[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Dec. 16


FRANCE:

Death penalty - 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Second Protocol to the 
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights



On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the adoption by the UN General 
Assembly of the Second Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and 
Political Rights, aimed at abolishing the death penalty, France reaffirms its 
resolute and constant commitment to the universal abolition of the death 
penalty.

81 states from all regions of the world, including France, are now party to 
this protocol.

Within the framework of thecampaign for the abolition of the death penalty 
launched by Laurent Fabius, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International 
Development, France renews its appeal for the universal ratification of this 
instrument in order to make progress toward the abolition of the death penalty 
everywhere.

On this occasion, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development 
has published a web documentary entitled "Young people and abolition".

(source: diplomatie.gouv.fr.)








MALAYSIA:

Aussie woman with drugs in luggage may be charged on Friday



The Australian woman caught with 1.5kg of syabu at the KL International Airport 
early this month is likely to be charged on Friday.

That is when her extended 5-day remand ends, said KLIA Customs director Datuk 
Chik Omar Chik Lim yesterday.

It was reported that the 51-year-old mother of 4 was caught with the drugs at 
around 5pm on Dec 7.

The drugs were reportedly in a plastic bag and found in a hidden compartment in 
her bag while she was on transit at the airport.

"The woman flew in from China and was heading for Melbourne," said Chik Omar. 
She is likely to be charged once her remand ends.

The Australian media had quoted her as telling her lawyers, Tan Sri Muhammad 
Shafee Abdullah and Tania Scivetti, that she had been asked to carry the bag 
for an American soldier stationed in Afghanistan.

The Australian newspaper quoted Muhammad Shafee as saying she had allegedly 
been led to believe the bag contained documents for the soldier's retirement.

She purportedly collected the bag in Shanghai and was told someone would 
collect it from her in Melbourne, reported The Australian.

Muhammad Shafee said she would likely be charged under Section 39B of the 
Dangerous Drugs Act which provides the death penalty upon conviction.

Muhammad Shafee was the lawyer who represented Dominic Bird, 34, who escaped 
the death penalty after the High Court acquitted him of drug trafficking in 
September last year.

Bird was caught with 167gm of syabu and was said to have tried to supply the 
drugs to an undercover police officer in 2012.

(source: The Star)








GREAT BRITAIN:

December 16, 1969: MPs vote to abolish the death penalty for murder ---- 5 
years after the last hangings took place in the UK, MPs voted to abolish 
capital punishment for murder - but not for 4 other crimes.



December 16, 1969 was a momentous day for the British judicial system as the 
permanent abolition of the death penalty for murder was passed in Parliament.

After a 7 1/2-hour debate in the House of Commons, MPs voted 343 to 185 in 
favour of abolition. Hanging would remain a potential sentence for a number of 
other crimes until 1998, but in practice the vote meant the end of state 
executions in the United Kingdom.

Capital punishment had been suspended for five years by the Murder (Abolition 
of Death Penalty) Act in 1965, and there was some criticism that the motion was 
brought before the House prior to the end of that period.

Conservative MP Duncan Sandys had earlier presented a petition calling for the 
restoration of execution for murder, which he claimed was signed by over a 
million members of the public.

But Home Secretary James Callaghan said the country's murder rate had shown 
little variation between the years of 1957 and 1968, proving that the death 
penalty was not an effective deterrent.

2 days later, the House of Lords voted to ratify the decision by a majority of 
46. Britain has since signed up to the 6th and 13th protocols of the European 
Convention of Human Rights - meaning that the death penalty cannot be restored 
in this country while the UK is party to the Convention.

The death penalty - Did you know?

Capital punishment had been in use in the UK since the creation of the state in 
1707. By the early 19th century, there were over 220 crimes punishable by death 
- including impersonating a Chelsea Pensioner, poaching and stealing from a 
shipwreck.

