Legion's+Facts+Links

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Note that none of these UNLESS it is stated, is in our own words.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE include the source of which you found your info, I do not want to be a info-stealing, non-credit giver.

Use of the [|death penalty around the world]  (as of Sep. 2007).  Abolished for all offenses (92)  Abolished for all offenses except under special circumstances (10)  Retains, though not used for at least 10 years (32) Retains death penalty (64)* *Note that, while laws vary between [|U.S. states] , it is considered retentionist because the federal death penalty is still in active use. The death penalty for a one that offends, especially one that breaks a public law: a corrections institution for youthful offenders. Offenders (offenders: One that offends, especially one that breaks a public law: a corrections institution for youthful offenders.) (Criminals aged under 18 years at the time of their crime) has become increasingly rare. Since 1990, nine countries have executed offenders who were juveniles at the time of their crimes: China, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, the United States and Yemen. By Injae

How Cruel Is The Death Penalty? In my Words: These Days countries have made the punishment mild many people don't really take much things as an offence (eg cutting down a tree etc...) but even though going to prison is a common punishment and one that people that can come out and do the crime again. People are in favour of prison punishemt and against the death penalty which they think is a really cruel way of punishment that is why people protest to abolish the death penalty - Daksh  Source = Book: Punishment and Pain

It seems like you can be executed for Mental Retardation, it is quite sad really. In the USA there are many ways to kill someone but the "injection" seems the most popular option, since it is quick and merciless unlike the others. There has been around 1125 executions in the past 32 years, seeing incredible increases each year for it seems there was NONE for 3 years. The way of the gas chamber to kill is a cheap way yet avoidable by filling your mouth full of water, even if you manage to live you will eventually die from a free shot for the guards. For the last 9 years, it has dropped an incredible amount from an astonishing 98 to a 26.

Source: http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/searchable-database-executions

Jacky.


 * Asian Countries : Executions**

Asian countries have once again lead the world's known executions, according to annual statistics released today by Amnesty International (AI).

The human rights organisation reported that during 2007, at least 1252 people were executed in 24 countries, and at least 3347 people were sentenced to death in 51 countries.

Ten countries accounted for 1205 of the known executions in the past year -- or 96 per cent of the global total.

Half of these ten countries are in Asia, between them accounting for 962 of known executions -- 77 per cent of the global total.

The top ten executioners included:

China 470+ Iran 317+ Pakistan 135+ Viet Nam 25+ Afghanistan 15

The statistics recorded a drop in the number of known executions in China, but sharp increases in the numbers recorded in Iran, Pakistan and Viet Nam.

China recorded a drop from more than 1010 known executions in 2006.

In Iran there were 177 executions counted in 2006, Pakistan 82 and Viet Nam 14.

AI estimated the global death row population was between 18,311 and 27,562 people at the end of 2007, based on the number of people thought to be condemned to death and awaiting execution.

These figures must be taken with caution, however, since they record only those executions that are publicly known.
 * Brutal secrets**

For a penalty that is shrouded in such secrecy in many countries, the true number of executions each year is certainly significantly higher.

The AL report //Death sentences and executions in 2007// highlighted China, Singapore, Malaysia and Mongolia as among the many countries that "carry out executions in secret and refuse to divulge any information on the use of the death penalty".

"The United Nations has repeatedly called for the death penalty only to be used in an open and transparent manner," AI said.

It said China was "the world's top executioner", classifying the death penalty as a state secret.

"As the world and Olympic guests are left guessing, only the Chinese authorities know exactly how many people have been killed with state authorization," AI said in a media release.

"The secretive use of the death penalty must stop: the veil of secrecy surrounding the death penalty must be lifted. Many governments claim that executions take place with public support. People therefore have a right to know what is being done in their name."

Amnesty International's 2007 figures for the Asian region:
 * Asia's table**

//Afghanistan// 15 executions death sentences

//Bangladesh// 6 executions 93 death sentences

//China// 470+ executions 1860+ death sentences

//India// 100+ death sentences

//Indonesia// 1+ executions 11+ death sentences

//Iran// 317+ executions Unknown number of death sentences

//Japan// 9 executions 23 death sentences

//Malaysia// 12 death sentences

//Mongolia// 45 death sentences

//North Korea// Unknown number of executions Unknown number of death sentences

//Pakistan// 135+ executions 307+ death sentences

//Papua New Guinea// 3+ death sentences

//Singapore// 2 executions 2 death sentences

//South Korea// 2 death sentences

//Sri Lanka// 10+ death sentences

//Taiwan// 5 death sentences

//Thailand// 6+ death sentences

//Viet Nam// 25+ executions 83+ death sentences

AI said it was concerned that Mongolia and Malaysia may have executed people, but "due to the secretive nature of the use of the death penalty the organization was unable to obtain reliable information".

