Oct. 27, 2005 – With federal lawmakers preparing to confer on reauthorizing and expanding the controversial USA PATRIOT Act, civil liberties and humanitarian organizations are warning that a little-noticed section in the House version of the measure would greatly expand the government’s power to take the life of citizens.
In a statement released today, Human Rights Watch warned that the House included legislation that would "dramatically extend the reach of the federal death penalty and make it significantly easier for the prosecution to secure death, an inherently cruel penalty" into its Patriot Act renewal proposal.
Topping humanitarian groups’ concerns is a clause that would allow prosecutors to seat a new jury to hear cases in which the previous jury could not reach a unanimous decision on a death sentence. According the proposal, introduced by Representative John Carter (R-Texas), federal prosecutors could seat consecutive juries during the sentencing phase of a death penalty case.
"It’s a strange notion of justice indeed to give prosecutors multiple bites at the apple," Human Rights Watch US Director Jamie Fellner said in a press statement. "Death penalty cases are already riddled with unfairness. Why would Congress want to make them worse?"
Among associated concerns raised by humanitarian groups are provisions that would increase the number of terrorism-related crimes eligible for the death penalty and allow judges to reduce the number of jurors involved in capital cases. Human Rights Watch is concerned that individuals supporting organizations accused of terrorism could face the death penalty even if they were unaware of the group’s allegedly violent actions and intent.
Congress is widely expected to approve the Act’s renewal, despite opposition from a number of groups over measures that are expected to further curtail civil liberties and erode privacy protections.