In spite of this, many death sentences handed down by the courts were not 
carried out. Between 1770 and 1830, an estimated 35,000 people were condemned 
to death in England and Wales, but only 7,000 executions were carried out.

The amount of capital offences was cut by 2/3 in 1832, and then in 1861 a 
number of Acts reduced capital crimes to 5 - murder, treason, espionage, arson 
in royal dockyards, and piracy with violence - as well as some offences under 
military law.

Suspension of the death penalty was first recommended by a Parliamentary Select 
Committee in 1930. The motion was finally voted on just after the war, and 
surprisingly passed the Commons, but was defeated in the House of Lords.

By 1965, there was sufficient disquiet over a number of high-profile 
miscarriages of justice, such as the executions of Timothy Evans and Derek 
Bentley, for MP Sydney Silverman's private member's bill to be accepted by both 
Houses.

The last hangings in the UK took place on August 13, 1964. Peter Anthony Allen, 
at Walton Prison in Liverpool, and Gwynne Owen Evans, at Strangeways Prison in 
Manchester, were executed for the murder of John West in April that year.

Even after the 1969 motion passed, the death penalty was still technically 
possible for the remaining 4 capital crimes. For this reason, a working gallows 
was kept at Wandsworth Prison until 1994.

Capital punishment for treason, piracy with violence and mutiny were abolished 
in 1998. Until 1973, treason could technically still be punished by beheading.

(source: BT.com)



SAUDI ARABIA----executions

2 beheaded Saudis bring 2014 execution tally to 82



2 Saudis were beheaded on Tuesday for drug trafficking and murder, official 
media reported, bringing to 82 the number of executions this year.

The sentence against Abdulrahman bin Bakheit al-Lugmani was carried out in the 
western city of Mecca, the interior ministry said in a statement carried by the 
Saudi Press Agency.

He had been convicted of smuggling a large quantity of amphetamines, it said.

The 2nd execution was in Eastern Province. Mehdi al-Mahmoud had been convicted 
of shooting dead another man following a dispute, the ministry said.

According to an AFP tally, 82 Saudis and foreigners have been beheaded in the 
kingdom this year, with more than 2/3 of the executions carried out over the 
past 4 months.

There were 78 executions last year.

Saudi Arabia had the 3rd-highest number of recorded executions in 2013, behind 
Iran and Iraq, said Amnesty International.

The rights watchdog did not have reliable data from China which implemented the 
most death penalty sentences.

Along with drug trafficking and murder, rape, apostasy and armed robbery are 
punishable by death under Saudi Arabia's strict version of Islamic Sharia law.

(source: Deccan Chronicle)

**************************

Death penalty for smuggling Bibles?----Report says new law on the books in 
Saudi Arabia



Unconfirmed reports of a new decree imposing the death penalty on anyone caught 
smuggling Bibles into Saudi Arabia has many Christian ministries and support 
groups on edge.

Practicing any religion other than Islam has long been illegal in the desert 
kingdom, and that includes rules against foreigners bringing in any type of 
religious material that does not conform to the royal family's strict Wahhabi 
brand of Sunni Islam. Foreign nationals living in Saudi Arabia are often 
detained for purely religious reasons, sometimes resulting in deportation.

But applying capital punishment, which in Saudi Arabia often means death by 
beheading, to Bible smugglers would signal a new level of persecution even for 
the Saudis.

Several Christian missionaries said they were seeking to confirm a recent 
report by the Virginia-based Heart Cry Missionary Society that a new death 
penalty law has been adopted citing an "official statement" in Arabic on a 
Coptic Christian website called CoptsToday.

The law reportedly extends to the importing of all illegal drugs and "all 
publications that have a prejudice to any other religious beliefs other than 
Islam."

No response from Saudi embassy

WND made 3 requests via phone and email to Saudi Arabia's U.S. Embassy press 
officer in Washington asking for confirmation or denial of the report. A woman 
at the Saudi Embassy who identified herself only by her 1st name, Cecelia, said 
she made sure all three emails were received by press officer Nail al-Jubeir. 
He has not responded.

