Delhi gang-rape: four sentenced to death

Four men were sentenced to death earlier this week for the rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman on in Delhi.

The sentence was pronounced at 2.30pm by Yogesh Khanna, the judge who has presided over the case since last December when a young physiotherapist died as a result of the assault.

The judge has explained the gravity of the sentence, saying that such terrible crimes cannot be tolerated. “We cannot turn a blind eye towards such a gruesome crime. There cannot be any tolerance,” he said, adding: “The victim was tortured to the end. There is a zero tolerance in society for such a crime.”

The four men – Mukesh Singh, Vinay Sharma, Akshay Thakur and Pawan Gupta – have been sentenced to death by hanging as a new law introduced in March has determined.

After the assault back in December, the four men were immediately tracked down by the authorities thanks to CCTV images which were also used to find the bus where the aggression took place.

The parents of the victim are said to be happy about the sentence which will bring justice for their daughter. The assault caused several demonstrations all around India and put womens’ rights under question in the country. 

Following Friday’s verdict, several human rights groups have strongly criticized the death penalty, stating that it won’t stop violence against women. According to Human Rights Watch, an international non-governmental organisation, the punishment of the aggressors is as important as carrying out a series of reforms aimed at protecting women all around India.

Tara Rao, director of Amnesty International India, said: “Sending these four men to the gallows will accomplish nothing except short-term revenge.”

She added: “While the widespread anger over this case is understandable, authorities must avoid using the death penalty as a ‘quick-fix’ solution.”

Camilla Capasso