(Amnesty International means AL)

_
 * By Jason W

__Geographic Arbitrariness:__** __Since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976, 80% of all executions have taken place in South. the northeast accounts for less than 2% of executions.


 * Number of executions: 1976-2007**__

__Found by Jason Wong.__
 * Places || Number of executions ||
 * Texas and Virginia Alone || 503 ||
 * South || 877 ||
 * North East || 23 ||
 * Mid West || 129 ||
 * West || 67 ||

__(All in own words. Except for things in Italic.)

I have had a belief after seeing this text below that the people who are allowing the capital punishment and have yet to abolish it, are most likely not part of a peaceful religion, such at buddhism, Christianity and so on.

**//Derek, ex-pat, Brazil//** //The death penalty is a state-organised lynching. It doesn't belong in the present climate. Doesn't the bible preach forgiveness and the sanctity of life?//

A lot of people have tried to demolish this punishment such as the SCADPlus. People attempt to strive with this path by helping out in there owns ways.__

Yes (1415) ||  50%  ||  || No (1208) ||  42%  ||  || I don't know (115) ||  4%  ||  || I don't care (82) ||  2%  ||  ||
 *  Do you think that the death penalty should exist? ||
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 
 *  Total Votes: 2820 ||

__This poll was from: [|http://atheism.about.com/gi/pages/poll.htm?linkback=&poll_id=796156222&poll=2&submit1=Submit+Vote]

As it seems that many people support the death penalty despite of it's cruel ways and what it has done to the world. Although there is many downsides to this punishment, it has it's benefits to the world such as repressing those who wish to follow the same path as many others who have fallen due to this cruel, cruel way of death. Jacky.__

Every thing from below is from Jason W up to the line.

Since 1973, more than 125 people have been released from death rows throughout the country due to evidence that they were wrongfully convicted. In 2003 alone, 10 wrongfully convicted defendants were released from death row.


 * Examples of wrongful convictions:**


 * Arizona** Ray Krone, released in 2002 :

Spent 10 years in prison in Arizona, including time on death row, for a murder he did not commit. He was the 100th person to be released from death row since 1973. DNA testing proved his innocence.


 * Illinois** Madison Hobley, Aaron patterson, Stanley Howard and LeRoy Orange, pardoned in 2003

Sent to death row on the basis of "confessions" extracted through the use of torture by former Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge and other Area 2 police officers in Chicago. They were pardoned by outgoing Governor George Ryan, who also commuted the remaining 167 death sentences in Illinois to life imprisonment.


 * North Carolina** Jonathon Hoffman exonerated in 2007 :

Convicted and sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of a jewelry store owner. during Hoffman's first trial, the state's key witness,Johnell Porter made undisclosed deals with the prosecutors for testifying against his cousin. Porter has since recanted his testimony, stating that he lied in order to get back at his cousin for stealing money from him.


 * Factors leading to wrongful convictions include:**

Inadequate legal representation Police Perjured testimony and mistaken eyewitness testimony Racial prejudice Jail house "snitch" testimony Community/political pressure to solve a case

Governor George Ryan of Illinois, January 2000, in declaring a moratorium on executions in his state, after the 13th Illinois death row inmate hand been released from prison due to wrongful conviction. In the same time period, 12 others had been prison due to wrongful conviction. In the same time period, 12 others had been executed.

__Everything from below is from Jeffrey up to the line.__ =__Death Penalty and Human Rights Standards__= __Over two-thirds of the countries in the world – 137 – have now abolished the death penalty in law or practice.

1948 - The United Nations adopted without dissent the **Universal Declaration of Human Rights ( [|UDHR])**. The Declaration proclaims the right of every individual to protection from deprivation of life. It states that no one shall be subjected to cruel or degrading punishment. The death penalty violates both of these fundamental rights.

1966 - The UN adopted the **International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ( [|ICCPR])**. Article 6 of the Covenant states that "no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his life" and that the death penalty shall not be imposed on pregnant women or on those who were under the age of 18 at the time of the crime. Article 7 states that "no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment."

