The Four Indian Men Convicted Of Rape And Murder Have Been Sentenced To Death.

[sandyRoe]

Has justice been served?

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/14/world/asia/4-sentenced-to-death-in-rape-case-that-riveted-india.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

[emmie]

perhaps they are the men involved, cctv footage was used, but i do wonder that the authorities have stepped in quick to try and stop the rot. One would hope that the used DNA evidence, after all it must have been on the men, victim, and that is what they based their conviction on, it just seemed all so quick and convenient, sorry if that sounds rather harsh, but if the death penalty is applied then surely they have to be 100 percent sure these are the men, and you don't hang some poor innocent.

[naomi24]

There doesn’t appear to be any doubt.

//The prosecution presented evidence including witness statements, the victim's statement, fingerprints, DNA testing, and dental modelling//

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Delhi_gang_rape_case

Interesting to note the defence lawyer’s statement to the media.

//their lawyer, Manohar Lal Sharma, said in a media interview that the victims are responsible for the assault because they should not have been using public transportation and, as an unmarried couple, they should not have been on the streets at night. He went on to say: "Until today I have not seen a single incident or example of rape with a respected lady. Even an underworld don would not like to touch a girl with respect."[92] He also called the male victim "wholly responsible" for the incident because he "failed in his duty to protect the woman".//

Isn’t that disgraceful?

[ummmm]

What hope is there when even the lawyers have that attitude??!

[naomi24]

Unfortunately he's not alone in his attitude. Sickening!

[emmie]

i watched that interview, the man looked liked he had been plucked from some backwater, a rural nobody, that was what worried me, i agree his words are vile, but i do wonder at the choice of defence lawyer.

[naomi24]

Whatever defence they had, there doesn't appear to be any question of their guilt. This was truly an appallingly brutal attack. I have no sympathy for them.

[emmie]

nor do i, and i said so at the beginning of the thread. It would seem that many of these death penalties are commuted to life in prison, i wonder if that might happen..

[redvanman]

This country could do with some of this justice

[naomi24]

If public opinion is anything to go by, I doubt sentence will be commuted to life imprisonment - but we will see. It's not often I'm unconcerned about the death penalty being imposed, but these guys pulled this poor girl's intestines out with an iron bar! For God's(?) sake! The world surely has to be better off without them!

[pixie373]

It's completely sickening- the attitudes as well. These are the times i support the death penalty.

[Khandro]

Though I am against the death penalty, I think it might be preferable to spending one's entire life in an Indian prison.

[jim360]

"There doesn't appear to be any doubt [of their guilt]."
.
I was worried slightly about that because of hints in the BBC article, but thanks for the link. The absolute worst thing would be to execute four innocents to pacify the mob. Again, whatever you think of the death penalty, at least it is four guilty men being executed.

[Old_Geezer]

Assuming a correct verdict, then whether justice has been served will depend on which definition you use. If you mean was the sentence in accordance with Indian law then I can only assume it was. Murder usually demands a stiff penalty. But if you mean in accordance to what is morally right, then no; murdering someone as a punishment is difficult to justify for any crime.

Ultimately the cultural issue here is one where respect for another, in particular to a female, seems insufficiently widespread, and this needs correcting by good parenting. It is not easy to change a country's culture though, at least not without the government interfering in individuals' lives. Maybe it will take time as disapproval grows, eventually reaching a critical tipping point, overwhelming those who can not act in a reasonable manner towards others.

[Old_Geezer]

I've not closely followed the case Naomi, but if what you say above is true then it seems to me they should be in an insane asylum. It is better than what is intended. Sure the world would be better off without them, I have come across many folk I think the world would be better off without. But the world is not made better by deliberately killing of folk. Authority needs to take the moral high ground in order to rightly claim the right to judge the rest of society.

[naomi24]

OG, //the world is not made better by deliberately killing of folk.//

Normally I'd agree with you - but in this instance I don't think I do.

[ludwig]

// But if you mean in accordance to what is morally right, then no; murdering someone as a punishment is difficult to justify for any crime. //

You mean 'killing' someone OG. If you want to be taken seriously, you need to use objective language.