AlHijjah 4, 1436, Sep 18, 2015, SPA -- The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced today before the Human Rights Council that it does not agree with the report of the secretary general of the United Nations on the issue of the death penalty and its findings and recommendations where it calls to halt or abolish capital punishment to preserve the rights of killers. However, the violated rights of the other parties ought not be forgotten and ought to be as respected as those of murderers. Before the Human Rights Council, Ambassador Faisal Trad, Saudi ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, said that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a fully sovereign Muslim State and is proud that Islamic Sharia is its constitution and Islamic Sharia guarantees justice and maintains the rights of all without discrimination. The Islamic Sharia is also committed to ensuring the right to life for all and prohibits the killing of oneself and makes death penalty as a tool of justice and guarantees the right to life and interests of the community. He added that paragraphs 5 through 19 of the report included only the views of States that suspended the death penalty in order to support its findings and recommendations, omitting the States where death penalty is an integral part of their judicial systems. He expressed hope that the Kingdom's stance be clearly recorded in any report issued by the High Commission or the United Nations. Ambassador Trad pointed out that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is committed to the international requirements of human rights as stated in Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which specifies for states the right to implement the penalty in accordance with the restrictions, especially the right to a fair trial on all cases, particularly those that may lead to capital punishment. "Death penalty pertains to the most dangerous crimes. The Kingdom completely believes that the crime of drug trafficking is among the most dangerous crimes," he added. Ambassador Trad stressed that the Kingdom reiterates its commitment to continuing its efforts to protect and promote human rights at the national and international levels where the Kingdom's regulations guarantee these freedoms.