1984 - The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) adopted **[|"Safeguards Guaranteeing Protection of the Rights of Those Facing the Death Penalty."]**In the same year, the Safeguards were endorsed by consensus by the UN General Assembly. The Safeguards state that no one under the age of 18 at the time of the crime shall be put to death and that anyone sentenced to death has the right to appeal and to petition for pardon or commutation of sentence.

1989 - The UN General Assembly adopted the **[|Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR]**. Its goal is the abolition of the death penalty.

1990 - The **[|Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights]**was adopted by the General Assembly of the Organization of American States. It provides for the total abolition of the death penalty, allowing for its use in wartime only.1993The **[|International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia]**stated that the death penalty is not an option, even for the most heinous crimes known to civilization, including genocide.

1995 - The [|UN Convention on the Rights of the Child]came into force. Article 37(a) prohibits the death penalty for persons under the age of 18 at the time of the crime.

1999 - The **UN Commission on Human Rights** ( [|UNCHR]) passed a resolution calling on all states that still maintain the death penalty to progressively restrict the number of offenses for which it may be imposed with a view to completely abolishing it.

2002 - The Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers adopted **[|Protocol 13]**to the **European Convention on Human Rights**. Protocol 13 is the first legally binding international treaty to abolish the death penalty in all circumstances with no exceptions. When it was opened for signature in May 2002, 36 countries signed it. 2005 - The UNCHR approved **[|Human Rights Resolution 2005/59]**on the question of the death penalty, which called for all states that still maintain the death penalty to abolish the death penalty completely and, in the meantime, to establish a moratorium on executions.

2007 - The **UN General Assembly** ( [|UNGA]) approved **[|Resolution 62/149]**which called for all states that still maintain the death penalty to establish a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty.

( Not in own words.) Death Penalty Trends from: www.amnestyusa.org/death-penalty/death-penalty-facts/death-penalty-trends/page.do?id=1011572__
 * || [[image:http://www.amnestyusa.org/abolish/i/preferredpunishment.gif caption="Preferred punishment for the Death Penalty"]] ||
 * Preferred punishment for the Death Penalty ||  ||

__Public support for the death penalty is diminishing in the U.S. Roughly half the U.S. public now prefers life without parole over the death penalty as the best punishment for the crime of murder.

International Abolition: in 1977, just 16 countries had abolished the death penalty for all crimes. By 1988, 35 countries had done so and another 18 had abolished the death penalty for all but exceptional crimes like treason, and 27 more were considered abolitionist in practice because they had not carried out an execution in over 10 years.

As of January 2008, 135 countries were abolitionist in law or practice.__

Link: http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org

__Put your information links here.

(Not in own words.) <span style="color: rgb(6, 40, 162)"><span style="color: rgb(59, 67, 206)"><span style="color: rgb(71, 235, 232)">International Death Penalty Around 137 countries have__ abolished __the__ death penalty __in__ law __or__ practice __. On average, in the past decade more than three countries a year have__ abolished __the__ death penalty __for all__ crimes __. Despite international__ human rights __standards, some nations still__ execute __people. Around the world, the__ death penalty __is used as a tool of__ political repression __and a means to forever silence__ political opponents __or__ eliminate politically__ 'troublesome' individuals.- <span style="color: rgb(177, 208, 27)"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">Jason W

(Summarized into own words in a much shorter version.)

Approximately 137 countries have ended the death penalty, yet there are some who oppose the human rights standards and feel it is right to use it as a tool for repressing those who oppose the government. - Jacky.

Bibliography: [|http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/tags/death-penalty-]Jason W [|http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/timeline/17/9]- Jason W

<span style="color: rgb(177, 208, 27)"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"> Many religions oppose the Capital Punishment, such as Buddhism, they oppose this due to The First of the 'Five Percepts of Buddhism' is to abstain (Hold back) from destruction of life.

Chapter 10 of the [|Dhammapada]states: Everyone fears punishment; everyone fears death, just as you do. Therefore do not kill or cause to kill. Everyone fears punishment; everyone loves life, as you do. Therefore do not kill or cause to kill. Just this one sentence shows how much Buddhists forbid the Death Penalty for it is against there 'Five Percepts' yet China still continues with this Punishment even though most of the Buddhists lives in China. To have expect that it would have stopped by now.

