Human Rights Commission Chair: 'It Is a Contradiction to Prohibit Murder While Denying the Right to Life Through the Death Penalty'

Newsis [Financial News] Ahn Chang-ho, Chair of the NHRCK, marked the upcoming World Day Against the Death Penalty on the 10th by emphasizing human dignity and value, and voiced his support for the abolition of capital punishment. In a statement released on the 9th, Chair Ahn said, "Human life, once lost, can never be restored and is absolute, irreplaceable by anything else.
" He stated, "The right to life is the foundation of all fundamental rights. However, the death penalty is a contradiction in that, while prohibiting murder for everyone, the state denies the right to life in pursuit of public interest.
" He added, "The death penalty risks infringing on the right to life and may abandon the penal objective of rehabilitating offenders. " He continued, "Human judgment is always subject to error.
As seen in the People's Revolutionary Party Reconstruction Committee Incident, where a retrial in 2007 resulted in acquittal, it is crucial to consider that life cannot be restored if the death penalty is carried out due to a miscarriage of justice. " He emphasized, "Crime prevention, a duty of the state, should be achieved not by depriving citizens of their right to life, but through policy development and the establishment of a social foundation.
" He further noted, "If the state fails to fulfill this duty and seeks to prevent crime by maintaining the death penalty, it blurs the state's responsibility. " He added, "I hope that, on the occasion of this World Day Against the Death Penalty, our society will join the international community in advancing the protection of human rights.
" According to Amnesty International, as of the end of last year, a total of 113 countries had abolished the death penalty. Since the last execution on December 30, 1997, South Korea has not carried out any further executions and is thus classified by the international community as a 'de facto abolitionist country.
' The Constitutional Court of Korea is currently reviewing the constitutionality of Article 41 (1) of the Criminal Act, which stipulates the death penalty.
welcome@fnnews.com Jang Yu-ha Reporter