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U.S. | 'I comfort death row inmates in their final moments - the execution room is like a house of horrors'

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Reverend Jeff Hood, 40, wants to help condemned inmates 'feel human again' and vows to continue his efforts to befriend murderers in spite of death threats against his family A reverend who has made it his mission to comfort death row inmates in their final days has revealed the '"moral torture" his endeavor entails. Reverend Dr. Jeff Hood, 40, lives with his wife and five children in Little Rock, Arkansas. But away from his normal home life, he can suddenly find himself holding the shoulder of a murderer inside an execution chamber, moments away from the end of their life. 

Anti-death penalty double bill in the Gaza Strip

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The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), a Gaza-based NGO and a member of the World Coalition, organised two meetings on the death penalty in March.


The first meeting took place on March 10 in the offices of the Palestinian Society for Democracy and Law in Rafah. At least 30 individuals representing a number of NGOs in Rafah attended.

The second meeting was held on March 12, in cooperation with Sharek Youth Forum in Gaza City. At least 30 students and graduates of al-Azhar University in Gaza and a number of civil society activists attended the meeting.

Raising public awareness

The events are part of PCHR's death penalty project, which aims at raising public awareness and creating a public opinion calling for the abolishment of capital punishment from Palestinian laws.
PCHR also seeks to stop extra-judicial executions carried out by Israeli forces against Palestinians.

The meetings discussed the international trend towards the abolition of the death penalty from domestic laws, and the recent United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for a moratorium on executions.

During the meetings, discussions were opened among the participants who were divided between supporters of and opponents to the death penalty.
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