Nothing justifies death penalty.

Byline: Aniza Damis

Malaysians are vociferous in the defence of the life of fellow Malaysians on death row overseas. But what about the nearly 800 people on death row here? De facto law minister Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz has said if the people want to abolish the death penalty, then it shall be removed.

Here to speak at a conference on the subject last week, British peer and humanist Lord Alfred Dubs tells ANIZA DAMIS why he is against the death penalty Q: Have you always been against the death penalty? Was it a conscious decision? A: Personally, I have, long before I was involved in politics. It was a conscious decision. I think the reasons are there's no evidence it deters, that, all too often, in countries that have the death penalty, innocent people have been executed, and we discover afterwards they are innocent.

But, in the end, it is a moral decision. It's a decision as to whether it is right that the state should take a life. That, in the name of the state, somebody should be executed. Killed. Murdered. I think that's wrong.

Q: What about the death penalty as a form of society's disapproval? A: I'd have thought that a long sentence is also a sign of disapproval.

On the other side, there are the families of the …