Jacky

Do you favour or oppose the death penalty for people convicted of murder? A Poll Result of the countries that have the most death penalties and it is also shows the people against and with it.
 * Polling Data**
 * || **Favour** || **Oppose** ||
 * South Korea || 72% || 28% ||
 * Mexico || 71% || 26% ||
 * United States || 69% || 29% ||
 * Britain || 50% || 45% ||
 * France || 45% || 52% ||
 * Canada || 44% || 52% ||
 * Germany || 35% || 62% ||
 * Italy || 31% || 64% ||
 * Spain || 28% || 69% ||

Daksh

=Georgia death row inmate presses innocence= By SHANNON McCAFFREY – 7 hours ago ATLANTA (AP) — One by one, nine witnesses took the stand against Troy Davis to say he was the man who gunned down an off-duty Savannah police officer. In 1991, their testimony helped send the Georgia man to death row. However, in the years since, seven of the nine have recanted their testimony and his attorneys claim others say another man pulled the trigger. A roster of big-name supporters, including former President Jimmy Carter and South Africa Archbishop Desmond Tutu, have taken up his cause. They insist that the 39-year-old Davis, who is set to be executed Tuesday night, deserves a new trial. Last-minute appeals from condemned inmates are nothing unusual. However, experts say so much attention is being lavished on Davis because the case hinges on the most fundamental question in the criminal justice system: "Did he do it?" Appeals usually try to expose legal technicalities, not actual claims of innocence, said Richard Dieter, executive director of the Washington D.C.-based Death Penalty Information Center, which opposes capital punishment. "To say 'I didn't do it' is an unusual claim at this late hour, especially when it's supported by evidence," Dieter said. Davis' only hope for a reprieve lies with the U.S. Supreme Court after the state high court by a 6-1 vote rejected his stay request Monday. Supporters say the doubts merit a new trial. The courts have consistently disagreed. A divided Georgia Supreme Court has already rejected his request for a new trial by a 4-3 vote. The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles has turned down his bid for clemency. In a sign of the intense publicity surrounding the case, the normally reticent parole board said in a statement Monday that the five-member panel has spent more than a year studying the voluminous trial record after temporarily halting Davis' execution last year. "After an exhaustive review of all available information ... the Board has determined that clemency is not warranted," the statement said. Twenty-two inmates have been executed — an average of about one a week — since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in April that lethal injection was constitutional. That decision ended a seven-month de facto moratorium on executions throughout the country. None of the other cases have attracted this kind of international attention. Besides Carter and Tutu, Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr and Pope Benedict XVI also have urged officials to reconsider. The Rev. Al Sharpton prayed with Davis Saturday night. Amnesty International has taken up the cause, helping organize rallies as far away as Paris. Davis was convicted of the 1989 murder of 27-year-old officer Mark MacPhail, who was working off-duty as a security guard at a bus station. MacPhail had rushed to help a homeless man who had been pistol-whipped at a nearby parking lot, and when he approached Davis and two other men, he was shot in the face and the chest. Witnesses identified Davis as the shooter, and at the trial, prosecutors said he wore a "smirk on his face" as he fired the gun, according to records. Jurors convicted and sentenced him. But Davis' lawyers say new evidence could exonerate their client and prove that he was a victim of mistaken identity. Besides those who have recanted their testimony, three others who did not testify have said another man, Sylvester "Red" Coles confessed to the killing. Coles testified against Davis at his trial. He refused to talk about the case when contacted by The Associated Press during a 2007 Chatham County court appearance on an unrelated traffic charge, and he has no listed phone number. Prosecutors have labeled the witness statements "suspect," and say the case is closed. In April, the state high court said the evidence was not enough to force a new trial. The court cannot disregard the jury's original verdict, Justice Harold Melton wrote for the majority. On Monday, with Davis' execution about 36 hours away, protesters gathered outside the state Capitol in Atlanta. They called on prison guards and medical personnel to refuse to participate in the execution. Three protesters camped out in the office of Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue on Monday, although he was not in the state Capitol and has no power to commute Davis' sentence, "This man is innocent," said Marvin Morgan, a minister at the First Congregational United Church in Atlanta. "We're seeking to have the governor do something extraordinary to save this man's life." <span style="color: rgb(36, 255, 0); font-family: Webdings">-<span style="color: rgb(0, 32, 255)">Daksh



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