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Maldives set to restore death penalty as Amnesty International, UN protest

WION Web Team
MaldivesUpdated: Aug 22, 2017, 10:18 AM IST
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File photograph. Photograph:(Reuters)

Maldives is set to restore the death penalty due to rising crime and drug trafficking cases, a senior advisor to President Abdulla Yameen told Reuters today even as the country comes to grip with the political turmoil in the country.

The country has never carried out a single death penalty order since 1962 when the country gained independence from Britain. However, the present regime has decided to bring the order into practice.

"It is to be used as a deterrent," Mohamed Hussain Shareef, a senior advisor to Yameen and head of foreign relations of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) told Reuters in an interview in Colombo.

"At the moment, overwhelmingly the people of Maldives are in support for implementation. It is a difficult decision for any government. But as a government, you have to safeguard the lives of innocent people," the minister added.

The last execution carried out by Maldives was in the pre-independence era back in 1954, ever since then, successive governments have resisted using the capital punishment as a mode of execution resorting instead to lethal injection.

Mohamed Hussain Shareef told Reuters that murders have been rising in the country with more than fifty reported over the last decade.

The United Nations and Amnesty have called the government not to allow the death penalty but the government has almost decided to give its stamp of approval.

Shareef said there are three convicted murderers facing capital punishment.