10/10/2022
WORLD DAY AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY
*A Road Paved With Torture*
Our generation is fast loosing grip on values and standard. We are not different from the Pharisees of Jesus time who strived in their dented unforgiving nature to uphold the 'an eye for eye' principle of Moses era.
Mark 2:25-3:5.
"An eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind one day" Ghandi Mahathma.
We save dangerous animals and try to protect wild endangered species but allow fellow human beings {the guilty and the innocent} to be shot, hanged, beheaded, lynched etc. If we cannot shoot and kill dangerous animals but protect them, why must we take the life of a human being. I am forced to think that this generation is sick; we need to rethink our values and redefine the definition of justice. The state must not kill to tell people not to kill for in fact, the killing of even a confessed convicted murderer cannot be a condemnation of murder, it is murder.
"To take a life when another is lost in violence is retaliation not justice'' Nelson Mandela.
Real justice can only come when the law punishes disobedience and restores the offender. Justice does not shed man's blood, this generation must begin to create in thought and action a society bereaved of torture, corruption, injustice, bloodshed and Godless philosophies. We need to redefine and identify the root of our societal problems and with minds devoid of prejudice and greed tackle it. If we get the system working right, we'll not need to shed each other's blood. I think that even in worst case scenarios real justice must be able to put a line of divide between the life of a man and the offence committed.
"Murder is man plus murder, Real justice is done when the judge punishes murder and restores the man'' Justice Y.R. Krishna Lyer. Supreme Court of India.
The words of Jesus Christ, the greatest teacher of all time is not different.
"For the Son of man is not come to destroy lives but to save them.'' Luke 9:56
It's a rethink and change that we need - justice not retaliation, a change not a chance, a solution and not confrontation.
The only solution to ex*****on is abolition. Violence and bloodshed ‘I've observed’ thrives most in societies/states run by corrupt and reckless spending government officials. The best deterrent to violent crime lies in guaranteeing a high chance of capture and conviction. This assertion supported by various research studies was clearly stated by the constitutional court of South Africa.
"We would be deluding ourselves if we were to believe that the ex*****on of... a comparatively few people each year...will provide the solution to the unacceptable high rate of crime... the greatest deterrent to crime is the likelihood that offenders will be apprehended, convicted and punished. It is that which is lacking in our criminal justice system.
‘LET US EXECUTE JUSTICE, NOT PEOPLE’.
All too often politicians have found the death penalty a useful tool in appearing to address crime and make the public feel safe. In reality the death penalty has no such effect but simply distracts from the need to address the causes of crime and providing effective remedies. Every ex*****on is a brutal act that dehumanizes those that carry it out and devalues the worth that society places upon human life. Death Penalty is a dark highway paved with torture, sorrows, tears and blood. The universal declaration of human rights and other international human rights instrument adopted since 1948 prohibits all forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment of which death penalty is major..
Above all, since humanity could not rule out the inherent risk of judicial errors which cannot be corrected in the case of ex*****on of capital punishment, I look forward to one great Nigeria, to one peaceful Africa and in real fact, to a world without ex*****on.
I send this message to all nations,
‘Abolish the Death Penalty NOW’.
Death penalty is evil,
A little bit of evil goes a long way
A big dose is devastating
We must stop killing now.
Arthur Judah Angel*
