Safely Executed

IN NOVEMBER 1974, bombs exploded in two pubs in Birmingham, England, killing 21 and injuring 162. Six Irishmen were arrested, convicted for murder, and sentenced to life imprisonment. This March, after the longest criminal appeal in British history, their convictions were overturned.

One side-effect of this successful appeal has been to make it impossible for capital punishment to be reintroduced in Britain. It may also affect the American debate on retaining the death penalty. Among the Western democracies, America is now the odd one out, for no one else executes.

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Christie Davies

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IN NOVEMBER 1974, bombs exploded in two pubs in Birmingham, England, killing 21 and injuring 162. Six Irishmen were arrested, convicted for murder, and sentenced to life imprisonment. This March, after the longest criminal appeal in British history, their convictions were overturned.

One side-effect of this successful appeal has been to make it impossible for capital punishment to be reintroduced in Britain. It may also affect the American debate on retaining the death penalty. Among the Western democracies, America is now the odd one out, for no one else executes.