Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - The World Coalition against the Death Penalty will focus this year’s World Day against the Death Penalty by looking at the close link between poverty and the death penalty and highlighting how people living in poverty are the most vulnerable to the death penalty.

The Association for the Solidarity of Jordanian Women, Tadamoun, has found that poorer women who are marginalised because of their social status are more vulnerable to the death penalty and less able to take conciliatory and tribal measures to the personal right to commute the punishment either by them or by their families.

In 2016, Jordan issued 13 death sentences. During the period 1975-2016 Jordan carried out more than 1,226 executions, including 26 since 2014. At the beginning of March 2017 Jordan executed 15 people, most of whom were convicted of terrorist crimes, a first for mass executions in Jordan since 2006.

Those living with imminent death sentences in Jordan (currently 15 women) are living under great psychological pressure, according to Tadamoun, which is pursuing a number of cases for tribal reconciliation.

However, the weak response of the government has prevented reconciliation taking place; authorities are unwilling to pay large sums of money for tribal reconciliation if the offenders are female.

According to statistics from 2016 from the reform and rehabilitation centres in Jordan, 87,442 people were admitted into rehabilitation centres that year of which 21,117 were sentenced, 36,197 were brought before a jury and 3,128 were administratively detained.

*MEM