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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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WCADP condemns acceleration of executions in Japan

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The World Coalition Against the Death Penalty (WCADP) is deeply concerned about the accelerated pace of executions in Japan and continued secrecy regarding the executions.

Four persons were executed on 10 April 2008, bringing to seven the number of persons executed in 2008. According to Amnesty International, ten executions have been carried out in less than six months.

Executions are held in secret. Relatives are informed of the executions only after they have taken place, and until December 2007, the names of the persons executed were not made public. The WCADP appeals to the Japanese government to put an end to this practice, contrary to human dignity.

On 18 December 2007, the General Assembly of the United Nations passed with a large majority a resolution calling for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty worldwide.

The World Coalition Against the Death Penalty calls upon the Japanese government to follow the recommendation of the resolution and apply a formal moratorium on executions, with a view to abolishing the death penalty.

WCADP Press release
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