South Sudan urged to end capital punishment as evidence shows children are dead | Global development

According to Amnesty International, children are among those executed in southern Sudan, as part of an "extremely disturbing" escalation of the state's use of the death penalty.

This year, seven people, including one child, were hanged, the highest number since the country's independence since 2011, according to evidence provided to Amnesty by lawyers and government officials.

In 2017, two of the four people executed were children at the time of their conviction, said the organization.

Among the 342 people currently sentenced to death – more than double the number recorded in 2011 – a high school student sentenced to death at the age of 15 and a badfeeding mother. The country's lack of transparency on the use of the death penalty means that the numbers may be underestimated, Amnesty said.

The multiplication of executions occurs at a time when the world is moving away from death sentences.

Joan Nyanyuki, East Africa director at Amnesty International, said: "It is extremely disturbing that the youngest country in the world is adopting this obsolete and inhumane practice and executing people, even children, to a moment when the rest of the world abandons this abominable punishment. .

"The President of South Sudan must stop signing orders of execution and put an end to this clear violation of the right to life."

More than 100 out of 195 countries worldwide have abolished the death penalty. South Sudan and Somalia are the only countries in the region to have carried out judicial executions in 2017.

The application of the death penalty or sentence to a person under the age of 18 at the time of the crime is a violation of the 2011 Transitional Constitution of Southern Sudan, as well as the law and international human rights standards. The execution of a mother who cares for a young child would also constitute a violation of South Sudanese law and international laws and standards.

Philip Deng * was convicted of murder at the age of 15, following a lawsuit in which he had no legal representation. Deng says the crime was an accident.

Deng, who will turn 17 in December, said, "Before the accident, I was in high school. I was a very good runner, but also a singer of gospel and terrestrial songs … My own goal was to study and do things that could help others. My hope is to go out and continue with my school, "he said.

Deng, who said he told the judge that he was 15, was sentenced to death by hanging on November 14, 2017. He finally had access to a lawyer who appealed the court's decision. He was transferred from Torit State Prison to Juba Central Prison in September and is awaiting his appeal.

Since independence, 140 people have been sentenced to death and at least 32 executed. The country, which allows the death penalty for crimes including murder, terrorism, drug trafficking and treason, carries out executions every year since independence, with the exception of 2014, when Amnesty International Recorded none.

The series of executions this year appears to have been prompted by a directive of April 26 from the general director of the South Sudan Prison Service, under which all prisoners on death row detained in county and county prisons. 39 state were transferred to two of the country's prisons. most notorious prisons – Wau Central Prison and Juba Central Prison.

South Sudan, which has been involved in a civil war between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and rebel groups since 2013, signed a peace agreement in October.

Two personalities, James Gatdek Dak and William Endley, sentenced to death for their role in the conflict, were pardoned by Kiir and released on 2 November. Dak, a former spokesman for the Sudan People's Liberation Movement / Opposition to the Army, was sentenced to death by hanging for treason on 12 February. Endley, a former advisor to Riek Machar, president and commander-in-chief of the SPLM / A-IO, was convicted and sentenced to death on Feb. 23 for conspiracy to overthrow the government under the National Security Act.

Before a person sentenced to death can be executed, the Supreme Court and the President must confirm the death sentence.

In all, 23 countries carried out 993 executions in 2017, with nearly 22,000 people sentenced to death; Worldwide, the number of executions carried out has slightly decreased.

In 2017, death sentences in sub-Saharan Africa dropped significantly.