Papua New Guinea has announced the abolition of the death penalty. High treason, piracy and aggravated murder, which previously could carry a death sentence, will now face life imprisonment, The Guardian reports.
The last time in Papua New Guinea, the death penalty was used in 1954, 21 years before the formation of an independent state, and was soon abolished altogether. However, the punishment returned to the country's penal code in 1991, but was never applied.
“For us, as a Christian nation, in my opinion, the commandment “Thou shalt not kill” should be at the forefront. Let the Lord be the judge. And instead of this punishment, for the most serious criminals, the punishment will be life imprisonment, ”said Prime Minister James Marape.
The Catholic Church on the island has expressed support for the abolition of this brutal form of punishment.
At the moment, according to the human rights organization Amnesty International, the death penalty is actively used only in 55 territorial entities, by the end of 2020 there were 144 states in the world that abolished the death penalty. Previously, the death penalty was completely abolished in Kazakhstan.
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