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New Bill bans torture and the death penalty

19 November 2009, 05:52PM

Amnesty International has welcomed proposed legislation that confirms Australia’s opposition to torture and the death penalty.

The Federal Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, today introduced the Crimes Legislation Amendment (Torture Prohibition and Death Penalty Abolition) Bill 2009 into Parliament.

If passed, the Bill would specifically prohibit torture and ensure States could not reintroduce the death penalty into their laws.

Amnesty International believes the proposed legislation is another important step towards Australia fully realising its obligations under the UN Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

The Bill supplements a welcome commitment made by Government in 2008 to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The Optional Protocol provides national and international mechanisms to inspect places of detention to make sure they do not breach the Convention against Torture.

Amnesty International has been working for decades to prohibit the use of torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment. Its use is an affront to human dignity and a fundamental breach of human rights.

Amnesty International has also campaigned extensively to outlaw the death penalty around the world in law and in practice. The ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment, it violates the right to life. In line with a global trend towards abolition, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution calling on member states to establish a moratorium on executions in 2007.

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These features are taken from our Human Rights Defender magazine - subscribe free now

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