Delhi gang rape: Four sentenced to death
Delhi gang rape: Four sentenced to death
13 September 2013 Last updated at 12:54
four men had pleaded not guilty and are expected to appeal
An Indian court has sentenced four men to death for the
gang rape and murder of a student in the capital Delhi, a
case which led to violent protests across India and new laws
against rape.
Mukesh Singh, Vinay Sharma, Akshay Thakur and Pawan Gupta were
found guilty on all counts earlier this week.
Judge Yogesh Khanna said the case fell in the "rarest of rare
category", rejecting pleas for a lighter sentence.
The woman, 23, was attacked on a bus in December and died two
weeks later.
'Justice delivered'
On Friday, Judge Khanna said the attack "shocked the collective
conscience" of India, and that "courts cannot turn a blind eye" to such
crimes.
"This case definitely falls in the rarest of rare categories and warrants
the exemplary punishment of death," he added.
The men were convicted to death by hanging, and one of them, Vinay
Sharma, broke down in tears as the verdict was announced.
The father of the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said
the family was satisfied with the ruling.
"We are very happy. Justice has been delivered," he said in the
courtroom, according to the Associated Press news agency.
Earlier, protesters outside the court had demanded that the four men
should be hanged.
As they were escorted to the courtroom, the four men shouted to the
crowd: "Brothers, save us!"
They all deny the charges and can still appeal against the verdict to
the Supreme Court and also ask the president for clemency - a
process that could take years.
The defence lawyers argued during the trial that their clients had
been tortured and some of their confessions - later retracted - had
been coerced.
There was unprecedented police security in Delhi on Friday.
The road to the court was barricaded by police, and inside riot police
took up positions as the lawyers were escorted in, the BBC's Sanjoy
Majumder in the Indian capital reports.
'Quick-fix' solution
In August, a teenager who was found guilty of taking part in the rape
was sentenced to three years in a reform facility, the maximum term
possible because the crime was committed when he was 17. He also
denied all the charges.
Another suspect, Ram Singh, was found dead in his cell in March.
Prison officials said they believed he hanged himself but his family
allege he was murdered.
The December attack sparked a national debate on the treatment of
women.
Tough new laws were introduced in March which allowed the death
penalty - carried out very rarely in India - to be handed down in the
most serious cases of rape.
Reacting to Friday's verdict, human rights groups said the death
penalties would not end violence against women in India and that far-
reaching reforms were needed to tackle the endemic problem.
"Sending these four men to the gallows will accomplish nothing
except short-term revenge," said Tara Rao, Director of Amnesty
International India.
"While the widespread anger over this case is understandable,
authorities must avoid using the death penalty as a 'quick-fix'
solution."
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch's South Asia director Meenakshi
Ganguly told the BBC: "The punishment of perpetrators is important
but equally working together as a society to keep women safe is
much, much more important."
13 September 2013 Last updated at 12:54
four men had pleaded not guilty and are expected to appeal
An Indian court has sentenced four men to death for the
gang rape and murder of a student in the capital Delhi, a
case which led to violent protests across India and new laws
against rape.
Mukesh Singh, Vinay Sharma, Akshay Thakur and Pawan Gupta were
found guilty on all counts earlier this week.
Judge Yogesh Khanna said the case fell in the "rarest of rare
category", rejecting pleas for a lighter sentence.
The woman, 23, was attacked on a bus in December and died two
weeks later.
'Justice delivered'
On Friday, Judge Khanna said the attack "shocked the collective
conscience" of India, and that "courts cannot turn a blind eye" to such
crimes.
"This case definitely falls in the rarest of rare categories and warrants
the exemplary punishment of death," he added.
The men were convicted to death by hanging, and one of them, Vinay
Sharma, broke down in tears as the verdict was announced.
The father of the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said
the family was satisfied with the ruling.
"We are very happy. Justice has been delivered," he said in the
courtroom, according to the Associated Press news agency.
Earlier, protesters outside the court had demanded that the four men
should be hanged.
As they were escorted to the courtroom, the four men shouted to the
crowd: "Brothers, save us!"
They all deny the charges and can still appeal against the verdict to
the Supreme Court and also ask the president for clemency - a
process that could take years.
The defence lawyers argued during the trial that their clients had
been tortured and some of their confessions - later retracted - had
been coerced.
There was unprecedented police security in Delhi on Friday.
The road to the court was barricaded by police, and inside riot police
took up positions as the lawyers were escorted in, the BBC's Sanjoy
Majumder in the Indian capital reports.
'Quick-fix' solution
In August, a teenager who was found guilty of taking part in the rape
was sentenced to three years in a reform facility, the maximum term
possible because the crime was committed when he was 17. He also
denied all the charges.
Another suspect, Ram Singh, was found dead in his cell in March.
Prison officials said they believed he hanged himself but his family
allege he was murdered.
The December attack sparked a national debate on the treatment of
women.
Tough new laws were introduced in March which allowed the death
penalty - carried out very rarely in India - to be handed down in the
most serious cases of rape.
Reacting to Friday's verdict, human rights groups said the death
penalties would not end violence against women in India and that far-
reaching reforms were needed to tackle the endemic problem.
"Sending these four men to the gallows will accomplish nothing
except short-term revenge," said Tara Rao, Director of Amnesty
International India.
"While the widespread anger over this case is understandable,
authorities must avoid using the death penalty as a 'quick-fix'
solution."
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch's South Asia director Meenakshi
Ganguly told the BBC: "The punishment of perpetrators is important
but equally working together as a society to keep women safe is
much, much more important."
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