30/05/02

Da Amnesty cartellino rosso contro le impiccagioni giapponesi M. DE. C.Mentre i riflettori saranno puntati sulla palla rotonda, presa a calci da Totti, Ronaldo e soci, oltre 110 persone condannate a morte marciscono nellecarceri giapponesi, alcune situate solo a poca distanza dagli stadi che ospiteranno la kermesse calcistica. 

Per questo il governo del premier Junichiro Koizumi merita un solenne "cartellino rosso", afferma una campagna lanciata da Amnesty International, in collaborazione con la trasmissione radiofonica Zapping. �La pena di morte in Giappone � una drammatica realt� che si consuma nell'ombra, lontano dagli occhi del mondo e pressoch� sconosciuta dai propri cittadini�, recita un appello di Amnesty, ricordando che la met� dei condannati rischia l'impiccagione. I condannati conoscono la propria sorte soltanto la mattina dell'esecuzione, mentre i loro familiari e avvocati sono informati a fatto gi� compiuto. �Dal 1993 sono stati messi a morte 41 prigionieri. 10 sentenze emesse e 2 eseguite nel 2001 - ricorda l'organizzazione - alcuni anziani, altri malati di mente. 

Tutti avevano trascorso anni, a volte decenni, fra i gravissimi abusi fisici e psicologici dei bracci della morte�. Amnesty lamenta la mancata riforma del sistema di detenzione preprocessuale chiamato Daiyo Kangoku, pi� volte criticato dalla Commissione Onu per i Diritti Umani. Il sistema lascia mano libera alla polizia per gli interrogatori, senza alcuna tutela per gli accusati e d� luogo spesso a confessioni forzate.

 E a nulla sono servite, finora, le pressioni esercitate sul Giappone dal Consiglio d'Europa (in cui Tokyo ha lo status di osservatore) per proclamare una moratoria sulle esecuzioni e migliorare le condizioni di detenzione nei bracci della morte, in vista di una l'abolizione definitiva della pena di morte. 

Nessun segnale � arrivato dal Sol levante: per questo, mentre il paese sar� per un mese al centro dell'attenzione internazionale per i Mondiali di calcio, Amnesty ha lanciato una campagna di invio di cartoline rosse al premier Koizumi. Gli abolizionisti sperano che la questione della pena di morte abbia maggiore risonanza rispetto alla querelle sul consumo di carne di cane che � scoppiata nella vicina Corea del Sud, altro paese che ospita la Coppa del Mondo.

Kyodo News

JAPAN: Lawmakers hold seminar on abolition of death penalty

A group of Japanese lawmakers and representatives from the Council of Europe on Monday opened a joint 2-day seminar in Tokyo on the abolition of capital punishment. "The death penalty goes against the idea of respecting precious life. I soon want to take legislative proceedings and endeavor to shape public opinion," said Shizuka Kamei, the head of the Diet members' League for the Abolition of the Death Penalty.

The leaders of both houses of the Diet were among some 50 lawmakers and others attending.

The 44-nation Council of Europe has not exercised the death penalty in member states since 1997, according to the council. But Japan and the United States, which are observers on the council, continue to execute criminals.

 The Council of Europe last June adopted a resolution to revoke the observer status of Japan and the U.S. if they do not take concrete steps toward abolishing the death penalty by Jan. 1, 2003.

 Renate Wohlwend, vice president of the Council of Europe Assembly, criticized Japan for continuing to use capital punishment, and called for a quick abolishment.

 Justice Minister Mayumi Moriyama also attended the seminar.

 "The majority of the Japanese public thinks the death penalty is inevitable in the case of brutal, serious crimes. I hope that you understand the actuality of how cautiously the penalty has been exercised," Moriyama said, indicating that she has no plan to abolish it.

Death Penalty Campaigners Target U.S. and Japan

May 24, 2002

Daniel Nelson

World UK European pressure on the United States and Japan to stop applying the death sentence will be intensified next week at a meeting on the abolition of capital punishment to be held in the Japanese parliament (the Diet). The Council of Europe will use discussions at the May 27-28 seminar to re-assess the observer status of the U.S. and Japan based on how far they have moved over the last year toward the goal of scrapping state executions.

