[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

March 25




FRANCE:

The Death-Penalty Abolitionist Who Invented the Guillotine----The 18th-century 
doctor Joseph Ignace Guillotin hoped a more humane method of execution would 
eventually lead to the end of capital punishment.


One day in May 1738, legend has it, a woman approaching the end of her 
pregnancy was walking down a street in Saintes, France, when she heard the 
cries of a man being executed on the town's breaking wheel. (The condemned 
would be tied to a large wheel, limbs stretched into a starfish, and then 
beaten with a club to break the bones.) So traumatic were the man's screams, 
the story goes, that the woman went into labor right then and there.

The circumstances, if true, were fitting for the person that came into the 
world that day. As the French historian Daniel Arasse wrote, "the conditions of 
his birth determined his later renown" - the baby, Joseph Ignace Guillotin, 
would grow up to invent one of the deadliest instruments of execution of his 
time. But before he invented the guillotine, he would devote a career to 
lobbying against the death penalty in France.

Guillotin's early career was accomplished, if otherwise unremarkable: He worked 
briefly as a literature professor at the University of Bordeaux, then left for 
Paris, where he studied medicine and then settled as a practicing physician. In 
1788, he wrote a pamphlet titled "Petition of the Living Citizens of Paris," 
arguing for more representation for non-nobility in the legislative body called 
the Estates General. The following year, largely as a result of the attention 
he received for "Petition," he became a representative to the Estate, launching 
his political career.

As a politician, Guillotin focused mostly on medical reform. He was also an 
opponent of the death penalty, and, perhaps recognizing that outright abolition 
was unlikely, focused his energy on making capital punishment more humane - and 
more egalitarian. At the time, only the nobility in France had the dubious 
privilege of beheading by sword; most criminals sentenced to death were hung on 
the gallows (or, in some gruesome cases, sent to the breaking wheel).

On October 10, 1789, Guillotin submitted a proposal to the French government 
arguing for a decapitating machine to become the standard manner of carrying 
out the death penalty. Initially, the proposal gained little traction - but 
that December, Guillotin delivered a speech to the National Assembly that would 
ultimately elevate both the man and the idea to international fame. In a moment 
of enthusiasm, he told his audience, "Now with my machine I take off your head 
in the twinkling of an eye, and you never feel it."

The following day, the Les Actes des Apotres, a popular French journal, mocked 
Guillton's comment into song (this translation comes from Chambers Edinburgh 
Journal, a 19th-century British magazine):

Politician,

And physician,

Bethought himself, 'tis plain,

That hanging's not humane

Nor patriotic;

And straightaway showed

A clever mode

To kill - without a pang - men;

Which, void of rope or stakes,

Suppression makes

Of hangmen. ...

And then offhand,

His genius planned

That machine that 'simply' kills - that's all -

Which after him we call

"Guillotine"

For Guillotin, it was the moment that his name became forever synonymous with 
decapitation. (As the Chambers' Journal noted, the three other politicians 
mentioned in the full version of the song were all known as violent members of 
the National Assembly. All, coincidentally, also were later killed by the 
guillotine, as was the author of the song, Chevalier de Champcenetz.)

Despite the public merriment around Guillotin's comments, all of his 
propositions were eventually approved. On June 3, 1791, the Assembly decreed 
that the decapitating machine was to be the sole means of legal criminal 
execution, and tasked the politician Pierre Louis Roederer with overseeing its 
construction.

Roederer contacted Guillotin on the March 10, 1792, to request his involvement, 
but no record exists of whether the doctor complied. In the meantime, he 
initially struggled to procure workmen for the job, due to their concern about 
the stigma of being affiliated with the machine. After receiving a letter 
suggesting workmen would charge exorbitantly for involvement, Roederer wrote to 
one potential contractor: "Prejudice indeed exists, but I have offers from 
other persons ... provided they should not ... have their names exposed as 
connected with the object."

The machine was initially tested on sheep, calves, and human corpses.

Finally, Roederer reached an agreement with a German harpsichord maker, Tobias 
Schmidt, to manufacture the guillotine. The machine was initially tested on 
sheep, calves, and human corpses; the 1st human to fall victim to the 
guillotine was Nicolas Jacques Pelletier, in 1792. From there, the guillotine 
would reign for another 2 centuries: It remained the standard means of 
execution for condemned civilians in France until the death penalty was 
abolished in 1981. Guillotin, the Chamber's Edinburgh Journal wrote, "bitterly 
regretted to the latest moment of his existence" his involvement with the 
killing apparatus.

