Capital Punishment -- Il-Piena Kapitali

Capital Punishment

 

During the past few weeks, we've had notable cases in which some people were given the death penalty, or were waiting to be put to death, due to serious acts they had been found guilty of committing.

 

There were the cases of Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, Australian citizens that were found guilty in Indonesia of importing a large quantity of drugs into the country.  These two were executed with others by firing squad around two weeks back.

 

Last week, a Boston jury condemned Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to death by lethal injection, found guilty of exploding a bomb during a running marathon at the same city in April 2013.  This sentence hasn't yet been carried out.

 

Residents of Malta and Australia probably are aware that these countries don't have the death penalty, today.  Malta removed death as a punishment for murder in 1971 and for other military acts in the year 2000.1  Malta has also ratified Protocol 13 of the European Convention for Human Rights which prohibits capital punishment.

 

The Australian Federal Senate abolished capital punishment a few years ago, in 2010.2

 

Although capital punishment was common around the world, by the end of 2013 the majority of countries around the world had either abolished it by law (100 countries) or had stopped carrying it out (51).  Naturally, a country retaining this sentence in its legislation and  voluntarily refraining from using it, can always change its mind, which has happened spectacularly in the case of Chan and Sukumaran in Indonesia.

 

Other countries abolished this sentence for criminal acts only (7) and the rest (40) are actively pursuing it.  The latter include the United States, China, Japan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia amongst others.3

 

Although the fifth commandment is quite clear: 'Thou shalt not kill', the Catholic Church does not exclude capital punishment, similarly to not excluding the use of force in legitimate defence of a person or state, even if this force results in death.  Nevertheless, it says that 'if non-violent means are sufficient to safeguard human life from those who threaten it and to keep public order and personal security, authority should limit itself to these means ...'.4

 

I think this position is perfectly reasonable.  The consequence of following this reasoning is that lethal force is only permitted where there's a thread to human life and there being no non-violent alternative.  One can see that this principle is also applicable to war situations.

 

In practice therefore, if a person found guilty is caught and held, there is no further need of the death penalty.

 

To give an examplem in the case of Chan and Sukumaran, before their execution these two persons were being held in a secure facility and were a threat to no one any longer.  With this reasoning, their execution was not necessary.  Their case was even more extraordinary as it was revealed that the two individuals had become models of good behaviour for other inmates.

 

The same reasoning holds for Tsarnaev.

 

Those in favour of capital punishment, generally says that this has a deterrence effect for criminal acts such as murder.  There is a debate on this in the field of criminology, with those in favour quoting a study by Ehrlich that found a deterrence effect.5

 

Those against say that these studies are without merit and also note the fear that the accused might be found guilty in error, something which happens more commonly than one might think.  From 1973 to date, in the United States alone there were 153 people who were exonerated after being on death row.6  Another study has concluded that 4% of those sentenced to death are innocent.7

 

We often hear that those who commit serious acts like murder never think that they will get caught, or consider what kind of penalty they would have if caught.  There are also many cases of murder which occur in moments of passion or anger, or by those under the influence of drugs or alcohol.8  What kind of deterrence can be expected for these circumstances?

 

I want to make clear that in no way am I attempting to lesson the gravity of acts that are committed.  The trafficking of large quantities of drugs, murder with macabre circumstances, disgusting atrocities and similar matters are extremely serious, non-justifiable and should have serious consequences.

 

Nevertheless, my hope is that the offender, at some point, maybe, comes to a stage where he or she realises the damage done, comes to a sincere contrition and results in making reparation or other positive acts in the society in which he or she is living.  Only this contrition can restore his/her humanity, that lost with the act that had been committed, a humanity that we show the offender when allowing him/her the opportunity to come to this realisation.

 

Capital punishment removes this opportunity.

 

 

 

Il-Piena Kapitali

 

Matul dan l-aħħar ġimgħat, kellna każijiet ċelebri fejn persuni ġew ikkundannati għall-mewt, jew kienu qed jistennew li jingħataw il-mewt, minħabba atti gravi li ġew misjuba ħatja li għamlu.

 

Kien hemm il-każijiet ta' Myuran Sukumaran u Andrew Chan, ċittadini Awstraljani li nstabu ħatja fl-Indoneżja li impurtaw kwantità kbira ta' drogi lejn il-pajjiż.  L-eżekuzzjoni ta' dawn it-tnejn, flimkien ma' oħrajn, saret permezz ta' tiri ta' armi tan-nar madwar ħmistax ilu.

 

Il-ġimgħa l-oħra, ġurija f'Boston ikkundannat lil Dzhokhar Tsarnaev għall-mewt b'injezzjoni letali, misjub ħati li sploda bomba waqt maratona tal-ġiri fl-istess belt f'April tal-2013.  Din is-sentenza għadha trid isseħħ.

 

Min jgħix f'Malta u l-Awstralja aktarx jaf li dawn il-pajjiżi m'għandhomx il-piena kapitali, illum.  F'Malta, tneħħiet bħala piena għall-qtil fil-1971 u għal atti militari fis-sena 2000.1  Malta rratifikat ukoll il-protokoll numru tlettax tal-Konvenzjoni Ewropea għad-Drittijiet tal-Bniedem li jipprojbixxi l-piena kapitali.

 

Is-Senat Federali Awstraljan abolixxa l-piena kapitali ftit snin ilu, fl-2010.2

 

Għalkemm il-piena kapitali kienet komuni madwar id-dinja, sal-aħħar tal-2013 il-biċċa l-kbira tal-pajjiżi madwar id-dinja kienu jew abolixxewha bil-liġi (100 pajjiż) jew inkella waqfu milli jeżegwixxuha (51).  Naturalment pajjiż jekk għad baqagħlu din is-sentenza fil-liġijiet tiegħu u voluntarjament m'għadux jużaha, jista' faċilment jerġa jibdielu, bħal ma ġara spettakolarment fil-każ ta' Chan u Sukumaran fl-Indoneżja.

