The Sri Lankan government has decided to reinstate the death penalty for drug traffickers including those who have already been sentenced to death, Minister of Buddha Sasana, Gamini Jayawickrama Perera said yesterday.President Maithripala Sirisena too had recently stated that he was under pressure to reintroduce capital punishment as a deterrent to serious crimes, the Minister said adding that it received approval from the Cabinet as well.
"The Cabinet in unison agreed to it. We cannot allow inmates in prison to destroy the country by directing crimes and engaging in the drug trade while still in prison", Perera said.
As most of the people approve President Sirisena’s move to reactivate capital punishment, civil society and anti-drug addiction groups say death penalty alone is insufficient to deter crimes or curb the smuggling of drugs into the country.
While many argued that punitive punishment would act as a caution to would-be offenders, others said it would only net small-scale drug dealers while major dealers would escape with the help of powerful politicians.
Executive Director of the Alcohol and Drug Information Centre, Pubudu Sumanasekera said there was no scientifically-based evidence that capital punishment acted as a deterrent to crime.
“This is not an option. We believe in prevention, treatment and rehabilitation,” he said.
Although capital punishment is in the statute, Sri Lanka had stopped hangings since 1976. Death row prisoners spend life terms in jail.
Executions have not been carried out as successive presidents in office since 1978 have refused to issue death warrants.
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