Denial of right to life

The right to life is the fundamental right of human beings and all other rights make sense only in so far as the right to life is respected. The fundamental reason for retention of the death penalty by some countries is it is a deterrent for those who might attack life and the property of the State. The fact, however, is that in countries where the death penalty has existed for centuries, crimes against life and property has not diminished. As regards the State security argument, the State might well confuse the security of society with the security of the group currently in power, namely, the Government of the day.