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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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Iran: Man hanged in Kashan over drug charges

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Iran Human Rights, December 17: One prisoner was hanged in Kashan (central Iran) today, reported the Iranian state media.

The Iranian state broadcasting reported a prisoner convicted of smuggling and trafficking narcotics was hanged in Kashan prison early this morning. 

Quoting the deputy commander of the Isfahan security forces "Karmi", the report said: "The prisoner was arrested in 2009 and charged with possessing and selling 681 grams of crack".

The prisoner was not identified by name in the report.

Source: Iran Human Rights, December 18, 2012
Location: Kashan, Iran
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