The Minister for Women, Children, and Poverty Alleviation, Lynda Tabuya, is advocating for the implementation of the death penalty for drug traffickers caught with significant quantities of drugs.
During a press briefing, Tabuya highlighted that Fiji acts as a transit hub for drug markets, emphasizing the urgent need for enhanced legal measures to safeguard the nation’s borders and its citizens.
She voiced her alarm over the increasing accessibility of drugs in Fiji, affecting both adults and children. Tabuya stated that it is crucial for the country to adopt deterrent measures, including the potential introduction of the death penalty. She expressed concern that many individuals, often unaware of the detrimental effects of drugs, resort to this illegal means for quick financial gain, which ultimately causes more harm than any economic benefits derived from drug sales.
The Minister underscored that stricter punishments are necessary to dissuade drug traffickers and organized crime leaders from participating in illicit activities within the nation. She believes that enforcing harsher penalties, including capital punishment, could diminish the drug trade and its adverse impacts on Fiji.
Historically, Fiji made significant legal changes regarding the death penalty. While the FijiFirst Government embraced 98 of 138 recommendations to ratify the UN Convention Against Torture in 2015, the nation had already abolished the death penalty for ordinary crimes in 1979 and for all crimes in 2015. The last execution in Fiji took place in 1964. Fiji has reaffirmed its dedication to advancing and protecting the core principles of universal human rights. The 2013 Constitution established a Bill of Rights that retains fundamental freedoms, and efforts were made under the then Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum to remove death penalty references from military laws, consolidating its abolition in national legislation.