The recent brutal murder once again enlivened the discussion concerning the restitution of the death penalty as the extreme measure of improving the state of public security. The experiences of countries, in which the death penalty is applied and performed, as well as those, which – like European states – rejected it, indicate that the efficiency of law enforcement authorities and the judiciary is a more effective means in the fight against crime. The death penalty ruins the faith in the absolute, inalienable value of human life. It’s this faith that has to be propagated and upheld, because it is the basis for public morals. That is why we oppose the restitution of the death penalty in Poland, as well as the instrumental treatment of this problem by politicians. Warsaw, July 16, 2004 On behalf of the members of the Helsinki Committee in Poland: Halina Bortnowska -D¹browska, Teresa Bogucka, Marek Edelman, Janusz Grzelak, Zbigniew Ho³da, Jacek Kurczewski, Micha³ Nawrocki, Andrzej Paczkowski, Danuta Przywara, Andrzej Rzepliński, Stefan Starczewski Danuta Przywara
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