What moral people those French are.

[Flame]

Paris Warns U.S. Against Moussaoui Death Penalty

PARIS (Reuters) - Paris has warned Washington it could review its cooperation with the Sept. 11 probe if the United States sought the death penalty against a French national charged with aiding the people behind the attacks, French rights groups said Tuesday.

They said Justice Minister Marylise Lebranchu told them in a letter that she had instructed her officials to contact the U.S. Justice Department to voice concern that information gleaned in France could put Zacarias Moussaoui on death row.

The 33-year-old is charged with conspiring with Saudi-born militant Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda network in connection with the hijacked airliner attacks in New York and Washington, which left more than 3,000 people dead last September.

After reaching an agreement with the French government, U.S. prosecutor Robert Spencer attempted to interview Moussaoui's relatives in France this week. "France will take steps to alter the agreement stipulating that any information transmitted to the U.S. judicial authorities ... cannot be used by prosecutors pressing for a death penalty," Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, quoted Lebranchu's March 15 letter as saying.

Moussaoui was the first man charged over the attacks in which hijackers seized four commercial airliners, crashed two into the World Trade Center in New York and one into the Pentagon. The fourth plane crashed in rural Pennsylvania.

Rights groups say Spencer, who questioned Moussaoui's brother Monday, would use the information to argue the suspect should be put to death. U.S. prosecutors are due to decide by March 29 if they will seek the death penalty, the rights groups said.

Moussaoui's brother refused to answer Spencer's questions while his mother failed to turn up for an interview. But the U.S. official was thought to be seeking to interview others connected with the family.

Four of the six charges for which a not guilty plea has been entered on Moussaoui's behalf carry a possible death penalty. Lebranchu has already said France, which scrapped capital punishment in 1981, would not accept the death penalty for Moussaoui.

[McSceptic]

That's quite a common EU position. I understand there is an agreement not to extradite nationals of EU states to US unless there is an agreement from the US side not to seek the death penalty.

It's an example of the politicians being out of step with the people. I think there is a lot of grassroots support for the death penalty in Europe.

On the plus side, at least the US hands out proper sentences, like 600 years without parole.

[Ezra]

Don't worry guys. One Islamic terrorist attack in the heart of Paris, and France will wake up and come begging.

[NewsGuy]

Originally posted by McSceptic
It's an example of the politicians being out of step with the people. I think there is a lot of grassroots support for the death penalty in Europe.

I've always wondered about how most Europeans view that issue, because usually the only ones heard on the topic are ultra-liberals.

I also agree that a little Jihad action on the good old continent, and the Europeans wil be singing a completely different tune.

[McSceptic]

Ultra-il-liberals tend to make a lot of noise on the issue, especially the Italians for some reason.

I think given a referendum most European countries would vote to have a final penalty for some crimes - including mass murder.

The French have already had a jihad experience (although not on the American scale). Muslim extremists from ALgeria planted a series of bombs on the Metro and killed quite a few people. The French counter-terrorist police seemed to break the cell. French cops aren't known for their kid-glove approach.

[L@mplighterM]

France law makes it easier to deal with terrorists. Taking the fifth dosen't work there. Napoleonic code of law. Put u in jail and it's up to you to prove that you're not guilty.

[JustSad]

The death penalty is the only true expression of human civilisation and we Europeans all want it.

Europeans are sick of crime, corruption and terorism.
That the politicians don't have the guts to ask our opinion in a referendum says it all.
The problem is that we are all heavily surpressed by this bunch of so called politicians, who are in fact secretly paid by the Arab oil sheiks. Democracy is just a bitter laugh here. Every day we see the way great nations like Israel en the USA work, wishing we were there.

Unfortunately there is also a large minority (about 40%) in Europe who wants to kill all Jews because they believe all the crap the politicians feed them.
You are very right. We do need more terrorist attacks here. So chaos will come over Europe and we can take the power. We will kill and expell every ultra liberal. (Can you guys give me a good definition of Ultra liberal?)
Anyway, the French are the first facists that have to leave the continent. We have to get rid of all evil-thinkers and Arabs and establisha truly pure Europe with pure, innocent, white people, preferrably jewish people.

Keep up the good struggle and kill all Palestinians and every arab and every one who has another opinion than yourself.
All of are behind you guys and your unlimited wisdom

[JustSad]

We ever told those stupid Europeans to have their own laws? And if they really feel they need something stupid like that, who told them to follow those idiot rules?

They should just forget the paperwork and listen to great men like Bush and Sharon. Follow the leaders! Befehl ist befehl!

[Slack]

i'am strictly against death penelty. even if a murder kills my family or my second son. you can call that foolish, but it's my opinion.
you change nothing if you're downgrading yourself to murder a murder. my first son died because a doctors makes a failure, that shows me to feel humbled.
nobody have the right to kill another human, even if the another person breaks that rule.

[Flame]

Good very good.... comparing murder to an event like what happened on 9-11 lowers moral standards even further... all is now acceptable... one murder here another there... mass slaughter of thousands... no difference.

[Slack]

i try to offer you my thinking, not to offer the one and only truth.
imho it's better to arrest these animals and show the whole world what kind of stupid thinking stands behind this massaker.
i can't talk for a state, but i can talk for myself and my feelings.

if we don't learn from our mistakes they will come back.
see @milovsevic, former president of yugoslawia. he's responsibel for 300.000 death of civil war and now he's a warning for every little dictator or warhead.

same to saddam. it's better to jail in, to make process, to show all the victims, give them a voice. not simple shoot at the next wall. you're not able to turn around and theirs the next dictator in the same footsteps.

[L@mplighterM]

I don?t think the death penalty is murder it?s called execution.

When it comes to executing individuals found guilty of murder I do have some reservations if they are put to death due to weak circumstantial evidence. Admittedly my opinion does depend on the strength of the circumstantial evidence against the individual.

When it comes right down to the nitty gritty of things very few people are pacifists. I would love to be a pacifist and most of the time I?m one especially when I?m sleeping. So I?m a pacifist for about 1/3rd of the time.

Terrorists or people connected to terrorism should be executed. There appears to be strong evidence that Zacarias Moussaoui was supposed to have been the 20th hijacker.
If strong evidence is presented and he?s found guilty execute him.

Phoning known terrorists or receiving money from a terrorist organization is strong evidence. Compound that with the fact that the individual took flying lessons and what do you have? I would say that you have an individual that was conspiring to commit first degree premeditated murder.