Cuba executes ferry hijackers

[renata]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030411/wl_nm/cuba_executions_dc_3

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba executed three hijackers on Friday who commandeered a Havana ferry last week in hopes of reaching the United States, the government said in a statement.

An official statement said the hijackers had been tried and convicted and their appeals rejected by the Supreme Court and Council of State. They were put to death on Friday morning.

The statement did not give the form of execution but Cuba generally uses a firing squad.

Four other hijackers were sentenced to life in prison, one to 30 years, and three women to prison terms ranging from two to five years, the government statement said.

The ferry, with 50 passengers aboard, was hijacked by a band of armed man on April 2, but ran out of fuel on the way, and was towed back to Cuba where the group was captured and hostages freed unharmed. Only one of the hijackers had a gun, while the rest were armed with knives.

Hijacking was April 2, execution April 11. I wonder what kind of legal representations these guys got.

I have no love of hijackers of any stripe, but this, along with recent arrests and hefty sentences of dissenters makes me really worried.


I wonder the the way US dealt with Iraq makes Castro nervous, and has him tighten the screws on his people. I also wonder whether the other potential US "targets" -North Korea, Syria, etc will seriously crack down on dissent. And, finally, I am sure we will soon see a UN resolution and massive street protests by human rights groups.

 

[Denise]

It would be nice if Castro would just die already.

 

[Mel]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030411/wl_nm/cuba_executions_dc_3




Hijacking was April 2, execution April 11. I wonder what kind of legal representations these guys got.

I have no love of hijackers of any stripe, but this, along with recent arrests and hefty sentences of dissenters makes me really worried.


I wonder the the way US dealt with Iraq makes Castro nervous, and has him tighten the screws on his people. I also wonder whether the other potential US "targets" -North Korea, Syria, etc will seriously crack down on dissent. And, finally, I am sure we will soon see a UN resolution and massive street protests by human rights groups.

Maybe it's a clever ploy by Castro? Push the USA's buttons so the NEXT time a hijacked plane or boat enters this country we won't send them home too quickly?

 

[renata]

It would be nice if Castro would just die already.

I think he has a younger brother, as a desginated successor. Fidel is 77, and Raul is a spirited 75.

 

[Segnosaur]

I wonder why there isn't the anti-capital punishment outcry in this case that you normally hear whenever capital punishment in the US is discussed.

 

[Mike B.]

I wonder why there isn't the anti-capital punishment outcry in this case that you normally hear whenever capital punishment in the US is discussed.

Silly Segnosaur,

Don't you know Castro being anti-US makes him a folk-hero to leftists, and therefore everything he does is alright...

 

[hgc]

Segnosaur:
I wonder why there isn't the anti-capital punishment outcry in this case that you normally hear whenever capital punishment in the US is discussed.

Are you implying that Americans who oppose capital punishment as policy here would not oppose it in Cuba? Maybe people think it's more important to fight for the right thing here in our own country than focus on domestic policy in other countries. Who knows?

But the point is moot. This story just broke an hour ago. Why do you wonder why you haven't heard an outcry? Sounds like a rhetorical question on your part. And a false dilemma, or some damned fallacy.

 

[Mel]

I wonder why there isn't the anti-capital punishment outcry in this case that you normally hear whenever capital punishment in the US is discussed.

Good question. It sure IS annoying when the world holds us to a higher standard.

 

[aerocontrols]

I wonder why there isn't the anti-capital punishment outcry in this case that you normally hear whenever capital punishment in the US is discussed.

Answer:

A cop finds a drunk man in a parking lot late at night, searching the ground under the only street light in that parking lot. He asks what the guy is doing, and the drunk replies that he dropped his carkeys and is looking for them. Asked where he was when he dropped the keys, the drunk waves towards a car in the darkness. Asked why he's searching under the street light, he says that if the keys are actually over in the darkness, he'd never find them anyway.

 

[WildCat]

Are you implying that Americans who oppose capital punishment as policy here would not oppose it in Cuba? Maybe people think it's more important to fight for the right thing here in our own country than focus on domestic policy in other countries. Who knows?

But the point is moot. This story just broke an hour ago. Why do you wonder why you haven't heard an outcry? Sounds like a rhetorical question on your part. And a false dilemma, or some damned fallacy.

