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Biden Fails a Death Penalty Abolitionist’s Most Important Test

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The mystery of Joe Biden’s views about capital punishment has finally been solved. His decision to grant clemency to 37 of the 40 people on federal death row shows the depth of his opposition to the death penalty. And his decision to leave three of America’s most notorious killers to be executed by a future administration shows the limits of his abolitionist commitment. The three men excluded from Biden’s mass clemency—Dylann Roof, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and Robert Bowers—would no doubt pose a severe test of anyone’s resolve to end the death penalty. Biden failed that test.
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Filipino worker escapes death in Saudi Arabia

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A Filipino worker who escaped hanging for committing blasphemy in Saudi Arabia in 2008 arrived in Manila Monday after receiving a royal pardon.

The Philippine department of foreign affairs identified the worker only as “Pablo” in an announcement issued yesterday.

Pablo worked as a trailer driver in Riyadh until his arrest on March 24, 2007, for allegedly “mocking the name of the Prophet Mohammad.” He was charged with blasphemy, an offense punishable by death.

“Under Islamic Law, mocking the name of the Prophet Mohammad is a grievous offense and considered taboo in Saudi Arabia and the Muslim [community],” the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh said in an announcement.

A committee of 3 judges sentenced Pablo to death by beheading on November 16, 2008. The committee reviewed its decision in July 2010 and lowered his sentence to 5 years imprisonment and 500 lashes.

Foreign affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said there are other death penalty cases involving Filipinos in Saudi Arabia, but added he does not have the figures.

Source: CathNews, October 12, 2011

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Location: Saudi Arabia
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