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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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Two hanged in Tehran

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Iran Human Rights, January 30: Two young men were hanged in Tehran’s Evin prison around noon today (Saturday). Iran Human Rights had earlier today warned about their scheduled execution.

According to the state run Iranian news agencies the men were identified as "Masoud L." (19) and "Mohammad S." (21) and were convicted of raping a woman in the Lavasan area north of Tehran in the fall 2009.

The state run Fars news agency wrote that "the men were hanged with a blue noose in the court yard of the Evin prison".

Source: Iran Human Rights, January 31, 2010
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