Feb. 22
PHILIPPINES:
Arroyo critic lauds Presidents call to scrap death penalty
PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's call to scrap the death penalty has
gained appreciation even from her critics at the House of Representatives.
"It is a very welcome move befitting the commemoration of the Edsa
anniversary because it keeps in line with the principle of civilized
nations who uphold the sanctity of life and the principle of restorative,
instead of punitive justice," Akbayan Representative Loretta Ann Rosales
said.
Majority Floor Leader Prospero Nograles said Wednesday the majority bloc
was open to work with the opposition to hasten the approval of a
consolidated bill repealing capital punishment.
"The majority bloc is considering to work with the minority bloc headed by
Sorsogon Representative Francis Escudero to push for the abolition of the
death penalty," Nograles said in a statement.
Rosales, a left-leaning representative and vocal critic of Arroyo, lauded
the Presidents announcement Tuesday that she would certify as urgent the
measure to abolish the death penalty.
House Bill 4826, also known as "An act prohibiting the imposition of death
penalty in the country," has been approved in the House committee level
but remains pending for plenary debates.
"The President has always been wishy-washy on this issue. But to her
credit, she never executed anyone since she assumed office in 2001,"
Rosales said.
Arroyo, a devout Catholic, ordered a freeze on execution when she ascended
to power in 2001. After a rash of kidnappings and murders in 2003, she
lifted the moratorium.
But no executions have been carried out and Arroyo has always granted
reprieves to those scheduled for execution.
Arroyo explained her decision to put to death some convicts three years
ago was due to the rampant abductions. But she said "divine providence"
took its course that prevented these executions.
Palawan Representative Abraham Mitra urged Arroyo to exercise her
influence in Congress, where majority members are her allies, to
immediately approve the bill.
Mitra said a well-equipped police force and not death penalty was the one
that could help reduce crime.
"The most effective deterrent to crime is the certainty of arrest and
conviction. Criminals are emboldened by the fact that they know that it
would take hours for the police to reach a scene of a crime," he said.
"[The] death penalty does not discourage crime. A well-equipped police
force does," he said.
The Philippines lifted a ban on executions in 1999 during the term of
deposed president Joseph Estrada.
Seven inmates were put to death between 1999 and 2000 before Estrada
imposed a moratorium after pressure from the influential Catholic Church
and rights groups.
There are about 1,280 inmates on death row. In a visit to the National
Bilibid Prison last week, Arroyo instructed the Department of Justice to
commute the sentence of 280 more death row convicts to life imprisonment.
(source: INQ7.net)
SOUTH KOREA:
Debates Rekindled on Death Penalty
The controversy over the death penalty has flared again following the
government's decision on Tuesday to consider replacing it with a
non-commutable life sentence as a means of protecting the human rights of
the convicted.
People have long argued the issue with some claiming it is effective in
preventing serious crimes while others stress the importance of human
life.
Heated debates are expected as the government has changed its previous
strong position supporting the death penalty.
The ministry's scheme is prompted by calls from civic groups, and domestic
and international human rights bodies to eliminate the death sentence.
South Korea has 63 convicts on death row, but has not conducted an
execution since 1998.
Last April the National Human Rights Commission recommended scraping
capital punishment. Also, Amnesty International (AI) this year launched a
campaign to encourage South Korea to scrap the penalty.
The government plans to hold hearings on the issue and assist in the
deliberation of an abolishment bill initiated by Rep. Yoo In-tae of the
governing Uri Party in 2004. The bill is pending at the National Assembly.
Death penalty abolitionists welcome the scheme.
One of the reasons they oppose capital punishment is it does not help
decrease violent or serious crime. Despite the death penalty, people still
commit serious crimes including murder, they claim.
They also say human life is an absolute right which cannot be taken by the
state or by anyone else.
"The death penalty is legal murder which takes away a human's right to
life, the primary right. Also, sometimes punishment is given from
misjudgment, and the cases cannot be reversed," AI's Korea branch said in
a statement.