"Sometimes they don't want to say anything (to the media)," Cecelia told WND.

Saudi sources at the United Nations also refused to confirm or deny the report.

According to the 2005 International Religious Freedom Report, cited on the U.S. 
State Department's website, Saudi Arabia has one of the worst records in the 
world on religious liberty.

The Saudi regime, considered an important ally of the United States, which 
annually showers the Islamic country with billions of dollars worth of military 
aid, allows no churches to function as independent Christian entities on its 
soil. The kingdom also persecutes foreign workers living in the country who are 
not of the Islamic faith. Up to 1 million Christians, many of them from the 
Philippines, Ethiopia and Egypt, live in Saudi Arabia as guest workers.

The 2005 report cited the following facts with regard to possession of Bibles 
or other "illegal contraband" in the Saudi kingdom:

"Customs officials routinely open mail and shipments to search for contraband, 
including Sunni printed material deemed incompatible with the Salafi tradition 
of Islam, Shi'a religious materials, and non-Muslim materials, such as Bibles 
and religious videotapes. Such materials are subject to confiscation, although 
rules appear to be applied arbitrarily.

"Sunni Islamic religious education is mandatory in public schools at all 
levels. Regardless of which Islamic tradition their families adhere to, all 
public school children receive religious instruction that conforms to the 
Salafi tradition of Islam. Non-Muslim students in private schools are not 
required to study Islam. Private religious schools are not permitted for 
non-Muslims or for Muslims adhering to non-Salafi traditions of Islam."

Raids on churches

Raids on underground churches are a continuous threat in Saudi Arabia, and only 
some of the raids get leaked to the Western religious press.

As recently as September, Saudi officials detained 30 Christians for worshiping 
in an underground house church, reported BosNewsLife.

The same news agency reported that 53 Ethiopian Christians, mostly women, were 
detained in 2013 after attending a worship service in a private home.

And in August 2012, the Saudi kingdom deported 35 Ethiopian Christians after 
they had been jailed for nearly nine months for holding a private prayer vigil, 
BosNewsLife reported.

WND reported last year that Saudi Arabian Airlines refused to sell tickets to 
Jewish passengers because Jews are not allowed in the country.

World Watch List, published by Open Doors Ministry, ranks Saudi Arabia as the 
world's 6th most repressive country for Christians in its 2014 report. The only 
countries listed as more hostile to Christianity are Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, 
Somalia and North Korea. Syria and Iraq surpassed Saudi Arabia on the list this 
year because of the rise of the Islamic State, also called ISIS. Of the world's 
14 most repressive nations, 13 of them are Islamic regimes or have major 
territories controlled by Muslim rebels. North Korea is the lone exception with 
its communist dictatorship.

"The open practice of any religion other than Islam is forbidden here, and 
conversion to another faith is punishable by death," says the Open Doors in its 
description of Saudi Arabia. "Most Christians are ex-pats from Asia or Africa. 
Muslim-background believers run the risk of honor killing if their faith is 
discovered. Yet a small but growing number of Muslims are coming to Christ and 
sharing their faith on the internet and satellite TV."

In 2012, the grand mufti of Saudi Arabia, the nation's highest official of 
religious law, declared that all churches across the Middle East should be 
destroyed. The Society of the Revival of Islamic Heritage asked Sheikh Abdul 
Aziz bin Abdullah to clarify his controversial statement and he reportedly 
replied that it is "necessary to destroy all the churches of the region."

He cited the prophet Muhammad, who said the Arabian Peninsula is to exist under 
only 1 religion.

President Obama met with Saudi King Abdullah on March 28 at the king's desert 
camp 35 miles northeast of Riyadh. Following that meeting, Obama took heat from 
human rights activists for not bringing up the persecution of Christians and 
other minorities during his talks with the Saudi leader, despite a letter from 
members of Congress urging him to do so.