Despite persistent public myth that Guillotin himself was killed by his 
eponymous machine, the doctor died at 75 of natural causes. (The myth was so 
widespread, however, that the popular Johnson's Dictionary even recorded it as 
fact under the entry for guillotine.) At his funeral, Guillotin's friend, the 
physician Edme-Claude Bourru, eulogized the late physician, commenting: "How 
true it is that it is difficult to benefit mankind without some unpleasantness 
resulting for oneself."

(source: The Atlantic)






PAKISTAN:

2 terrorists hanged in Sahiwal jail


Authorities on Thursday hanged 2 terrorists here at a high security jail.

According to reports, Abdullah Baloch, a resident of Darya Khan, Bhakkar, and 
Sohail Ahmed, a resident of Ahmedpur Sharqia, Bhawalpur, were arrested and an 
inquiry was undertaken under Section 59(6) and 4 of the Army Act against them. 
Upon completion of inquiry, a special military court awarded them death penalty 
on 7th January 2016 which was later confirmed by army chief. President of 
Pakistan also rejected their mercy petitions on 22nd of January and both 
convicts were hanged yesterday.

Bodies of both men - Abdullah Baloch and Sohail - were handed over to their 
heirs after execution.

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

4,960 death-row prisoners awaiting their fate in Punjab jails


Around 4,960 condemned prisoners are awaiting their fate in the jails of Punjab 
only, statistics available with The Nation revealed. Their appeals are pending 
with the President of Pakistan, the Supreme Court, the Lahore High Court, the 
Federal Shariat Court and the GHQ. Apart from these condemned prisoners, 350 
high-profile prisoners are also kept in the jails of Lahore, Multan, 
Faisalabad, Sargodha, Sahiwal and Rawalpindi. Of these, 17 belong to 
Sipah-e-Sahaba, 4 have links with Al-Qaeda and one is from Sipah-e-Muhammad.

The prison authorities have deployed army jawans, Rangers, Elite Force, Quick 
Response Force and Punjab police for their safe custody. All of them are under 
strict vigilance.

"We are imparting latest training and weapons to our staff for watch and ward 
of these prisoners," a top official of the Prisons Department told The Nation. 
It merits mentioning here that mercy petitions of 55 prisoners on death row in 
the Punjab had been rejected by the President of Pakistan, but they were not 
executed as they have filed review petitions in the Supreme Court.

Former President Asif Ali Zardari placed a 5-year moratorium on executions in 
June 2008. During the period from June 2008 to March 6, 2015, nobody was sent 
to the gallows as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also suspended the death penalty 
after the moratorium expired in June 2013. The suspension on executions imposed 
by the Nawaz government was welcomed by the international community and human 
rights organisations, particularly because it was being feared that Prime 
Minister Nawaz Sharif was going to resume executions.

At present, 4,915 male and 45 female prisoners are awaiting their fate in 
different jails of the province. The highest number of these prisoners, 413 
males and 7 females, is in Central Jail, Lahore, followed by Central Jail, 
Faisalabad, where there are 393 male condemned prisoners. In Central Jail, 
Rawalpindi, there are 376 male and 7 female prisoners. There are more than 
2,000 male and 16 female death-row prisoners in the jails of Lahore region 
which comprises Lahore, Gujranwala, Sahiwal, Kasur, Sheikhupura and Sialkot 
districts.

Of these prisoners, the appeals of 1,500 males and 14 females are pending with 
the Lahore High Court and those of 350 males and one female with the Supreme 
Court. The appeals of 175 prisoners are pending with the President of Pakistan 
while 1 male prisoner's appeal is pending with the GHQ. In Rawalpindi Region, 
there are more than 1,000 male and 8 female condemned prisoners. The appeals of 
727 male and 8 female prisoners are pending with the Lahore High Court and 
those of 188 in the Supreme Court. Rawalpindi region consists of Rawalpindi, 
Attock, Gujrat, Jhelum, Mandi Bahauddin and Chakwal districts.

The appeals of about 1,200 male and 8 female condemned prisoners are pending in 
the Faisalabad region which comprises Faisalabad, Mianwali, Jhang, Sargodha, 
Khushab and Toba Tek Singh districts.

Similarly, more than 1,100 male and 12 female prisoners are awaiting their fate 
in Multan region's jails.

In addition, 45 Indian prisoners are also kept in different jails of the 
province.

