Amnesty International demands immediate stop to
Japan's executions
Saturday 12th April
LONDON —
Amnesty International urged the Japanese government Friday
to immediately cease executions following the hanging of
four inmates on Thursday. ‘‘We call on the Japanese
government to adopt an immediate moratorium on executions
in accordance with last year’s United Nations resolution,’’
Amnesty said. The execution of the four has brought the
total number of executions in Japan in 2008 to seven.
‘‘We are extremely concerned about the increased number of
executions,’’ Amnesty said, remarking on the steep rise in
executions under Justice Minister Kunio Hatoyama. Amnesty
maintains that the executions have taken place in spite of
the U.N. General Assembly’s adoption last December of a
resolution calling on all member states to uphold a
moratorium on executions as the first step toward
abolishing the death penalty.