Bangkok seminar studies end to "inhumane" death penalty

[webfact]

Seminar studies end to "inhumane" death penalty
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in cooperation with Thailand's Ministry of Justice has been holding a seminar in Bangkok on moving away from the death penalty in Southeast Asia.

Participants included international experts and government representatives, the Asean Inter-governmental Commission on Human Rights, parliaments, national human rights institutions, the legal profession, academia and civil society.

"This regional meeting comes at a crucial time as the international movement for abolition of the death penalty continues to grow in strength and influence," said Mr. Ibrahim Najjar, former Minister of Justice of Lebanon and currently commissioner at the International Commission against the Death Penalty.

During the two-day seminar, participants discussed the situation in Southeast Asia as well as international standards regulating the use of the death penalty. "While challenges remain, experience in Southeast Asia discussed in this seminar tend to confirm the global trend of moving away from the death penalty," said Professor William Schabas, a prominent international expert on the question of capital punishment. He said he was confident more countries in the region would take significant steps toward the abolition of the death penalty in coming years.

Professor Vitit Muntarbhorn from Chulalongkorn University who acted as chair for the seminar, said this first regional meeting was an important milestone for further discussion at the national and regional level on this critical issue, including through the Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights.

"This dialogue among experts from the region is essential to end this unjust and inhumane practice which often affects the most marginalized," said Professor Muntarbhorn. He argued it was hard to reconcile the death penalty with fundamental human rights, especially the right to life.


-- The Nation 2013-10-24

[seminomadic]

The jail conditions here make the death penalty seem a much, much more humane option.

[yooper2001]

If you want a legal death penalty then make them ride a pedal bike along sukhumvitt road between pattaya and rayong or ride on a tour bus or van

Edited October 24, 2013 by yooper2001

[kamahele]

When the death penalty was reinstated in the USA, we were promised it would decrease murders as potential murderers would stop and think about the death penalty apparently and stop what they were doing. Ha! What really reduced the murder rate was stricter enforcement of the law. The death penalty is extremely expensive in the US as the appeals process is very long and it is actually cheaper to just lock up the murderer for the rest of his/her miserable life. On top of that, we have had several instances where new evidence was found and death row inmates were found to be wrongly convicted. It is bad policy.

[patayayaya]

The jail conditions here make the death penalty seem a much, much more humane option.

they got the good harry in bang kwang

Edited October 24, 2013 by patayayaya

[drdoom6996]

What is INHUMANE is giving murders bail to flee the country.

[itsrebel]

What is disgusting in this region is you get death for few grams of some drug, and only 10 years for raping a child. I have no issues with the capital punishment in the latter scenario.

Sent from my GT-S5310 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Morakot]

Good news.

[FarangTalk]

Back in early 2005 they were still machine-gunning people to death.

[marioDC]

i've been working and living in Saudi Arabia for over 2 years now. Death penalty is quite common here and therefor you can still leave your car open while shopping, get money from an ATM without having to watch your back, etc ...

death penalty in my opinion is a perfect way of keeping down the crimes.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[kuiburi]

i've been working and living in Saudi Arabia for over 2 years now. Death penalty is quite common here and therefor you can still leave your car open while shopping, get money from an ATM without having to watch your back, etc ...

death penalty in my opinion is a perfect way of keeping down the crimes.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Hope u not refer to "sharida" where a mother gets dug in the ground up to her waiste and gets stoning till she is death because she owned a cellphone , or got raped and not has 5 independant male witnesses to prove the rape in court .

[marioDC]

i agree, but there's nothing in my comment that states the sharida law. The religion here is sacret, something outstanders can't understand (and after +2 years i am still one of them).

But the crime-rate is extremely low here, steal and your hand is cut off. It makes you think twice before doing anything of the like.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Chris Lawrence]

When the death penalty was reinstated in the USA, we were promised it would decrease murders as potential murderers would stop and think about the death penalty apparently and stop what they were doing. Ha! What really reduced the murder rate was stricter enforcement of the law. The death penalty is extremely expensive in the US as the appeals process is very long and it is actually cheaper to just lock up the murderer for the rest of his/her miserable life. On top of that, we have had several instances where new evidence was found and death row inmates were found to be wrongly convicted. It is bad policy.

Hard to bring them back when the new evidence says they are innocent. The only time there is a spike in the death rate is when a mass murder hits the secene, or contract killing.

[ratcatcher]

Looks like Brunei will carry out stonings for adulterers under Sharia law. Good to know Sultan Bolkiah is moving his country into the 16th century.

As Dylan once wrote "Everybody must get stoned"

Nothing like a good stoning or amputation to bring in the quality tourists eh?

[Wombat6]

I wonder if the Seminar invited the parents of chilldren that had died from drug addiction to give an opinion.

[coma]

Back in early 2005 they were still machine-gunning people to death.

11 December 2002 in fact.

[indyuk]

No educated thinking human being could ever justify capital punishment in a civilised community.

The very act of execution is humiliating to every community because it violates the common decency of mankind and the teachings of Allah, Buddha, and Christ.

Simply put capital punishment disturbs the conscience of every humanitarian on Earth.