Mr Melham asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs, upon notice, on 23 March 2004:

(1) Will he update the answer to question No. 2891 (Hansard, 18 September 2001, page 30928) in respect of the countries and territories in and around the Pacific and Indian Oceans in which the death penalty can be imposed.

(2) Is he able to say in which countries and territories referred to in part (1) the death penalty is still carried out.

Mr Downer (Minister for Foreign Affairs) —The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:

(1) More than half the countries in the world have now abolished the death penalty either in law or practice. There are now 78 countries which retain the death penalty. Those countries in and around the Pacific and Indian Oceans in which the death penalty can be imposed are shown in the following table:

(2) Those countries in and around the Pacific and Indian Oceans in which the death penalty was imposed and/or carried out during 2002 are shown in the following table:

Source: Amnesty International Website.