R Jagannathan's article "Yakub Memon hanged: Why India still needs capital punishment" lays out a case for retaining the death penalty in India, with some pointers on how it can be applied more narrowly. Much of Mr Jagannathan's argument doesn't hold water. For one, he argues that the right to life is not sacrosanct when it comes to people guilty of terrorism, serial murders, or rape. The right to life, though, is the most fundamental of human rights, and like all human rights, it is something that inherently belongs to people not because of what they do, but because of the human beings they are. The article claims that "keeping deadly killers alive in jail can tempt their compatriots to indulge in more killings". But counter-terrorism officials around the world have often pointed out that individuals who are executed may be seen as martyrs, whose deaths can become a rallying point. Groups can also use executions as justification for retal...
Striving for a World without Capital Punishment