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

[Rick Halperin]

Sept. 12



POLAND:

Poland blocks EU protest over death penalty


Poland is blocking a move by all other EU countries to inaugurate a
continent-wide day of protest against the death penalty, with the
conservative and staunchly Roman Catholic government in Warsaw arguing for
parallel European condemnation of abortion and euthanasia.

Frantic efforts were under way behind the scenes yesterday to try to
persuade the government of Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the prime minister, to end
its opposition to making October 10 Europe's day against the death
penalty.

Capital punishment is outlawed everywhere in the EU. All 26 EU countries,
except Poland, support the proposal which was scheduled for agreement next
week at a meeting of EU ministers.

The decision may need to be scrapped because of Poland's opposition which
has exasperated many EU governments and added to the Kaczynski
government's reputation as the most troublesome in the union.

The measure requires the support of all EU governments to be implemented.

The issue was to have been discussed by EU ambassadors in Brussels today
but has been dropped because of the prospect of failure.

Instead ministers from Portugal, currently chairing the EU and hosting
next week's meeting, were lobbying the Polish government yesterday to lift
its veto.

While Poland observes the European ban on the death penalty, its
president, Lech Kaczynski, the prime minister's twin brother, has called
for a re-examination of the ban, while Roman Giertych, leader of a
far-right party and, until recently, deputy prime minister, wants it to
reintroduced for convicted paedophiles.

Richard Howitt, a Labour MEP and vice-president of the European
parliament's human rights subcommittee, said Poland's position brought
into question its commitment to European values. Any attempt by Warsaw to
reintroduce the death penalty could see its EU membership frozen, he
added.

"The Poles think it's very restrictive to talk only of the death penalty,"
said one source. "They want a discussion on a larger scope, on the right
to life, on abortion, on euthanasia."

Polish officials confirmed their government's opposition.

"Our position is quite clear," said one official. "We want to discuss this
in a broader context. Maybe we could call [the day] differently."

(source: The Guardian)






IRAQ:

Judge: Presidential order not needed to carry out executions


An Iraqi judge said Tuesday that the Supreme Iraqi Criminal Tribunal was
not obliged to secure a presidential order before it executed former
senior regime officials convicted of the genocide of Kurdish civilians. In
an interview broadcast on al-Iraqiya state TV, judge Mounir Haddad said
the court was not committed "to the necessity of a presidential order to
execute the death sentences."

Iraq's Kurdish President Jalal Talabani is openly against the death
penalty.

On August 7, he opposed the sentence handed down to former defence
minister Sultan Hashim, saying that Hashim was connected to the Iraqi
opposition and Talibani himself after Saddam Hussein's 2003 ouster.

Talabani said that "the court order to sentence Ali Hassan al-Majid (also
known as "Chemical Ali" because of the use of mustard gas against the
Kurds), Hashim and Hussein al-Tikriti hasn't been approved yet."

The president also said that he must approve such an such an order
himself.

The 3 men were convicted with killing thousands of Kurds perished in an
ethnic cleansing campaign led by Majid in northern Iraq in 1987.

Known as Operation Anfal, the campaign was led by the regime of the former
Iraqi dictator. Saddam was put to death in December 2006 for crimes
against humanity.

(source: Earth Times)