AUSTRALIA. PRESS ASIA TO END DEATH PENALTY, LABOUR PARTY

Australia's Labor party demanded Australia press regional nations to abolish the death penalty, as three Bali bombers and two Australian drug smugglers sat on death row in Asia.
"Death by hanging, beheading, electrocution, firing squad, or stoning is inhumane, no matter what the crime," opposition legal affairs spokeswoman Nicola Roxon said.
"Australia needs to use its position internationally and in the region to abolish the death penalty universally.
"In the last year, we have been sadly reminded of this by the hanging of Van Nguyen in Singapore, the first Australian to be executed since Malaysia hanged Michael McAuliffe in 1993," said Ms Roxon.
She called for Australia to advocate more strongly for the abolition of the death penalty to regional neighbours and allies and to encourage their ratification of the protocol which came into force under international law on July 11, 1991.
The protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) prohibits ratifying nations practising or reintroducing capital punishment.