“I saw some NGOs opposing the death sentence. In a pre-industrial society like ours, removing death sentence is a recipe for chaos. We believe in the law of Moses; eye for an eye”, President Yoweri Museveni said as he officially opened the annual judges conference at Speke Resort Munyonyo on Monday.
According to the senior presidential press secretary, Don Wanyama, General Museveni has once again echoed is stand on death penalty in Uganda, and repents halting the death sentences of convicts for the last 20 plus years.
Museveni said: “I have been making the mistake of not sanctioning these death sentences, I am repenting.”
“As you are aspire for best international practices, you must be aware that societies like the UK went through the industrial revolution 200 years ago. Here in Uganda and Africa, we are dealing with pre-industrial societies,” he added.
Last week on Thursday, the President revealed that “he will no longer be merciful to those convicted and sentenced to death,”. He claimed that he was merciful before owing to his Christian background, however “increasing crime in the nation” has prompted him to reconsider his position.
“On the death penalty, I have not [been] assenting to hanging of convicts because of my Christian background but being lenient is causing people to think they can cause harm and get away with it. I will revise my position,” he said at a function where he presided over the passing out of 919 prisons officers at the Luzira Prisons Training Academy .
“An eye for an eye”
The concept of “an eye for eye,” sometimes called ‘jus talionis’ or ‘lex talionis’, is part of the Mosaic Law used in the Israelites’ justice system. The principle is that the punishment must fit the crime and there should be a just penalty for evil actions.
Besides Exodus 21, the law of “an eye for an eye” is mentioned twice in the Old Testament (Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21). Each time, the phrase is used in the context of a case being judged before a civil authority such as a judge.
But in Matthew (5:38-42) in the New Testament, Jesus repudiates the notion – however certain scholars insist he [Jesus] was simply separating the responsibility of the government (to punish evildoers justly) from the responsibility we all have on a personal level before God to love our enemies.
“Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.”
If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”
marvin@ugchristiannews.com
