Advertisement

Letters | Consensus on death penalty must be reached through dialogue

  • Readers discuss the international reaction to the hanging in Singapore of a man convicted of a drug offence, nations’ failure to prioritise peace, and the Hong Kong equality watchdog’s sensitivity to potential discrimination

Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
1
Activists read letters of support from the public for death row inmate Tangaraju Suppiah during a vigil for him at a private office in Singapore on April 26. Countries hold differing but legitimate positions on capital punishment. The UN should continue to facilitate dialogue on the subject, aimed at bridging differences. Photo: EPA-EFE
Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification.
Singapore last week hanged Tangaraju Suppiah, who was convicted in 2017 of “abetting by engaging in a conspiracy to traffic” 1,017.9 grams (35.9 ounces) of cannabis, which carries the death sentence in the island republic. The execution took place despite international calls, including by British tycoon Richard Branson, for Singapore to grant him clemency.

There is a growing consensus across the globe that the death penalty breaches human rights, in particular the right to life and the right to live free from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

About two months ago, on February 28, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) held its biennial high-level panel discussion on the death penalty and the focus this year was on limiting the death penalty to the most serious crimes. In the discussion, many speakers said that the right to life was inviolable, asserting that capital punishment was a human rights issue, and not just a matter of criminal justice, and that all states should therefore pursue the path towards full abolition of the death penalty.

One speaker, however, pointedly asked how a state could legislate against the death penalty when public opinion was in favour of it.

Another speaker noted that there was no consensus on the universal abolition of capital punishment, nor even consensus on what constituted the “most serious crimes” for the death penalty. Moreover, international law does not prohibit capital punishment.

Advertisement