask the Saudi Foreign Minister to review all death sentences issued 
to juveniles, and to commute the sentences handed to Ali, Dawood and Abdullah. 
However, following a meeting between Ms Mogherini and Mr Jubeir yesterday, it 
was not clear whether the cases were raised.

Commenting, Maya Foa, head of the death penalty team at Reprieve, said:

"Today's meeting takes place while at least 3 juveniles await execution in 
Saudi Arabia - all having faced torture, forced 'confessions' and secret 
trials. Many others in line for beheading were arrested for non-violent alleged 
crimes, such as political protest. Now more than ever, the UK must make clear 
that these abuses are unacceptable. The new Foreign Secretary must urgently 
call on Saudi Arabia to release Ali, Abdullah, and Dawood - and to investigate 
how many others on its death row may have been convicted as children."

(source: Reprieve is a UK-based human rights organization that uses the law to 
enforce the human rights of prisoners, from death row to Guantanamo Bay---- 
reprieve.org)


TURKEY:

Turkish military penal code allows capital punishment for putschist soldiers


After the failed coup attempt of July 15 by a faction in the Turkish military 
orchestrated by the fugitive imam Fethullah Gulen, the discussion about 
reinstating the death penalty has become a major topic in Turkish politics. 
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested on Tuesday that he is ready to 
reinstate the death penalty if the people demand it and Parliament approves the 
necessary legislation. "In democracies, decisions are made based on what the 
people say. I think our government will speak with the opposition and come to a 
decision," Erdogan said to a large crowd chanting: "We want the death penalty," 
on Tuesday evening in Istanbul. "We hear your request. In a democracy, whatever 
the people want, they will get." he said.

Speaking after the Cabinet meeting on Monday in Ankara, Prime Minister Binali 
Yildirim said: "Turkey is a state of law, we engage in politics for our 
people," but added that it is not wise to rush to a decision on capital 
punishment while the developments are still recent. "These issues will be 
extensively discussed, as it requires constitutional reform. We cannot either 
accept or reject this demand outright," Yildirim said.

The death penalty in Turkey was abolished in 2004, although Turkey had not 
actually executed any prisoners since October 1984. Speaking to Daily Sabah on 
Tuesday, the chairman of Parliament's Justice Commission, Ahmet Iyimaya, did 
not rule out the possibility of reinstating the death penalty. "Turkey is still 
under an unprecedented threat. Our aim is to avert this crisis and law is an 
indispensable weapon in this fight," Iyimaya said. "The reforms regarding the 
current laws should be discussed only after this existing threat is eliminated. 
Instead of individual opinions, the collective wisdom of the legislative and 
the executive [branches] is crucial. It is definite that Turkey, with its 2,000 
years of experience, will decide for the best." he added.

Cem Duran Uzun, a constitutional lawyer and director of Law and Human Rights at 
the Political, Economic and Social Research Foundation (SETA) in Ankara, 
however, stressed the difficulties of reinstating the death penalty. "There are 
many conventions prohibiting capital punishment, which were signed by Turkey. 
The re-implementation of capital punishment is also challenging due to 
international agreements. The Council of Europe, co-founded by Turkey, also 
prohibits this type of punishment," Duran said. "Moreover, the AK Party 
[Justice and Development Party] completely removed capital punishment clauses 
from the Constitution in 2004. As a side note, even though clauses existed in 
the constitution and certain laws for a long time, since 1984, none of the 
court decisions for capital punishment were rejected by Parliament."

Constitutional law academic from Yildirim Beyazit University in Ankara Dr. 
Taylan Barin said that the Constitution should be reformed to re-implement 
capital punishment. "Probably there will be a referendum regarding this reform. 
If the political parties and the people continue to support the 
re-implementation of capital punishment, it might be possible," Barin said.

Regarding retroactive punishment, Barin affirmed that this could be possible if 
the capital punishment still extent in military law is put into practice. "In 
the military penal code, with the 20th clause, capital punishment is possible. 
However, as the Constitution does not have a similar clause, this became 
obsolete. If there is a new constitutional amendment that approves capital 
punishment, this clause of the military penal code might be re-introduced," 
Barin said. Moreover, Barin signified that the re-introduction of capital 
punishment could have certain repercussions in the international community. 
"The political administration will try to achieve a balance between the people 
and the international community. If they chance the repercussions, they might 
re-introduce capital punishment."

Meanwhile, a number of EU officials have voiced concerns over the discussion. 
EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini said on Monday that re-instating the 
death penalty in Turkey would end EU accession talks. "Turkey is an important 
part of the Council of Europe and is bound by the European Convention on Human 
Rights, which is very clear on the death penalty," she said. "The introduction 
of the death penalty would mean the immediate suspension of accession talks," 
German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said on Monday. Austrian Foreign 
Minister Sebastian Kurz shared the same sentiment. "The introduction of the 
death penalty would of course be absolutely unacceptable," Kurz said in an 
interview with the Austrian Kurier newspaper on Monday.

(source: Daily Sabah)

****************

UK says reinstating death penalty in Turkey would be retrograde step


Turkey's international standing would be severely damaged if it decides to 
reinstate the death penalty, British foreign office minister Alan Duncan told 
parliament on Tuesday.

"It is very strongly the view of Her Majesty's government that we oppose the 
death penalty," Duncan said, responding to comments from Turkish President 
Tayyip Erdogan who said on Sunday after an attempted coup that there could be 
no delay in using capital punishment.

