From Echo Moskvy:
Head of the Interior Ministry, Vladimir Kolokoltsev sees no reason not to introduce the death penalty
In his opinion, particularly violent criminals deserve such measures.
In some cases, the death penalty is society’s normal reaction, the Interior Minister believes. He said this in an interview with NTV’s last programme of the evening, shown in the country’s eastern regions according to the RIA Novosti news agency. “I am afraid that I will incur the wrath of those who are against the death penalty, but speaking not as a minister, but as a simple citizen, I wouldn’t see anything wrong with it for a particular breed of criminal”, he noted. This is how he spoke about recent incidents involving girls murdered in Tatarstan and the Irkutsk Oblast and comments from the programme’s presenter that people are talking more and more about bringing back the death penalty. However, human rights activist Svetlana Gannushkina, chairperson of the committee “Citizen Collaboration”, said that it was time to stop all talk about bringing back the death penalty in Russia once and for all.
Gannushkina added that in her opinion, it was not right for the head of the Interior Ministry to make such statements and therefore, cannot continue to be Interior Minister.
According to surveys, more than 60 per cent of Russians support the reintroduction of the death penalty.
Comments from Echo Moskvy:
vsmol:
I understand that for the most terrible criminals, the death penalty is necessary, but given the current situation with the police, investigations, and the courts, it’d be impossible to introduce it.
ognivo_:
For serial murderers and paedophiles the death penalty is the most humane punishment.
yorsh: (responding to above)
I agree! The death penalty in my opinion, should only be allowed when the powers that be commit particularly terrible crimes against the state and society.
terpigorev:
Guys, in the UK, 70% of people are for the death penalty. But they’ll never introduce it there. That’s their culture. As long as one Brit is against it, there won’t be any death penalty. That’s their way of thinking, and their way of life. I’m not even going to get into the theory and practice issue.
iouri38:
When they can guarantee 99.9% that there are no mistakes, ie: only one person in a thousand will be killed accidentally, then it would be possible, and it would be worth the risk, but in light of our reality, it won’t be possible at least for the next fifty years.
terpigorev: (responding to above)
If you start with Kolokoltsev, then 90% might be for it.
vedma_never_die: (responding to above)
And if you started with Pu… , then 100% would be for it.
k_kogtyanz:
Well, to each according to their beliefs.
ithitym:
Well, I’m against the death penalty. Nobody gives life to people, therefore even a court has no right to take it.
The idea of introducting the death penalty is particularly scary under the current judicial system. Recently, I’ve heard from many lawyers that their role in the court was confined to transfering money to the judges and the investigators. Unfortunately, the sound of coins is now a more convincing argument for the investigators and the courts than the law, testimony, and physical evidence.
I do not understand Kolokoltsev’s position on the death penalty at all. He’s all too aware of the state of justice in our country.
krypton84: (responding to above)
“Nobody gives life to people” , well for some reason, I thought all this time that parents are human beings.
yorsh:
So, you support the idea that people can somebody could lose their life on the basis of fabricated evidence?!
shahovskayaorg:
“The death penalty is society’s normal reaction, the Interior Minister believes”, so hey, Kolokoltsev man, you ready to be the executioner, squeeze the trigger yourself?
exodrjan:
They need to introduce a new version of the death penalty, switching off the internet. One hour of anguish, and then the convict will slip into a coma, and then die.
slaw120: (responding to above)
I agree about the internet. And switching off “Echo Moskvy”. That’d be like the coup de grace.