Nawijn regrets death penalty call
19 November 2002
THE HAGUE — Following strong political criticism, caretaker LPF Immigration Minister Hilbrand Nawijn withdrew on Tuesday his proposal to re-introduce the death penalty.
Nawijn said he regretted broaching the subject and claimed he did not make the statement in his capacity as minister or as the intended LPF election leader and that he had only wanted to add to the political debate around the sentencing of convicted criminals.
Nor did he intend to intervene in present criminal cases or stimulate discussion over the death penalty. Instead, Nawijn said he had wanted to draw attention to the "great sorrow" inflicted on the surviving relatives of victims of violent crimes.
Nawijn had come under strong criticism on Monday after he was alleged to have called for a re-introduction of the death penalty.
In a recent interview with magazine Nieuwe Revue, Nawijn said the death penalty should be imposed on people who consciously killed with no clear reason.
He said Volkert van der Graaf, the suspected killer of Pim Fortuyn, and the main suspect in the recent bashing death of Venlo youth Rene Steegmans were prime candidates for execution.
We must pose the question: 'What right do they still have to live?'" he was quoted as saying.
But the leaders of almost every political party were outraged by his remarks, with Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende saying that the Netherlands was not acquainted with the death penalty and would not want it re-introduced.
D66 leader Thom de Graaf reacted with shock and said respect for life was one of the foundations of the Dutch constitutional state, while new PvdA leader Wouter Bos said the death penalty was a step backwards in civilisation and VVD leader Gerrit Zalm said Nawijn's comments went one step too far.
Even the former LPF election leader, Mat Herben, is opposed to a re-introduction of the death penalty. He said Nawijn's comments were a "personal unburdening".
The death penalty was abolished in 1870, but capital punishment remained possible in the military and after World War II. Forty German and Dutch war criminals and Nazi collaborators were executed. The last execution occurred on 21 March 1952.
© 2002 Novum Nieuws |
登录
