Birmingham, Al (WIAT) Stories that the President of Peru is seeking a reinstatement of the death penalty for murderers has stirred comment worldwide about the possible impact on Joran van der Sloot.
Van der Sloot is the Dutch national accused of the murder of 21 year old Peruvian student Stephany Flores. She was found dead in van der Sloot’s Lima hotel room. The Dutchman is currently in Peru’s Castro Castro prison. There is currently no death penalty or life imprisonment under current Peruvian law. The maximum van der Sloot would face if convicted is 35 years.
He’s also the prime suspect in the disappearance of Mountain Brook, Alabama teen Natalee Holloway on a vacation trip to Aruba. She was last seen in the company of Joran van der Sloot whose family lived on the island.
The two cases attracted worldwide attention and the recent call for the death penalty by Peruvian President Alan Garcia has stirred the capital punishment debate in Holland and Peru.
In the Netherlands, comments to coverage in the Dutch paper de Telegraaf have run the gamut from legal debate over retroactive laws to concern about bad convictions to plain and simple “kill him now and save the taxpayers some money”.
Here’s a sampling. Keep in mind the original comments were in Dutch. This is a translation via Google and isn’t a perfect rendering of the original comment.
death can not enter retroactively. Joran will not get the death penalty.X NL | 8:27 | 17/08/1910No, the death penalty is not good. Heavier penalties and time in a cell.The death penalty is a murder.Eliza G., Rhenen | 1:40 p.m. | 08/17/1910
In the Netherlands they are far too humane and gentle with serious criminals, the victims are so often lifelong. That really serious criminals, murderers and rapists should also be given the death penalty, the victims can then build a normal life and not always need to be wary. And just imagine the tax money would care!!Schimpy, Fireplaces | 12:45 | 08.17.1910
I too am for the death penalty if it is well established that a suspect has committed a crime, but here in the Netherlands would sometimes go wrong, and someone is wrongly convicted, for whatever reason.Towards a Raalte, Raalte | 11:45 | 17.08.1910Personally I prefer death than life in a Peruvian jail ....
A, H | 10:31 | 08.17.1910Source:
de TelegraafMeanwhile, in Peru, the reaction was consistently more favorable to the proposed reimposition of capital punishment…..again, with the same caveat about Google translation, this time from Spanish….
If this measure had been in place since before many lives have been saved.
Simón Carlos Chavez (saimons)August 18, 2010 22:12
well done!
JuventinoKarlin garcia (Karlin)At last some coherence !!!!, hopefully they will continue each time harder penalties for those undesirable ...
erick M. (fairdinkum)August 18, 2010 21:40EL PERU, who thirst for justice!
ChiCaNatural ^ ^, (usagi23)August 16, 2010 18:10 Source:
El Commercio
