High Commissioner for Human Rights deplores executions of three prisoners in Japan

Geneva, 7 December 2007-- The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, today expressed concern over the execution of three prisoners in Osaka, Japan, including one prisoner aged 75.
The executions were reportedly carried out suddenly and without advance warning to either the convicts or their families. “This practice is problematic under international law, and I call on Japan to reconsider its approach in this regard,” she said. The High Commissioner also expressed particular dismay regarding the execution of the prisoner aged 75. “It is difficult to see what legitimate purpose is served by carrying out such executions of the elderly, and at the very least on humanitarian grounds, I would urge Japan to refrain from such action,” she said.
The High Commissioner noted the decision of the Government to publicly release the names of the executed men, in contrast to the past practice of carrying out executions in secret.
Japan is a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which places a legal obligation on States Parties to ensure strict safeguards in the application of the death penalty. It is widely accepted that the death penalty should not be carried out in secret (as to date and place) and without forewarning, which may amount to inhuman punishment and treatment under the ICCPR in respect of the executed person and his or her family.
The High Commissioner urged the Government of Japan to join the growing number of countries that have implemented a moratorium on executions or banned the practice altogether.