9 November 2005
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT - IS IT EVER JUSTIFIED?
The impending execution of Van Tuong Nguyen the young Australian convicted of drug trafficking in Singapore has aroused considerable public interest and media attention. His youth, the absence of a previous criminal record and his apparent motivation, a desperate attempt to pay off his twin brother’s debts, have aroused widespread sympathy and again focused attention on the issue of capital punishment.
In the past, Catholic teaching has permitted the taking of life in certain exceptional circumstances such as self-defense and capital punishment. In more recent times successive Popes have spoken out against executions and current teaching argues that circumstances that would justify the execution of offenders are "practically non-existent".
Amnesty International has long campaigned against capital punishment arguing that
"The death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.
It violates the right to life.
It is irrevocable and can be inflicted on the innocent. It has never been shown to deter crime more effectively than other punishments."
At the global level the number of countries that have effectively abolished capital punishment has increased steadily each year to the point where they form the majority. At present it is used in 75 countries in the world.
Information about the campaign to save Van Tuong Nguyen, including an online petition for clemency to the Prime Minister of Singapore can be found at the GetUp - Action for Australia website
In the past, Catholic teaching has permitted the taking of life in certain exceptional circumstances such as self-defense and capital punishment. In more recent times successive Popes have spoken out against executions and current teaching argues that circumstances that would justify the execution of offenders are "practically non-existent".
Amnesty International has long campaigned against capital punishment arguing that
"The death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.
It violates the right to life.
It is irrevocable and can be inflicted on the innocent. It has never been shown to deter crime more effectively than other punishments."
At the global level the number of countries that have effectively abolished capital punishment has increased steadily each year to the point where they form the majority. At present it is used in 75 countries in the world.
Information about the campaign to save Van Tuong Nguyen, including an online petition for clemency to the Prime Minister of Singapore can be found at the GetUp - Action for Australia website
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