Widespread voter fraud. Tens of thousands of farmers continue to march towards the indian capital, new delhi, defying orders from police. They are protesting against the laws, which they say will affect their livelihoods, and want the government to remove guaranteed minimum prices for their produce. More than a 1000000 cases of covert, 19 of now been recorded in germany. Since the pandemic began, the governments imposing stricter lockdown measures to curb the spread of the virus. This means from december private gatherings will be restricted to 5 people. During christmas, there will be increased to 10 the drug company astra zeneca is considering running another global trial for its coronavirus vaccine. Amid questions about its success rate, Britains Health minister asked regulators to assess the safety of the Oxford University astra zeneca vaccines, hoping to get approval for a temporary supply of doses. By the end of the year, astra zeneca expects 4000000. 00 doses to be made available by the end of december. The strain, the militarys move to dismiss more than a dozen soldiers after an inquiry found some of its special forces committed war crimes in afghanistan. Investigate is uncovered evidence that soldiers have unlawfully killed 39. 00, unarmed civilians and prison is most of those killings happening in 2012201319 current and former troops have now been referred for possible prosecution. And politicians from the rival libyan factions are expected to resume their talks in morocco. Later on friday, early this week, m. P. s based in tripoli, and to brooke agreed to hold their 1st unified parliamentary session in years. Because parliament was elected back in 2014, but split in 2 separate legislatures during the years of fighting. They go up to date with the headlines and aljazeera inside story is next. In American People have finally spoke in america as i see it when americas balance become more dangerous. The world is looking down with the election behind us. Will the Republican Party dump truck to weekly take on u. S. Politics and thats the bottom of the Death Penalty be abolished worldwide. The u. S. Allows for more that executing inmates as nearly 40 countries reject the latest u. N. Resolution against its tours. Capital punishment still favored in many places. This. Is it a welcome to the program on iraq on the Death Penalty is undoubtedly one of the most controversial issues around the world. Know its been abolished in much of the world. It still carried out and at least 54 countries, including china and the United States. For decades, the u. S. Has used lethal injections. They execute those convicted of certain crimes, but the Justice Department is now allowed more methods including firing squad and electrocution. The u. S. Constitution, however, strictly bans what it describes as cruel and unusual punishment Rights Groups accuse the trumpet, ministration of rushing to execute 5 inmates before the president s term ends. In january. Last week the u. S. Was one of 39 countries that rejected a u. N. Resolution for a moratorium on Capital Punishment, but with 120. 00 votes in favor, the General Assembly is expected to adopt the measure. Next month, the u. N. Secretary general, has said the Death Penalty has no place in the 21st century. Now honestly, International Says more than 26600, people are known to be on death row around the world. It recorded at least 657 executions in 20 countries last year. Iran saudi arabia iraq, and egypt accounted for more than 86 percent of all Capital Punishment last year. The us is ranked 6th of the total number of executions with 22. 00. But Rights Groups say that china is the worlds biggest executioner, with thousands believed to be killed every year. Beijing doesnt release Death Penalty figures lets welcome our panel of guests all joining us on skype in melbourne. Stephanie mcclellan, a senior manager, asia, and initiatives for Human Rights Watch and tehran, hamad and professor of Political Science at tehran, university, and import rush, northern ireland, inwards author of surviving execution, a miscarriage of justice, and the fight to end the Death Penalty. A welcome to you all, id like to begin in tehran with how many you actually support the Death Penalty. Why do you think it makes such a terror and well, i think the 1st issue here is we have to look at every country separately. I dont think we can have a general rule for the entire globe regarding Capital Punishment. The latest data on iran, the World Values Survey which was actually conducted in 2020. So. d its very recent, ask the iranians, what they thought of Capital Punishment would. It was on a scale of 1. 00 to 10. 00 with one to be never suitable, and 10 being always suitable over 80 percent of iranians actually chose a number of 5 or over. So a majority of iranians, including myself, support the Capital Punishment system, and i think it does act as a deterrent for potential Violent Crime perpetrators in i dont think just because you have certain laws in other countries, they have to be enforced in countries such as iraq but just because something is popular doesnt mean its right, its still the Death Penalty that mistakes can be made and people can be executed in error. And thats pretty final. I mean, how can you justify something that isnt a 100 percent effective . Untrue, there can be errors, of course, and i mean, im not supporting any errors or actual innocent people getting killed. But at the same time, i think violent perpetrators of, of crimes such as serial killers. I think they have lego, their right of life by killing other innocent people. And i think the families of these victims they deserve justice. So we have to also look at this from the angle of people who are victims, as well as their families suffering with them. What do you think our guest in tehran says its an effective deterrent, but its also something that should be up to the individual country guy. I know you strongly disagree with that assertion, its. Theres been repeated ad comments by the u. N. , special rapid soul that the