KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Malaysia's new government said it will abolish the death penalty for all crimes and halt all pending executions, a rare move against capital punishment in Asia that human rights groups hailed Thursday as a major advance. More than 1,200 people are on death row in Malaysia, which mandates hanging as punishment for a wide range of crimes including murder, drug trafficking, treason, kidnapping and acts of terror. Law Minister Liew Vui Keong announced Wednesday that the Cabinet had agreed to abolish the death penalty and that amendments to laws with capital punishment were expected to be presented when Parliament resumes Monday, local media reported. Liew couldn't be reached for immediate comment. Communications Minister Gobind Singh Deo on Thursday confirmed the Cabinet's decision. "This is part of our election pledge and also in line with the move away from capital punishment in the rest of the world," he told The Associated Press. U.S. court delays Tennessee … [Read more...] about Malaysia to abolish death penalty in rare move against capital punishment in Asia
Should capital punishment be abolished
UN official: Palestinian refugee issue can’t be wished away
Josef Federman, Associated Press Updated 1:20 am CDT, Friday, August 24, 2018 In this Thursday, Aug. 23, 2018 photo, the head of United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Pierre Kraehenbuehl speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Jerusalem. Kraehenbuehl said Thursday that he believes the U.S. slashed his budget early this year to take out its frustration with the Palestinian Authority but warns that the millions of people served by his organization cannot be wished away. less In this Thursday, Aug. 23, 2018 photo, the head of United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Pierre Kraehenbuehl speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Jerusalem. ... more Photo: Mahmoud Illean, AP FILE - In this Jan. 31, 2014 file photo released by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), shows residents of the … [Read more...] about UN official: Palestinian refugee issue can’t be wished away
Opinion: U.S. should follow Pope’s leadership on the death penalty
opinion Anna Arceneaux Published 2:38 p.m. UTC Aug 17, 2018 While waiting to meet with a client on death row recently, I was chatting with a corrections officer who had been working at this state’s notorious maximum-security prison for more than two decades. He told me that he preferred working on death row over the prison’s general population. The death row prisoners, he said, are the easiest ones to manage. They’re rarely serial criminals. They’re not the prison’s troublemakers. For the most part, he said, death row is made up of people who made one horrible, tragic mistake. While it isn’t always that simple, this officer sees that the prisoners he interacts with are people — damaged people, but people who can be punished safely and effectively without the government taking their lives. Pope Francis recognized this earlier this month when he announced that the Catholic Church would no longer defend the death penalty in any … [Read more...] about Opinion: U.S. should follow Pope’s leadership on the death penalty
Death penalty decree could be dilemma for politicians
Amy Forliti Associated Press Updated 5:26 p.m. UTC Aug 6, 2018 Minneapolis – Pope Francis’ decree that the death penalty is “inadmissible” in all cases could pose a dilemma for Roman Catholic politicians and judges in the United States who are faced with whether to strictly follow the tenets of their faith or the rule of law. Some Catholic leaders in death penalty states have said they’ll continue to support capital punishment. But experts say Francis’ change could shift political debates, loom over Supreme Court confirmation hearings, and make it difficult for devout Catholic judges to uphold the law as written. The question of whether or not Catholic political and judicial leaders would be sinning if they continue to support the death penalty is up for interpretation. “It’s going to be a matter of conscience,” said the Rev. Peter Clark, director of the Institute of Clinical Bioethics at St. Joseph’s University in … [Read more...] about Death penalty decree could be dilemma for politicians
Alveda King: Even Death Row Prisoners Can Be Evangelized
The niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., told Newsmax TV she disagrees with the Catholic Church's stance on saying capital punishment ought to be abolished, although she said that evangelizing people on Death Row should be put into practice. Alveda King was on Friday's "America Talks Live" and was asked about Pope Francis' announcement from this week regarding the death penalty. After saying she believes the death penalty is applicable in certain cases such as premeditated murder, King noted that all humans have the potential to be saved from Hell and introduced to God. "When there has to be some type of punishment, once someone is dead, you cannot evangelize him. You cannot get them to the love of Christ," King said. "So I feel as though every effort could be made to [evangelize] those people on Death Row. There are people on Death Row that don't belong on Death Row. And that's prison reform, prison reentry, and all that. We have to examine all those points as well," she added. King … [Read more...] about Alveda King: Even Death Row Prisoners Can Be Evangelized