(source for both: The Nation)






JAPAN----executions

Japan sends 2 more inmates to the gallows


2 death row inmates were hanged Friday morning, according to the Justice 
Ministry, bringing to 16 the number of executions carried out under Prime 
Minister Shinzo Abe's administration since taking power in 2012.

The 2 prisoners were Yasutoshi Kamata, 75, and Junko Yoshida, 56. Yoshida is 
only the 5th woman to face the gallows according to ministry records that date 
back to 1950, and the 1st hanged since 2012.

Kamata was sentenced to death in 2005 for killing 5 females in Osaka between 
1985 and 1994, including a 9-year-old girl. Kamata abducted the girl to molest 
her, and eventually strangled her to death. He was also found guilty of 
kidnapping, having demanded a ransom from the girl's father.

Yoshida, a former nurse from Fukuoka Prefecture, was convicted for conspiring 
with 3 other hospital employees in 1998 and 1999 to kill 2 of their husbands in 
schemes to pocket Y67 million yen in insurance money. She was found guilty for 
being the mastermind behind the killings and sentenced to death in 2010.

Justice Minister Mitsuhide Iwaki, who signed the order for the executions, 
emphasized they were only carried out after "careful examination," and it was 
determined there was no valid reason for retrials.

"These 2 atrocious cases claimed the precious lives of the victims for 
extremely selfish reasons. I feel sorrow for those who were murdered and their 
families," he told a news conference following the hangings.

The last time Japan hanged a death row inmate was in December.

The executions Friday were the 2nd time capital punishment has been carried out 
since Iwaki took over the ministry 5 months ago. A total of 16 death row 
inmates have now been hanged under the current Abe administration.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International Japan, a human rights group opposed to capital 
punishment, criticized the latest executions, saying a string of capital 
punishment cases is evidence the administration is "disregarding lives."

"From the international perspective, by keeping this atrocious, inhumane 
punishment it seems that . . . (Japan) disregards human rights by going against 
the (international) trend to abolish the death penalty," the group said in a 
statement. "We extremely regret the executions this time, especially when the 
country is about to play a role in leading the international society as the 
host country of the G-7 Ise-Shima summit."

There are now 124 inmates on death row in Japan after Friday's hangings, of 
which 89 are seeking retrials and 22 are seeking amnesties, according to the 
Justice Ministry.

(source: Japan Times)

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

Japan executes 2 death row inmates: Media


Japan on Friday (March 25) executed 2 death row prisoners, local media 
reported, as the government - backed by public opinion - continued to ignore 
calls by international rights groups to end capital punishment.

There was no immediate confirmation of the reports by Jiji Press and other 
media, but a Justice Ministry spokesman said a press conference on the issue 
was being prepared.

Japan and the United States are the only major advanced industrial nations with 
capital punishment.

Surveys have shown that the death penalty has overwhelming public support in 
Japan, despite repeated protests from European governments and human rights 
groups.

International advocacy groups say Japan's system is cruel because inmates can 
wait for their executions for many years in solitary confinement and are only 
told of their impending death a few hours ahead of time.

In December, Japan executed two death row prisoners, including for the 1st time 
someone sentenced to death by jurors.

Japan in 2009 launched a jury system in which citizens deliberate with 
professional judges in a bid to boost the role of the citizenry in the judicial 
process.

Under the system, more than a score of people have been sentenced to death, 
according to public broadcaster NHK.

(source: Agence France-Presse)






MALAYSIA----executions

Malaysia hangs three men for murder in 'secretive' execution ---- Rights groups 
criticise government for giving the men's families only 2 days notice of the 
hangings


Malaysia has executed 3 men for murder, their lawyer said, in what rights 
groups called a "secretive" hanging in which the men's families were given only 
2 days notice.

"The execution was done between 4:30 and 5:30 this morning," lawyer Palaya 
Rengaiah told the Guardian. "They were hanged to death."

Rengaiah said the families received a letter 2 days before the execution, 
advising them to make a last visit to the men and funeral arrangements. He said 
the men were told on Thursday that they would be hanged on Friday.

Gunasegar Pitchaymuthu, 35, Ramesh Jayakumar, 34, and his brother Sasivarnam 
Jayakumar, 37, were sentenced to the gallows after they were found guilty by 
the high court of murdering a 25-year-old man in a playground in 2005.

The trio claimed during court sessions that they were acting in self-defence 
after being attacked by a group that included the victim.

The Malaysian prison's department said there were currently more than 1,000 
inmates awaiting execution, although none had been killed since 2013, according 
to Death Penalty Worldwide.

