29 Oct 2014

Public consultation on Kiribati death penalty bill

9:52 pm on 29 October 2014

A public consultation on the proposed death penalty has begun in Kiribati.

President Anote Tong has set up a Commission of Inquiry to consult with the public before the second reading of the Bill is heard in parliament in December.

Mr Tong has said the law would be a deterrent for deliberate killings in the country, after five women lost their lives at the hands of their husbands or former partners.

The consultation has started on several outer islands, and last week it was held in the capital Tarawa.

Members of the Commission are Catholic Bishop Paul Mea and Kiribati Uniting Church Moderator Reirei Kourabi, assisted by two other members also appointed by President Tong.

The two heads of churches earlier rejected the Bill.