編按：羅德島州州長拒絕將囚犯交給聯邦政府。被告在羅德島州已判無期徒刑，但是聯邦政府也想提告。囚犯如果被聯邦政府審判的話，有判死刑的危險。羅德島州很早已經廢除死刑了，現在拒絕聯邦政府的訴求，變成全美國第一次發生州政府拒絕將囚犯交給聯邦檢察官的狀況。以下是紐約時報社論。

December 29, 2011｜The New York Times

Gov. Chafee Declines

Gov. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island took a principled position when he refused an order from a federal court to transfer a prisoner to federal custody for prosecution because that would expose the prisoner to the death penalty. As Mr. Chafee said in a statement, that is “a penalty consciously rejected by the State of Rhode Island, even for those guilty of the most heinous crimes.”

December 29, 2011｜The New York Times

Gov. Chafee Declines

Gov. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island took a principled position when he refused an order from a federal court to transfer a prisoner to federal custody for prosecution because that would expose the prisoner to the death penalty. As Mr. Chafee said in a statement, that is “a penalty consciously rejected by the State of Rhode Island, even for those guilty of the most heinous crimes.”

2011-12-28 中國時報

何榮幸

建國百年即將落幕，政府舉辦的大型活動並未光耀台灣，徒留《夢想家》紛擾爭議。近日發生的「冤獄平反協會」為鄭性澤案請命、台北市政府驅趕遊民風波、花蓮港口部落爭回祖地等事件則提醒台灣社會，唯有努力保障人權、不斷提升人權意識，才能真正光耀台灣並獲得尊敬。

NEW RESOURCES: Bureau of Justice Statistics Releases "Capital Punishment, 2010"

On December 20, the Bureau of Justice Statistics released its annual set of statistical tables on the death penalty in the United States, covering information for 2010. Hightlights from the report include:

2011-12-23 俄新網

明斯克12月23日電

白俄羅斯總統盧卡申科發表聲明說，白俄羅斯仍然需要死刑這種懲罰手段。

盧卡申科周五在新聞發布會上說：“我認為，現在這種懲罰手段的迫切性並沒有降低。”

他指出，1996年全民公決期間，大多數白俄公民投票支持保留死刑。