Don't hold your breath waiting for the "Free Mumia" crowd to get all worked up over this one. Castro's one of theirs.

Edited to add: I'm not saying everyone (or even more than a small number) opposed to capital punishment are of this crowd, but they seem to be the ones doing the demonstrating. I know from the experience here in Illinois how flawed the death penalty can be.

 

[hgc]

WildCat:

Don't hold your breath waiting for the "Free Mumia" crowd to get all worked up over this one. Castro's one of theirs.

That's a diversion. The "Free Mumia" crowd is not a fair representation of the anti-capital punishment crowd. My implied complaint to Segnosaur is the lack of outcry (besides him not waiting a decent interval) about this thing in Cuba has no bearing on the arguments against capital punishment. It's just more political posturing on his part.

 

[Segnosaur]

Are you implying that Americans who oppose capital punishment as policy here would not oppose it in Cuba? Maybe people think it's more important to fight for the right thing here in our own country than focus on domestic policy in other countries. Who knows?

Not necessarily just Americans... People in Europe like to point to capital punishment in America as 'barbaric'. (Many europeans on this board have that attitude too.)

 

[hgc]

Segnosaur:

Not necessarily just Americans... People in Europe like to point to capital punishment in America as 'barbaric'. (Many europeans on this board have that attitude too.)

So what? What matters about capital punishment in America is what we think. Do you think what they did in Cuba is barbaric? I bet you have an opinion. I know I think it stinks. But why would you think your opinion about it is any more relevant to Cubans than Euros' opinions about us is relevant to you?

 

[Cain]

I wonder why there isn't the anti-capital punishment outcry in this case that you normally hear whenever capital punishment in the US is discussed.

Silliness. I oppose state sanctioned executions in any and every country that continue to maintain the barbaric practice. Does that mean death penalty opponents rush to post their views on the James Randi message board *every time* some government murders another one of its own citizens? I think not.

In terms of protest and the expression of dissent, there's a slight difference between foreign and domestic executions: (semi)-democratic societies concede some control to the citizen population. I'm a citizen of the U.S. and it's my responsibility as a human being who strives for basic decency to speak out against crimes committed by my government, which supposedly represents and acts in my interests. I'm not a citizen of Russia, so crimes in Chechnya do not capture my attention the same way as proportionate U.S. atrocities would (though those crimes should be highlighted and dealt with).

This is just a political cheap shot. Ask any anti-death penalty person residing in the U.S. if they approve of these recent murders. Ah, but it's always better to highlight some phantom hypocrisy than confront the issue in a more direct, honest manner.

 

[Supercharts]

Not necessarily just Americans... People in Europe like to point to capital punishment in America as 'barbaric'. (Many europeans on this board have that attitude too.)

Ever wonder about those East German soldiers who shot people as they tried to escape over the wall? Why there were no demonstrations in West Europe?

 

[hgc]

And by the way, the pro-capital punishment crowd is always calling for faster, faster, faster executions, and for a wider variety of crimes. You guys should be very impressed by the way they do it in Cuba.

 

[hgc]

Supercharts:

Ever wonder about those East German soldiers who shot people as they tried to escape over the wall? Why there were no demonstrations in West Europe?

The level of ignorance displayed in this post is astounding. What kind of demonstration of western Europe's feelings can match the fact that they were glad to have the might of the American military protecting them against that kind of life for the duration of the cold war.

 

[Gregor]

Hijacker? What hijackers?

Wait - People leaving Cuba?

Cuba is a socialist paradise. They have free health care, dammit.

It's what Berkeley CA would be if it had the chance. Who'd want to leave paradise? There must be something wrong, here.

Let's see Janeen (sp?) Garafalo, one of the knuckle-headed Baldwin clan, or Tim Robins protest about Cuba. Not likely.

 

[Tricky]

Cuba is a place where people are allowed no freedom of expression, the government controls every aspect of your life, questioning the government is forbidden, and crime is almost non-existant due to the severity of punishment. In short, it is John Ashcroft's dream world.

 

[Tony]

Cuba is a place where people are allowed no freedom of expression, the government controls every aspect of your life, questioning the government is forbidden, and crime is almost non-existant due to the severity of punishment. In short, it is John Ashcroft's dream world.

Your tinfoil hat is falling off.