The death penalty has been around for as long as history itself and now Belize has to come to terms with which position should be taken on it. Recently the buzz has been about the abolition of the Privy Council in cases of murder, but whenever this happens it will mean that the life of those living on death row will be ended. For Simeon Sampson the president of the Human Rights Commission of Belize, and a staunch opponent to the death penalty, the moves that have been taken recently will be of no consequence in lessening crime in the country.
Simeon Sampson
Factually, all you have, the only material, the only candidates to date for hanging are little black boys. Some of them coming from Queen's Square. I see a black aspirant for the Prime Minister's post seeking to establish prominence through the hanging avenue, and I hope the People's United Party will not be so dumb as to be suckered into a trick because hanging people will not at all, will not at all, reduce the incidence of violence in Belize. The cries of the people out there for blood ought not to blind the eyes of a politician towards his nationality. What the politician should try to address is the poverty, joblessness. There are two cries out there. They may be crying for blood, to hang, but what is most important, if you hang people, that will not create jobs. But if the politician introduce poverty alleviation schemes, that will create jobs and that might reduce violence, not hanging.
Alfonso Noble
Do you think that some day you will see the death penalty abolished in any way?
Simeon Sampson
Having gone, the Privy Council having gone so far in the case of Patrick Reyes, Hughes & Spence, in saying to all sentencing tribunals in murder cases, although the man has been found guilty of murder, the sentence of death cannot be automatically passed as historically happened. The accused person will now have an opportunity to be heard. Wait now, I have been convicted of murder. Yes, but, hear me. There are some mitigational factors that I want you to listen to before you take my life away. That's it, so that's how close you come to the operation of the death penalty. The judge can still send you to death mind you, but, the accused person still has a chance to ask that judge, judge exercise your discretion, no man. I've never been in trouble in all my life as against, before, you couldn't be heard at all, death. That's all.
Alfonso Noble
Mr. Sampson, proponents of the death penalty would argue that the endless appeals that people have frustrates not only the system but the people who require justice or who demand justice from an accused. Your response to that?
Simeon Sampson
There is no time limit for justice. The predominant consideration is fairness. What is justice? Justice simply means that there ought to be a fair trial by a competent judge, by inadmissible, by admissible evidence, and an immaculate exposition of the law relevant to admissible evidence. That is my concept of a fair trial and ultimate justice and time ought not to be a factor in determining justice. There will be administrative problems, yes. So what? It is because of lack of resources in the administration to oil the wheels, but the wheels of justice grind slowly anyway. But if in the end, a fair decision has emerged out of the process, if it has been led by a fair trial, admissible evidence, impartial tribunal, and proper direction on points of law, time ought not to be considered a barrier to the eventual justiciable end seeking fairness.
Alfonso Noble
Would that justice also include death?
Simeon Sampson
Well, I have never been a supporter of the death penalty. So, to answer your question I would say that, well that is what emerged out of these latest rulings anyway, that the death penalty should only be reserved for the rarest of the rare, the worst of the worst situations, as against what has been happening before where indiscriminately anybody, and everybody after the verdict of the jury, is just sentenced to die indiscriminately.
On a related note, an organization based in England called Caribbean Justice today sent out a release expressing concern over recent comments on the death penalty made by Prime Minister Said Musa, Hon. Maxwell Samuels and the Leader of the Opposition Hon. Dean Barrow. The organization claims that accusations have been made against the Privy Council as a source of frustration to the implementation of the death penalty. The organization further calls on both the government and opposition to work towards the abolition of the death penalty and focus on policies that will make a positive contribution to the peace and security of Belizeans.