Group says no to death penalty

 A CHURCH group says the death penalty is an abuse of human rights and not a solution to crime.

The Catholic Professionals of the Society of Papua New Guinea said they opposed the Government’s decision to execute people on death row this year.

“Death penalty is not a solution to law and order problem. It only facilitates and promotes state suppression, oppression and denial of people’s freedom and human rights,” society president Paul Harricknen said.  Harricknen said the death penalty and its enforcement was an extreme form of violence. 

He said most of the people on the death row were common criminals and were not people with a higher power or rank. “You check those 12 people on death row. Is there any leader in that death row list, no? “The Government is using them to send a message that if you do this, we will shoot you, we will hang you and we will inject you. I think it’s unfair.”