Posted on 01/04/2006 10:06:27 AM PST by Former Military Chick
“The death penalty is a brutal and vindictive travesty of justice” said Terry Davis, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, in a statement issued today.
“Following the Christmas break, executions in the United States are expected to resume on 17 January 2006, when Clarence Ray Allen is scheduled to be put to death in the state of California. He is 75 years old. Mr Allen is not an innocent man. He was found guilty of a particularly gruesome crime, but in executing him at his advanced age and decades after the crime had been committed, the authorities are coming close to win the contest in cruelty and vengeance.
The death penalty is aberrant and inhuman in all circumstances, but even more so when it is applied in the cases of children, elderly or mentally ill people. In all member states of the Council of Europe, the death penalty was abolished because it is futile and wrong. The death penalty is not justice. It is a pathetic attempt to satisfy a primitive craving for spectacle and revenge. I therefore call on the Governor of California to spare the life of Clarence Ray Allen and on the US authorities to join virtually all other civilised and democratic countries in the world and abolish the death penalty once and for all. This is not just about the life or death of an old man - what is at stake is the respect for human dignity in American society as a whole” Terry Davis said.
The Council of Europe is the oldest European political organisation, established in 1949 to promote democracy and protect human rights and the rule of law in Europe. It has 46 member states. Abolition of the death penalty is a legal obligation on the basis of Protocol 6 to the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. The United States of America, together with Japan, are the only observer states to the Council of Europe to continue executing people.
Press Contact Council of Europe Press Division Tel. +33 3 88 41 25 60 - Fax. +33 3 88 41 39 11 E-mail: PressUnit@coe.int
OK I will execute him myself : )
Jeez. Isn't it amazing how NONE of these death-row scumbags has ever, ever gotten a fair trial according to the bleeding heart idiotarians?
Yo! Europe! F--k off! Or would you like us to cut off all the aid and goodies until you enact a death penalty statute that meets our standards and enforce it!
'This is not just about the life or death of an old man .....'
Doesn't quite square with the 'enlightened' european view towards executing aborting/euthanizing those of that group that haven't been convicted of any crime greater than inconvenience to their mothers or caretakers.
Your statement disgusts me...
...how come I never get currency exchange rates like that?
Hilarious poem! I wonder if the almighty European Terry Davis would enjoy it?
I agree executing a 75 year old man is dumb. We should have frog marched him out to the nearest tree after the trial was over.
Notice these jack-asses don't try to interfere with executions in Texas? Texans would tell them where they can stuff their collective panty-waisted opinions, and probably offer to help them find the correct orrifice by following their noses.
No, because if it were we would hold them in arenas from coast to coast, we would sell tickets to the events and advertise in newspapers. We would have t-shirts and banners depicting our favorite executioners. We would have logos and uniforms. We would sell popcorn, and frankfurters, and peanuts, and beer and all sorts of refreshments. And BEER, gallons and gallons of beer!!!
And we would call it soccer... you Eurofreak, you have no concept of the value of life and therefore cannot see the higher purpose in capital punishment.
Fabulous! Thank you...I desperately needed a laugh today!
Exactly. Looks like we'll have to cave...
In Austria, for example, capital punishment is prohibited by the Constitution of 1968. Reinstating capital punishment would require a constitutional amendment.
Capital Punishment is prohibited by the Basic Law (Constitution Analogue) of Germany, which was passed in 1949.
Portugal's Constitution of 1976 explicitly prohibits capital punishment.
In these countries, the populations made the mistake of passing amendments on transient social issues; we last made that mistake with the 18th Amendment. The only effect of these amendments was to hamstring future generations. To put it simply: Europe doesn't have capital punishment today because the Europeans of yesteryear didn't trust their kids to be leftist enough to maintain the ban.
To the Western mind, this makes no sense. How can someone be moral if morality is forced on him? But Muslims and Europeans have no confidence in their societies and their future. So, they attempt to set themselves above America by focusing on trivialities that they count among America's sins.
They took Arnolds name off their stadium , I suppose now they will remove it from his movies. Sarcasm folks.
******In all member states of the Council of Europe, the death penalty was abolished because it is futile and wrong.*
Yes they removed the death penalty , now they just euthanise the old , infirm and those that they have no more use for.
We are doing this blind wheelchair bound old POS a favor, he asked to be euthanised 20 years ago when he was responsible for Murdering 4 people , now we are just getting around to it.
Might as well be....
AP Breaking: Juan Valdex begs clemency for convicted killer
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.