Amnesty International has condemned what it called a "last-minute" execution of 
the men accused of murder, an offence that carries a mandatory death sentence.

In Malaysia, information on scheduled hangings are not made public before, or 
sometimes after, they are carried out - a practice Amnesty said was "secretive" 
and contrary to international standards on the use of the death penalty.

Several high-level officials have spoken against mandatory death sentences in 
Malaysia, a decades-old law that is also imposed on serious drug, treason and 
firearms offences.

These voices include the attorney-general, Apandi Ali, who said in November 
that he would propose to the cabinet that the penalty be scrapped, calling it a 
"paradox" as it robbed judges of their discretion to impose sentences on 
convicted criminals.

"If I had my way, I would introduce the option for the judge in cases where it 
involves capital punishment. Give the option to the judge either to hang him or 
send him to prison," he said.

Days after, government minister Nancy Shukri, said she hoped to amend the penal 
code to abolish the death sentence.

"It is not easy to amend, but we are working on it. I hope to table it next 
year in March," Shukri told reporters, adding that the punishment had done 
little to reduce the number of crimes committed. The motion has not been put to 
parliament.

Charles Hector, coordinator for Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture, 
on Thursday called for the Sultan of Kedah and the Sultan of Perak, state 
royalty in the two regions where the men were on death row, to use their power 
to stop the hangings.

He also urged Skukri, who is the de facto law minister, and the 
attorney-general, to obtain a stay of execution.

The Guardian was unable immediately to reach the government for comment.

Josef Benedict, Amnesty International's deputy campaign director for south-east 
Asia and the Pacific, said ahead of the execution that "as discussions on 
abolishing the mandatory death penalty in Malaysia continue, the Malaysian 
government must immediately put in place a moratorium on all executions as a 
1st step towards full abolition of the death penalty".

(source: The Guardian)

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

Death row inmate's family regrets not told of his execution


After 2 years on death row, a convict and his family learnt the dreaded news 
just a day before he was put to death this morning.

Account executive P. Joty, 30, said the family rushed to see her brother 
Gunasegar (pic) on Thursday, after they received a letter which stated he would 
be executed "soon".

The letter from the Taiping Prison Department gave no date for execution, 
though it advised them to make arrangements to claim the body for a funeral.

A source from the Malaysian Bar confirmed seeing the letter, saying that it was 
dated earlier but apparently received only on Wednesday.

When the 25 family members visited Gunasegar in Taiping prison, they were given 
the bombshell news that he would be hung at dawn on Friday.

"Me and my mother visited him last week. They told us nothing," said Joty, 
sobbing when reached for a phone interview.

1 of 9 siblings, she had delayed her wedding to stay close to her brother at 
the Pokok Sena prison, in Kedah, where death row inmates are kept before being 
transferred to Taiping for execution.

She said the immediate family was given an hour to see him, while the rest had 
around 40 minutes per group of 10 people.

When The Star asked to speak to Gunasegar's mother, Joty said she was still 
crying and too distraught to speak.

Gunasegar was on death row for his role in the murder of B. Venukumar, then 24, 
during a gang fight on April 4, 2005.

Joty said Gunasegar maintained his claim of innocence, telling her "only God 
knows what happened, but it's bye bye for me".

In court documents sighted by The Star, Gunasegar was charged together with 
brothers J. Ramesh and J. Sasivarnam, with murdering Venukumar at a playground 
in Taman Ria Raya, Sungai Petani, Kedah.

Though the trio claimed during the trial that they had been attacked by a gang, 
which included Venukumar and only defended themselves, the High Court found 
them guilty in 2011.

The decision was later affirmed by the Court of Appeal in 2012 and Federal 
Court in 2014.

Amnesty International Malaysia executive director Shamini Darshni criticised 
the Prisons Department's handling of the news, saying the last minute nature of 
the announcement was "heartless" to the family.

Amnesty International stated its concern on Malaysia's practice of "secretive" 
executions, saying transparency on the use of the death penalty was an 
essential safeguard in such cases, as it allowed for greater scrutiny and 
meaningful debate on the issue.

Despite civil bodies Amnesty International and the Malaysian Bar call for the 
Government to halt the execution the Gunasegar, Ramesh and Sasivarnam, the trio 
were put to death at 6.30am this morning.

In a statement on Thursday, Malaysian Bar president Steven Thiru said it was 
unfair and unjust to carry out the death sentence while the Government was 
mulling on abolishing the mandatory death penalty.

