EU welcomes Fiji’s abolishment of death penalty

​Fiji has been praised for being the 99th country in the world to have joined the ranks to abolish the death penalty of all crimes.

The European Union has welcomed Fiji’s decision to abolish the death penalty through the RFMF Amendment Act of 2015.

EU Ambassador to the Pacific, Andrew Jacobs, says this is a big step forward for the nation as Fiji prepare to commemorate World Day against the Death Penalty on Saturday.

He adds that it’s important to continue to push for the abolishment of death penalty worldwide- as it represents an inhumane, degrading treatment.

“Theres no proven deterrent factor in having the death penalty and having a death penalty allows judicial errors which can no longer be corrected after a death penalty has been carried out.”

Jacobs says Fiji’s repeal of the death penalty will hopefully trigger similar positive moves in the region.

The EU is calling on the remaining island countries-Tonga, Nauru and Papua New Guinea to abolish the death penalty as well.

Earlier this month, Foreign Affairs Minister Ratu Inoke Kubuabola told the U N that Fiji’s ban of on death penalty stemmed from the growing international trend to remove capital punishment.

Kububola adds that this is consistent with Fiji’s new Constitution which guarantees every person the right to life.