Relatives of murdered Afghans demand death for American sergeant

[alp227]

Source: The Guardian

Relatives of 16 Afghan civilians killed by a US soldier during a midnight rampage through two villages have expressed fury over a plea bargain that could see the perpetrator escape execution in return for confessing to the murders. They have called on US military prosecutors handling the trial of Staff Sergeant Robert Bales to imagine loosing their own loved ones to a gunman bent on murder and deaf to pleas of mercy.

"My last request from the world, all the countries, is that as a family of the victims we want our killer to be hanged," said Haji Baran, who lost his brother Mohammad Daud in the massacre, last March. "If someone entered your house and killed the children and old men and women of the family, what would your response be?"

Bales will enter guilty pleas to charges of premeditated murder on Wednesday, his attorney told the Associated Press. He is expected to be sentenced to life in prison, but a court will decide in September if he will have the possibility of parole. Any plea deal must be approved by both a judge and the commanding general.

There are currently six men on death row in the military prison at Fort Leavenworth, where Bales is being held, but none were convicted for atrocities against foreign citizens and the US military has not executed a service member since 1961.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/02/afghanistan-murders-staff-sergeant-robert-bales

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Plenty of Americans would also demand death for a murderer of a friend/relative. I wonder if Americans who support capital punishment realize what kind of company they're keeping?

[SkyDaddy7]

1. I totally agree!!

Even though this POS deserves to die! I am against the death penalty except in very rare cases like the scumbag in Cleveland!

[JI7]

3. even in the case of the piece of shit in Cleveland we should oppose it

[SkyDaddy7]

5. I know...

But it is so hard when such raw innocence is involved...Let just say I am "evolving" LOL!

[JI7]

2. i was going to say, they sound like many Americans , we need to get rid of the death penalty

look at what those who want james holmes put to death are saying ? the same thing as these afghans. same for that younger Tsarnaev.

we should have sympathy for families and other loved ones of all of the above. but there is a reason we have laws and when our own country has laws that allow people to be put to death how can we tell these afghans different ?

[JI7]

4. he should get life with no chance of parole

[nomorenomore08]

6. I'm not a big fan of the death penalty, for several reasons.

But I would never condemn anyone for wanting a loved one's killer put to death. That said, there's a good reason why victims' families aren't the ones who decide on, or administer, the punishment.

[Pelican]

7. I agree with them...

There is no rehabilitation from this.

There should just be a quick execution and a shallow grave.