Death Penalty serves no deterrent. This is no evidence to that effect whatsoever by any credible, independent, reputable source. I mean, its a barbaric form of punishment, and its absolutely no way that this in any society were talking about fundamental human rights here. And ive, regardless of what somebody has done or is being perceived to have done, they should never be sentenced. And that i prize that you in its entirety, but it is an effective deterrent according to many of the regimes that carry out it keeps societies in check as the ultimate punishment. Is that no, simply without them look, its an emotional topic. I understand that people want a really simple will live fine, not solution to any issues such as that. A graphic crime, people just think will take away their life, that its not as simple as that. We know that in many countries support the death in o. C. Has massive issues with in terms of a trial to process. Will lol, independent judiciaries so. So i think its a much more will you want some complex issue than this, and because the final result, its ultimately the death of an individual. It should never be supported its, its almost all rejected by countries. Member states, the un 128 member states, the un voted against the Death Penalty last week. I mean these, these, these a form of punishment is really on the way out in words and no the island imposed a lot of the justification for the u. K. To ban the Death Penalty is mistakes have been made and the past. And its too final, is that something that you think should be universal . Well, they certainly have been miscarriages of justice. The idea of the possible way, still with the rights and wrongs with the Death Penalty is a theoretical issue all the way back to my school debating. But i only became passionately opposed to it. When i dealt with 1st time, someone who was facing execution, i got a call, richard dawson, who was sentenced to death more than 20 years ago. And today its still on death row. Awaiting his execution 2015, he had 3 different execution dates. 2 of those were delayed because of legal appeals. The 3rd was not with the prison waiting for him to be executed. Was called off the lost both legs because they discovered that they had the wrong lethal injection drug to kill him, which was the only thing that saved his life since there are big no more executions in atlanta because of my background comes from been suppressed against it. I dont think it is a tyrant and all the soccer is particularly obscene of the usual that the United States, which has very little in common with iran, with north korea. And china should be on the same side when it comes to the death of the. Well, lets bring in Stephanie Mcfarlane the head. Stephanie, it is an interesting one because the u. S. Has Just Announced new measures including quite extraordinary, this firing squad, which sounds like a throwback to, you know, revolutions and the post russian. Well, but is why the u. S. Doing this in as one of the bigger countries . Is it a bad example . Well, absolutely. The u. S. Is setting a bad example by considering most, i mean, formal, dont punishment. We look to the us. If you know its one of the, one of the latest when it comes to human rights and at the line minutes between difficult to even that last look, i dont believe any form of execution is bearable whether its execution or sorry, whether its public hanging, whether its in shops, a gunshot to the back, whether its a lethal injection, i mean, in the end there and looks, its really a plague deeply concerning and troubling that the u. S. Is considering such and such a barbaric punishment and tear on have you heard the arguments that from the northern and poor russian online. And i mean, are you still sure that this is useful and a deterrent for a country like iraq . Well, i dont think anyone supports punishing someones that that is innocent and there should be checks and balances in place to ensure that you know, innocent people are not prosecuted. But i mean the same rationality can be used for any type of punishment. I mean, even life imprisonment and mistakes can be made. And nevertheless, i think the main issue at hand here is that when were talking about global norms and global values, we have to 1st of all discuss how were these values decided in the 1st place. Did Eastern Countries or asian countries, or muslim countries where they actually participant to these kinds of discussions where the definition of what is human rights and what is barbaric or decided . I think there are a lot of power relations here at play where western countries are getting to impose their own values on countries such as iran. So i think we should, every country should get the option to had their own system based on their own culture and what their own people want. Thats a bit disingenuous, is that because there was a part in the u. N. Just a few days ago on iran voted to keep the Death Penalty you do have a cite and whether the Death Penalty as a country should be in your country or not. You have a say and like you said, iran and iran voted against what i meant was not a vote of the International System in the United Nations. But actually how many people in each country support a system . If a majority of iranians dont support the Death Penalty, then that would be a different story. But every poll in iran shows that a very large majority of iranians do support the Death Penalty. And i dont see how Foreign Countries get to impose their will on the will of the iranian people. So i dont, i dont see how that can work. Coping in position if you have a vote and it but, but again, iran voted against it. So if, if there is a vote in the United Nations say like, lets, lets assume that 100. 