Judge wants death penalty re-introduced here

The Judge of the 16th Judicial Circuit Court in Bopolu City, Gbarpolu County Zuballah Kizeku, is calling for re-introduction of death penalty in Liberia. The call is contained in his charge marking the close of the November A.D. 2017 Term of Court in Bopolu City delivered on 19 December.

Judge Kizeku notes that Liberia, having experienced a brutal civil conflict, needs death penalty in order to curtail the increasing wave of hideous murders. According to the judge, he sentenced a 75-year-old defendant Boakai Konneh for murdering his 65-year-old wife (not named) with a cutlass in Bopolu District.

Defendant Konneh and the deceased were blessed with nine children. Judge Kizeku stresses that re-introduction of the death penalty would deter would-be murderers from committing willful killings and thinking that they will go with impunity.

He says while he is aware of the international declaration on death penalty, it was equally important that the penalty be re-introduced in the country to ensure that those who willfully murder others, pay high price for their actions.

The Gbarpolu Circuit Court Judge specifically recalled the firm stance of the late Liberian President William R. Tolbert, Jr., who signed the death warrant in 1977 for Allen Yancy and others, including his family member in connection with the gruesome murder of Moses Tweh in March 1977 in Harper City, Maryland County, southeast Liberia.

Judge Kizeku emphasizes that President Tolbert’s decision to approve the death warrant by hanging of the convicts deterred individuals, who believed that they could willfully kill and go with impunity.

By Emmanuel Mondaye–Editing by Jonathan Browne