Joint Statement of Asian Abolitionists – End crime, not lives!

The 11th World Day against the Death Penalty is marked on October 10, 2013. Founded by the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, a group of legal associations, trade unions, local and regional authorities, as well as human rights organizations coming together for the purpose of the abolition of capital punishment.

THE JOINT STATEMENT OF ASIAN ABOLITIONISTS

ON THE 11TH WORLD DAY AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY

October 10, 2013

There is increasing recognition among nation states that capital punishment is undesirable. The global movement for the abolition of the death penalty has grown significantly in the past decade, and a milestone was reached when the United Nations General Assembly voted on a moratorium in 2007. According to UN statistics, more than 150 States today have either abolished the death penalty or halted executions.

However, it remains troubling that a number of countries in Asia have ignored these developments and show little sign of moving towards abolition. According to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), countries which have not abolished the death penalty may impose the death sentence only for the most serious crimes. Nevertheless, many countries continue to carry out executions in blatant violation of international norms and standards. For example, drug trafficking does not meet the internationally-accepted definition of ‘most serious crimes’, yet many countries continue to execute drug couriers. In other instances, the death penalty has been imposed on individuals in the face of questionable evidence and improper judicial procedures.

The risk of executing an innocent person exists in every justice system. No judiciary, no matter how sophisticated or competent, is able to absolutely guarantee it would never wrongfully execute someone. Its impact as an effective deterrent to crime has also not been demonstrated.  The death penalty is revenge, not justice. Abolition is the humane thing to do, and it has the support of many States, and cultures, including the major religions of the world. On the 11th World Day, the abolitionists around Asia join together and urge the authorities of China, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Taiwan to face the problems and causes behind each crime and to provide necessary support to the victims of crime, and not simply to take more lives in the name of justice.

Signatories:

• Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network
• Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty
• Taiwan Association for Human Rights
• Amnesty International Taiwan Section
• Judicial Reform Foundation (Taiwan)
• Taiwan Association for Innocence
• Taiwan Labour Front
• Amnesty International Thailand Section
• Amnesty International Hong Kong Section
• Abolish the Death Penalty Group, AI-Hong Kong
• China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group, AI-Hong Kong
• Justice and Peace Commission of the Hong Kong Catholic Diocese
• Civil Rights Committee, KLSCAH , Malaysia
• Singapore Anti Death Penalty Campaign
• We Believe in Second Chances (Singapore)
• Think Centre (Singapore)

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