00 countries in the world vote against having the option of wearing their job. Would that mean that iran should abolish that just because other countries voted against the system . What i mean is each country separately within their own system, the will of the people should be implemented in this and even in the United States, the latest you. Gov poll shows that almost 2 thirds of americans support the Death Penalty. So if the, if the americans want the Death Penalty, i think the government should implemented its a democracy in words and correspondent, what do you make of the well, im shaking my head during the course. Not because i dont think that that opinion poll is right, that in the gallup poll, which is considered the gold standard, if you like, for how are americans use the Death Penalty over the past 25 years . The figures in favor of the Death Penalty fall of from more than 80 percent to just over 50 percent. It is still a majority l. Q. And i could say that penalty is his work while keeping on that the statute book. But when you also want a question such as, would you replace it with life in prison without parole . Then dufferin the percentage that even further in a majority are against the Death Penalty. Not we can argue as to whether the popularity of something is a reason for legislate. You know, im not, i would hope that moral standards carry some weight here. And certainly when i was really i was writing my book back in 2016. It seems if the United States was moving towards the abolition of the Death Penalty if hillary clinton, i believe, had been elected president , then the balance of the supreme courts in the United States would probably have tilted in the liberals favor. And of course weve seen number donald trump, how about a 63 conservative majority . If it is going that way under hillary clinton, im pretty sure that the Death Penalty if off the statute books and abolished already. That would certainly be something that was likely to happen in the next few years because states, individual states are all moving in that direction. Very few actually carry out the Death Penalty that well, just because they know that these controversial, but they know that it is ineffective. It hasnt proved to be terrorists, and most of the Law Enforcement opiates recognize that as well that most crimes are carried out. Moments of passion rather than necessarily plans, and therefore the deterrent factor doesnt really come into it there. I mean, i think that most people, when they analyze the reasons for the Death Penalty, it comes time to feeling that it is the necessary for revenge or retribution on the house of victims. But victims are not helped when people are executed wrongly and 170 people have been exonerated, having been sentenced to death in the United States, their cases were times of grief. They were completely innocent. Now, if the law had to be the last moment they would be dead in there, wouldnt be any opportunity to argue that case anymore. Now they will say, some legal quarters that, well, that shows that the system works because those people were eventually exonerated. But how many of the more than 1500 people have been executed in the United States since launching 76 were innocent . Most people think that a good, healthy percentage more than 10 percent of those were likely innocent people. Lets bring in Stephanie Mcclelland head and open stephanie. So we have what we have, were in a situation right now where some of the bigger countries and the reason powers. Iran, for example, the us, china have the death one has he, which is allows smaller countries. They will, those bigger countries have the Death Penalty. So, you know, dont take a look at us, take a look at them. Is that any pressure you compile on the big countries, the regional powers, to get rid of the Death Penalty or is it, are you simply shouting into the void . Now look, look, 120. 00, countries voted against it. And last monday and we finally called the u. N. Will adopt that dollars at the General Assembly plenary in december 39. Countries did vote against it. They wanted to keep it down, you know, see, but we know that those countries, a lot of those countries of some of the most serious human rights eyewitnesses in the world. China, im at vietnam, north korea. I mean, these are countries with a reach its human rights records. And of course, any country that votes in favor of it is sending a terrible signal. Sorry, that votes against their resolution is sending a terrible signal to other countries that its ok. And we as an organization, a really calling on the most strong countries that have voted, i mean, martorano been fined for behold in executions, to apply russia, whether thats trade or whether its through negotiations at the u. N. , but really raise their voice and call it out. What it is, which is a very and inherently cruel practice and tear on how many mousavi isnt this the real cost to iran, about the Death Penalty already youve been criticized for your human rights record. This is yet one more example, a very powerful example that you can be criticized for and yet you still say, well, its popular in the country, so theyre full, we should keep it. But its yet another way of beating up iran in the publics i mean its a very politicized matter. The reason iran is being criticized. I would say, im not saying every criticism, of course there are. d genuine criticisms as well and maybe valid criticisms as well. But the criticisms that you hear on u. S. Media, a lot of it is politicized. And one measure of that is that a lot of the same issues were going on in iran during the time of the shah. And, you know, iran was actually supported and very few there were fair, if you denounce the nations of iran. Listen, heres the thing. When were talking about voting in the u. N. , its really not their decision to decide. I mean, if, if say a 100 countries vote for california to become a separate country. Does that give them to the right to vote on that . I dont think we have, there is a legitimate basis to impose the values of other countries on countries such as iran, a minute, any or all of the execution numbers have decreased significantly coming to almost 250. 