CADPA (The Coalition for the Abolition of the Death Penalty in ASEAN) was set up because there is a clear need for ASEAN countries to address the specific resistance in our countries to the abolition of the death penalty. Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that ‘everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person’. Moreover, Article 5 of the Declaration states
that ‘no one shall be subject to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment’. The death penalty is the ultimate denial of the right to life, a violation of fundamental human rights. Yet South-East Asia (SEA) is a region where capital punishment remains a general standard. Only 2 of the 10 ASEAN Member States, (the Philippines and Cambodia). Brunei, Laos, and Myanmar all have a de facto moratorium on the death penalty. Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam actively apply the death penalty. It should also be pointed out that in ASEAN the death penalty is applied for crimes that do not meet international standards. The international standard (Art. 6 ICCPR) limits its use to the most serious crimes (i.e. culpable homicide/murders). Yet in ASEAN countries, the death penalty is commonly used for drugs-related crimes and, in some cases, even for some economic offences. The main ‘justification’ for the death penalty is that it deters crime. But there is no evidence of this. After each wave of executions, the number of drug-related incarcerations goes up, not down. That is why we have come together to implement a campaign to End Crime, not Life. Members of the Coalition:
Human Rights Working Group (HRWG) Indonesia - The Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (ICJR) - The Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSAM) - The Indonesian Human Rights Monitor (IMPARSIAL) - The Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS) - Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) Jakarta - Legal Aid Community (LBH Masyarakat) - Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) – Reprieve UK – Prolife - Indonesia Judiciary Monitoring Society (MAPPI FH UI) - Foundation for International Human Rights Reporting Standards (FIHRRST) - Migrant Care - Indonesian Drug Users Network (PKNI) - Advocacy Forum of Justice and Human Rights, Bishops Conference of Indonesia (FAHAM-KWI) – GAYa Nusantara - SeaLawyers Network, Malaysia - The Society for the Promotion of Human Rights Malaysia (PROHAM) – Amnesty International Malaysia - Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN) - Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC) – Cambodian Center for Human Rigtss (CCHR) – Cambodian Volunteers for Society (CVS) - Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA) - Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) – Think Centre Singapore – Amnesty International Thailand – Amnesty International South East Asia and Pacific Regional Office - Alliance of like-minded CSOs in Singapore (ALMOS) - Coalition on Abolition of Mandatory Death Sentence
