Mongolian President Calls for an End to Death Penalty
- 14 years ago
Mongolia's president called for an end to the death penalty and announced a temporary prohibition on executions on Thursday.
[Tsakhia Elbegdorj, Mongolian President]:
"The State of Mongolia is to revisit its capital punishment policy, although belatedly as the overwhelming majority of the countries of the world have already chosen to abandon capital punishment. And we must join their path. The road democratic Mongolia has to take ought to be clean and bloodless."
The president opposed the death penalty, while government members have given the death sentence to at least three people since he took office in mid-2009.
Amnesty International supports the move and lobbied for Mongolia to eliminate the punishment as it reforms its criminal code.
[Roseann Rife, Deputy Dir., Amnesty International Asia-Pacific]:
"It's a very important first step towards abolishing. He mentioned in his speech that while this is an important step for him, the country also has to then move forward to implementing its laws to make sure it become fully abolishing in law as well."
However, many people in the capital city of Ulan Bator aren’t sure if abolishing the death penalty was a good idea.
[Oyunchimegiin Solongo, Death Penalty Supporter]:
"Those scary ones, who have committed really serious crimes, deserve to be executed. But it should not be applied on smaller cases."
[Zayakhuugiin Oyunaa, Death Penalty Supporter]:
"We need the death penalty. If they killed people, they should be punished in the most strict regime prisons."
Information about the death penalty, including details about those awaiting death, is a state secret in Mongolia.
Mongolia has had previous moratoria on executions, including one in the early 1950s.
[Tsakhia Elbegdorj, Mongolian President]:
"The State of Mongolia is to revisit its capital punishment policy, although belatedly as the overwhelming majority of the countries of the world have already chosen to abandon capital punishment. And we must join their path. The road democratic Mongolia has to take ought to be clean and bloodless."
The president opposed the death penalty, while government members have given the death sentence to at least three people since he took office in mid-2009.
Amnesty International supports the move and lobbied for Mongolia to eliminate the punishment as it reforms its criminal code.
[Roseann Rife, Deputy Dir., Amnesty International Asia-Pacific]:
"It's a very important first step towards abolishing. He mentioned in his speech that while this is an important step for him, the country also has to then move forward to implementing its laws to make sure it become fully abolishing in law as well."
However, many people in the capital city of Ulan Bator aren’t sure if abolishing the death penalty was a good idea.
[Oyunchimegiin Solongo, Death Penalty Supporter]:
"Those scary ones, who have committed really serious crimes, deserve to be executed. But it should not be applied on smaller cases."
[Zayakhuugiin Oyunaa, Death Penalty Supporter]:
"We need the death penalty. If they killed people, they should be punished in the most strict regime prisons."
Information about the death penalty, including details about those awaiting death, is a state secret in Mongolia.
Mongolia has had previous moratoria on executions, including one in the early 1950s.