Source: The
National, Wednesday 29th May 2013
The Criminal Code Act (Amendment Bill 2013), which was
passed on a voice vote, repealed the Sorcery Act 1971. The amendment bill contains steep penalties for various crimes in the country.
Killings connected with sorcery will now be treated as
wilful murder and the penalty is death.
Aggravated rape is defined as rape using dangerous weapons
or rape in the company of one or more persons or where grievous bodily harm is
caused and where the victim is a child under 10 years.
The new laws have increased the penalties for kidnapping
which will now carry a maximum prison term of 50 years without remission or
parole while kidnapping for ransom, a new kind of crime, now carries maximum
penalty of life imprisonment without remission and parole.
As for stealing of monies between K5 million and K9.99
million, the maximum penalty is 50 years without remission and parole while for
stealing K10 million or more, the maximum penalty is life imprisonment without
parole or remission.
Misappropriation worth K10 million or above now carries a
maximum of life imprisonment.
Parliament also amended section 597 of the Criminal Code
Act, which allows for a number of modes of execution. These include hanging by
the neck, administration of anesthetics followed by lethal injection, medical
death through anesthetic administration and deprivation of oxygen, death by a
firing squad and electrification.
The method of execution will be determined by the Head of
State acting on advice from the National Executive Council.
Justice and Attorney General Kerenga Kua told Parliament
that the laws were tough and reflected the crime situation and demands by the
community.
Kua said current laws have not deterred people from
committing serious crimes and the amended laws would give a strong warning to
offenders.
He added that the death penalty on sorcery related killings
would send a strong message to perpetrators.
Kua said violent crimes such as armed robbery and stealing
had increased and were an impediment to development.
The new penalties would act as a deterrent to such crimes,
he said.
Papua New Guinea Parliament yesterday gave a resounding aye
to amendments to the Criminal Code Act that raised penalties for serious crimes
including stealing and misappropriation.
The death penalty will apply for crimes such as aggravated
rape, sorcery-related killings and robbery with violence.
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