Indonesia must end death penalty
10 November 2008, 02:21PM
Memorial to victims of the 2002 Bali bombings, Bali.
© rogerwp (Flickr)
Amnesty International calls on the Indonesian authorities to make the execution of the Bali Bombers the country's last.
Horrific atrocities such as the 2002 Bali Bombings must be addressed, but not by continuing the cycle of violence through state-sanctioned killings.
The Australian Government must take a consistent approach in its opposition to the death penalty, and advocate for both Australian and non-Australian individuals on death row around the world, or risk undermining our ability to assist Australians facing execution.
The most immediate example is the case of the Bali Three - Scott Rush, Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan - who remain on death row in Indonesia. In practical terms, to be effective the Government needs to be consistent in its opposition to the death penalty and resume its practice of undertaking direct diplomatic advocacy on behalf of those on death row.
The number of executions in Indonesia has increased significantly, with ten death sentences carried out since 26 June. Prior to that, only one person was executed in 2007, compared to 11 in the last decade.
The rise in the number of executions flies in the face of United Nations (UN) General Assembly Resolution 62/149 of 18 December 2007, which calls for a moratorium on executions, and runs counter to the global trend away from the use of the death penalty.
We welcome the Australian Government’s announcement that it will co-sponsor the UN’s resolution this month to reaffirm this international moratorium on the death penalty.
Comment from Anti-Death Penalty Campaign Coordinator Katie Wood
Duration: 1m 20s
Features and analysis
Childbirth in Sierra Leone
Many women in Sierra Leone spend the final months of pregnancy and agonising hours of childbirth fearing for their lives.
Harming Children
Professor Louise Newman explains how detaining children on Christmas Island is likely to affect their mental health.
“Intervention” walk-off
Three hundred people have walked away from their homes to protest the effects of the Northern Territory Emergency Response.
These features are taken from our Human Rights Defender magazine - subscribe free now
Make an impact
Yong Vui Kong has received a second stay of execution by the Court of Appeal in Singapore. Help keep the international pressure up to stop his execution.
456 others have taken this action. Be the next:
Stay Informed
Get Involved
Amnesty International relies on your support to continue our vital work protecting human rights. Please help us keep governments accountable, bring the guilty to justice, and save lives.
Sitewide information
- Copyright © Amnesty International Australia
- ABN: 640 0280 6233
- Phone: 1300 300 920
Comments
Comments are submitted by members of the public and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of Amnesty International Australia. If you find a comment objectionable please contact the web editor.
Lance
15 November 2008, 03:01PM
Ishak Mohamad, all human rights activists in Australia and around the world work in difficult circumstances for total abolition of the death penalty. Our work rarely receives media attention or acknowledgement by political leaders, due to various reasons beyond our control. Anti-death penalty activists oppose the death penalty in every case around the world.
Ishak Mohamad
11 November 2008, 09:03PM
“Better late than never”
That how I describe Amnesty respond on the case of death penalty.
The killing of 3 terrorist actually create more sympathy to terorism.
After many people lost their live, then more people then die.
I wonder why this unpopular campaign was so late after 3 more people die, and thousands potentially will die also because of this.
Whats the different between terrorist and drug smaggler in the sense of law and in the sense of Amnesty International campaign?
Popularity I think.
Is it fair?
If we want to kill terorist, the most effective way is to kill their justification way of thinking, by showing them human way to treat human being.
Tamara
11 November 2008, 03:08PM
Dear James,
Thank you for your input regarding your concerns about the use of the death penalty that cannot be justified by the repeated cycle of violence. By breaking the cycle of violence the abolishment of the death penalty is obviously the strong deterent that can break the cycle.
It is clear that we clarify the international moratorium to bring about the human right to life the very core of justice.
Tamara Wolstencraft.
Page 1 of 1 pages