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GAZA COURT SENTENCES THREE CONVICTS TO DEATH BY EXECUTION, RIGHTS CENTERS OBJECT
September 26, 2017: Deir al-Balah Court of First Instance passed the death sentence against three Palestinian residents of Khan Younis, in the south of the Gaza Strip, after they were convicted of murder, accessory to murder and robbery leading two local human rights centers to protest the ruling for lack of proper trial proceedings.
The court found the three guilty of killing a resident of Deir al-Balah during a robbery of his home and sentenced them to death.
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) and al-Mezan condemned in two separate statements the ruling with PCHR saying the defendants did not get a fair trial because of lack of evidence and proper investigation into the charges levied against them.
Al-Mezan, on the other hand, called for abolishing the death sentence and to be replaced with rehabilitation of criminals in correctional facilities.
The number of death sentences issued since the beginning of 2017 has risen to 30 sentences, 18 of which were new sentences while the 12 others were to uphold previous sentences. Thus, the total number of death sentences issued in the Palestinian Authority (PA) controlled areas has risen to 192 sentences since 1994.
Twenty of them have been issued in the West Bank and 172 in the Gaza Strip. Among those issued in the Gaza Strip, 103 sentences have been issued since 2007.
Since the establishment of the PA, 38 death sentences were issued; 36 of which were in the Gaza Strip and two in the West Bank. Among the sentences issued in the Gaza Strip, 25 were issued since 2007 without the ratification of the Palestinian President in violation of the law. (Sources: WAFA, 26/09/2017)
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