Oct. 11 INDIA: Amnesty : Declare moratorium on death penalty Amnesty International has sought a moratorium on the death penalty in India. With Asia executing more people each year than any other part of the world, Amnesty International observed Friday, October 10, as "World Day Against the Death Penalty." The human rights organisation asked India, South Korea and Taiwan to join the global trend and declare a moratorium on the penalty immediately. Amnesty said China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the United States accounted for 88 per cent of the 1,252 known executions it recorded in 2007. In Asia, 14 countries still carried out executions but 27 countries now abolished the death penalty in law or in practice. "There is a window of hope and a chance for change in Asia," said Irene Khan, Amnesty Secretary-General. "India has not executed anyone since 2004, although death sentences are still handed down at least 100 in 2007 often in trials where poorer defendants have inadequate legal representation," Amnesty said in a release. Countrywide campaign The organisation had launched a countrywide campaign involving a wide range of activities, including stunts, protests, seminars, film screenings, and drawing of rangolis depicting symbols and slogans against the death penalty. The activities were carried out in at least 23 places across the country on Friday. Every year, Amnesty, the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty and the Anti Death Penalty Asia Network call for local initiatives worldwide. This day is intended for both political leaders and public opinion of countries where the death penalty has or not been abolished yet: people have to remember the meaning of abolition and pass it down through generations. They must be aware that justice without death penalty is possible, the release said. Amnesty, in its report, said: "India can choose to join the global trend towards a moratorium on the death penalty, as adopted by the U.N. General Assembly last year. It will also then join 27 countries in the Asia-Pacific region which have abolished the death penalty in law or in practice. Or it can continue to hang death row inmates, when the judicial system that puts them there has been shown by this extensive research to be unfair." (source: The Hindu) PAKISTAN: HRCP seeks immediate moratorium on executions The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has called upon the government to end the death penalty in the country and place an immediate moratorium on executions until the punishment is abolished. In a statement issued on the World Day against the Death Penalty on Friday here, the commission said the government of Pakistan should seriously consider moving towards the abolition of death penalty. While the government's announcement in June to commute death sentences to life imprisonment was admirable, it has not been followed up by action. According to the statement, the pronouncement of punishment and executions continue in the country amid the acknowledged and well-documented critical defects of the law of the administration of justice, of the police investigation methods, the chronic corruption and the cultural prejudices affecting women and religious minorities. "Contrary to the much-vaunted argument of deterrence, the systematic and generalised application of death penalty has not led to an improvement of the situation of law and order in the country. The death penalty is discriminatory, unfair and utterly inefficient which must be abandoned in accordance with the international human rights," says an HRCP statement. The commission urged the government to restrict the number of offences carrying the death sentence to the most serious crimes only and refrain from adopting new crimes, entailing capital punishment in conformity with international human rights standards. "Imposition of capital punishment, if it is to be passed at all must be in the rarest of cases and execution of it as a measure of the last resort," it said. The commission demanded of the government to adopt an immediate moratorium on executions in the light of serious shortcomings of due process and fair trial in the justice system. According to the HRCP, there is a serious danger of miscarriage of justice resulting in taking an innocent life if executions are carried out without serious review of the law and its practice. It is vital that the criminal legal system be thoroughly reformed to reduce the incidence of crimes and to ensure that wrong persons do not suffer because of being implicated falsely in cases. This alone will bring us closer to achieving justice. (source: The Post)
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Rick Halperin Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:49:36 -0500 (Central Daylight Time)
- [Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide Rick Halperin
- [Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide Rick Halperin
- [Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide Rick Halperin
- [Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide Rick Halperin
- [Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide Rick Halperin
- [Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide Rick Halperin
- [Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide Rick Halperin
- [Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide Rick Halperin
- [Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide Rick Halperin
- [Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide Rick Halperin
- [Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide Rick Halperin
- [Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide Rick Halperin
- [Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide Rick Halperin
- [Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide Rick Halperin
- [Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide Rick Halperin
- [Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide Rick Halperin
- [Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide Rick Halperin
- [Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide Rick Halperin
- [Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide Rick Halperin
- [Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide Rick Halperin
- [Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide Rick Halperin