 The Parliamentary Assembly of the Strasbourg-based international human rights body last year asked the U.S. and Japan to impose a moratorium on executions and improve conditions on "death row" as the first steps towards full abolition. 

The aim of the move was to bring the countries into line with the 44 members of the Council, which describes itself as a "death penalty-free zone." No executions have taken place in member states since 1997, though not all have formally outlawed it. "We would consider the loss of observer status very unfortunate, since we value our interaction with the Council of Europe," Larry Schwartz, a spokesman for the U.S. State Department, said Thursday. "We hope that the Parliamentary Assembly will broaden its focus in view of the larger benefits of cooperation with the United States."

 Observer status allows countries from outside the Council's membership to take part in various aspects of its work and become involved in Assembly meetings and debates. However, observers are barred from voting. In June last year, the Assembly agreed to promote dialogue with Japanese and U.S. lawmakers, at state and federal levels, in order to support legislative campaigns against the death penalty and to get a debate going with opponents of abolition. 

An Assembly team that visited the two countries for talks with members of Congress and the Diet raised particular concerns over those against whom the death penalty was applied, and over the way the sentence was carried out. In the U.S., concerns were raised about the execution of child offenders, people suffering from mental illnesses, and those from socially disadvantaged and minority communities, according to Liechtenstein Assembly delegate Renate Wohlwend. 

For Japan, Wohlwend said the team had singled out the secrecy surrounding executions, harsh conditions of detention, and allegations of torture and forced confessions. No prisoners have been executed in Japan this year, but 50 are waiting on death row, according to official figures. 

Executions in the U.S. fell from 85 in the year 2000 to 66 last year. Nobuto Hosaka, secretary-general of the All-Party Parliamentary League for the Abolition of the Death Penalty, said next week's meeting will be the highest-profile abolitionist event ever to be held in Japan. He hoped that the participation of politicians, the media, and celebrities would help shift public and political opinion away from support for capital punishment. Japan's justice minister and the Speakers of both Diet chambers will take part, along with U.S. campaigner Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking, and former Japanese death-row prisoner Sakae Menda. Former lawmakers from Belgium, Estonia, South Korea, and Ukraine, who have mounted vociferous campaigns against the death penalty in their countries, will also participate. 

Although the Japanese government of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will not welcome an abolitionist bill to be introduced by the League later this year, said Hosaka, "it knows it will not be able to ignore it." The death penalty is a regular source of friction between the U.S. and Europe in international negotiations. 

The most recent manifestation of the controversy occurred during the United Nations (news - web sites) "Children's Summit" in New York earlier this month, when the U.S. withstood pressure to end the death penalty for under-18s.

At global death penalty forum, lawmaker says proposed bill seeks to end practice in Japan

May 28, 2002

By CHISAKI WATANABE,

TOKYO - A senior Japanese politician said lawmakers were working on a bill to outlaw the death penalty in Japan, as critics of capital punishment wrapped up an international forum Tuesday on abolishing the practice.  

"We want to submit the bill as soon as possible," said Shizuka Kamei, head of Parliament's League for Abolition of the Death Penalty.Speaking on the closing day of the two-day seminar, Kamei admitted, however, that Japan is far from ready to join the ranks of nations shunning the death penalty. 

His anti-death penalty league has only 113 lawmakers as members � about 15 percent of Parliament's total."That means we do have still a long way to go," Kamei said.Japan resumed executions in 1993, after lifting a four-year moratorium on capital punishment. Last year, Japan hanged two men, the first executions in over a year.Much about the practice here remains a secret. 

The Justice Ministry refuses to release the names of executed criminals or announce executions beforehand. Until 1998, Tokyo even refused to acknowledge the existence of executions.Among those attending the Tokyo forum were Japanese Justice Minister Mayumi Moriyama, European human rights groups, a former Japanese death row prisoner and Sister Helen Prejean, author of "Dead Man Walking."Renate Wohlwend, vice president of the Council of Europe Assembly, said her delegation was encouraging other nations, including Japan and the United States, to join the 44-nation group, and added that dialogue is the "very first step toward abolition."

The council is guardian of the European Human Rights Convention, which bans the death penalty as inhumane. Member countries have not executed anyone since 1997.

