Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Cruel and Unusual Punishment



On February 14, 2013 in Sudan, a court sentence called for a man to be punished for armed robbery by having his right hand and left foot amputated by doctors. This is a form of cruel and unusual punishment, which is illegal. However, the government of Sudan has made this punishment legal, along with stoning and flogging penalties. These punishments should not be tolerated, as they greatly violate human rights laws.
The United States punishes its criminals by sending them to jail. Even the worst of criminals, such as those that commit mass murders, are sent to prison to suffer there for years or even a lifetime. However, the United States would never brutally punish even its worst criminals in abnormal ways, such as amputating hands and feet. Therefore, one who commits an armed robbery would simply be put in jail.  Although the culture in Sudan is very different from that of the United States, a person is still a person no matter where he or she may live. In the end, people still have certain rights, regardless of their actions – shelter from cruel and unusual punishment is one of them.
I believe that action must be taken in Sudan. According to the article, Human Rights organizations have called on the Sudanese government to ban these brutal punishments. However, there is no guarantee that action will be taken, as Sudan has, in the past, signed Human Rights documents against such torture. Therefore, it is imperative that our government and Human Rights organizations investigate this issue and verify that those in Sudan and receiving the rights that they are entitled to.

By: Erika Staskevicius

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