III. REVIEW OF ISSUES ADDRESSED AND RESEARCH UNDERTAKEN
F. The death penalty
52. In the death penalty context it has also been necessary to address the relationship between international legal obligations and sharia law or Islamic criminal law as applied in some countries. Specifically, reports have discussed stoning, the illegality of the death penalty for homosexuality or adultery, and the challenges of diyah (compensation in lieu of criminal punishment)
I. Victim groups
59. Understanding the dynamics and causes of killings in particular situations will often require a focus on the victims’ membership of especially vulnerable groups. Thus, for example, building upon Ms. Jahangir’s work (see for example E/CN.4/2000/3, paras. 78-84), my reports have addressed the particular vulnerability of women in relation to practices such as honour killings, domestic violence, sexual violence as a cause of death, “femicide” and killings of “witches”. Country reports have addressed other vulnerable groups, including: refugees; indigenous persons; those deemed to be “socially undesirable”; suspected criminals; children; the elderly; the disabled; those perceived to be or identifying as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transsexual; human rights defenders; and journalists.
Link to full text of the report: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/docs/14session/A.HRC.14.24.pdf