The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), the...

The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), the Geneva-based body that works for the rule of law around the world, hailed Ukraine's Constitutional Court for ruling that the death penalty must be abolished in the former Soviet republic. "The Ukrainian decision provides enormous encouragement for the abolitionist movement around the world and further isolates retentionist countries," the body's Secretary-General Adama Dieng said in a statement. It said it hoped other countries of the former Soviet Union, where death sentences could be handed down for crimes ranging from embezzlement and rape to murder and espionage, would follow the "courageous and exemplary stance" of Ukraine.