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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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Belarus hands down first death penalty this year

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MINSK, April 30 (RAPSI) - A Belarusian court has handed down the first death penalty this year, the Mogilyov Prosecutor's Office said in a statement on Tuesday.

Belarus remains the only European country that still uses the death penalty and repeatedly comes under harsh criticism from international organizations.

The two men were convicted of murdering their cellmate in prison while serving their sentences for previous crimes. One of them was cumulatively sentenced to execution for all of his crimes, and the other was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

The prosecutors described the individual sentenced to death as an "extremely negative person" and highly dangerous as well. The cellmate who he recently murdered was his fourth victim. His previous crimes also qualified as grave.

"This individual is highly dangerous even when kept in isolation," the statement said. "It is impossible to rehabilitate him through a long or even life imprisonment. In this case, the death penalty is justified."

Source: RAPSI, April 30, 2013
Location: Belarus
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