Todd Nettleton, director of public relations for Voice of the Martyrs, said 
that ministry, which ministers to persecuted Christians worldwide, had heard 
that a death penalty law had been proposed for Bible smuggling, but he was 
still trying to confirm whether it had been approved by the king.

"We did have some information come to us about 10 days ago that this was in the 
process," Nettleton said. "We just have not been able to confirm if the 
proposed law has become the law of the land."

Joel Richardson, author of "The Islamic Antichrist" and a documentary filmmaker 
who has recently spent a lot of time in the Middle East filming "End Times 
Eyewitness," said it would not be surprising if such a decree were enacted in 
the Saudi Kingdom, which has a history of brutal treatment of religious 
dissidents.

"This is evidence of the fact that the Saudi government is afraid of the impact 
of Christianity," Richardson said. "If Muslims were truly confident that their 
religion was true, they wouldn't be afraid of people reading the Bible."

Muhammad instructed Muslims to read Bible

Muhammad, to the surprise of many Christians, instructed his followers that, if 
they have doubts about the validity of his teachings, they should compare them 
to the teachings found in the Bible (see Surah 10:94-95; 16:43).

And many Muslims may be taking him up on that challenge, Richardson said.

His new documentary film, "End Times Eyewitness," explores recent reports of 
revival in several Middle Eastern Muslim nations.

"For the past 10 years, we've seen one of the fastest-growing Christian 
movements in the world going on in the country of Iran, and in 
Egyptend_times_eyewitness we're getting profound testimonies about revivals as 
we are in the north of Iraq," he said.

The prophecy of Isaiah 19 speaks of revival breaking out in large parts of the 
Muslim world including Egypt and the larger Middle East. The fact that it is 
now occurring is significant, Richardson believes. "You've got Chaldean 
Catholics, Orthodox Assyrians, and obviously those are the largest numbers of 
Christians. And, of course, in Egypt they have the Coptic Christians," he said. 
"What we're seeing in Egypt, however, is the Catholics and Orthodox and 
Evangelicals coming together to pray together. Under persecution, a lot of the 
Christians are coming together. The Coptic priests are coming together and 
praying for the greater body of believers."

Besides being staunch enemies of Christianity in all its forms, Richardson said 
members of the Saudi royal family are among the most hypocritical Muslim 
leaders in the Middle East.

Saudi Prince al-Waleed bin Talal, a wealthy jet-setter who owns a significant 
stake in Fox News among many other Western companies, came to the United States 
about 5 years ago with a message that more tolerance of Islam was needed in the 
U.S.

"He lectured us that we need to be more tolerant of Islam," Richardson said. 
"We always get these lectures by Muslim leaders, yet here we are in the heart 
of Islam, in Mecca and Medina, and they're making it illegal simply to bring a 
Bible into the country. Again, the hypocrisy of the Muslim world is on full 
display, and people need to know this."

No quid pro quo on interfaith prayer

WND reported last month that the Washington National Cathedral hosted its 
1st-ever Muslim-led prayer service, a gesture that many American Christians are 
still waiting to see reciprocated.

"They always welcome our overtures, but they never reciprocate," Richardson 
said.

WND contacted the imam, Ebrahim Rasool, who led the Nov. 14 jummah service at 
the National Cathedral and asked him if he would work to reciprocate with a 
Christian-led prayer service in a mosque. Rasool did not respond to WND's 
repeated phone calls and emails.

Richardson's film also explores the historical and prophetic significance of 
Christian martyrdom. He sees the blood of the martyrs as the seed of the 
Christian church.

"And even if the Saudis make it illegal to bring in a Bible, the new 
technologies make it impossible to be stopped, and people will continue to 
smuggle Bibles," he said. "And with addition by subtraction, i.e. martyrdom, it 
becomes multiplication. Through martyrdom, the church grows, and that's how 
it's always been, and we're not afraid of losing our lives. The word of God is 
sharper than any 2-edged sword."

