Grenada

Grenada tells Human Rights session that death penalty is prohibited

Grenada has given an assurance to the international community that it will not be executing the lone prisoner who is currently on death row, nor will it conduct executions in the future.

“The Grenada delegation wishes to advise that this prisoner in question has been on death row in excess of five years and based on the decision of our Highest Court, this death sentence can no longer be carried out,” Robert Branch, Senior Legal Counsel at the Ministry of Legal Affairs, said while facing questions and recommendations from various members of the United Nations during Grenada’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) which was held in Geneva on Monday.

Foreign Affairs Minister, Peter David, who is also a lawyer by profession and is leading Grenada’s delegation for Grenada’s third UPR cycle, told the session that repealing the death penalty within the laws of the land was among initiatives covered in the 2016 failed referendum, but despite the majority of the people’s objection, Grenada has not conducted an execution in more than 40 years.

“Grenada is a de facto abolitionist state with a de facto moratorium with effect since 1978. In addition to this, the Jury Council of the Privy Council, the Highest Appellate Court of Grenada has upheld that the mandatory death penalty is unconstitutional and has continued to place emphasis of the privacy of life,” David told the session, in response to the many states who recommended the removal of that law on the books.