Month: April 2026

Monthly death penalty report


Report for mid-March to mid-April

April 2026

We are pleased to attach this month’s report thanks to group member Lesley for the work in compiling it. Featured this month are Florida with Governor De Santis’ spate of executions – the highest in the State’s history – the disturbing number of executions in Iran to add to the slaughter of its citizens in the streets, and the discriminatory bill passed by the Knesset in Israel for the execution of Palestinians in the West Bank.

As ever we note that China does not feature despite executing more of its citizens than the rest of the world combined.

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Petition reaches major milestone


Petition to the UK government passes the critical 100,000

April 2026

The Israeli Knesset has just passed a bill which will permit the speedy execution of Palestinian prisoners. A petition has passed the crucial 100,000 mark which means the UK parliament must consider the issue. Human rights organisations and governments around the world have condemned the legislation which quite openly singles out Palestinians for execution without appeal. The trials will take place in a military court in the West Bank. Many will have been severely tortured and badly mistreated.

“We believe that such a law would constitute a complete violation of the Geneva Convention and International Human Rights Law. UN experts have called for these proposals to be dropped,” the petition reads. Human rights organisations, including Amnesty, have condemned the legislation, which has been described as ”one of the world’s most extreme death penalty laws,” over its design to target Palestinians, as it would exclude Israelis.

The petition shows the degree of concern that many have with this legislation and its brazen one-sidedness. To reach more than 100,000 is a measure of the public’s concern. It poses a problem for the government however which has supported Israel during the recent hostilities. Weapons, intelligence and overflights from Cyprus are part of its support.

It also puts in the spotlight the large numbers of MPs who are members of the various party’s Friends of Israel groups including the local MP for Salisbury Mr John Glen.

Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, two members of Knesset who promoted this bill.

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Violence becomes the message


Pete Hegseth’s message is one of violence with a religious justification

April 2026

The message of our vigils, the 122nd of which was held on Saturday 4th, is one of peace in the region not violence which seems to be never ending. This is set against the speech (sermon?) given by the Secretary of State for Defense, Pete Hegseth, last week in the Pentagon. Hegseth belongs to the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, a conservative network co-founded by the self-described Christian nationalist Doug Wilson. CREC pastors have appeared at Hegseth’s Pentagon services at least three times, including Wilson who preached there in February.

The US Constitution was clear that church and state should be separate. George Washington was himself a devout Anglican and was keen for religious tolerance to be available to all faiths. He and the founding fathers were also keen for the state to be distinct from religion – a lesson they had learned from Europe. Hegseth’s bringing his faith into the political sphere is alarming. In his latest speech he speaks of ‘ … overwhelming violence of action to those who deserve no mercy’ a quote from the Psalms.

Critics such as Ronit Stahl, author of “Enlisting Faith: How the Military Chaplaincy Shaped Religion and State in Modern America,” said referring to God in broad language is not unusual in this context. “But the shift towards the specificity of Jesus Christ and therefore Christianity and in Hegseth’s case, a particular form of Protestant Christianity, is new, especially coming from the defense secretary.”

The tone of his speech is troubling and couching it in religious justification especially so. It can be seen here. For many, Christians or no, the appropriation of religious faith to justify the killing and destruction of country which is now largely defenceless is profoundly saddening. The Christian message is based partly on forgiveness not vengeance. The Guardian reported that Pope Leo spoke for many beyond the Catholic church at a Palm Sunday mass in Rome in forcefully rejecting attempts by zealots such as Hegseth to conscript Christianity. “No one can use [Jesus] to justify war,” he said, quoting Isaiah. War-makers’ prayers would go unanswered. “Your hands are full of blood.”

Over 30 attended the vigil and there was a pleasing number of ‘honks’ from passing motorists. A video can be viewed here and photos courtesy of Peter Gloyns.

Sources: PBS, CNN, Air Force Magazine (US), Guardian, HuffPost, The Independent.

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Mass death in Sudan


Terrible events continue to unfold in Sudan. Britain’s role in the supply of weapons

April 2026

While the world is transfixed by the events in the Middle East following the bombing campaign initiated by the US and Israel, terrible misery is inflicted on millions caught up in a long-running war in Sudan. The numbers are huge: tens of thousands killed with mounds of bodies reported in some locations, 8 million displaced in a country with little infrastructure to cope, and an almost uncountable number of women and girts raped. Tens of millions are in need of humanitarian assistance.

The UN reports a tripling of gender based violence much of it unreported because of the stigma and shame attached to the victims. This disaster follows a 2 year siege of Al Fasher by Rapid Support Forces, a rebel group who are successors to the Janjaweed. There are many reports of men executed on the spot by RSF men.

Weapons

The question is how are the RSF getting these weapons to enable them to take on the Sudanese Armed Forces? The story is complex but considerable evidence points to the key supply hub of the UAE being the principle source. Weapons are then filtered through other countries and states including Libya and Uganda. The weapons themselves come from Russia, China, Yemen, Serbia and Türkiye. The supply route is described as ‘unimpeded’ by some observers.

The UK? As is usual with these conflicts, the UK is busy supplying weapons to the UAE despite knowing that some are destined for the RSF to be used for slaughter in the Sudan. CAAT reports that £825m was supplied in the period 2020 – 2024. £421m was suppled since the Sudan war began. They report that the UK government were well aware of the diversions taking place. The British government has been urged to suspend further arms sales to the UAE. This follows a report in the Telegraph.

A Channel 4 report supplies further details – or such details as can be found as the industry is shrouded in secrecy – and they do note that weapons sales to the UAE have diminished. The report ends with the familiar refrain from ministers:

“The UK government told us it has a very strong arms export licensing system in place, and it takes any allegations of diversion of exported weapons to another country very seriously. It said it had reviewed a large number of export licences, and found no evidence of diverted items being linked to existing licences.

“Speaking to Channel 4 News today [25 November 2025], Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “I have deliberately made the issues around Sudan one of the top priorities here in the Foreign Office because this is the worst humanitarian crisis of the twenty-first century.””

Open licences

The problem with Foreign Office statements is the issue of open licences. A rather less sanguine view of the question is provided in a Daily Telegraph article. The FCO is accused of failing to check the onward movement of weapons once they have landed in the UAE: a kind of out of sight out of mind.

The situation in Sudan is dreadful and there is a flow of refugees from the country some of whom end up at Calais. The UK is urged to limit arms sales to UAE and to ensure that such arms as are sold do not find their way to the RSF.

Sources: Amnesty, Guardian, Telegraph, Middle East Eye, CAAT, The Parliament Politics, Channel 4.

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