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Favour Hanging? You Won't After You Hear This!

Although public opionion seems to support the abolition of capital punishment - and be against Nguyen Van being hanged in Singapore - there are those who loudly proclaim that hanging is ok and that the young Vietnamese in Singapore should be executed.

Deterrent is often cited as the reason for capital punishment. Assuming there to be any validity to that viewpoint [which overwhelming evidence shows there is not] to be consistent the hanging, or whatever, should be public. Say, the City Square or such like. Oh yeah? No way would be the response. Too repugnant, unsightly and unpleasant.

Ronald Ryan was the last person to be hanged in Australia. That was in Victoria in 1967. Phil Opas QC represented Ryan. A then Radio 3AW news editor, Brian Morley, witnessed the hanging. It is so obvious that Morley is still, to this day, traumatised by what he saw that fateful day when Ryan was hanged. Listen to an interview with Phil Opas and Brian Morley [this morning on the ABC Radio National Breakfast program] here.

I suspect that anyone hearing Morley will not continue advocating the death penalty, let alone death by hanging.

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