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Thread: Today is World Day Against the Death Penalty

  1. #1
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
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    Today is World Day Against the Death Penalty

    If anyone cares...

    Today is World Day Against the Death Penalty, and major European officials used the opportunity to mark 14 years without a judicial execution on European soil. More so, they lamented the 58 countries which still retain the death penalty worldwide — most notably, the United States.

    This occasion could strike a nerve with the U.S. — especially those who passionately debated the execution of Troy Davis. In fact, European nations still find the death penalty to be a controversial topic — but their ability to see past the debate and build a legal system on logic, not feelings, is commendable.

    For all the self-congratulations, Europe also finds the death penalty a contentious and controversial topic. Those who believe Europeans are fundamentally opposed to the death penalty are wrong. Polling varies, but even the most optimistic picture is that the European public has mixed feelings about executing certain types of criminals.

    Some polls seem to show a net support for reinstating the death penalty, with a dividing line drawn between an anti-capital punishment Western Europe and a pro-capital punishment Eastern Europe. In far-right newspapers, absurdly high support for the death penalty can be found, and it is also understood that those who have been victims of crime increase their support for the death penalty substantially.

    The debate for many revolves around the idea of justice: Does life-time imprisonment equate to the severity of murder or other potentially capital crimes? In many respects, those who argue imprisonment is “punishment enough” are not always intellectually honest.

    For instance, when the Lockerbie Bomber was controversially released from Scottish prison, Europeans joined the chorus of opposition. The fact Libyan Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi was diagnosed with terminal cancer — and thus eligible for release — didn’t satisfy pundits, who essentially wished that al-Melgrahi’s 2001 conviction to put the criminal out-of-sight forever. In other words, they wanted his life sentence to be execution by other means, and his release on humane grounds exposed their hidden pro-execution logic.

    So how has Europe managed to resolve its death penalty debate?

    Primarily by acknowledging that the very fact that the death penalty is so emotive justifies its abolition. Public opinion is not how a legal system works — public judgment and court-based justice are different things. Law is not supposed to be emotional.

    Moreover, European legal systems turned against capital punishment after high-profile convictions were found to have been unsafe or flat-out incorrect after the fact. If a legal system maintains someone is innocent until proven guilty, it has to maintain that a legal judgment could be over-turned at a later date. Executions, unlike judgments, cannot be undone, so are justifiably prohibited.

    Finally, the European model of abolishing capital punishment has clear human rights logic. That is, the European abolition of capital punishment reflects the recognition that the emotional feelings behind capital crimes can distort justice. A system that allows justice to be distorted by emotion is not abiding by the human rights principle of fair treatment for all.

    It is thus down this legal path that Europeans, despite their internal disagreements, resolved to abolish the death penalty. The emotion of capital crimes are understandable, and a desire for justice natural. But emotional law is bad law. Perhaps there is something to be taken from this European experience in the ongoing U.S. debate.

    http://www.policymic.com/articles/19...europe-s-model

  2. #2
    Administrator Michael's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Heidi View Post
    If anyone cares...
    No one cares here in Germany. No note in the news.

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    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
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    Too bad there isn't an execution scheduled today.

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    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
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    European and World Day against the Death Penalty – EU underlines commitment to universal abolition

    Today is World and European Day against the Death Penalty. The European Union is opposed to the use of capital punishment in all cases and under any circumstances. Its universal abolition is one of the key objectives of EU human rights policy.

    Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the Commission, said: "Capital punishment is a cruel, inhumane and irreversible action that violates the basic human right to life and dignity. In the case of any miscarriage of justice, from which no legal system is immune, it represents a terrible and irreversible loss of human life. The death penalty can neither reverse the crime it seeks to punish nor mitigate a victim's loss. It should be a relic of the past."

    The European Union regularly reaffirms its opposition to the death penalty and uses the various diplomatic tools at its disposal – including statements, demarches and Human Rights Dialogues with its partners – to advance the cause of worldwide abolition. The movement towards abolition is one of the top priorities in its recently adopted Strategic Framework and Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy, as well as under the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR).

    While global momentum continues to build toward abolition, 20 of the 58 retentionist countries around the world continue to carry out executions at an alarming rate. Where the death penalty still exists, the EU calls for its use to be progressively restricted and to respect internationally-agreed minimum standards.

    The EU's campaign against the death penalty is equally active in multilateral fora such as the United Nations and is contributing to the adoption of the 67th United Nations General Assembly resolution on a moratorium on use of the death penalty. The EU continues to encourage all States to accede to the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the most fundamental UN international instrument for the abolition of death penalty.

    As well as leading contributions to the efforts of civil society organisations aimed at the abolition of the death penalty, the EU is the first regional body to have adopted rules prohibiting trade in goods used for capital punishment (or torture and ill-treatment), as well as on the supply of technical assistance related to such goods.

    http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleases...medium=twitter
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    Senior Member Member Diggler's Avatar
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    No mention of this day in the UK news.

    The British public is overwhelmingly pro the death penalty. Its the politicians who imposed the ban on us. Now when confronted about democracy the will of the people etc they claim its the EU. Politicians are gutless corrupt liars so why should we pay any attention to them.

    The court of public opinion exists so that claiming we cannot let the times we live in control the sentencing is balls.
    After the riots of 2011 harsh sentences were handed down within days. People who made stupid posts on social media were given custodial sentences.
    A few days ago a 19 years old male made nasty jokes about two high profile child abduction to murder cases. He got 12 weeks for first offence. By contrast a muslim who called for attacks on returning soldiers from Afghanistan got community service. This does bring in the free speech argument.

    If its the will of the people then it should happen. By denying us the politicians are stating we are but children with a vote and can be iugnored as it suits them.

    Forgive the rant.

    Diggler
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    Banned TheKindExecutioner's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Diggler View Post
    No mention of this day in the UK news.

    The British public is overwhelmingly pro the death penalty. Its the politicians who imposed the ban on us. Now when confronted about democracy the will of the people etc they claim its the EU. Politicians are gutless corrupt liars so why should we pay any attention to them.

    The court of public opinion exists so that claiming we cannot let the times we live in control the sentencing is balls.
    After the riots of 2011 harsh sentences were handed down within days. People who made stupid posts on social media were given custodial sentences.
    A few days ago a 19 years old male made nasty jokes about two high profile child abduction to murder cases. He got 12 weeks for first offence. By contrast a muslim who called for attacks on returning soldiers from Afghanistan got community service. This does bring in the free speech argument.

    If its the will of the people then it should happen. By denying us the politicians are stating we are but children with a vote and can be iugnored as it suits them.

    Forgive the rant.

    Diggler
    Always diggling.
    Great to hear the UK is overwhelmingly PRO Diggler!

    Let's call for the EXECUTION of the World Day Against the Death Penalty!

  7. #7
    Senior Member Member Diggler's Avatar
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    And heres a link.
    http://www.metro.co.uk/news/747748-h...-death-penalty

    People want the death penalty extended to major drug importers the same as some asian states. Drugs are the engine of crime and people are sick of crime and junkies. It is not essential to life to take drugs.

    They also want it extended to rapes. Presumably the ones that the woman cannot recover from.
    An example is a mentally handicapped girl was abducted and gang raped. To get rid of the dna/sperm they poured caustic soda over and into her genitals causing horrific burns.

    She will have to undergo reconstructive surgery for years.
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/ja...ic-soda-london

    Diggler
    Last edited by Diggler; 10-11-2012 at 06:14 PM. Reason: inserted link

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