Workshop examines media’s role in abolishing death penalty

AMMAN — Activists on Wednesday called for better legal guarantees in investigations of cases that could lead to the death penalty in Jordan.

The call was made during a one-day event titled “The role of the media in abolishing the death penalty”, organised by Adaleh Centre for Human Rights Studies (ACHRS) in Amman.

The workshop aims to highlight the role of the local media in praising the right to life and encouraging forgiveness while altering society’s perception of the death penalty, which is built around “revenge and vengeance”, said director of ACHRS, Asim Rababa’s.

Rababa’s told the gathering that he is personally against the death sentence since “there might be some doubts in the investigation and trial procedures, including incidents of alleged torture to extract confessions”.

He added that in some instances “a lawyer is not present during initial investigations of a suspect, or a doctor to examine any claims of torture”.

That is why, Rababa’s said: “We need to constantly advocate against the death penalty and call for better legal guarantees for the defendants.”

Also addressing the gathering was lawyer Nisreen Zureiqat, who pointed out that women on death row often do not have the support of their families.

“None of the women on death row in Jordan have the needed support from their families who usually abandon them instead of providing them with legal support or tribal reconciliation with the victims’ families,” Zureiqat said.

She added that in the past four years, 63 people were sentenced to death in Jordan.

“We have thirty clauses in various Jordanian laws that enforce the death penalty, including the penal and military codes. This is a high number,” Zureiqat said.

Between 2006 and 2014, Jordan maintained an eight-year pause on the death penalty, which ended in December 2014 when authorities executed 11 individuals for various crimes, according to Zureiqat. 

Article 93 of the Constitution reads that “no death sentence may be carried out unless ratified by the King. Every such sentence shall be submitted to him by the Cabinet along with the cabinet’s view on it,” she added.

Currently, there are 219 convicts on death row in Jordan, including 22 women and one defendant who has been on death row since 1976, according to journalist Omar Maharmeh.

Maharmeh, who monitored local press coverage of death penalty cases, said that “most media materials encourage imposing the death penalty”.

“Our media’s coverage tends to encourage and promote applying the death penalty, while voices opposing capital punishment are rarely featured in the local press,” Maharmeh said. 

All three speakers stressed the need for the government to adopt measures to secure legal guarantees and ensure fair trials for all.