Nov. 20
SUDAN:
2 soldiers receive death penalty in Darfur
On November 16, the national special tribunal created to try cases of war
crimes in Darfur sentenced 2 Sudanese soldiers to death, the tribunal's
president told Reuters. The 2 soldiers are accused of arresting civilians
they suspected of being rebel members north of Darfur, torturing them and
beating one of them to death. They have 15 days to appeal. In announcing
the two convictions, Sudan was sending a sharp response to the UN Special
Rapporteur for Human Rights in Darfur, who said on October 22 that the
Sudanese tribunal was not trying the most serious cases (IJT-35). The
Khartoum government created this tribunal in response to the referral of
the situation to the ICC, in order to demonstrate that it can render
justice in its own country.
(source: International Justice Tribunal)
UNITED KINGDOM:
'Death penalty' for police killers
The former head of the Metropolitan Police has called for the death
penalty to be reinstated for police killers following the murder of rookie
officer Sharon Beshenivsky.
Lord John Stevens says the killer of Pc Beshenivsky should lose his life
as a punishment in spite of having always opposed capital punishment.
Writing in the News of the World newspaper, the former Scotland Yard
commissioner said: "All my life I've been against the death penalty. But
after the cold-blooded murder of policewoman Sharon Beshenivsky, I've
changed my mind.
"I genuinely never thought I'd say this, but I am now convinced that the
monster who executed this young woman in cold blood should, in turn, be
killed as punishment for his crime.
"For the first time in my life, despite 40 years at the sharp end of
policing, I finally see no alternative.
"Such an extreme act of pure evil can only be met by the most extreme of
responses - and that can only be death.
He adds that if the death penalty is not imposed then "wrong really has
finally totally triumphed over right, and all civilised society, all we
hold dear, is the loser".
Lord Stevens headed the Metropolitan Police from 2000 until January this
year. He was credited with turning the force's fortunes around following
the Macpherson Report which branded it "institutionally racist".
But he sparked controversy in September by attacking David Blunkett in his
memoirs.
He claimed the former home secretary knew little about policing when he
took up the post and leaked damaging stories about him to the press.
(source: The Scotsman)
********************
Shooting sparks calls for death penalty
Britain's former top police commander called today for the re-introduction
of the death penalty as six people were arrested over the murder of an
unarmed policewoman during an armed robbery in northern England.
Sharon Beshenivsky, 38, a mother of three children and two step children,
was shot dead and her colleague Teresa Milburn, 37, was shot in the
shoulder when they were called to the robbery at a travel agency on Friday
afternoon.
The killing revived a heated debate over whether Britain should arm its
police force, and prompted former Metropolitan Police chief John Stevens
to reverse his opinion and call for the death penalty to be brought back
after 40 years.
"All my life I've been against the death penalty. But after the
cold-blooded murder of policewoman Sharon Beshenivsky, I've changed my
mind," Stevens wrote in the News of the World newspaper.
"I genuinely never thought I'd say this, but I am now convinced that the
monster who executed this young woman in cold blood should, in turn, be
killed as punishment for his crime," said Stevens, who retired in January.
Britain abolished the death penalty for all crimes except treason in 1965.
"For the 1st time in my life, despite 40 years at the sharp end of
policing, I finally see no alternative. Such an extreme act of pure evil
can only be met by the most extreme of responses - and that can only be
death," Stevens said.
The killing led to calls for the country's traditionally unarmed police to
carry guns on the grounds that it could have saved the lives of officers
like Beshenivsky.
There have been some suggestions the life of policewoman Yvonne Fletcher -
killed by shots fired from the Libyan Embassy where she was on crowd
control duty during a demonstration in 1984 - might have been saved had
she too been armed.
"Even if routine arming is not correct, we do believe that the number of
authorised officers remains too low," said Jan Berry, head of the Police
Federation.
The government rejected such a move.
"Clearly if there are incidents involving firearms then every force has
armed response units that can respond, properly trained and properly
authorised firearms officers," Home Officer Minister Hazel Blears said.
"But to arm routine police officers with guns I don't think is the right
way forward," she said.
Chief Constable Colin Cramphord, head of the West Yorkshire force for
which Beshenivsky worked for just 9 months, said arming police raised as
many problems as it purported to solve.
"It is not a panacea. But it is an issue that we should have a public
debate about," he told a news conference.
89 police officers have been killed on duty in Britain in the last 30
years.
(source: The Weekend Australian)
AUSTRALIA:
Congregation prays for Australian on death row
Prayers have again been said at a Catholic mass in Melbourne for convicted
drug trafficker Van Nguyen.
Nguyen is on death row in Singapore.
The 25-year-old is scheduled to be hanged on December 2.
His Melbourne-based lawyers are meeting with him at Changi prison in
Singapore today.
Father Peter Norden says there is still hope.
"We're praying that the hearts of stone might be changed to hearts of
compassion and reason," he said.
"That the Singapore Government would recognise the value of life and
change their decision in these last days."
Nguyen was caught attempting to smuggle 400 grams of heroin in 2002.
He told police he was smuggling the drugs to Australia to help pay off a
debt owed by his twin brother.
Appeals for clemency, including from the Pope, have failed to sway
Singapore's President SR Nathan.
(source: ABC News)
