Nearly 150,000 South Koreans have backed a demand by three sisters to have their father executed for the brutal killing of their mother, in a case highlighting the nation’s lax punishment of domestic violence.
The trio’s mother was stabbed to death by her ex-husband in the car park of her apartment complex last week after years of physical abuse.
“Our father is a heinous criminal who must forever be isolated from society,” the daughters said in a petition filed on the Web site of the presidential Blue House. “We are petitioning for him to be sentenced to death to prevent further victims.”
It had received more than 147,000 signatures by yesterday afternoon.
South Korea retains the death penalty in law, but last carried out an execution in 1997 and is regarded as abolitionist in practice.
The murder has shone a spotlight on South Korea’s poor handling of domestic abuse cases, where the perpetrators are often assigned to counseling or given restraining orders.
According to a report by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, nearly half of 16,868 cases of domestic violence reported to police in 2015 did not result in any criminal punishment.
Rights groups say the current law focuses more on maintaining a family structure rather than punishment of the abuser, perpetuating the problem.
“A perpetrator is a subject for punishment, not a subject for counselling,” activist Kim Myung-jin said at a rally in downtown Seoul yesterday. “Counselling cannot be punishment.”
Last week’s assailant — identified only by his surname, Kim — was arrested and reports said he had admitted the killing during police questioning, quoting his lawyer telling reporters that Kim was “regretful” for his actions.
His daughters said their mother had endured more than 20 years of physical abuse and death threats from their father.
“Even after their divorce, our father came to our home with a knife,” one of the three told the Chosun Ilbo newspaper. “Whenever that happened, we had to move.”
Their mother was always on the run from their father, hiding at women’s shelters and in the countryside for months, but every time she would be discovered and beaten, her daughters said.
“At one time, my father followed my sister and found out where we were living,” they said. “He brought a knife, some tape and ropes and threatened to kill us.”
“We always lived in fear,” they said. “We moved six times in the last four years.”
PARLIAMENT CHAOS: Police forcibly removed Brazilian Deputy Glauber Braga after he called the legislation part of a ‘coup offensive’ and occupied the speaker’s chair Brazil’s lower house of Congress early yesterday approved a bill that could slash former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro’s prison sentence for plotting a coup, after efforts by a lawmaker to disrupt the proceedings sparked chaos in parliament. Bolsonaro has been serving a 27-year term since last month after his conviction for a scheme to stop Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office after the 2022 election. Lawmakers had been discussing a bill that would significantly reduce sentences for several crimes, including attempting a coup d’etat — opening up the prospect that Bolsonaro, 70, could have his sentence cut to
A plan by Switzerland’s right-wing People’s Party to cap the population at 10 million has the backing of almost half the country, according to a poll before an expected vote next year. The party, which has long campaigned against immigration, argues that too-fast population growth is overwhelming housing, transport and public services. The level of support comes despite the government urging voters to reject it, warning that strict curbs would damage the economy and prosperity, as Swiss companies depend on foreign workers. The poll by newspaper group Tamedia/20 Minuten and released yesterday showed that 48 percent of the population plan to vote
A powerful magnitude 7.6 earthquake shook Japan’s northeast region late on Monday, prompting tsunami warnings and orders for residents to evacuate. A tsunami as high as three metres (10 feet) could hit Japan’s northeastern coast after an earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 7.6 occurred offshore at 11:15 p.m. (1415 GMT), the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. Tsunami warnings were issued for the prefectures of Hokkaido, Aomori and Iwate, and a tsunami of 40cm had been observed at Aomori’s Mutsu Ogawara and Hokkaido’s Urakawa ports before midnight, JMA said. The epicentre of the quake was 80 km (50 miles) off the coast of
Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro on Friday said that his father, jailed former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, has chosen him to lead the country’s powerful conservative movement, shaking up next year’s election race. The 44-year-old senator said on social media that he will carry forward the political legacy that reshaped Brazilian politics. His announcement makes him an instant contender for the presidency. Jair Bolsonaro, 70, is unlikely to run after being sentenced to 27 years for plotting a coup and banned from public office. He is appealing and seeking a legislative pardon. The former president also faces serious health issues, including complications from a
RSS