Last June, the council adopted a resolution by which Japan and the United States, both currently holding observer status, will be expelled if they do not take concrete steps toward the abolition of capital punishment by 2003.

28 mag 2002

Le mouvement pour l'abolition de la peine de mort progresse partout 

   (Soeur Prejean)  Par Francoise KADRI    

TOKYO, 28 mai (AFP) - Le mouvement pour l'abolition de la peine de mort progresse partout dans le monde, y compris aux Etats-Unis et au Japon, en depit du ton guerrier adopte par certains leaders apres les attentats du 11 septembre, a estime mardi a Tokyo Soeur Helen Prejean, auteur du livre "Dead Man Walking".

      "C'est vrai que les attentats ont represente une force contraire a un  certain moment parce que (le president americain George W.) Bush a suivi un  scenario militaire en disant que Ben Laden devait etre condamne a la peine capitale", a deplore la religieuse devant le club des correspondants etrangers a Tokyo.

      Mais elle a souligne que, "parallelement, il y a eu un grand reveil des consciences", en precisant qu'il y existe deja un moratoire "de facto" sur la peine de mort dans 111 pays, soit les deux tiers de la planete.

      Elle a aussi rappele l'adoption le 9 mai d'un moratoire sur la peine de   mort par le gouverneur du Maryland, aux Etats-Unis, jusqu'a la conclusion   d'une etude sur la discrimination raciale dans les jugements, et une  orientation similaire du gouvernement tres conservateur de l'Ilinois.

      Soeur Prejean etait au Japon pour assister a un seminaire organise   depuis lundi et jusqu'a mardi par la Ligue des parlementaires japonais pour   l'abolition de la peine de mort et le Conseil de l'Europe. Un Japonais, Sakae Menda, qui a passe 34 ans dans le couloir de la mort, avant d'etre   rejuge et declare innocent au debut des annees 1980, participait a ce seminaire.

      Selon Soeur Prejean, aux Etats-Unis, ces cinq dernieres annees, lorsque dans les sondages, on offre aux gens la solution de l'emprisonnement a vie en remplacement de la peine de mort, le soutien a la peine capitale tombe sous les 50%.

      "Il y a une reaction tres emotionnelle face a la mort, mais si les gens sont informes sur la peine de mort, sur combien elle est inefficace, injuste et raciste, ils changent d'avis et les gens ne sont pas differents au Japon par rapport aux Etats-Unis", a-t-elle affirme.

      Elle vient de sillonner l'archipel pendant quinze jours apres avoir fait campagne aux Caraibes le mois dernier et en Russie en decembre 2001 et elle estime que, dans l'archipel aussi, il suffirait de discuter davantage du probleme pour que le soutien a la peine capitale baisse.

      "On me disait qu'au Japon, la peine de mort etait quelque chose de profondement ancre dans la culture, cette idee de revanche des victimes, mais j'ai entendu dire qu'un certain M. Hara dont le frere avait ete tue, avait fait savoir qu'il ne voulait pas que le meurtrier soit condamne a    mort", a-t-elle note.

      Meme si la Ligue des parlementaires abolitionnistes japonais ne  regroupe que 113 deputes ou senateurs, soit 15% du total des parlementaires nippons, Soeur Prejean a estime que c'etait "un courant". "Il faut voir si ce courant peut gonfler et devenir une vague, mais je pense que le mouvement va dans cette direction", a-t-elle juge.

      Shizuka Kamei, un poids lourd du Parti liberal democrate (PLD), a  accepte de presider cette Ligue parce qu'il a ete policier et a vu beaucoup  d'innocents condamnes par le systeme judiciaire nippon. Il a indique a la   conference de presse qu'un projet de loi ouvrant la voie a l'abolition de la  peine de mort serait depose au Japon "aussi vite que possible".

      La Ligue proposera dans une premiere etape l'instauration d'une peine  d'emprisonnement a vie pour tous les crimes pour lesquels la peine de mort  est actuellement prevue. "Le chemin vers l'abolition est encore long et l'idee est d'avancer pas a pas", a dit M. Kamei, en affirmant qu'il "mise sa  carriere politique" sur ce dossier.