July 15
GLOBAL:
The 2014 Report on Death Penalty Worldwide and the 2014 Abolitionist Of The
Year Award by Hands Off Cain
On Friday 18 July 2014 at 11:45 in Via di Torre Argentina 76, Rome, the
anti-death penalty association Hands Off Cain will present the 2014 Report The
Death Penalty Worldwide and the Award Abolitionist Of The Year 2014.
Participants include: Emma Bonino, Nassirou Bako Arifari, Minister for Foreign
Affairs of Benin, Ben Crair, Editorialist at The New Republic, Father Guido
Bertagna, Benedetto Della Vedova, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary, Marco
Pannella, Sergio D'Elia, Elisabetta Zamparutti, President, Secretary and
Treasurer of Hands Off Cain respectively.
Hands off Cain's 2014 Report, edited by Reality Book, accounts of the most
important facts regarding the practice of the death penalty in 2013 and the
first 6 months of 2014. Data shows that China, Iran and Iraq were the top 3
"Executioner-Countries" in the world in 2013, even if Iran is the absolute
record holder of capital punishment by population. However, the most negative
aspect to emerge from the 2014 Hands off Cain Report concerns the so-called
liberal democracies, where the number of executions increased and the system of
capital punishment is, for many aspects, covered by a veil of secrecy.
During the event, Hands off Cain will also present the objectives of its
ongoing campaign for a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the
death penalty in Africa, and proposals to strengthen the new Pro-Moratorium
Resolution that will be voted by the UN General Assembly in December 2014.
"The Abolitionist of the Year 2014" Award, which is promoted by Hands off Cain
to recognize the person, who, above all others, has demonstrated an
extraordinary commitment in the struggle for a moratorium on executions and the
abolition of the death penalty, is conferred this year upon Boni Yayi,
President of the Republic of Benin who will participate in videoconference.
(source: radicalparty.org)
NIGERIA:
Group Calls For Abolition Of Death Penalty In Nigeria----International Human
Rights group, Avocats Sans Fronti???res, has called on Nigeria to abolish death
penalty in the country's laws.
Addressing a news conference in Abuja, the group's Country Head, Ms Angela
Uwandu, said that Nigeria needs to adopt a restrictive pronouncements on death
penalty since several cases have shown that it has not served as a deterrent to
crimes.
Ms Uwandu disclosed that the goal of the group was to ensure abolition of
capital punishment in the Nigeria.
In pursuit of this goal, over 100 inmates have had their cases reviewed and
ultimately regained freedom following the completion of the Save Lives Project
by the Avocats Sans Frontieres.
Former death row inmate, Calistus Ike, was one of the freed inmates. He spent
23 years of his life in prison, first, he was on the list of inmates awaiting
trial for 7 years and thereafter, he was placed on death row for another 16
years. He was said to have gone through all these for a crime he did not
commit.
According to the human rights group, the case of Calistus Ike was similar to
that of many inmates in the Nigerian prison system. In worse cases, some of
them are awaiting trial for crimes that should not attract death penalty.
This has been the argument of the opponents of death penalty in Nigeria,
according to Ms Uwandu, as the debate over whether death penalty should be
abolished or not continues to be in public discourse in Nigeria.
However, miscarriage of justice remains a problem in criminal justice in many
countries around the world.
(source: channelstv.com)
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