IN 1993 the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council ruled in the famous case of Pratt and Morgan that it is inhuman and degrading to keep a condemned prisoner on death row for more than five years after his conviction and therefore contrary to the Constitution.
This ruling has effectively outlawed the death penalty in Barbados and the Caribbean, and has been championed by Amnesty International.
The United States of America ratified the American Convention on Human Rights just as Barbados did, but still we find that on May 17, 2017, J.W. “Boy” Ledford was executed by firing squad 25 years after his conviction for murder in 1992.
Then on May 26, 2017, Tommy Arthur was executed by lethal injection, 35 years after his conviction for murder in 1982.
Mr Arthur had previously been scheduled to be executed on seven occasions. The eighth proved unlucky for him.
Does not the American chapter of Amnesty International keep abreast of executions in the US, or are they too busy trying to force their views on countries like Barbados whilst ignoring their own backyard?
In the meantime, we are witnessing an unprecedented upsurge in violence and murders in Barbados. Whilst most of the victims seem to be bordering on the fringes of society and might well have been involved in dubious activities, it does not negate the fact that there is too much violent crime in this country, and that all members of society are entitled to protection under the law.
The law also says that there is a death penalty for murder. If changes must be made to our legislation to establish a differentiation between capital crimes, then let us stop wasting time and have the legislation implemented and get on with the business of upholding the law and punishing those who deserve the death penalty with dispatch.
– ROLLINS HOWARD