Death Penalty Debate in Thailand
Until today, Thailand still executes capital punishment against criminals. The 2017 report by Amnesty International reveals that Thailand is among the 58 countries that retain execution of death penalty (Amensty International). Although capital punishment is legal in Thailand, it is rarely exercised. But, should the death penalty get abolished in Thailand? For Thailand, it is time to abolish capital punishment. This paper argues that death penalty in Thailand should get abolished on the premise of defending human rights and values in the country.
As capital punishment is a violation of human rights, Amnesty International affirms that this lethal execution is an ultimate cruel, degrading, and inhuman punishment. The death penalty execution is an act of brutality that devalues and dehumanizes the society’s worth and values upon human life (Asia 6). As reported by Amnesty International, the death penalty is a cruel punishment that entail cruelty of being forced to await death row and contemplating the execution’s prospect. Criminal justice systems in Thailand have been vulnerable to error and discrimination. However, capital punishment is not revocable; once it is executed it cannot get reversed. Being party to Article 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Thailand affirms that the main objective of penitentiary systems is social rehabilitation and reformation of prisoners (Amensty International). In its inherent nature, capital punishment ultimately denies criminals the opportunity for reformation and rehabilitation.
Additionally, execution of prisoners does not reduce crime rates or make the society safer- it also impacts negatively on the society. Currently, the Thai government allows the court systems to execute the death penalty; this shows the government’s support for use and promotion of violence (Tom 2). The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon advised the Thai government that nobody has ever proved that capital punishment helps alleviate crime behavior. Given the lack of prove that capital punishment deters crime behavior; the Thai government should abolish this 2007 law. Surprisingly, other countries where the death penalty is illegal such as Hong Kong report less crimes per year compared to Thailand where capital punishment is exercised.
