Vova demands death penalty
MASERU — A human rights pressure group, Voice of the Voiceless Association (Vova) on Monday handed a petition to Chief Justice Mahapela Lehohla demanding the imposition of the death penalty on murderers.
They also demanded that the chief justice acts to speed up cases in the courts.
Justice Lehohla however invited the Vova general secretary, ’Masetota Leshota, into his chambers where he is said to have addressed some of the group’s concerns.
Leshota said the Chief Justice had confided in him that while some of their concerns were genuine some of them were beyond his jurisdiction.
One such issue was the imposition of the death penalty, Leshota said.
She said Lesotho was under immense pressure from the international donor community not to impose the death penalty.
Leshota told the marchers that the Chief Justice had also said even if High Court judges sentence a guilty person to death that judgment can still be overturned by the Court of Appeal.
Even when the Court of Appeal has confirmed the death sentence there is still a special committee set up specifically to deal with whether a person should be hanged or not, Leshota said.
“So, it is not easy to enforce the death sentence according to the Chief Justice,” Leshota said.
“He bluntly told me that there is nothing he can do about that part of our concerns.”
Vova said it was also concerned by the delays to deal with cases in the courts.
Vova president, Bishop Phakiso Motaung, told the marchers that the time has come for the judiciary to realise that justice delayed is justice denied.
“In many cases all the facts relating to a dispute are put before court but whoever is presiding seeks reasons for postponement,” Motaung said.
“These postponements have wreaked havoc on the lives of many litigants and many have lost their properties while others have lost lives.”
He added: “It is unfair that the courts do not consider the negative impact of these postponements of cases on litigants especially those offended.”
Comment by Halakashaa on 7 February 2013:
Ha ke utloisise Lehohla. Hobane’ng ha ho na le so many checks and balances when Death Penality is imposed he is not willing to discuss with the bench as a whole. Hobane’ng a sa etse mosebetsi ebe Appeal Court e etsa confirmation, ho feta moo e tla fetela ho special committee le eona e etse mosebetsi oa eona. Lesotho will deal with complaints tsa donor community as and when they arise. Lehohla ke bona eka ke Ralipolotiki eseng ramolao ea ts’epetsoeng ho ba Moahloli e moholo oa Lekhotla le Phahameng. He should encourage judges to execute law as enacted, a se ke a ‘na a re joetsa o tla khetha melao ha a etsa likahlolo.
Comment by critical on 7 February 2013:
Meleko ka libopeho tsa batho
Comment by firefly@101 on 7 February 2013:
HOW CAN A HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP SEEKS FOR THE VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS BY CAPITAL PUNISHMENT? THIS GROUP IS REALLY BLOWING HOT AND COLD.HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA.CAPITAL PUNISHMENT IS A VIOLATING OF HUMAN RIGHTS RANGING FROM THE RIGHT TO LIFE AND NOT TO BE SUBJECTED TO INHUMAN AND CRUEL TREATMENT.THIS HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP SHOULD REALLY REVIEW THEIR MANDATE!
Comment by firefly@101 on 7 February 2013:
^^^***ERRORS ON PREVIOUS TEXT*******…IS A VIOLATION…
Comment by kelepi on 7 February 2013:
joale letsoa taolong. ebe lequloana le’ haleso utloe ka independence of the Judiciary.
Comment by LEKHOARA on 7 February 2013:
The death penalty is barbaric, human rights group advocating for death penalty, this is sheer madness.
What purpose does death penalty serve? because it has been proven over the years that it does not deter criminals[criminals are not afraid of dying anyway, so why kill them].
Does death penalty provide psychological relief to the victims/society? the answer is NO, so why do we need to continue hanging/killing people?
Comment by Tlhase on 7 February 2013:
I beg to differ, the death penalty has been very effective in countries like Botswana. But Botswana is highly rated, is doing exceptionally economically and is the darling of the West and of so-called global human rights organizations. Nogal! The mere fact that part our hard earned money in the form of taxes is being used to feed and for the upkeep in prison, of cold-blooded demonic vampire murderers like this prominent case is disgusting and an injustice in itself! I always say, put yourselves in the shoes of those who lost loved ones, and let us hear you plead in court for mercy for those who would have murdered or raped your sister, mother or loved one. I am sure then that the human rights we boldly punt here won’t make common sense! Just thinking!
Comment by Tlhase on 7 February 2013:
I always have a problem with Human rights that tend to be one-sided and do not address the victims in this instance, the families of the defenceless murdered, decapitulated (ho khabela) victims. I also think that families who priosners offended should always be consulted during the judicial process and prior to releasing prisoners. Such a system is fair to me, otherwise I have a real problem!
Comment by Tlhase on 7 February 2013:
If someone murders your wife a mo khabela likot, a mo retla litho tsohle, will you punt the right to life, human dignity of the perpetrator, cruelty and barabrism of the death penalty? Just asking?
Comment by Geek on 8 February 2013:
I don’t understand how a Human Rights group which claims to be a “Voice of Voiceless” can actively seek implementation of the death penalty. Vova, this sounds like a violation of your implied mandate and makes me question whether your credibility. What about voiceless prisoners in Lesotho? Who’ll act as a “voice” for them?
