Put Japan's reinstatement of death penalty on agenda of official visit of Dutch minister
Put Japan's reinstatement of death penalty on agenda of official visit of Dutch minister
SP Member of Parliament Emile Roemer is asking Transport Minister Karla Peijs to raise the question of the death penalty during her forthcoming visit to Japan.
Ms Peijs is keen to visit Japan and has invited three specialists to accompany her, one each from the PvdA (Labour Party) and the two right-wing parliamentary groups, the Christian Democrats (CDA) and free market liberals (VVD). Japan has recently reinstated the death penalty, executing a number of prisoners, including, over Christmas, a 77-year-old man. In the SP's view the minister should not allow this to go unmentioned.
At the same time Mr Roemer called on colleagues from other parties not to travel with the minister on a trip which, he believes, "has too little politics in it and too much recreation."