"To become an advanced country in terms of human rights, it is desirable
for the nation to abolish the death penalty, as it is not right for the
state to deprive people of life," Chang Chu-young, secretary general of
the Lawyers for Democratic Society (Minbyun), said.
Human rights groups also cite examples of other nations. According to AI,
122 countries have scrapped capital punishment. Many European countries
and 14 U.S. states have abolished it, while Japan maintains the penalty.
But quite a number of people still support the death sentence, and the
Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court have supported the penalty in
the past.
They claim the lives and property of society are more important than the
rights of individual criminals.
"In terms of equivalence, it is improper to spare lives of serial killers
who mercilessly take other's lives, such as Yoo Young-chul who murdered 20
women," lawyer Ha Chang-woo of the Korean Bar Association said.
Citizens angry at the recent sexual assault and murder of an elementary
school girl also point out that penalties have retributive aspects as
well.
People also raise two different voices regarding the non-remittable life
sentence, which is emerging as a substitute for the death penalty.
Those supporting abolishment of the death penalty claim a life sentence is
more effective in preventing crime.
But some law experts say a life sentence is crueler than the death
penalty, as it deprives people of the hope for release and makes them give
up improving themselves.
(source: The Korea Times)
ISRAEL:
Lieberman proposes death penalty for terrorists
MK Avigdor Lieberman (Israel Beiteinu) announced on Wednesday that he
intended to propose a bill in the Knesset whereby apprehended terrorists
would be sentenced to a death penalty.
Palmah Ze'evi, son of the assassinated tourism minister Rehavam Ze'evi,
backed the suggestion, saying that Israel must present a tough deterrent
against terrorists. In an Israel Radio interview, he said that the State
cannot tolerate such an assault against a symbol of its sovereignty.
Former justice minister Yosef "Tommy" Lapid (Shinui) called the suggestion
"ridiculous." He said that Israel already enacts a death penalty with its
targeted assassinations of dangerous wanted terrorists.
(source: Jerusalem Post)
MALAYSIA:
Abdullah Defends Death Penalty For Drug Traffickers
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Wednesday defended death
penalty imposed on drug traffickers, saying it was a "right kind of
punishment" as drug addiction was a menace to the Asian society.
Abdullah said he would not think death penalty passed on those found
guilty of drug trafficking as harsh as they caused serious problems to
society.
"Yes, we are very harsh on drug (offences). It is a threat to the
well-being of our society," he said in response to questions during a news
conference after receiving the honorary doctorate of technology from the
Curtin University of Technology at a special ceremony here (Australia).
The Prime Minister described how a person who became addicted to drugs
would pose serious problems to his family and the society.
"I have seen enough of what happened to these people. They have no shame
because they are in pain. We have tried to rehabilitate them but
eventually they will go back to addiction," he said.
Abdullah said a person addicted to drugs would do anything to get money,
even to the extent of stealing from their parents, and eventually they
became traffickers.
"How can we tolerate this. That's why many (Asian) governments imposed
severe penalties on drugs," he said.
2 Australians, Brian Chambers and Kevin Barlow, were hanged in Malaysia in
1986 after they were found guilty for heroin trafficking.
Michael McAuliffe, a barman from Sydney, was executed in 1993 after he was
arrested at the Penang International Airport with 141gms of heroin in his
money belt.
Former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke had described the sentence as
"barbaric".
An Australian national was also sentenced to death by a Singapore court
last December on drug trafficking charges, and last week, 2 Australians
were sentenced to death by a court in Bali, Indonesia, for the same
offences.
Responding to another question on ways to close the gap between the Muslim
world and the West, the Prime Minister said he had offered Kuala Lumpur as
a venue to hold dialogues to promote tolerance and to thrash out
differences in opinion between the 2 cultures.
Asked about his opinion on Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), Abdullah said the group
was a threat to regional stability as it promoted terrorism.
"It became a threat to stability because the members are promoting changes
the way they want it to be," he added.
Abdullah returned to Kuala Lumpur in the evening after a 2-day visit here.
(source: Malaysian National News Agency)
