[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 26


PHILIPPINES:

'Salvaging' worst form of death penalty


ON EASTER Sunday, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo thought of a perfect way to
appease critics of her administration. She declared that no more death
penalty would be allowed during her presidency and that she would abolish
the death penalty. But as the Inquirer editorial "Life after death"
pointed out, the massacre of activists under Ms Arroyo remains a very
critical issue. (PDI, 4/17/06)

As our nation prepared to commemorate the passion, death and resurrection
of Jesus Christ, we received another shocking piece of news from Agusan
del Sur: Florencio Perez Cervantes, a 27-year-old peasant leader, had been
shot 47 times inside his home. A Bayan Muna supporter, Cervantes was also
known as a very religious man. He actively served his church as a member
of a lay organization. We grieve and we cry out for justice for him and
the hundreds of other victims who suffered persecution in the hands of
modern-day Roman soldiers.

We condemn in strongest terms the killing of Cervantes and other
government critics and grass-roots activists. Their execution is the most
horrendous form of death penalty.

The human rights group Karapatan has documented at least 556 civilian
victims of extra-judicial killings under the Arroyo regime. After last
Easter, can Ms Arroyo assure us there will be no more such killings?
Still, Ms Arroyo and her allies must answer for this form of death penalty
imposed on leaders and members of people's organizations and progressive
party-list groups.

No one should be persecuted for his/her political convictions. The
so-called leftists may not be fond of traditional religious rituals, but
their fight for just and humane wages, genuine land reform and other
causes clearly shows that their persuasions hew closely to Christ's
injunction to serve the poor, deprived and oppressed.

Under the Arroyo regime, 13 priests, pastors and lay church workers have
been killed because of their involvement in social movements. How ironic
that a priest, Fr. Romeo Intengan, should be directly involved in labeling
groups as "enemies of the state," or "communist fronts," thus laying down
the justification for the government's decision to impose on them the
extra-judicial kind of death penalty.

In the final analysis, the high crimes of fraud, plunder, corruption and
human rights abuses of the Arroyo administration are the main reasons why
the country cannot significantly move on to economic progress, political
unity and moral recovery.

(source: Opinion, AMIE DURAL, secretary general, Promotion of Church
People's Response, 3/F NCCP Compound, 879 Edsa Quezon City; Daily
Inquirer)