Sept. 22
INDIA:
Clemency plea for death row poet----Pearls from Prison and its author
Radhakrishnan
A book of poems written by a man on death row in the southern Indian state
of Tamil Nadu has moved politicians to call for a halt to his execution.
Radhakrishnan, 36, was sentenced to death for murdering a man in a
courtroom in 1994.
His book, Pearls from Prison, has won praise from poets and politicians.
Radhakrishnan has had an appeal turned down by the state and supporters
hope that President APJ Kalam - himself a poet - will grant clemency.
Poets' praise
Pearls from Prison costs 55 rupees ($1.20) with profits going to destitute
children, Radhakrishnan's publisher told the AFP agency.
The poems deal with topics ranging from the Iraq war to the head of Sri
Lanka's Tamil Tigers, Prabhakaran.
They have won the praise of poets Vairamuthu and M Mehta, and the leader
of the influential DMK party, Karunanidhi.
And the head of the local Bharatiya Janata Party, Jana Krishnamurthy said:
"It is astonishing that from the heart of a man awaiting the gallows such
a poetic outpouring has come forth.
"His poems prompt us to pray that his body not hang. Let this lyrical mind
flourish," he said.
Radhakrishnan was sentenced to death for killing a man accused of
slaughtering the cattle of a friend.
The prisoner, being held in Salem jail, holds a master's degree and is
studying computers as he awaits a verdict on his appeal.
No execution date has been set.
The death penalty is normally commuted in India, although last month
President Kalam refused clemency to Calcutta murderer Dhananjoy
Chatterjee, who was hanged on 14 August.
(source: BBC News)
