Archbishop John Ribat says Attorney-General Kerenga Kua’s plan to activate the never-before-used law is the wrong way to deter crime and may encourage payback as families seek revenge for an execution.
“The payback system can escalate. Killing will give rise to more killing,” he said.
The General secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, Fr Victor Roche, has also expressed concern at the suggestion made by the Attorney-General
Roche said the church supported the dignity of a human person and a death penalty would deny that if implemented. “The death penalty is not the answer to the law and order problems in our country,” he said.
The view against death penalty is also shared by National Capital District Governor Powes Parkop. The human rights lawyer argued that there was no proof that capital punishment was the model to monitor successfully law and order problems in a society.
Source
- Social Concerns -A Commission of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference PNG/SI
- News.com.au
- Image: Resources MMC.org