Britain, Amnesty slam death penalty
~Kounteya Sinha

LONDON, Sep 14, 2013: Amnesty International and Britain have strongly opposed the death penalty awarded to Nirbhaya's rapists. While Amnesty International condemned the decision to hang the four convicted of the crime, saying death penalty will not end violence against women, Britain asked India to refrain from carrying out death sentences and called on the government to establish a moratorium in order to permanently abolish capital punishment.

Soon after the fast track court ordered the hanging on Friday, Britain's foreign office told TOI, "We note that four men have been sentenced to death in India following prosecution for rape and murder. While the UK fully respects India's right to prosecute this awful crime, the UK is opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances as a matter of principle in India as elsewhere".

 The foreign office added "We urge the Indian government to refrain from carrying out any further executions. We also call on the government of India to formally establish a moratorium with a view to abolition of the death penalty."

In a statement released in London, Amnesty said far-reaching procedural and institutional reform, and not the death penalty, is needed to tackle the endemic problem of violence against women in India.

"The rape and murder of the young woman in Delhi last year was a horrific crime and our deepest sympathy goes out to the victim's family. Those responsible must be punished, but the death penalty is never the answer," said Tara Rao, director of Amnesty International India. "Sending these four men to the gallows will accomplish nothing except short-term revenge. While the widespread anger over this case is understandable, authorities must avoid using the death penalty as a quick-fix solution."

Amnesty says there is no evidence that the death penalty is a particular deterrent to crime, and its use will not eradicate violence against women in India. The brutal crime on Nirbhaya highlighted "the unacceptable reality millions of women in India are facing", it said. It said violence against women is endemic—more than 2,20,000 cases of violent crimes against women were reported in 2011 according to official statistics, with the actual number likely to be much higher.

Speaking to TOI, Amnesty's death penalty expert Chiara Sangiorgio admitted that "calls for death penalty, particularly when made in these highly emotional moments, undoubtedly express people's desire to live in a safer society, free from fear of crime" but "there is no convincing evidence that the death penalty deters crime more than any other punishments."

Courtesy: The Times of India