Comment By UN Human Rights Spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan On Rise In Extrajudicial Executions In South Sudan

Geneva, 31 July 2024

We are extremely concerned about extrajudicial executions in South Sudan, where people face army and security forces’ firing squads for a range of alleged offences, such as murder, rape, cattle-raiding, domestic disputes and inter-communal violence.

Between January 2023 and June 2024, a total of 76 people, including two children, were executed by firing squad, and with no trial. It is all the more distressing that 39 people, including a child, were executed this way in the first six months of 2024, nearly double the number of victims in the same period last year.

Extrajudicial executions constitute a grave violation of the right to life and to due process, including a fair trial. They must stop immediately, and the Government should conduct prompt and impartial investigations, and hold perpetrators accountable.

In addition to extrajudicial executions, we remain concerned about continued application of the death penalty. It is vital that the South Sudanese authorities impose a moratorium on executions, with a view to abolishing the death penalty.

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