SOUTH KOREA. CATHOLIC CHURCH PETITION AGAINST DEATH PENALTY

March 13, 2006: The Committee for the Abolition of Capital Punishment of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea (CBCK) has announced that it will present the government with a petition calling for the abolition of capital punishment in the country.
The commission’s campaign against the death penalty was launched on “Human Rights Sunday”, 4 December 2005; over 110,000 signatures have been collected so far, including those of the elected cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jinsuk, Archbishop of Seoul, all Korean bishops, and many Korean Catholics.
In the press release announcing the submission of the petition – entitled “Let's inspire respect for life in this land” – the commission said that “It is an individual who commits a crime, but all members of society are responsible for the criminal motives…. The abolition of capital punishment is the first step towards a world for living together. Capital punishment should be replaced by life sentence.”
The Committee said it will continue to arrange meetings to increase public awareness and will seek to involve national MPs “as much as possible” in the struggle against the death penalty. (Sources: AsiaNews, 13/03/2006)