International Mechanism Submissions

This report addresses Somalia's compliance with its international human rights obligations with respect to the death penalty. Somalia's government institutions, including its judicial and police systems, remain in a state of flux as the nation reorganizes its government. The Federal Government of Somalia and the Federal Member States have failed to reach agreement on how to structure and oversee their government, and al-Shabaab's terror attacks and the ongoing civil war further complicate the legal landscape.

Somalia's state actors continue to sentence people to death and carry out executions. This ongoing practice, along with evidence of torture and other due process violations, raises serious concerns. This report recommends that Somalia abolish the death penalty, clarify its laws regarding terrorism, bring detention conditions and access to legal services into compliance with international human rights standards, and ensure the fair trial and due process rights of all persons suspected of committing crimes.