The Rise of the Death Penalty in the Middle East and North Africa

by | Feb 10, 2017

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Interviewee: James Lynch

James is a founding director of FairSquare Research and Projects, leading investigations and providing expert analysis on a range of human rights issues including labour practices, business and human rights, and civil and political rights. James spent seven years at Amnesty International, where as a deputy director he managed the organization’s research and advocacy on multiple themes – including migrant labour, business and human rights, arms control and the death penalty – and was the Middle East deputy director. James previously worked for the UK Foreign Office for six years, mainly focusing on the Middle East and Africa, and was a deputy director at the anti-corruption organization Transparency International. He speaks English and Arabic and has a Masters in International Politics from SOAS, University of London. He is based in London and is a visiting fellow of the European Centre for Foreign Relations.

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Interviewer: Kira Allmann

Kira Allmann is the OxHRH Communications Director and a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Media Law and Policy at the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies at the University of Oxford. Her current research focuses on digital inequality, exploring community-driven grassroots solutions to closing the digital divide. She leads several research projects, using ethnographic methods to study the role of community-owned internet networks, local digital skills training, and public internet access points in promoting digital inclusion. Kira is also a research partner of the Whose Knowledge? campaign, which works to center the knowledge of marginalized communities on the web. She completed her DPhil in Oriental Studies (Islamic World) at the University of Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship and also holds an MPhil in Modern Middle Eastern Studies (University of Oxford) and a B.A. in Government and Linguistics (The College of William and Mary).

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In the six years following the Arab Spring, there has been a notable increase in death sentences and executions in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). In this episode, we talk to James Lynch, Deputy Director of the Global Issues Programme at Amnesty International, about the death penalty in MENA countries, the aftermath of the Arab Spring, and the prospects for abolition in the future.

Produced by: Dr Kira Allmann
Interview(s) with: James Lynch (Amnesty International)
Music by: Rosemary Allmann

[Original release: 10 February 2017]

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