UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk Warns Israel Against Death Penalty Bills Targeting Palestinians, Says Proposed Laws Violate International Law
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has called on Israeli authorities to abandon proposed legislation that would introduce mandatory death sentences, warning that the bills violate international law and fundamental human rights standards. The proposed laws, currently before the Israeli Knesset, seek to lower the threshold for imposing capital punishment and would apply almost exclusively to Palestinians, particularly those tried under military law in the occupied West Bank.
Türk said the bills raise serious concerns about discrimination, due process violations, and breaches of international human rights and humanitarian law, stressing that the United Nations opposes the death penalty under all circumstances. He warned that mandatory death sentences, which remove judicial discretion, violate the right to life enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and carry an unacceptable risk of executing innocent people.
According to the UN, the legislation would require military courts to impose death sentences for intentional killing and amend Israel’s Penal Law to introduce capital punishment for acts defined as terrorism involving the killing of Israelis. Türk noted that the proposals appear explicitly discriminatory, citing language in the bills and public statements suggesting they are intended to apply only to Palestinians, many of whom are convicted after what the UN describes as unfair trials.
The High Commissioner also warned that parts of the legislation could be applied retroactively to cases linked to the October 7, 2023 attacks, violating the principle of legality, and criticised vague definitions that could allow arbitrary use of the death penalty. He further cautioned that denying Palestinians in occupied territories fair trial guarantees under the Fourth Geneva Convention could amount to war crimes. The UN human rights office has urged Israeli lawmakers to halt the legislative process and ensure that any criminal justice measures uphold equality, due process, and the protection of life under international law.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has called on Israeli authorities to abandon proposed legislation that would introduce mandatory death sentences, warning that the bills violate international law and fundamental human rights standards. The proposed laws, currently before the Israeli Knesset, seek to lower the threshold for imposing capital punishment and would apply almost exclusively to Palestinians, particularly those tried under military law in the occupied West Bank.
Türk said the bills raise serious concerns about discrimination, due process violations, and breaches of international human rights and humanitarian law, stressing that the United Nations opposes the death penalty under all circumstances. He warned that mandatory death sentences, which remove judicial discretion, violate the right to life enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and carry an unacceptable risk of executing innocent people.
According to the UN, the legislation would require military courts to impose death sentences for intentional killing and amend Israel’s Penal Law to introduce capital punishment for acts defined as terrorism involving the killing of Israelis. Türk noted that the proposals appear explicitly discriminatory, citing language in the bills and public statements suggesting they are intended to apply only to Palestinians, many of whom are convicted after what the UN describes as unfair trials.
The High Commissioner also warned that parts of the legislation could be applied retroactively to cases linked to the October 7, 2023 attacks, violating the principle of legality, and criticised vague definitions that could allow arbitrary use of the death penalty. He further cautioned that denying Palestinians in occupied territories fair trial guarantees under the Fourth Geneva Convention could amount to war crimes. The UN human rights office has urged Israeli lawmakers to halt the legislative process and ensure that any criminal justice measures uphold equality, due process, and the protection of life under international law.
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk Warns Israel Against Death Penalty Bills Targeting Palestinians, Says Proposed Laws Violate International Law
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has called on Israeli authorities to abandon proposed legislation that would introduce mandatory death sentences, warning that the bills violate international law and fundamental human rights standards. The proposed laws, currently before the Israeli Knesset, seek to lower the threshold for imposing capital punishment and would apply almost exclusively to Palestinians, particularly those tried under military law in the occupied West Bank.
Türk said the bills raise serious concerns about discrimination, due process violations, and breaches of international human rights and humanitarian law, stressing that the United Nations opposes the death penalty under all circumstances. He warned that mandatory death sentences, which remove judicial discretion, violate the right to life enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and carry an unacceptable risk of executing innocent people.
According to the UN, the legislation would require military courts to impose death sentences for intentional killing and amend Israel’s Penal Law to introduce capital punishment for acts defined as terrorism involving the killing of Israelis. Türk noted that the proposals appear explicitly discriminatory, citing language in the bills and public statements suggesting they are intended to apply only to Palestinians, many of whom are convicted after what the UN describes as unfair trials.
The High Commissioner also warned that parts of the legislation could be applied retroactively to cases linked to the October 7, 2023 attacks, violating the principle of legality, and criticised vague definitions that could allow arbitrary use of the death penalty. He further cautioned that denying Palestinians in occupied territories fair trial guarantees under the Fourth Geneva Convention could amount to war crimes. The UN human rights office has urged Israeli lawmakers to halt the legislative process and ensure that any criminal justice measures uphold equality, due process, and the protection of life under international law.
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