"It would be a deeply retrograde step that would likely cause incalculable 
damage to the standing of Turkey just at a time when it is important to embrace 
them within the world community," Duncan said.

(source: Reuters)






UNITED ARAB EMIRATES:

Death sentence for 2 Indians in woman's murder case upheld----The verdict in 
the murder case was delivered by the Court of Appeal.


A Doha appeals court has upheld the death sentence given to 2 Indian men by the 
trial court for the murder of an elderly Qatari woman at her home in 2012. The 
3rd defendant, also an Indian, has been given a life sentence.

Speaking to this newspaper, Indian legal activist Nizar Kocheri said the issue 
was brought to his attention only 2 days ago and it has been decided to appeal 
the verdict at the Supreme Court before the deadline for appealing ends on July 
30. Kocheri said he has also discussed the matter with Indian embassy 
officials.

It is learnt the prosecution has appealed for capital punishment for the third 
defendant also.

The verdict in the murder case was delivered on May 30 by the Court of Appeal 
but the issue came to light only when Suresh Kumar, a lawyer from India, who 
was deputed by the South Asian Fishermen Fraternity (SAFF) arrived in Doha a 
couple of days ago to follow up the case. Kumar had also met Indian embassy 
officials in this regard.

The trio, who were found guilty of the murder, were identified as Alagappa 
Subramaniam, Chinnadurai Perumal and Sivakumar Arasan, all reported to be in 
their early 40s and natives of Villupuram, Virudhunagar and Salem, 
respectively, in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

At least 1 of the 3 was working at the home where the murder took place, a 
source told this newspaper.

The crime was committed towards the end of 2012 and 2 of the accused were 
awarded capital punishment by a local court on December 31, 2014. The trial 
court had sentenced the 3rd accused to life in prison. In May this year, the 
Court of Appeals upheld the verdict.

In a previous case, 3 other Asian expatriates, 2 Indians and a Nepali, were 
sentenced to death for the killing of an Indonesian housemaid in 2003. Though 
the appeals court upheld the lower court's verdict, it was commuted to life for 
the Indians and 15 years in jail for the Nepali by the apex court in 2011.

While the Indians in this case have been identified as Sreedharan Manikantan 
and Unnikrishnan Mahadevan, both taxi drivers, the Nepali's name was given as 
Chandrasekhar Yadav. The proceedings of the sensational case had begun with the 
arrest of the trio in December 2003 after the maid's body was found in October 
that year at the Wakrah beach.

The accused were spared the death penalty as they were given the benefit of 
doubt by the Supreme Court.

The then Indian ambassador George Joseph had been instrumental in securing the 
reprieve for the defendants in that case, Kocheri recalled.

"It was an extraordinary case because it was heard by the Supreme Court 3 
times," he said.

(source: Gulf Times)






BARBADOS:

Mandatory death penalty to go


Prime Minister Freundel Stuart today made a preemptive strike against the 
Opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP) as his administration prepares to resume 
debate on the removal of the mandatory death penalty.

In wrapping up debate on the Constitution Amendment Bill 2016 which sought to 
extend the retirement age for both the Auditor General and the Director of 
Public Prosecutions from 62 to 67, Stuart took a less-than-subtle jab at the at 
BLP over the country's participation in the Inter-American Court of Human 
Rights.

The Prime Minister told the House that the court was thrust upon Barbadians in 
2000 without a national discussion.

The BLP was in office when Barbados joined the judicial institution which 
promote basic rights and freedoms in the Americas.

"We woke up one morning and heard that we had submitted to the jurisdiction of 
the Inter-American Court and that cases could go there in accordance to the 
Inter-American Convention. There was no referendum, no discussion. It just 
happened," Stuart said. He explained that as a result of the country's 
participation in the court, Barbados was obligated to get rid of the mandatory 
death sentence.

"When we submitted to the jurisdiction of the court, we entered a reservation 
on the issue of the death penalty [and] the court ruled that the reservation 
which we entered [was]of no legal effect; it could not achieve the objective 
which we wanted to achieve and therefore we had to comply with this order to 
remove the mandatory death penalty."

Stuart explained that because the mandatory death penalty did not comply with 
the American Convention on Human Rights Barbados could not ignore the court's 
orders.

"We were advised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Attorney General's 
office, that if an order has been made against the Government of Barbados on 
such an important an issue as the removal of the mandatory death penalty, we 
cannot just turn a blind eye to that order and pretend that it is not there. We 
must demonstrate that we obey court orders as well," he said.

Stuart said Barbados remained the only English-speaking Caribbean country under 
the jurisdiction of the Inter-American Court.

"Barbados submitted itself to the jurisdiction of the Inter-American Court 
around 2000-2001, the USA has not submitted itself to that court, Canada has 
not submitted itself to that court. One Caribbean country, Trinidad and Tobago 
had, and withdrew from the court because it was thought that the court's arm 
reached too far into the everyday life of Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados is 
still a member of the court.

"I am aware that there are initiatives afoot to regularize our relationship 
with the court but we could not do other than to bring that particular 
amendment before the house as we have done," he added.

"That debate has started in this house, the debate has not yet finished because 
there were some issues that were raised along the way which the Attorney 
General wanted to check and we are back to that debate on the mandatory death 
penalty. The debate has started and about 6 or 7 persons have spoken already," 
the Prime Minister said.

(source: Barbados Today)