Jordan: Halt the Death Penalty

Jordan: Halt the Death Penalty

Amnesty International today condemned the execution of Jamal Darwish Fatayer by the Jordanian authorities following an unfair trial.

Jamal Darwish Fatayer, a Palestinian born in Iraq, was convicted by the State Security Court (SSC) on charges of involvement in the killing of Jordanian diplomat Na'ib 'Umran al-Ma'aytah, and membership of the unauthorized Fatah Revolutionary Council in Beirut in 1994. The conviction was upheld in April by the Court of Cassation.

Amnesty International, which opposes the death penalty in all cases, has repeatedly expressed concern to the Jordanian authorities about this case. The trial of Jamal Darwish Fatayer fell seriously short of international standards and claims that "confessions" had been extracted under torture were ignored by both the SSC and the Court of Cassation.

"To date, the Jordanian authorities have failed to investigate persistent allegations of torture, and unfair trial of defendants sentenced to the death penalty. Over a dozen people have been executed since the beginning of 2002 including Jamal Darwish Fatayer whose case fits into this pattern," Amnesty International said.

Amnesty International calls on the Jordanian authorities to immediately halt the application of the death penalty in line with worldwide trends, and carry out independent investigations into the unfair trial and claims of torture made by Jamal Darwish Fatayer and others who have either been executed or sentenced to death.

Further information on the death penalty: http://amnesty-news.c.tclk.net/maabn46aaZ5kSbb0hPub/

All AI documents on Jordan: http://amnesty-news.c.tclk.net/maabn46aaZ5kTbb0hPub/

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