(source: The Star)

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

Amnesty International denounces 'shocking' Malaysian executions


Amnesty International said Malaysian authorities hanged 3 convicted murderers 
on Friday (March 25) despite calls for clemency from rights groups that called 
the executions "shocking and disturbing", as the country considers scrapping 
the death penalty.

Meanwhile, the family of one of the executed inmates slammed the authorities 
for informing them of the execution only a day in advance.

Malaysian and international organisations including the UN's human rights body 
had this week issued appeals for authorities to stay the expected execution of 
Gunasegar Pitchaymuthu.

Amnesty said 2 brothers, Ramesh Jayakumar and Sasivarnam Jayakumar, also had 
been hanged on Friday.

AFP was not able to confirm the hangings. Malaysia does not publicly announce 
executions and otherwise closely guards information on its application of the 
death penalty

Malaysian officials have indicated in recent years that the government may 
review its use of capital punishment, but no progress is known to have been 
made.

"The fact that these state killings come at a time when the Malaysian 
government is actively discussing abolition of the mandatory death penalty 
makes them all the more shocking and disturbing," Amnesty International's 
Southeast Asia campaigns director Josef Benedict said in a statement.

"These hangings are a sickening reminder that the Malaysian authorities must 
redouble their efforts to establish a moratorium on executions as a first step 
towards abolition of the death penalty."

Gunasegar was sentenced to death for his role in the murder of B. Venukumar, 
then 24, during a gang fight on April 4, 2005.

His sister, P. Joty, said Gunasegar maintained his claim of innocence, telling 
her "only God knows what happened, but it's bye bye for me".

P. Joty, 30, said the family rushed to see her brother on Thursday, after they 
received a letter which stated he would be executed "soon".

The letter from the Taiping Prison Department gave no date for execution, 
though it advised them to make arrangements to claim the body for a funeral.

A source from the Malaysian Bar confirmed seeing the letter, saying that it was 
dated earlier but apparently received only on Wednesday.

When 25 family members visited Gunasegar in Taiping prison, they were given the 
bombshell news that he would be hung at dawn on Friday.

"Me and my mother visited him last week. They told us nothing," said Joty, 
sobbing in a phone interview.

1 of 9 siblings, she had delayed her wedding to stay close to her brother at 
the Pokok Sena prison, in Kedah, where death row inmates are kept before being 
transferred to Taiping for execution.

She said the immediate family was given an hour to see him, while the rest had 
around 40 minutes per group of 10 people.

The Southeast Asia office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on 
Thursday also had urged a stay of Gunasegar Pitchaymuthu's execution, adding 
that it was "concerned by Malaysia's practice of carrying out executions in 
secret".

Around 900 people were on death row in Malaysia, officials have said in recent 
years, mostly drug offenders.

Since 1960, nearly 450 people have been executed, according to data released in 
2011, but activists say they have been extremely rare in recent years.

In 2014, authorities halted plans to execute a Malaysian convicted murderer, 
Chandran Paskaran, after an outcry from rights groups.

(source: straitstimes.com)

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

Malaysian mulls death penalty ban


Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nancy Shukri yesterday said the 
government, through the Attorney General's Chambers (AGC), is still studying 
whether to abolish the provision for the mandatory death penalty.

"They already have a study done and they are still doing a report to evaluate 
legal issues, policies and the effectiveness of the death penalty in the 
country.

"The scope of the research is not accounted for the mandatory death penalty 
only instead it covers the overall death penalty enforced in the country."

She also said the AGC is reviewing a proposal to amend the Civil Law Act 1956 
to raise the age limit for road accident claimants from 55 to 60 years.

She said the amendment to Section 7 of the Act, known as Act 67, among others, 
aims to increase the amount of compensation for grief, the calculation of loss 
of income by taking into account the amendment to the Pensions Act 1980 (Act 
227) through the Pensions Amendment Act 2011 (Act 1409).

"Act 1409 has raised the mandatory retirement age of civil servants from 55 
years to 60 years and the Minimum Retirement Age Act 2012 (Act 753) sets the 
minimum retirement age as 60.

"The decision will be made on the basis of the findings of the research being 
conducted," she said at the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.

(source: therakyatpost.com)

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

Death sentence for cop who let pistol be used in robbery, murder


A 49-year-old suspended policeman has been sentenced to death by the High Court 
here for allowing his pistol to be used in a robbery which led to the death of 
another man.

In sentencing Mohd Taufik Peter Abdullah, Justice Datuk Samsudin Hassan said 
the defence had failed to prove reasonable doubt to the prosecution's case.