00 per year. And this is even though that iran has almost 2000 homicides every year in iran, the family of the victim is actually given the option to forgive the perpetrator of the murder and in large numbers in the majority of cases that has actually happened. But there is always the option in the deterrent, that if you actually kill someone that there is a chance that you will be executed. And i think that something positive and poor russian seems to be saying that actually its a system that works for us. In the u. S. Where the victims families dont get a say in whether the death of his should be taken or should be taken place or not. I mean, why is the, why is that still on the books that you spent a lot of time covering all of this can tell us. Well, michael, i book surviving execution because it does seem to survive despite all the blows it is being. Take it both from campaigners and even from victims who you would think would be in favor of the Death Penalty if they have seen their loved ones killed. You can understand the emotion involved in the case. And i absolutely understand that they might want to see that kind of retribution. But equally, there are people who dont want to see that. I met a man whose daughter was killed in the oklahoma bombing in which Timothy Mcveigh was ultimately executed by the federal government. He didnt want to see that he didnt think that have brought any comfort to him as a victim. And he actually became friendly with the father of the murderer, himself. Bringing together the, the kind of the kind of colon bomb that they had both lost loved ones unjustly. At the United States is a slightly different case to many countries because they need to devolve the powers on the Death Penalty to individual states. And yes, the federal government occasionally does carry out federal executions. And donald trump and bill barr, the u. S. Attorney general, are still carrying out executions, even though its a lame duck administration. Joe biden is set to take over in january. But even when joe biden becomes president , he himself will have no power other than when it comes to federal crimes to deal with Death Penalty issues. It is down to individual states. But to say its only a matter of a handful of states that have such as texas and such as virginia who are still carry knives these, these executions. Even though there are substantial peoples within the numbers of people within those states who approve it and want to carry on like execute. I think it sends a terrible example when the United States is trying to lecture other countries owner of human rights records, when it has such a napoleon record when it comes to the Death Penalty itself and executions were one point being carried out at such a rate. That they hardly merited coverage in the newspapers. And i was a washington correspondent in 2002, 2003. You would, you know, quite frequently pick up a newspaper and discovered the inside pages. There would be an execution virginia that night. But they were being carried out at such a rate that nobody seemed to care anymore. Thankfully the numbers of fallen significantly and fewer than 20 people a year are now executed. But a lot of people would say thats still far too many stuff to mclennan. One of the bigger problems you go when it comes to International Agreements is one of enforcement. Yes, you can vote for the moratorium on Capital Punishment. But if a country breaks that moratorium, even if they voted for it, theres not a huge amount you can do. Yeah, cos every country and they like, you know, like what we individually saying about iraq. They are trying to do what they live, but it doesnt making that you off the hook people nationally. You still operate even a global economy, where you rely on relationships that have a country. And if you continue to behave in a right, disrespecting, matt, there will be repercussions and look, if its not simple, i guess, but to evaluate and value of human rights at dignity and respect the law. These is a really poor and terrible way to go down. Its just not, its not appropriate having, it was so interesting. You talked a lot about International Agreements and how they, then there are a one size fits all for every country. But iran, when it comes to nuclear power, when it comes to the nonproliferation treaty, which you already signatory to when youre being criticized for your Nuclear Weapons program, alleged Nuclear Weapons program or nuclear program. Generally, you say, well actually we signed up to the n. P. T. , iran pakistan, india, north korea didnt. And they have Nuclear Weapons which are illegal site. Youre quite happy to trot out an International Agreement then, but when it comes to the Death Penalty, youre much more hands off and say, well look, one size doesnt fail, is a little hypocritical. Well, regarding the n. P. T. , its actually a voluntary agreement. So every country can decide for themselves whether they want to be part of the n. P. T. Or north. So its actually not really an agreement. If there is agreement you, your iran hides behind all trumpets rather than hiding. Right, so so, so iran did sign up for the n. P. T. And based on that, iran is actually being monitored by the i. A. E. A. War than any country in the world. d and nevertheless, thats something that iran decided on itself. It wasnt something that was imposed on iran. But when were talking about something that is about the Death Penalty, we have to take into consideration the cultural and religious distinctiveness of other countries. I mean, just because the west is the more powerful side in the globe right now, they shouldnt be able to impose their own values on other countries. And we have to remember that a lot of the time, these sort of human rights issues are politicized this. Wow, so, so theyre actually sometimes used as a Political Tool to pressure other countries because of other reasons, not. Right. Not necessarily because of human rights issues. Our thank all our guests assessment. Mclellan, how that was saudi and inwards and thank you too for watching. You can see the program again any time by visiting our website out of there at dot com. And for further discussion, go to our facebook page. 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