[Deathpenalty] death penalty news-----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

May 8


GLOBAL:

Against the death penalty


It is incredible that in this advanced and progressive age we are living
in, the death penalty is still practised in several countries. The
argument that the death penalty is needed as a deterrent has long been
proven false. Take the case of Texas in the United States of America as an
example. Despite the fact that the death penalty has, in past years, been
regularly practised in this State, it still has a murder rate that is
alarming.

The ineffectiveness of the death penalty is even recorded in historical
documents. It is a fact that when petty thieves were still publicly
executed by hanging in England, pickpockets used to mingle with the
onlookers to steal the contents of their pockets while the crowd was
engrossed in the macabre spectacle unfolding before their eyes. The
horrible sight of a human being slowly strangling at the end of a rope did
not deter those who would share the same fate if they were caught during
their activities beneath the scaffold.

Another argument against the death penalty is that many miscarriages of
justice are known to have taken place and that it can be used as a means
of judicial murder. The case of Timothy Evans in England is well known.
Evans was hanged in 1950 for a crime the evidence for which was supplied
by John Reginald Christie who was, in turn, hanged in 1953 after it was
found that he was a serial killer. The execution of deposed political
leaders by kangaroo courts is also common. One can mention the execution
of Turkish Prime Minister Adnan Menderes in 1961 and that of Pakistani
Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1979.

Above all, the death penalty should be abolished everywhere because it is
nothing else but an act of retribution for one's crimes. It does not give
a person the chance to change his/her life and do something positive to
atone for his/her crimes. As a person who has met and spoken at length
with murderers on a daily basis, I have come to realize that even the
person who has committed the most unspeakable crimes has a shred of
humanity in him/her. We have all read about how Saddam Hussein used to
save bread from his meals to feed the birds in the period of his
incarceration prior to his execution. What did his execution achieve for
Iraq? It was simply an act of retribution, victors justice, which ensured
that the country would remain embroiled in violence and that people would
continue being killed on a daily basis.

To be fair, there are cases where one doubts the validity of one's own
arguments against the death penalty. The lowest point of my correctional
education career was the day when I heard 2 convicted murderers arguing
about who was the greatest criminal, giving details of their crimes to
prove their point and showing no remorse at all but rather boasting about
their "exploits".

Still, such cases should not blind us to the necessity of abolishing the
death penalty in those countries where it is still being practised as the
arguments against it far outweigh those in favour of it.

(source: Comment, Desmond Zammit Marmara', The Malta Star)

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Sikhs and the Death Penalty


It is time for every Sikh to openly proclaim his or her opposition to
death penalty. Sikhs are compassionate people and in all cases we
empathize with the family and friends of victims of all kinds of heinous
crimes, but at the same time, we are conscious that killing someone in
retribution will neither heal nor resolve the tragedy of such families.
There is ample historical and legal evidence to support that the killing
of one human being by another person or state is wrong and that capital
punishment is not a deterrent to crime and serves only the purpose of
revenge.

The Sikh ethical approach of compassion, forgiveness and scope for
reformation of one's life is a prerequisite for a progressive civil
society. Maharaja Ranjit Singh in his 40 year reign (1799-1839) did not
use the death penalty.

During the last nearly 3 decades, Bhai Satwant Singh, Bhai Kehar Singh,
Bhai Sukhdev Singh and Bhai Harjinder Singh have been executed by the
Indian state unmindful of the sentiments of the Sikh people. In each case,
the judgements of the respective courts, including the apex court have
flouted norms of jurisprudence. The evidence against Kehar Singh would
have been insufficient to send someone to a day's prison, but he was
executed. Bhai Harjinder Singh and Bhai Sukhdev Singh were executed under
TADA, while the legality of the law itself was under question in the
Indian Supreme Court.

Pursuing the struggle for Sikh independence, three political activists -
Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar, Jagtar Singh Hawara and Balwant Singh are
presently on the death row. The judgement against Prof. Bhullar is a
travesty of norms of criminal jurisprudence. In his dissenting judgement,
Justice Shah concluded that there was no evidence to convict Bhullar and
that a dubious confession could not be the basis for awarding the death
sentence.

The judgement against Jagtar Singh Hawara and Balwant Singh clearly
indicates political pressure as there is no evidence whatsoever direct or
circumstantial to establish criminal conspiracy. Their petition for
obtaining some prosecution papers is still pending in the Punjab and
Haryana High Court, though death penalty has already been pronounced.

(source: World Sikh News)






IRAN----executions

Iran hangs 4 for murder: report


Iran has hanged 4 men convicted of murder in Tehran's Evin prison, a
newspaper report said on Thursday.

2 of those executed on Wednesday were identified as Hassan, who stabbed
another man to death in 2002 and Jalal, who killed a homeowner during a
robbery, the reformist Etemad Melli said.

The other two were Majid, who killed his employer over a financial
dispute, and Mahdi, who was convicted of murdering a man who opposed his
marrying the victim's daughter.

The hangings bring to at least 90 the number of executions in Iran so far
this year, according to an AFP count.

Human rights watchdog Amnesty International reported that in 2007 Iran
made more use of the death penalty than any other country apart from
China, executing 317 people during the year.

The total was a sharp increase on 2006, when 177 executions were carried
out, according to Amnesty International, and came amid a crackdown on
criminals by police aimed at improving security in society.

Capital offences in Iran include murder, rape, armed robbery, drug
trafficking and adultery.

Human rights groups have accused Iran of making excessive use of the death
penalty but Tehran insists it is an effective deterrent that is carried
out only after an exhaustive judicial process.

(source: Agence France Presse)






INDIA:

Death sentence for rape convict upheld


In a significant order, the Orissa High Court on Wednesday confirmed death
sentence awarded to a person convicted of raping and murdering a
5-year-old girl 6 years back.

A division bench of HC comprising Justices BP Das and MM Das upheld the
capital punishment on Purna Chanda Kushal given by a Sundargarh court.

On November 14, 2002, Kushal had allegdly raped and murdered a 5-year-old
girl residing in Bandamunda slums of Sundargrah. The Additional Sessions
Judge of Rourkela convicted Kushal of the crime and awarded him death
sentence on December 3, 2004.

The order was up for HC's confirmation while Kushal too had filed an
appeal challenging the lower court directive. The HC on Wednesday
dismissed Kushals petition and upheld the lower court's order.

(source: Newsindpress)