Jordan's mass execution revives debate on death penalty
The swift execution of 15 men in one day raised controversy in Jordan, and some analysts view this move as a message that the kingdom is actively fighting terrorists.
Jordan’s execution of 15 men as dawn broke on March 4 in Swaqa prison, south of Amman, has raised questions and concerns among death penalty supporters and opponents alike.
The executions — the first in more than two years — were unprecedented in Jordan’s history both in scale and in speed: Five of the hanged men had only lost their appeals one month earlier. Dubbed the “Irbid terror cell” by local media, the suspected Islamic State (IS) militants had been arrested during a shootout with police in Irbid in March 2016 and were sentenced to death in the final days of December.
The executions appeared to target the new generation of jihadis: Of the 10 men hanged for terror offenses, eight had been convicted during the last year for crimes ranging from the killing of intelligence officers to the shooting of journalist Nahed Hattar.
They were convicted in closed trials in Jordan’s State Security Court, whose procedures fall short of international fair trial standards, according to human rights group Amnesty International.
