Australia Condemns Death Penalty Law for Palestinians, Calls It Inhumane

(MENAFN) Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong stated on Tuesday that the country opposes the "death penalty in all instances," addressing Israel’s newly passed law imposing capital punishment on Palestinian prisoners.

Wong made the remarks during a closed-door caucus meeting, emphasizing Australia’s principled stance against the use of the death penalty. The country recently joined Germany, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom in issuing a joint statement expressing concern about the law’s "de facto discriminatory character." The statement noted, “The death penalty is an inhumane and degrading form of punishment without any deterring effect.”

Israel’s Knesset passed the legislation on Monday, making the death penalty the default sentence for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank convicted of lethal attacks against Israelis.

Human rights organizations report that more than 9,300 Palestinians, including hundreds of children and women, are currently imprisoned, facing torture, starvation, and medical neglect, which have contributed to numerous deaths.

The law coincides with Israel’s intensified measures against Palestinian prisoners since October 2023, amid its ongoing war in Gaza, which has resulted in over 72,000 deaths and left 172,000 others injured.

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