Saudi Arabia has beheaded more people than ISIS over the last two years, most 
of them for criminal offenses, in what's known as "chop-chop square," a public 
space in Riyadh. A minor theft charge can result in the amputation of one's 
hand, according to Saudi Arabia's strict adherence to Shariah law. A 2013 
article in London's Daily Express reported that a man was scheduled to have his 
spinal cord severed for paralyzing a friend when he was 14 years old.

"If they're going to execute people now for smuggling Bibles, then there you 
have the fulfillment of Revelation 6:9," Richardson said.

(source: wnd.com)








KUWAIT:

Death penalty in MP terrorism bill



MP Faisal Al-Duwaisan presented a draft law criminalizing the act of terrorism 
and stipulating harsh punishments like imprisonment and death penalty. In the 
explanatory note of the bill, the lawmaker said the regional circumstances 
surrounding the State of Kuwait and terrorism threats which might affect the 
country necessitates the issuance of a law criminalizing terrorism. He pointed 
out the bill is aimed at protecting the cornerstones on which the Kuwaiti 
society stands through its Constitution and democratic institutions. He 
stressed the need for this law, considering the terrorist groups have been 
exploiting religious and nationalist sentiments to expand their bases and 
sympathizers which may facilitate their criminal activities at home and abroad. 
He added the first 3 articles of the bill include definitions on anything 
related to terrorism while the 4th article focuses on terrorist acts abroad.

Article 5 stipulates punishments which should be applied unless another law 
states more severe penalties.

Articles 6 to 19 specify penalties for each type of terrorist crime and the 
harshest is death penalty for anybody who attacks HH the Amir or HH the Crown 
Prince as stated in the 1st paragraph of Article 14 or terrorist acts that 
resulted in death as per the stipulation of Article 9, 3rd paragraph of Article 
14 and Article 15. This is in addition to imprisonment and freezing of accounts 
if the money is proven to be from acts of terrorism or used to carry out such 
acts.

Article 20 stipulates exemption from punishment such as those who reported or 
provided information about culprits.

Article 21 allows the Attorney General to check the financial accounts of bank 
customers and other related institutions during the investigation of any 
terrorist crime.

Meanwhile, the Health, Social Affairs and Labor Affairs Committee postponed 
discussions on two bills concerning domestic workers until the Ministry of 
Interior and Public Authority for Manpower present their views on these 
proposals; which were presented by MPs Saleh Ashour, Kamel Al-Awadh, Saadoun 
Hammad, Mohammed Al-Jabri and Faisal Al-Kandari.

Committee Rapporteur MP Saadoun Hammad Al-Otaibi disclosed representatives from 
the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor and Public Authority for Manpower 
attended the meeting. He explained the panel decided to postpone deliberations 
on both bills until next week, indicating there are certain loopholes in the 
current law. He cited as a case in point the fact that the cost of hiring 
housemaids reached KD 1,000; thereby, causing enormous losses to the sponsor 
who is also required to shoulder the air fare of the worker.

Furthermore, the Human Rights Committee on Monday met the High Commissioner for 
Human Rights to discuss the proposed establishment of the National Bureau for 
Human Rights.

Head of the committee MP Abdul Hameed Dashti revealed they listened to the 
commissioner's comments on the ongoing consultations about drafting a law that 
reflects Kuwait's commitment to international recommendations on human rights 
which are guaranteed by its Constitution.

He said the committee will call for a round table discussion among jurists and 
specialists prior to the final round of consultations to pave the way for 
approval of the National Bureau for Human Rights.

On another issue, MP Khalil Al-Saleh has forwarded questions to Minister of 
Justice, Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Yaqoub Al-Sanei on decree Law Number 24/2012 
regarding the establishment of Public Authority for Combating Corruption and 
provisions for financial disclosure. He demanded for updates regarding the 
implementation of the law, copy of the executive regulations if any, 
confirmation of the approval of the organizational structure for jobs and 
internal bylaws on financial and administrative affairs and decisions, and 
reasons for delay in case these are not approved yet.

