The Bali Nine, Capital Punishment and Australia's Obligation to Seek Abolition

Amy Maguire and Shelby Houghton, 'The Bali Nine, Capital Punishment and Australia's Obligation to Seek Abolition' (2016) 28(1) Current Issues in Criminal Justice 67-91.

26 Pages Posted: 8 Sep 2016

Amy Maguire

University of Newcastle Law School, Australia

Shelby Houghton

University of Newcastle (Australia) - Newcastle Law School

Date Written: August 8, 2016

Abstract

The executions of Australian nationals Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran in April 2015 brought capital punishment to the forefront of public consciousness in Australia. Indonesia carried out their death sentences, and those of six others convicted of drug offences, despite Australia’s determined advocacy for clemency. Their deaths represent a tiny fraction of the numbers killed in execution of the death penalty each year, but ought to prompt a renewed inquiry into the global practice of capital punishment and Australia’s position in relation to it. This article identifies the states which continue to impose the death penalty and those which oppose it. It then situates capital punishment as a human rights issue, and explores how Australia can fully undertake its international legal commitments through more prominent and effective advocacy for the abolition of the death penalty worldwide.

Keywords: death penalty, Australia, Indonesia, human rights, abolition, advocacy, international law, Bali Nine, Chan, Sukumaran

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Maguire, Amy M and Houghton, Shelby, The Bali Nine, Capital Punishment and Australia's Obligation to Seek Abolition (August 8, 2016). Amy Maguire and Shelby Houghton, 'The Bali Nine, Capital Punishment and Australia's Obligation to Seek Abolition' (2016) 28(1) Current Issues in Criminal Justice 67-91. , Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2835357

Amy M Maguire (Contact Author)

University of Newcastle Law School, Australia ( email )

1 University Drive
Callaghan, NSW 2308
Australia
+61(0)249215374 (Phone)

Shelby Houghton

University of Newcastle (Australia) - Newcastle Law School ( email )

1 University Drive
Callaghan, 2308
Australia