Amnesty International recently released its 2007 death penalty report. Iran earned the silver medal for the highest rate of executions per capita, with Saudi Arabia claiming the gold. The report highlights one particular execution from Iran as symptomatic of a disturbing trend of death sentences being imposed for non-capital crimes: “Ja’Far Kiani, father of two, was stoned to death for adultery in Iran in July.”
Of course, it makes me cringe to find the United States listed in the same company as Saudi Arabia, Iran, North Korea, China, and Libya. I believe that racial disparities in the US justice system, recent cases of death sentences overturned on the basis of new DNA evidence, as well as executions of mentally ill criminals should compel us to at least consider a national moratorium.
5 Comments
April 16, 2008 at 11:24 pm
Hmm… Isn’t there already a de facto national moratorium on capital punishment? I believe the states are waiting on a Supreme Court case to determine if the current method of execution is “cruel and unusual.” The case is Baze vs Rees, if I’m remembering correctly.
barmakid
April 17, 2008 at 12:53 am
They just ruled today that lethal injection is not cruel or unusual.
So the temporary pause that’s been in effect since September is over.
April 17, 2008 at 7:07 am
I see. But wouldn’t you say that simply killing someone qualifies as “cruel?” Seems to me as if we’re barely starting to feel the consequences of the Bush presidency; not only do we have to deal with a war for years to come, but a rigged court as well.
But hey, at least Saddam is out of power.
June 26, 2008 at 8:48 pm
I am all for capital punishment, people should face the consequence of their crime. I do not sympathize with anyone who commits a crime and get sentence to death penalty. May be if you were in place of the victim or his/her family you would change your perspective. NO, there is NO Hell or Heaven. People should simply pay for what they do here. One that I don’t like about your website is that every time I look for Iran, I have to see these pictures. As far as the content, I wish you best of luck to free Iran.
July 5, 2008 at 5:14 pm
[...] Image: Iranian Death Penalty [...]
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