In the meantime, Head of the Human Resources Committee MP Khaleel Abdullah said 
they discussed 3 proposals - tenure of government officials, strategic 
alternative to the salary scale which the government has not submitted until 
now, amendments to the Indemnity Law that will be implemented by the beginning 
of next year.

He disclosed the committee endorsed the proposal on the 1-time renewal of the 
tenure of officials in the government. He said the entire government sector is 
covered by the proposal, except the military; indicating the management 
positions should be given only to those who hold higher education degrees.

On the strategic alternative to the salary scale, the MP pointed out that the 
government had earlier promised to submit it by the beginning of the current 
legislative term, but nothing has been done till date. He said the minister of 
finance has been talking about the strategic alternative, but the committee 
members think it is better if he attends their meetings for his inputs to be 
documented.

About the Indemnity Law, the MP said the law is applicable to all employees who 
reached 65 years old and have completed 30 years in service but were forced to 
resign even before the implementation of this law.

(source: Arab Times)








INDIA:

Nirbhaya case: Victim's family urges judiciary to expedite case



Urging the judiciary to expedite the court proceedings to grant justice in the 
December 16 gang rape case, the family of the victim on Monday stated that they 
were still waiting for the courts to grant them justice. "Whenever I look at 
her photo, I am not able to look into her eyes because we haven't been able get 
her justice. I request the court to speed-up the process and grant justice. 
After the incident I feel that the society has awakened, every day we see 
something or the other being done about women safety. It is our system which 
needs to wake up," the victim's father told ANI.

The victim's mother, on the other hand, alleged that despite receiving numerous 
promises, justice had yet to be served. "2 years have passed, we still haven't 
got justice. Many promises were made, but the situation is still the same," she 
said. Meanwhile, a candle light vigil was held in various cities across the 
country on the eve of the 2nd anniversary of the brutal incident. The people 
gathered at the venues held placard and banners, protesting crime against 
women.

On December 16, 2012, a 23-year-old physiotherapy student was brutally gang 
raped and by 6 men, including a juvenile, in a bus. The woman later succumbed 
to grave intestinal injuries at a Singapore hospital, where she had been 
airlifted for specialised treatment. The 4 adults accused in the case were 
awarded them death penalty on September 13, 2013, with the Delhi High Court 
upholding the death penalty in March 2014. The case is currently with the 
Supreme Court after the convicts appealed against the judgement.

(source: india.com)

*****************************

'No strong-enough deterrent for rapists, yet'



2 years have passed, still there is no strong-enough deterrent for rapists in 
the city, said the mother of the December 16 gang-rape victim, regretting that 
the Supreme Court stayed the hanging of her daughter's killers.

"The rapists are alive despite outrage and public protests across the country. 
It is a matter of concern. The execution of the death penalty in my daughter's 
case would have set a good deterrent but we are still awaiting justice," she 
told Deccan Herald on the eve of the second anniversary of her daughter's 
brutal gang-rape in a moving bus in December 2012. The 4 convicts are still in 
Tihar Jail, while their appeal against the conviction is being heard in Supreme 
Court. The death penalty was put on hold following 2 petitions filed in March 
and June.

The victim's mother agreed that the incident spurred widespread public 
discussion of crimes against women, but said the legal system remains slow to 
hear and prosecute cases. "There is absolutely no change in the rape culture 
and brutality. It is the reason why a Uber cab driver accused of rape mentioned 
my daughter's case to subdue the victim. He was not afraid of punishment by the 
legal system. The problem still prevails in our society and the incidents of 
rape and harassment of women will continue to increase," she added.

