Erstellt am: 27. 3. 2012 - 15:33 Uhr

Capital punishment is dying out

Reality Check: Amnesty International report on the death penalty, Syria asylum seekers, Obamacare, Turkey's ban on gays in the military, the risks of social apps.

The good news is that more and more countries are banning the death penalty. The bad news is that those that still use, many of them executed more people in 2011 than in 2010. One reason for this was the Arab Spring. There was a sharp rise in executions in countries fearing popular uprisings, such as Iran, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, as leaders sought to discourage protesters with heavy punishments. That's the upshot of Amnesty International's latest annual report on the use of the death penalty around the world.

Still more bad news comes in the form of the figures from the United States, which remains in the top 5 countries implementing the death penalty, and the only country in the so called "developed west" to have capital punishment. With 43 death sentences implemented in 2011, the US is in there with Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and North Korea. The worst two countries are China, which is thought to perform thousands of executions each year, and Iran with over 360 last year.

However, Heinz Patzelt of Amnesty in Austria says that overall the picture is steadily improving, and with hard work and patience, he believes the death penalty will be consigned to the history books within the next few decades.
He told Steve Crilley about the key findings in the new report,

Arab League meeting on Syria

The Arab League is meeting in Baghdad to discuss Syria, but with little prospect of making any progress. Meanwhile refugee agencies are struggling to put emergency measures in place to handle the tide of asylum seekers trying to flee from Syria.

Obamacare

President Obama's healthcare law becomes a fiercely argued election issue. Steve Crilley reports on the debate and why it is still such a hot topic.

The Pink Certificate

In Turkey, military service is compulsory for all men, unless they can prove a serious disability or illness, or if they are gay. Proving homosexuality can be a humiliating and degrading experience that many people say contravenes human rights law. Emre Azizlerli has produced a documentary on the dilemma facing young gay men in Turkey, and he tells Kate Farmer about his findings.

Love in the digital age

The social network apps that bring people together - but that also have their risks. Grahame Cluley explains the pros and cons of personal apps to Riem Higazi.

FM4 Reality Check

Monday to Friday from 12.00 to 14.00, and after the show via Podcast or fm4.orf.at/realitycheck.