UN Expert Urges Halt to Potential Execution of Nigerian after Death Penalty Moratorium Broken
New York, Jun 26 2013 - Warning that a prisoner in Nigeria is in imminent danger, an independent United Nations expert
is today urging a stop to his possible execution just days after the country broke its seven year moratorium on the
death penalty and apparently executed four prisoners.
"These executions undermine previous trends towards abolishing, in law and practice, the death penalty in the country,"
UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Christof Heyns, said in a statement.
"I am concerned that capital punishment appears to have been imposed without due process safeguards in violation of the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Nigeria acceded to on 29 July 1993," the Special
Rapporteur underscored.
He added that without full respect for due process guarantees, capital punishment constitutes a summary or arbitrary
execution.
The independent UN expert also noted that the Government of Nigeria had in 2009 reaffirmed its commitment to a de facto
moratorium on the death penalty when the situation of human rights in the country was studied under the UN Universal
Periodic Review.
The Geneva-based Council's Periodic Review subjects each country's human rights record to a State-led peer examination
on the basis of information submitted by the country concerned, UN entities, civil society and other stakeholders.
"I call on the Government of Nigeria to refrain from executing further individuals and to return to the moratorium on
the use of death penalty in the country," Mr. Heyns said.
Independent experts, or special rapporteurs, are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to examine and
report back, in an unpaid capacity, on specific human rights themes.
For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news
ENDS