[Deathpenalty]death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

July 31


TRINIDAD & TOBAGO:

Freed Death Row inmate confined to hospital bed


Boodram Badassie lay in his bed at the Port of Spain General Hospital
yesterday, frail and unable to speak.

One of the ward attendants told a nurse she had to remove the needle
attached to the "drips" bag because he kept pulling it out.

As he lay on the bed, in a white vest and short, white pyjama pants, he
pulled the plaster, which had held the needle firmly in his arm, off the
stand which held the bag of saline water and fiddled with it before
sticking it on the sheet by his side.

Badassie was admitted to the hospital yesterday morning, the day after he
was released from prison on a presidential pardon.

He arrived at the Port of Spain General Hospital on a stretcher from the
Mt Hope Hospital where he was first taken by family members.

Badassie was convicted 28 years ago for the 1972 murder of Mohan Dindial.
He was ailing in prison and had filed a constitutional motion to force the
Government to release him.

But even before the motion could be heard in the High Court, the Mercy
Committee, which included National Security Minister Martin Joseph, acting
Attorney General Camille Robinson-Regis, Director of Public Prosecutions
Geoffrey Henderson, with 4 other members, recommended to the President
that Badassie be freed.

(source: Trinidad Express)