Thailand Executes First Prisoner in 9 Years

Thai authorities executed a 26-year-old man on Monday, the first execution in 9 years for the Southeast Asian country, according to the Associated Press.

Theerasak Longji, who was convicted of aggravated murder for stabbing a 17-year-old 24 times before stealing his mobile phone, was killed by prison officials using lethal injection.

In a statement, officials said Longji’s execution would serve as a deterrent to future criminals: “The Department of Corrections hopes that this execution will serve as a reminder to those who think of committing serious crimes or violating the law to stop and consider this sentence.”

But Amnesty International roundly condemned the killing, saying that Thailand was “reneging on its own commitment to move towards abolition of the death penalty and the protection of the right to life.”

It was the first execution carried out since Thailand killed two drug-traffickers in 2009. Before that, the last capital punishment case came in 2003.

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