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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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Latvia abolishes death penalty in martial law

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Latvia abolishes the death penalty in martial law as well. Latvia abolished the death penalty in civil law in 1999 but up to now it was still possible to sentence someone to death under certain circumstances in martial law.

On Oct. 13th the Latvian parliament voted 77:4 to join the Protocol No. 13 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, concerning the abolition of the death penalty in all circumstances.

Source: Baltische-Rundschau, October 18, 2011
Location: Latvia
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Biden Fails a Death Penalty Abolitionist’s Most Important Test

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