 

Pajjiżi oħrajn abolixxew il-piena għal atti kriminali biss (7) u l-bqija (40) huma attivi fl-esekuzzjoni tal-piena.  Dawn tal-aħħar jinkludu l-Istati Uniti, iċ-Ċina, il-Ġappun, l-Eġittu u s-Sawdi Arabja fost l-oħrajn.3

 

Għalkemm il-ħames kmandament huwa pjuttost ċar u tond: 'La toqtolx', il-Knisja Kattolika ma teskludix il-piena kapitali, bħal ma teskludix l-użu tal-forza f'difiża leġittima tal-persuna jew tal-istat, anke forza li twassal għall-mewt.  Madankollu tgħid li 'jekk il-mezzi mhux vjolenti jkunu biżżejjed biex jiġu mħarsa l-ħajjiet tal-bnedmin kontra min iheddidhom u biex jinżamm l-ordni pubbliku u s-sigurtà tal-persuni, l-awtorità għandha tillimita ruħha għal dawn il-mezzi ...'.4

 

Jien nara din il-pożizzjoni bħala perfettament raġonevoli.  Il-konsegwenza tkun li l-forza letali hi biss permessa fejn hemm it-theddida fuq il-ħajja tal-bniedem, u ma jkunx hemm alternattiva mhux vjolenti.  Wieħed jista' jara wkoll li dan il-prinċipju huwa wkoll applikabbli għal sitwazzjonijiet ta' gwerra.

 

Fil-prattika allura, jekk bniedem misjub ħati huwa maqbud u miżmum, ma jibqax il-ħtieġa tal-piena tal-mewt.

 

Biex nagħtu eżempju, fil-każ ta' Chan u Sukumaran, dawn it-tnejn qabel l-eżekuzzjoni tagħhom kienu qed jinżammu f'faċilità ta' siġurtà u ma kinux ta' theddida għal ħadd iktar.   B'dan ir-raġunar, l-eżekuzzjoni tagħhom ma kinetx neċessarja.  Il-każ tagħhom kien iktar straordinarju għax jingħad li dawn iż-żewġ individwi saru eżempji ta' mġieba tajba fil-ħabs għall-priġunieri oħra.

 

L-istess raġunament fil-fatt jgħodd għal Tsarnaev.

 

Min huwa favur il-piena tal-mewt, ġeneralment jgħid li din għandha effett ta' deterrenza għal atti kriminali bħall-qtil.  Hemm dibattitu sħiħ fil-kamp tal-krimonoloġija, b'min hu favur jikkwota studji ta' Ehrlich li sab effett ta' deterrenza.5

 

Min hu kontra jgħid li dawn l-istudji ma fihomx kredtu u wkoll jinnota l-biża' li akkużat jista' jinstab ħati bi żball, xi ħaġa li tiġri iktar milli wieħed jaħseb.  Mill-1973 sallum, fl-Istati Uniti biss kien hemm 153 persuna li kienu eżonerati wara li ngħataw is-sentenza tal-mewt.6  Studju ieħor ikkonkluda li 4% ta' dawk sentenzjati għall-mewt huma innoċenti.7

 

Spiss naqraw li min jagħmel atti gravi bħall-qtil qatt ma jaħseb li se jinqabad, jew jikkunsidra x'tip ta' piena jkollu jekk jinqabad.  Jiġri wkoll li ħafna qtil isir f'mument ta' passjoni jew rabja, jew minn min hu taħt l-influenza ta' drogi jew alkoħol.8  X'tip ta' deterrenza jista' jkun hemm għal dawn?

 

Irrid nagħmilha ċara li bl-ebda mod ma rrid inċekken mill-gravità tal-atti li jkunu saru.  It-traffikar ta' ammonti kbar ta' drogi, il-qtil kultant b'mod makabru, atroċitajiet moqżieża u ħwejjeġ simili huma serjissimi, mhux ġustifikabbli u għandu jkun hemm konsegwenzi serji għalihom.

 

Madankollu, it-tama tiegħi hi li l-offensur, xi darba, forsi, ikun jista' jasal biex jifhem il-ħsara li jkun għamel, tiġih indiema sinċiera u twasslu jagħmel atti riparattivi u/jew pożittivi fis-soċjeta li jkun qed jgħix fiha.  Din l-indiema biss tista' troddlu lura l-umanità tiegħu li tintilef bl-att li twettaq, umanità li aħna stess inkunu qed nuru miegħu meta nħallulu l-opportunità li jasal għaliha.

 

Il-piena kapitali tneħħilu din l-opportunità.

1http://www.handsoffcain.info/bancadati/schedastato.php?idcontinente=20&nome=malta, retrieved 18/5/2015

2http://www.heraldsun.com.au/archive/news/death-penalty-dead-and-buried-as-parliasment-bans-it-for-good/story-e6frf7l6-1225839834244, retrieved 18/5/2015

3http://www.handsoffcain.info/bancadati/index.php?tipotema=arg&idtema=19000616, retrieved 18/5/2015

4Catechism of the Catholic Church, para 2267

5The Deterrent Effect of Capital Punishment; Isaac Ehrlich, Nov 1974, National Bureau of Economic Research

6http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/innocence-list-those-freed-death-row, retrieved 18/5/2015

7Rate of False Conviction of Criminal Defendendants who are Sentenced to Death; Gross, O'Brien, Hu & Kennedy; March 2014; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences;

8http://deathpenaltycurriculum.org/student/c/about/arguments/argument1b.htm, retrieved 18/5/2015