Written answers

Wednesday, 30 April 2014

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Human Rights Issues

Photo of Michael McNamaraMichael McNamara (Clare, Labour)
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33. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will raise the case of a person (details supplied) who was sentenced to the death penalty in Abu Dhabi with the UAE authorities. [18674/14]

Photo of Eamon GilmoreEamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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I am aware of this case in which an Indian national, Mr. Ezhur Gangadharan, caretaker at a school in Abu Dhabi for over 30 years, was sentenced to death last July for the rape of a 7 year-old female student at the school. Serious questions have been raised in relation to this case, including Mr. Gangadharan’s claim that his confession, the only evidence produced by the prosecution at the trial, was given under duress. As I understand an appeal process was launched last November and this is currently ongoing. Both the Irish Government and the EU have consistently held a strong and principled position against the death penalty in all cases and under all circumstances, and we continue to seek its universal and permanent abolition. This view is only accentuated in any case where there are questions as to whether international standards of fair trial have been met. I strongly stress the cruel and irreversible nature of capital punishment, with no credible evidence that it deters crime. Ireland has consistently called on all states to immediately adopt a moratorium on executions, with a view to eventual abolition, most recently at a high level panel on the issue at the 25th session of the UN Human Rights Council in March 2014. The 2013 EU country human rights strategy for the UAE, which Ireland developed in conjunction with other EU Member States, also prioritises support for abolition of the death penalty. In a welcome development at the end of January, the President of the United Arab Emirates, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, ordered a stay on executions in the UAE, though it is not clear if this only applies to those convicted of murder. EU High Representative Catherine Ashton welcomed this move in a statement on 7 February, in which she expressed her hope that it will constitute a first step towards a definitive moratorium on the use of the death penalty in the UAE. I strongly endorse HR Ashton’s call that the stay on executions will include all those sentenced to the death penalty in the UAE. The Irish Embassy in Abu Dhabi, in cooperation with other EU Member States, regularly raises human rights issues in their contacts and dialogue with the UAE authorities. This includes with regard to both the death penalty and the situation and treatment of migrant workers in the UAE. Officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and in the Irish Embassy in Abu Dhabi will continue to follow closely developments with regard to human rights issues in the UAE, including with regard to use of the death penalty and the specific case of Mr. Gangadharan, and will endeavour to make representations to the UAE authorities at every appropriate opportunity.

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