Regarding Henri Huysegoms Feb. 7 letter, "No place for official revenge" (about the execution of three condemned convicts in December): I agree with Huysegoms that life must be valued and that there was no death penalty in Japan during the Heian Period (eighth through 12th century).
But if there is no death sentence after a murder has been proven, the public will be pushed to take the law into their own hands and start revenge killings. A human life that has taken another human life is not considered to have value. Harsh punishment is necessary to keep law in the hands of government and to create fear of the results of murdering someone.
amit chaturvedi
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.