Comment by LEKHOARA on 8 February 2013:
@Tlhase,I think your opinion is motivated by emotions and not reason; the penalty only serves as vengence to the crime committed, so my question is what benefit are you going to get for killing a perpetrator? [please read some material on criminology]
On the question of Botswana, can you explain the link between the death penalty and economic growth?
Comment by Tlhase on 8 February 2013:
On Botswana, I was giving an example of a model country, the argument being Lekhoara, that the Death penalty DOES DETER criminals from doing their dastardly deeds.
Benefits from killing a perpetrator:
- The families of those affected by such dastardly, hideous, cowardly crimes will get Justice
- The country will save money from not keeping such people who in any case will probably suck off our tax payer money with what will probably be life or very long sentences (This is a tangible benefit and one we can calculate)
- On the basis of the logic that less similar criminal acts are likely to be done, the country shall save on other resources.
These are BENEFITS.
Comment by LEKHOARA on 8 February 2013:
@Tlhase, unless you are a sadist, what kind of justice do you get by killing perpetrators of crime?
what if it is found later that the person executed was innocent as it always happen?
Smuggling of drugs is one example of crime punishable by death especially in asian countries, but this has not deterred criminals from smuggling [they are simply not afraid to die].
Comment by Mokola on 8 February 2013:
Where is LEHLOHONOLO JOSEPH SCOTT?
Comment by Lefefooane on 8 February 2013:
People like to talk like Botsana is a crimeless country. Actually the prisons are over flooding in Botswana. Even Lesotho has death penalty. The last person to be hanged was Jonson Nkosi who butchered Tshepo Tsola’s wife. The guy was hanged in 1995. Again just read the Lesotho Defence Force act of 1996 there you will be astonished as to how thriving the death penalty is at LDF. Zimbabwe a;lso has death penalty. US also has death penalty. A lot of countries including US have death penalty.
In 2010 Botswana had 5,063 prisoners. The prison capacity was 3,967. this shows a terrible overcrowding in Botswana prisons.
Death penalty stats:
1. Only 100(51%) of world countries have abolished death penalty.
2. 40 (21%) of world countries mantain death penalty both in law and practise. 25 of such countries are in Africa. Nigeria has death penalty for Sodomy.
3.The United States was the only country in the Americas to carry out executions in 2011. The United States carries out more executions than any other liberal democracy (as defined by Freedom House) in the world.
Actually, such stats are available on from the amnesty international and a lot of publications on the relationship between death penalty and crime rates are available. Unfortunately no such relationship could be drawn. However as a person I beleive that all gays should be killed. Sodomy should be punished by death penalty.
Comment by Orangu tang on 9 February 2013:
Death penalty
Comment by Mokola on 10 February 2013:
WHERE IS SCOTT?
Comment by LEKHOARA on 11 February 2013:
@ Lefefooane,why should gays be punished? [not even to mentioned by death].
I will not be surprised that your opinion is informed by religion or culture.
Your level of ignorance requires a very robust counselling.
Comment by Lekhoakhoa on 12 February 2013:
Ah @ Lefefooane, after all that statistics, why did you end with a comment like that? “as a person I beleive that all gays should be killed. Sodomy should be punished by death penalty.” What is so wrong with being gay that you can compare it to murderers and deserve a death sentence? As far as I can see there is nothing wrong with being gay! People like you are going to drag our country backwards all the time. America still impose death sentence and do your statistics and see how many of those are black? Some of them are on death row for crime committed when they were 14 years old, do you call that a good practice?
Comment by Lefefooane on 12 February 2013:
@Lekhoara, there are a number of reasons why it is wrong to be gay. First the lord destroyed Sodom and Gommorah because those people in Sodom and Gomorah were practising gays. When a man decides to bed another man then surely there must be something wrong with that man. Even animals, with their low intelligence, know that the anus is not a sexual organ. Setono se etselitsoe ho ntsa masepa e seng ho jeoa hle batho ba molimo. All gays should be eliminated. Ba silafatsa popo ea molimo.
Comment by Lekhoakhoa on 13 February 2013:
I guess this one is best left alone, what a waste of brains!
Comment by LEKHOARA on 13 February 2013:
@lefefooane,the kind of damage that religion does on human brains is immeasurable e.g suicide bombers, Lefefooane you are no different from suicide bombers, please use reason and logic when you analyse issues.
Comment by moletsane on 13 February 2013:
all of those who are against death penality, hope they kill you or family members and you will reconcider you sick statements, le rutehile too much, and interllctuals shuld die cos they think they know too much, tselang pele le bolaeane hoha lena le human rights so kill innocent people in the expense of human rights etla le sireletsa ha le qeta honoa mali a batho, lona mpinchi tsa lehlohonoloscott
Comment by moletsane on 13 February 2013:
all of those who are against death penality, hope they kill you or family members and you will reconcider you sick statements, le rutehile too much, and interllectuals should die cos they think they know too much, tsoelang pele le bolaeane hoba lena le human rights so kill innocent people in the expense of human rights etla le sireletsa ha le qeta honoa mali a batho, lona mpinchi tsa lehlohonoloscott