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46th SESSION OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL – SOUTH AFRICA’S STATEMENT FOR THE HIGH-LEVEL SEGMENT

South African Permanent Mission to the UN, GenevaRef: POST-1994

Official source

Source domain: safricaun.ch

Collected on 9 July 2026

Always confirm details on the official source before acting.

Our copy (archived 23 July 2026)Official source

What this means

The document is South Africa's statement delivered at the 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council during the High-Level Segment. It discusses South Africa's history with the death penalty, its abolition and constitutional protection of the right to life, and advocates for a cautious, collaborative approach toward abolition while encouraging a moratorium and dialogue with retentionist states. It emphasizes non-shaming of countries that retain the death penalty and calls for engagement respecting states' sovereignty and legal systems.

Facts

Reference

POST-1994

Key Takeaways

  • session: 46th
  • forum: United Nations Human Rights Council
  • country: South Africa
  • topic: death penalty abolition and moratorium
  • historical context: executions 1960-1989, peak 1987
  • post-1994 constitution: right to life and dignity
  • Constitutional Court stance: death penalty invalid as cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment
  • approach: cautious, non-shaming, collaborative engagement with retentionist states
  • policy goal: moratorium on the death penalty
  • call: ongoing dialogue to shift toward moratorium