The victim's father said the family was proud of the courage shown by their 
daughter, which they believe spurred more women to speak out instead of hiding 
the crimes committed against them. "Statistics show that there has been an 
improvement in the number of women willing to file a crime report," he said. He 
noted that the outpouring of anger and grief had given rise to hopes for 
change, but the legal system has not responded despite the passage of several 
new laws. "We still hear incidents of minor girls being raped. Such scenario 
would not change unless those accused are punished. If my daughter's case can't 
change the system, nothing will. The men attacking women would not step back 
unless they fear death and those guilty get death," he said.

On March 13, the Delhi High Court had found Mukesh Singh, Vinay Sharma, Pawan 
Gupta and Akshay Thakur guilty of rape, murder, unnatural offences and 
destruction of evidence. With the verdict, the court had confirmed the death 
sentence pronounced by Saket court in September 2013. However, on March 15, the 
Supreme Court stayed the execution of Mukesh and Pawan, while Vinay and 
Akshay's execution was stayed on July 14.

To pay homage to the victim, her family has organised a prayer meeting at 
Rajendra Bhawan in central Delhi's Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg on Tuesday. It will 
be attended by Congress leaders Salman Khurshid and Meira Kumar. Union Human 
Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani excused herself from the event late 
Monday.

A candlelight march towards India Gate by students of DU and JNU was not 
allowed by Delhi Police on Monday. "A humble attempt to honour and remember the 
brave-heart was made at Jantar Mantar," said National Students' Union of India 
(NSUI) spokesperson Amrish Ranjan Pandey. The programme was attended by the 
victim's father and Congress leaders Oscar Fernandes and Jagdish Tytler.

Events in memory of the victim will be held by women's organisations on 
Tuesday. NSUI?will organise a candlelight march at the bus stand in south Delhi 
where the woman and her male friend boarded the bus in which the rape and 
violence took place.

(source: Deccan Herald)



PHILIPPINES:

Sotto pushes death penalty for high level drug trafficking; CBCP still opposed



With the discovery of the apparent luxurious lifestyles by certain illegal drug 
convicts inside New Bilibid Prison, acting Senate Minority Leader Vicente Sotto 
III pushed anew for the revival of the death penalty exclusively for high-level 
drug trafficking cases.

Expectedly, however, the Catholic Bishop Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) 
remained opposed to the revival of the death penalty in the country, 
considering the imperfection of our judicial system.

Speaking to journalists after a public hearing in the Senate, Sotto said the 
lifestyle by drug lords and other high profile criminals inside prison further 
strengthens his argument on the death penalty.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, it boils down in my point that reclusion perpetua is 
pro-rich, especially for high level drug trafficking. That's why I am insisting 
that the committee tackle that particular proposal and I am willing to amend my 
Senate Bill that imposes death penalty, this time exclusively for high level 
drug trafficking," Sotto said.

Sotto explained that he wanted to impose the death penalty on high profile drug 
traffickers to avoid imposing stiffer punishments on poor suspects or 
small-time street pushers and users.

"I don't think that a poor person will get involved in high level drug 
trafficking," he said.

Sotto said that drug trafficking proliferates in the country because we don't 
have the death sentence.

"The solution is not to allow them to make the Philippines a playground for 
drug trafficking. This is the only place in our part of Asia where there is no 
death penalty. That's why they set up fabrication facilities here. The trade 
goes on even inside prison. so what's the use of putting them in jail?" Sotto 
said.

Sotto said that he will tackle the revival of death penalty in the opening of 
Congress in January and conduct nationwide consultation from stakeholders, 
including the families of the victims of heinous crimes from drugs.

For its part, the CBCP, in its position paper submitted to the Senate, 
Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said "justice does not demand the 
death penalty.

"A mature sense of justice steers as far as possible from retribution in the 
realization that visiting on an offender the same injury he inflicted on his 
victim makes the matter no better at all for anyone."

Villegas stressed that, once the death penalty is executed, it is irreversible 
and no repentance or regret can ever make up for the horrible injustice of a 
person wrongfully executed.

(source: interaksyon.com)