Tuesday, January 14, 2003

Bush rules out death sentence review

US President George W Bush says has dismissed any chance of a review of America's system of capital punishment.

Over the weekend the outgoing governor of the state of Illinois, George Ryan, commute the sentences of all 167 inmates on death row in his state to life in prison.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Mr Bush believed the death penalty deters crime and had no plans to order a review the system.

By Ronald Ryan 14 January 03

Ed: At a time when pick pockets ransacked the gatherings outside public hangings in old England. At a time when hawkers picking pockets got the death penalty, means that the death penalty does not deter crime.

Related:

Stephen Romei: Death knell sounds for US capital law
GEORGE RYAN, outgoing governor of the US state of Illinois a republican who leaves office today, has put US capital punishment on the road to oblivion by commuting the sentences of all 167 of the state's death row inmates. Three were re-sentenced to 40 years' jail and the remaining 164 got life without parole.

Amnesty urges Bush to shut death row
Human rights watchdog Amnesty International has urged US President George W. Bush to take a "moral stand" and abolish the death penalty after the Illinois Governor dramatically emptied that state's death row.