Various human rights and civil society organisations today announced protest programme in Kathmandu against the Sri Lankan government’s recent move to order the execution of four drug offenders.
The organisations are Amnesty International Nepal, Advocacy Forum, Accountability Watch Committee, Justice and Rights Institute Nepal, Collective Campaign for Peace, Peace Envisioners, INHURED International, Conflict Victims Common Platform, Aprabasi Mahila Kamdar Samuha, Go Go Foundation, Nepal Human Rights Organisation, National Human Rights Foundation, and World Vision Advocacy Forum.
The organisations plan to hold peaceful demonstration in front of the Sri Lankan Embassy in Kathmandu tomorrow from 9:00am to 10:00pm, according to a press release of Amnesty International Nepal.
Amnesty International Nepal said in its press release that it was shocked to know that Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on June 26 signed a warrant for implementation of death penalty against the four individuals who are presently serving jail term. There was a moratorium on death penalty in Sri Lanka for the past 43 years. However, after the Sri Lankan government hired executioners a few days ago, chances of the four individuals being sentenced to death are high, said the press release.
“Adopting a brutal and inhuman system of death penalty is a matter of shame for modern society.”
“As per our understanding, none of the world’s criminal system is perfect and the death penalty provision will not only disproportionately affect the poor, but also increase the chances of victimisation of innocent people.”
The statement said the death penalty system violates a person’s right to live and right against torture guaranteed by the universal declaration of human rights and other documents.
“We are organising the protest to warn the Sri Lankan government to honour its international human rights commitments,” read the press release.
Source: https://thehimalayantimes.com/
Updated On: July 02, 2019