World Day Against the Death Penalty – 8 October 2010

S tephen Keim SC, the President of Australian Lawyers for Human Rights, recently said that “the dinner will be an excellent way to mark the World Day”.

The dinner will be held at the Rydges South Bank Hotel in Brisbane and is being organised by Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) and Aussies Against Capital Punishment (AACP).

“I am hoping that it will raise awareness of the need to express opposition against the death penalty with other groups around the world. I hope it will encourage lots of community groups to hold their own events. AACP will also be holding a form of vigil on the Sunday, 10 October, which is the actual date of World Day Against the Death Penalty,” Mr Keim said.

Mr. Marr is an accomplished journalist, speaker and author. According to Mr Keim, Mr Marr “is likely to provide excellent insights and to inspire listeners to continue the fight against capital punishment in all countries where it continues to be used.”

Mr. Keim said: “Although no Australian jurisdiction retained the death penalty, there was a potential for it to impact Australians. Members of the so-called Bali Nine, including Brisbane’s Scott Rush, are on currently on death row in Indonesia.”

Four Australians have been executed since 1986: Van Nguyen (Singapore, 2 December 2005); Michael McAuliffe (Malaysia, 19 June 1993); Kevin Barlow (Malaysia, 7 July 1986) and Brian Chambers (Malaysia, 7 July 1986).

Mr. Keim said that international legal developments were continuing to move against capital punishment. “The recent decision of the Court of Appeal in Kenya that mandatory capital punishment was unconstitutional as constituting inhuman punishment is a further step in this long process. Individuals and groups in Australia can add momentum to these developments by marking World Day Against the Death Penalty in an active and visible way”, he said.