Prisoners of Hope want law reviewed

 PRISONERS of Hope PNG founder Raymond Rakilee has called on the Government to review its decision to execute serious crime offenders.

Rakilee was responding to the article in The National concerning the 12 people on death row awaiting “their mode of execution”. 

He condemned the Government’s decision to execute the offenders because as a Christian country, killing was against God’s law.

“God did not mandate any person to take away the lives of other people,” Rakilee said.

“God’s law clearly states that you shall not kill. Killing is a man-made law. 

“The decision by the Government and people responsible for passing the death penalty law are not right. Are they responsible for creating lives?”

He said the death penalty was wrong in a Melanesian country like PNG which had strong family links.

“If the offenders are killed, their relatives can react and attack the family members of the other side and thus causing more problems,” he said.

“The death penalty is like adding more fuel to the fire. It will not work in this country.”

Rakilee said two options the Government should consider were life imprisonment or reconciliation between the offenders and the victims’ families.