Papua New Guinea revives death penalty, repeals sorcery law

SYDNEY: Papua New Guinea pressed ahead Tuesday with a controversial revival of the death penalty, passing laws allowing execution by a range of methods, while repealing its contested sorcery act.

The impoverished Pacific nation’s parliament voted to extend the long-dormant death penalty to cover rape, robbery and murder with new legislation permitting hanging, electrocution and firing squad executions.

Lethal injection and medical asphyxiation — which it did not define — will also be permitted methods under the law, which will provide the death sentence for crimes including aggravated rape or gang rape of a child under the age of 10.

“Which method to be used will be determined by the head of state on advice from the National Executive Council,” a spokesman for Prime Minister Peter O’Neill said in a statement.

“These are very tough penalties, but they reflect the seriousness of the nature of the crimes and the demand by the community for parliament to act.”

Death sentences are currently in place for treason, piracy and wilful murder but Papua New Guinea has not carried out an execution since independence in 1954.

The nation’s parliament also repealed its 1971 Sorcery Act, which criminalises the practice of sorcery and recognises the accusation of sorcery as a defence in murder cases.

Any black magic killing will now be treated as murder punishable by death, following a spate of horrific public executions of women accused of witchcraft.

One was beheaded and another was burned alive while, in separate unrelated attacks, two foreigners were gang-raped, drawing international condemnation.

Though it criminalises the practice of sorcery — in which there is a widespread belief in PNG, where many people do not accept natural causes as an explanation for misfortune and death — the 1971 act had been criticised.

The United Nations and human rights groups said it led to an increase in false accusations by people against their enemies and gave the notion of sorcery a legitimacy it would not otherwise have had.

The PNG government received more than 100 petitions from human rights and other groups across the globe calling for urgent action on the spike in violence.

Under the new laws kidnapping and theft of 5-9.99 million kina (US$2.25-4.5 million) will have a 50-year jail term without parole, while kidnap for ransom or theft in excess of 10 million kina will carry a life sentence.

Source: AFP, May 28, 2013

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