Campus Times
April 15, 2005
An expert in international law and human rights spoke to more than 30 University of La Verne students and faculty to explain how the global trends of abolishing capital punishment influence the United States.
Professor William A. Schabas, director for the Irish Centre for Human Rights at the National University of Ireland, Galway presented his lecture titled, “The Abolition of Capital Punishment,” on Tuesday night in the West Dining Room.
Schabas explained how the United States’ position on the death penalty compared to other countries around the world. Since the 1980s, countries have internationally ratified the abolition of capital punishment.
The United States is one of the last countries in the world to still actively practice the death penalty. Even countries with violent pasts have done away with the death penalty including Germany, Austria and Italy.
Every year two to three countries abolish the death penalty. With only 67 countries left supporting capital punishment, Schabas believes abolition will become worldwide within roughly 25 years.
“The global trend will influence the United States and the danger of executing the innocent will unnerve people,” Schabas said. “Capital punishment can’t be effective if it wrongs the right people.”
Schabas said the death penalty is becoming an obstacle to the United States on an international level due the high rate of worldwide crime.
“The world is a better place when we have reflecting values and when we eliminate inhumane punishment,” Schabas said. “Punishment is progressively changing and the death penalty is the last form of it.”
After the lecture, Schabas opened the topic to the audience for questions and answers.
The speaker hoped his audience would receive a better understanding of the United States’ position in the global trend, as the death penalty’s abolition is on the horizon.
“I hope the audience received an optimism that the death penalty will be abolished in a reasonable time,” Schabas said.
The audience seemed to sense the speaker’s optimism with mixed views.
“I am skeptical of the fact that the U.S. abolition will take 25 years, but I look forward to see how it turns out,” sophomore Spanish major Irene Beltran said. “I mean global trends hasn’t stopped the country from doing anything else.”
The speaker’s knowledge and in-depth view on international human rights left a strong impression on the audience.
“I learned how isolated the U.S. is on capital punishment, imprisonment and even on democracy,” said Al Clark, the associate vice president of Academic Affairs. “I was extremely impressed with his knowledge and vision of human rights, and his hope for human rights in the future.”
Most of the audience gained a better understanding of international human rights and where the U.S. stands in global values.
“It was very enlightening to see how the U.S.’s joining in the abolition or lack there of places with the rest of the world,” Beltran said.
Schabas has published 12 books examining issues in international human rights law. Some of his works on capital punishment include “The Abolition of the Death Penalty in International Law” and “The Death Penalty as Cruel Treatment and Torture.”
Schabas has traveled around the world advocating the abolition of the death penalty and has contacts with the United Nations.
His stop at ULV was one of many during his tour of the Brethren Colleges Aboard.
The event was sponsored by Brethren Colleges Aboard, the Honors Program and the International and Study Abroad Center.
After Schabas’ talk, the Honors Program hosted a reception in the Honors Center, where the audience could further their discussions with the speaker.
Nicole Knight can be reached at stareknight17@charter.net.