[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

June 13



TRINIDAD & TOBAGO:

Death for murderers sends strong message



THE EDITOR: Roman Catholic priest Fr Ian Taylor made a bold declaration 
approximately 1 year ago. He called for the death penalty to be reinstated to 
kill murderers. This was condemned almost immediately by then archbishop Joseph 
Harris. He said it could never be an answer to solve the crime epidemic because 
this is "totally against what the church stands for."

RC priest Fr Gregory Augustine, in response to Taylor's comments, said: "The 
church is an institution that does not believe in capital punishment."

He said serious crimes ought to be fully explored so as to determine the root 
cause because these were not natural.

"We as a society have to spend more time developing that human aspect," he 
said.

While Augustine is spending his time developing the human aspect, crime has 
gotten worse and one year later citizens are still being subjected to gun 
attacks, kidnappings, rape, arson attacks, domestic violence, and other violent 
and heinous crimes. We need a solution now.

If would-be criminals know without a shadow of a doubt that they will be put to 
death should they murder with premeditation, most of them are less likely to 
kill.

Capital punishment is the ultimate warning against all crimes. If the criminal 
knows the justice system will not stop from putting him to death, then the 
system appears more fearful to him. Hence, he is less inclined to commit a 
serious crime. He may have no intention of killing anyone in the process of 
robbing them, but is much more apprehensive about the possibility if he knows 
in his mind he will be executed.

Fr Taylor was very wise in his call for the reinstatement of the death penalty 
for murderers because the taking of the murderer's life sends a strong message 
that murder is not acceptable and will not go unpunished. Retribution has its 
place in religion which historically maintains that it is proper to take an eye 
for an eye, a tooth for a tooth and a life for a life.

It is true that the victim and the victim's family cannot be restored to the 
status which existed before the murder, but at least an execution brings some 
form of closure to the murderer's crime and ensures that he will not repeat his 
crime, resulting in more victims.

For the most cruel and heinous crimes, the ones for which the death penalty is 
applied, offenders deserve the worst punishment possible and that is the death 
penalty. Any lesser punishment would undermine the value society places on 
protecting lives.

Life seems to have no value in Trinidad any longer. For justice to prevail, 
some killers just need to be put to death.

Simon Wright, Chaguanas

(source: Letter to the Editor, Trinidad & Tobago Newsday)








BURKINA FASO:

Botswana rights group applauds Burkina Faso over death penalty move



The Botswana Centre for Human Rights on Tuesday congratulated Burkina Faso for 
abolishing the death penalty and called on the authorities in Gaborone to 
emulate their peers in the West African country.On May 31 Burkina Faso became 
the 21st African state to abolish the death penalty.

This followed an adoption of new penal code by Burkinabe parliamentarians which 
included an increase in fines and placing life imprisonment as the maximum 
penalty. This adoption means that the death penalty has been removed.

"We believe that our government should take the lead in condemning the use of 
force as a demonstration of its commitment to the respect for the dignity of 
all human beings," the Botswana Centre for Human Rights said.

Botswana remains the only country in southern Africa which continues to carry 
out the death penalty. The most recent execution was on 25 May.

The Botswana Centre for Human Rights called on the Botswana government "to act 
in concert with an increasing number of our African states by imposing a 
moratorium on the use of the death penalty with the ultimate aim to abolish 
it."

Botswana still insists that its citizens are not opposed to death penalty as a 
deterrent to murder cases.

(source: journalducameroun.com)








ZAMBIA:

Abolish death penalty



THE Human Rights Commission (HRC) has urged Government to abolish the death 
penalty both by law and practice by ratifying the second optional protocol to 
the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights.HRC vice-chairperson 
Kondwa Sakala said it is encouraging that no head of State has signed a death 
warrant in Zambia since 1997 and no execution has taken place.

Ms Sakala said this yesterday during a Universal Periodic Review (UPR) 
information dissemination breakfast meeting.

(source: Daily Mail)