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Humanists call for abolition of death penalty

  • post Type / Campaigns
  • Date / 11 October 2005

The Nigerian Humanist Movement is calling on the Nigerian government to abolish the death penalty. The death penalty is an act of “morbid cruelty, unjustifiable and counter productive, everytime, everywhere and to everyone concerned,” said Eze Ebisike, Chair of the NHM. Those who support the death penalty argue that it helps deter and eradicate criminal behavior. But nothing can be farther from the truth. “There are not scientific and true rational facts and figures to show that the death penalty has ever helped to stop crimes,” continued Ebisike.

Instead, the situation around the world reveals that more criminal acts are committed in countries that use the death penalty like Nigeria and Iran than in those those do not, like Norway and Sweden.

“Dealth penalty is not just inhuman and antihuman, it violates human rights and basic humanism,” stated Leo Igwe, Executive Secretary of the NHM. The death penalty is an act of punishment inspired by religion (see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3423143.stm, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3201339.stm)

“It is obvious that those who support and defend the death penalty do so mainly for religious purposes, because they believe it pleases their God or because it aligns with what their holy books say. Abolishing the death penalty is therefore critical to ridding the world of the destructive and dehumanizing tendencies and legacies of religious morality,” concluded Igwe.

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