Inter-American Court of Human Rights to Hear Death Penalty Case from Barbados
- News
- 5 Dec 2008
Tyrone DaCosta Cadogan is presently on death row in Barbados having been sentenced to the mandatory death penalty.
On 31St October 2008, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights filed an application with the Inter-American Court of Human Flights against Barbados in Mr Cadogan’s Case and requested the Court to adopt provisional measures to protect the victim’s right to iife and humane treatment. On 4th November 2008, the President of the Inter-Amerioan Court ordered that provisional measures be granted to ensure that Tyrone DaCosta Cadogan is not executed whilst his oase is pending determination. In 2009, there will be a public hearing at the Seat ofthe Court in Costa Rica.
The case involves the mandatory death sentence imposed on Mr Cadogan by the Supreme Court of Barbados, in violation of his fundamental rights protected by the American Convention on Human Rights. ln its application to the Court the Inter-American Commission maintain that the State of Barbados is responsible for violating the right to life, to humane treatment and to a fair trial to the detriment of Mr Cadogan.
Saul Lehrfreund MBE and Parvais Jabbar, Human Rights Lawyers and Executive Directors of the Death Penalty Project state:
In a landmark case from Barbados decided in 2007, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights declared the mandatory death penalty to be a Clear violation of international law. In spite of the inter-American Court’s conclusion that the mandatory death penalty is unlawful in a modern democratic society, Barbados have attempted to cling onto the cruel and archaic punishment of the automatic death sentence which continues to be imposed on all those convicted of murder. lt is hoped that the Case of Mr Cadogan will further reinforce the need for Barbados to abolish the mandatory death penalty.
