Death penalty

Photo linked from The Age online

No matter how one sees it, taking another man's life is a serious matter, legally sanctioned or otherwise. Brutality or deterent against serious crime? No matter what statistic one quotes, the end result is always heart-wrenching for families involved.

For a report from the other side of the fence, read Aussie newspapers like The Age.

Excerpts:

"Nguyen Tuong Van's twin, Khoa, wants to visit him on death row in Singapore to say goodbye. It will be the first time the 25-year-old brothers have met since Nguyen was arrested in 2002 with 396 grams of heroin he was carrying for a Sydney syndicate to help pay Khoa's debts. It is believed that Khoa will seek permission to meet his twin in the maximum-security Changi prison in the days before the Melbourne salesman's dawn execution on December 2."

"TWO popes have now appealed to the President of Singapore not to hang Nguyen. Before his death earlier this year, Pope John Paul II requested clemency for Nguyen. And it has now also been revealed that his successor, Benedict XVI, similarly wrote to President S. R. Nathan earlier this month."

For another opinion of a friend of mine, read this post.

Me? I do not agree with the death penalty but a lot of my fellow countrymen do.

Does taking the minority view make me wrong?

Am I condoning crimes?

What about criminals then?

We need to see the criminal from the crime. Just as how God (or a higher power of moral authority or religious belief you subscribe to) sees us from the sins we do everyday.

So what's your take on this?


Technorati tags: capital punishment, death penalty, human rights, drug trafficking