Dear Editor,
Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn announced that there is a reduction of crime including robbery, breaking and entering by 6.9 percent. He however stated that there is an increase in murders by 13%. It seems as if the government is not too keen in imposing the death penalty. In fact it might be unconstitutional to do so. I wish to point out that in 2015 Parliament adopted the Anti-Terrorist Related Activities Act 2015 which adopted the mandatory death penalty. However there was no execution since August 1997, more than 23 years ago. Globally 106 countries have completely abolished judicial execution.
In Britain, the London based Privy Council is not in favour of the death penalty and same is reflected in dependent states in the region such as Bermuda, Turks and Caicos, Montserrat, British Virgin Islands, and Anguilla. The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), in June 2018 ruled that the mandatory death sentence in Barbados is unconstitutional. This means hanging will not be allowed in Guyana, Belize and Dominica, the other three jurisdictions which accepted the CCJ as the final court. A decade ago Jamaica refused to join the CCJ because the politicians had dubbed the Port of Spain based court as the “hanging court”. This should no longer be of contention. Trinidad and Tobago government is still flip flopping and the electorates in Antigua and Barbuda, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada and St. Lucia still cannot make up their minds.
Back to crime in Guyana, although there is a little reduction, some areas are hard hit by break and enter and robberies and even rape. The Courts should impose more severe penalties on those found guilty which might deter the lawbreakers.
Sincerely,
Oscar Ramjeet
