MADPET calls for stop of possible ‘Good Friday’ execution of Gunasegar Pitchaymuthu
3 men were executed on Good Friday(25/3/2016)? Most disappointing when Malaysia on verge of abolishing mandatory death penalty?
Stop possible ‘Good Friday’ execution of Gunasegar Pitchaymuthu (Malaysiakini)
Stop the hanging to death of Gunasegar Pitchaymuthu, victim of MANDATORY Death Penalty?
The Death Penalty Violates the Right to Life and is the Ultimate Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Punishment
Tuesday, 29 March 2016 07:51pm
KUALA
LUMPUR (29 March 2016) - The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (“the
Commission”) notes the execution of Gunasegar Pitchaymuthu, Ramesh
Jayakumar and Sasivarnam Jayakumar on 25 March 2016 under section 302 of
the Penal Code, read together with section 34 of the same Code.
The
Commission expresses regret in this regard as only recently in November
2015, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, YB Hajah Nancy
Shukri announced that the Government was in the midst of finalising
amendments to remove the mandatory death penalty in relevant laws. The
Bill was expected to be tabled at the current (March 2016) Parliamentary
session. Today, over two thirds of the world’s nations have abolished
the death penalty in law or practice.
The
Commission is concerned because the mandatory imposition of the death
penalty violates the basic right to life, as enshrined in international
human rights laws as it constitutes an arbitrary deprivation of life, as
well as denies judges the possibility of taking into account the facts
of the offence or the characteristics of each individual offender.
Instead, each offender is sentenced to death regardless of any
mitigating circumstances that may apply.
While
discussions on abolishing the mandatory death penalty in the country
continue, the Commission cautions that any miscarriage or failure of
justice in the implementation of the death penalty is irreversible and
irreparable. Further, the rationale that the death penalty acts as a
deterrent has been discredited and dismissed on several occasions.
The
Commission therefore recommends that a moratorium on the use of the
death penalty be put in place that will at the very least, contribute to
the respect for human dignity and to the enhancement and progressive
development of human rights in Malaysia.
TAN SRI HASMY AGAM
Chairman
The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM)
29 March 2016
Source: Malaysian Bar Website
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