The Hindu : Amnesty `dismayed' over death sentences

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 20, 2002

National

National

Amnesty `dismayed' over death sentences

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI DEC. 19. Amnesty International has said that the course of justice in the Parliament attack case was "not served by judicial murder.'' In a statement today, it expressed its dismay at the death sentences handed down to S.A.R. Geelani, Shaukat Hussain Guru and Mohammed Afzal for the December 13 attack.

The Amnesty said that it was "unconditionally opposed to the death penalty, whether it is imposed on alleged criminals or so-called terrorists.'' It described the death penalty as "a violation of the right to life, and the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.''

Acknowledging that the Indian Government had the right and obligation to ensure law and order and to protect citizens from violent crime, the organisation said that "in the attempt to curb terrorism, governments must not relegate human rights protection to the second place. Security concern must not override respect for human rights.''

There was an increased risk of executing innocent people when international fair trial standards were not implemented. In the present case, the Amnesty was "concerned that the trial of Abdul Rehman Geelani and two other men may have failed to meet international standards for fair trial.''

It said that POTA, legislation under which the three men were charged with conspiracy and waging war against India, fell considerably short of international standards for fair trials. It also pointed to the media coverage of the case, which was "extremely prejudicial.'' An illustration of this, it said was a tele-film, screened by a private channel on the anniversary of the attack and three days before the verdict, which "was exclusively based on the premise that the defendants were guilty.''

The Amnesty International concluded that the Government had taken "insufficient care in ensuring that the defendants' right to be presumed innocent, the most basic aspect of the right to fair trial, was respected.''

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National