How drug demand in New Zealand and Australia is driving calls for the death penalty in Fiji |
Fiji is at the centre of an illicit narcotics crisis described as a national emergency, driven by an escalating demand for hard drugs in Australia and New Zealand.
Drugs, particularly cocaine and methamphetamine, are now rife in Fiji. What was once solely a transit point for the international market has grown to create local demand.
Critics argue current penalties to discourage offending are not working, prompting calls for the reintroduction of the death penalty for drug offences.
Last year, the ringleaders in Fiji’s largest methamphetamine importation (more than four tonnes) were sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 30 years.
A more recent bust involving drugs destined for Australia and New Zealand netted more than two tonnes of cocaine. As large interceptions become more common, they are contributing to rising concerns about drug offending in Fiji.
But calls for the reintroduction of the death penalty are based on moral panic and fail to address the underlying issues of Fiji’s drug crisis.
Under the 2004 Illicit Drugs Act, the penalty for all drug offences is “a fine not exceeding $1,000,000 or life imprisonment or both”.
Prison sentences are almost guaranteed. In some cases, sentences surpass those for rape and murder. These penalties are out of line with those for offences in Australia and New Zealand when we look at comparable offending.
Yet, some argue this is........