"As the defence had failed to prove that the accused took reasonable actions to 
avoid shots being fired from his pistol, the penalty is for the accused to be 
hung to death," he said.

Taufik was accused of robbing Max Goldsmith & Jewellery at No. 105, Jalan 
Sultan Iskandar on Sept 16 2009 between 3.30pm and 5.10pm with S. Nagendran. 
The robbery led to the killing of Chen Fun Kee, a shop employee.

Taufik was initially charged under section 302 of the penal code for murder but 
when his defence was called, the prosecution offered an alternative charge 
under section 3A of the Firearms Act (Increased Penalty) 1971.

(source: New Straits Times)






SINGAPORE:

5 arrested, more than 2kg of drugs seized in CNB operation


5 people have been arrested and more than 2kg of drugs worth an estimated 
$156,000 were seized in a Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) operation on Thursday 
(March 24).

At about noon, CNB officers observed a car driven by a 47-year-old male 
Singaporean, who picked up a 43-year-old Singaporean man and a 21-year-old 
Indonesian woman.

The driver drove to a carpark in the vicinity of Lengkong Tiga in Bedok, where 
a suspected drug courier, a 29-year-old Malaysian man on a motorcycle, passed a 
plastic bag to the male passenger, who is a suspected drug trafficker.

Officers arrested all 4 for suspected drug activities, and recovered 2 bundles 
of heroin weighing about 950g from the plastic bag, along with $5,880 in cash.

They then raided the hideout of the suspected drug trafficker, where about 920g 
of heroin and 4 packets of "Ice" weighing about 30g were recovered.

Follow-up investigations led to the arrest of another suspected trafficker, a 
41-year-old Singaporean man. About 400g of cannabis, 20g of "Ice" and 35g of 
heroin were found in his hideout.

A total of about 1.9kg of heroin, 400g of cannabis and about 50g of "Ice" were 
seized in the operation.

Investigations into the drug activities of all suspects are ongoing. The Misuse 
of Drugs Act provides for the death penalty if the amount of diamorphine - or 
pure heroin - trafficked exceeds 15g.

(source: The Straits Times)






INDIA:

Tharoor reignites Afzal Guru debate, says he didn't pull gun or set up bomb


Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has reignited the debate on Afzal Guru, 2001 
Parliament attack convict. Speaking against the death penalty, Tharoor said, 
"This (Afzal Guru) is not a terrorist to actually himself pull the gun or set 
up a bomb."

Tharoor said, "The government of India I believe, did not distinguish itself in 
the manner in which it was done and in the same time, I don't like the death 
penalty."

Here are excerpts from the interview:

CNN-IBN:So if I was to then ask you, when a former home minister like P 
Chidambaram makes a statement like Afzal Guru being hung, was perhaps not the 
best example of Indian legalism. How do I look at that? Should I look at that 
as a nationalist comment? Should I look at that as a patriotic comment? How do 
you I look at that?

Shashi Tharoor: I think you should look at it like a specific political leader 
expressing his views on a public issue. Look, I myself have stated that I'm 
against the death penalty on all circumstances for everybody. I have said this 
on the record.

CNN-IBN:You believe Afzal Guru should not have been hanged?

Shashi Tharoor: I believe even terrorists and in this case, this is not a 
terrorist to actually himself pull the gun or set up a bomb.

CNN-IBN:Should he have been hung?

Shashi Tharoor: As far as I am concerned, under the existing laws and practices 
of our country, he got due process through all judicial processes and was 
hanged. That doesn't deny me the right of an Indian citizen in a democracy to 
continue arguing that the death penalty should be abolished.

CNN-IBN:Even in the case of Afzal Guru? Despite the fact that the case went all 
up to Supreme Court literally at the stroke of midnight hours?

Shashi Tharoor: As you know, the Supreme Court can only apply the existing law 
of the land. In the 2nd point, I mean in manner that we did it did not do us 
credit as a government because of the fact that we didn't notify the family in 
time. They got the notification after the news office hanging.

CNN-IBN:You were unfair? Your government was unfair to Afzal Guru. Is that what 
you're saying?

Shashi Tharoor: The government of India, let's not say yours or mine,

CNN-IBN:Okay, the government of India...the then government of India led by the 
Congress party.

Shashi Tharoor: The government of India I believe, did not distinguish itself 
in the manner in which it was done and in the same time, I don't like the death 
penalty. So these are individual views, Mr Chidambaran expressed his views. I 
am expressing my views.

(source: ibnlive.com)