The debate on whether to hang killers convicted of first degree murder is heating up in Trinidad and Tobago again with the introduction of the constitutional amendment bill to bring back capital punishment.
Read the story:AG appeals to MPs to pass bill to hang convicted killers; Opposition says bill prevents hangings
The last executions took place in the country was in 1999.
Public opinion appears to be on the side of hanging killers and those who once advocated against it appear to be having second thoughts.
Among them is Attorney Vernon de Lima, who defended Dole Chadee, one of the last people to be hanged for murder.
De Lima is suggesting a national referendum on the subject and believes government would get overwhelming support if the population is asked a simple question - either accept or reject hanging.
“If they have a referendum on hangings they will win by no less than 80 per cent. If they are going that way we will find that hangings will be implemented early,” De Lima told the Guardian newspaper.
De Lima said the time has come for law and order to be restored and is urging Government to take strict and serious actions against wrongdoers.
“We cannot tackle this by any other means. The death penalty is a good law,” he said.
De Lima added that even Chadee was not against hangings. “He told me that. He knew that once he lost his case he was going to hang. As a matter of fact, we both had respect for each other. He knew that I accepted hangings to be the ultimate penalty for murder.”
Amnesty International is continuing its lobby against the plan. The Human Rights group is seeking advice from world bodies to try to stop Trinidad and Tobago from carrying out executions.
While public opinion is strongly in support of the amendment to the constitution on the issue, there is no guarantee the bill will pass. The bill requires a special constitutional majority that the government does not have, so it has to reply on the support of the opposition.
In the debate on Friday the opposition said it supports the principle of hanging convicted killers. However it said the bill doesn't do that, arguing that it further complicates matters and sets up a system where no one will hang.
"You are not only never going to be able to hang a person; this Bill will make it virtually impossible to get a person before a jury on a charge of murder one," Chief Whip Marlene McDonald told legislators.
She suggested that the government is acting hastily to fulfill a campaign promise and advised that the bill be withdrawn and brought back after careful study and consultations with stakeholders.
Read the story:AG appeals to MPs to pass bill to hang convicted killers; Opposition says bill prevents hangings
The last executions took place in the country was in 1999.
Public opinion appears to be on the side of hanging killers and those who once advocated against it appear to be having second thoughts.
Among them is Attorney Vernon de Lima, who defended Dole Chadee, one of the last people to be hanged for murder.
De Lima is suggesting a national referendum on the subject and believes government would get overwhelming support if the population is asked a simple question - either accept or reject hanging.
“If they have a referendum on hangings they will win by no less than 80 per cent. If they are going that way we will find that hangings will be implemented early,” De Lima told the Guardian newspaper.
De Lima said the time has come for law and order to be restored and is urging Government to take strict and serious actions against wrongdoers.
“We cannot tackle this by any other means. The death penalty is a good law,” he said.
De Lima added that even Chadee was not against hangings. “He told me that. He knew that once he lost his case he was going to hang. As a matter of fact, we both had respect for each other. He knew that I accepted hangings to be the ultimate penalty for murder.”
Amnesty International is continuing its lobby against the plan. The Human Rights group is seeking advice from world bodies to try to stop Trinidad and Tobago from carrying out executions.
While public opinion is strongly in support of the amendment to the constitution on the issue, there is no guarantee the bill will pass. The bill requires a special constitutional majority that the government does not have, so it has to reply on the support of the opposition.
In the debate on Friday the opposition said it supports the principle of hanging convicted killers. However it said the bill doesn't do that, arguing that it further complicates matters and sets up a system where no one will hang.
"You are not only never going to be able to hang a person; this Bill will make it virtually impossible to get a person before a jury on a charge of murder one," Chief Whip Marlene McDonald told legislators.
She suggested that the government is acting hastily to fulfill a campaign promise and advised that the bill be withdrawn and brought back after careful study and consultations with stakeholders.
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