PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY: GAZA COURT REJECTS DEATH SENTENCE APPEAL

May 21, 2012: the supreme court in Gaza rejected an appeal against the death sentence of a man convicted of killing a family member.
The defendant was sentenced to death on 12 December 2010 after he was found guilty of killing his female cousin.
Judges unanimously rejected his appeal against the sentence, a court report said. The court's decision is final and the sentence cannot be appealed again, the statement added.
The number of death sentences issued by the Palestinian Authority has risen to 126 since 1994, of which 25 have been issued in the West Bank and 101 in Gaza, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights said.
While a de-facto moratorium on executions was put in place by the Fatah-led administration in the West Bank, the Hamas-led government does not recognize provisions that require President Mahmoud Abbas to ratify death sentences. (Sources: Ma'an, 21/05/2012)