State of the Nation Address 2020 (SONA) and Reintroduction of the Death Penalty

In the 5th SONA on July 27, 2020, President Duterte announced the reintroduction of the death penalty by lethal injection in connection with drug-related offences. Since August 5, 2020, the issue has thus been back on the House of Representatives’ agenda. The reintroduction of the death penalty would be a breach of the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to which the Philippines is a signatory