Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-01-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the blog item on his Department’s website, entitled FCO – Abolition of the death penalty remains a high priority, published on 4 August 2015, which countries have caused concern by their increased use of the death penalty.

Mr Philip Hammond

The long-term trend is for the number of executions carried out and the number of states continuing to execute, to reduce each year. The Government’s hope and expectation is that this trend will continue. It is therefore a matter of concern when states which have refrained from executing for some years revert to use of the death penalty. One such country is Pakistan, which lifted its seven year moratorium on executions in 2014 following the attack on a school in Peshawar. Since then, Pakistan has executed an estimated 340 people. Our comprehensive list of countries of concern can be found in the 2014 Annual Human Rights Report, which includes our concerns with countries such as Saudi Arabia and their use of the death penalty. We continue to oppose its use in all forms, in all countries.