ARAB TIMES, SUNDAY, JANUARY 17, 2021 INTERNATIONAL 7

Death Penalty

Highest in 120 years Trump govt carries out final execution TERRE HAUTE, