The Minister for Women, Children, and Poverty Alleviation, Lynda Tabuya, has called for the reinstatement of the death penalty for drug traffickers caught with significant quantities of drugs. During a press conference, Tabuya highlighted Fiji’s ongoing role as a transit hub for drug markets and emphasized the need for more robust laws to safeguard the nation’s borders and its citizens.
Tabuya expressed grave concerns about the ease with which drugs are accessible in communities, affecting both adults and children alike. She stated that Fiji requires deterrents, including the death penalty, to protect its populace from the dangers of drug use. Many individuals, unaware of the detrimental effects, are turning to drugs for quick financial gain, which she believes causes more harm than the short-term economic benefits.
The Minister argued that tougher measures are necessary to dissuade drug traffickers and lords from operating within the country. She asserted that implementing harsher penalties, including capital punishment, could curb the drug trade and its negative consequences in Fiji.
In terms of context, Fiji abolished the death penalty for ordinary crimes in 1979 and for all crimes in 2015, with the last execution taking place in 1964. In 2015, the FijiFirst Government had endorsed a series of recommendations aimed at ratifying the UN Convention Against Torture, some of which had already been implemented. Fiji has affirmed its dedication to upholding fundamental human rights and, in 2013, established a comprehensive Bill of Rights through its new Constitution. The previous Attorney-General stated that Parliament had also passed legislation to remove all references to the death penalty in military laws, effectively abolishing it from national law.