Egypt executions may have happened sans fair trial: UN

By Bayram Altug

GENEVA (AA) - The UN on Wednesday said it had received information concerning the reported execution of 15 people in Egypt and that some of those put to death were said to have been tortured and may not have received a fair trial.

Liz Throssell, a spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, who responded to a question from Anadolu Agency, said: "We have received information concerning the reported execution of 15 individuals in Egypt since last weekend."

On Tuesday, the Geneva Council For Rights and Liberties in a statement slammed the Egyptian government for executing the death sentence through security authorities against 15 detainees within 24 hours after "trials that lacked justice," adding the trials were dominated by suspicion of "political revenge."

Throssel said: "Some of the executed individuals were reportedly tortured and may not have received a fair trial in line with Egypt's obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)."

According to the UN Human Rights Committee, the rights office spokesperson said that the imposition of a death sentence after a trial, in which the proper provisions have not been respected, constitutes a violation of the right to life.

Included in this is the use of forced confessions and the lack of adequate representation during all stages of the criminal proceedings.

"We call on Egypt to ensure that, pending abolition, it adheres to strict due process guarantees and all possible safeguards to ensure a fair trial, including the right to adequate legal assistance at all stages of the proceedings, the right to seek pardon and commutation of sentence," said Throssel.

"The imposition of the death penalty may only be carried out for the 'most serious crimes,' that is, crimes of extreme gravity involving intentional killing; even for such crimes, the death penalty should not be mandatory."

In the most recent report of the UN secretary-general to the Human Rights Council, countries that continue to impose and implement death sentences should declare and enforce a moratorium on executions with a view to abolition.

Egypt executed 15 political detainees over the weekend to spread fear among demonstrators as protests that began on Sept. 20 were spreading to other cities.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi approved the execution of the 15 people who were previously sentenced to death by the courts.

Two members of the Muslim Brotherhood, who were arrested in anti-coup demonstrations in Alexandria in August 2013, were among those executed on Oct. 2.

While no statement was made by the authorities, television channels and human rights organizations announced the executions to the public.

* Written by Peter Kenny