The Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission says it strongly advocates for strengthening policies, laws, and judicial processes to combat drug trafficking rather than adopting the death penalty as suggested by Women, Children, and Social Protection Minister Lynda Tabuya.

In a statement, commission chairperson Pravesh Sharma said Section 8 of the 2013 Constitution stated that “every person has the right to life, and a person must not be arbitrarily deprived of life.”

“Fiji has come a long way in abolishing the death penalty in 1979 because it is a serious violation of human rights, in particular the right to life and the right to live free from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment,” he said.

“The Commission is of the view that the death penalty is not the solution to the rising drugs problems. Rather, the Government should conduct baseline research to determine why our people are engaging in drugs, and then put in place measures to better address the issue.  

“We must work towards rehabilitation of addicted people; and prevent drugs from entering Fiji.

“We need to strengthen our border security, raise awareness, and educate our people about the impacts of drugs.”

Mr Sharma said severe terms of imprisonment for convicted drug offenders would continue to have a deterrent effect.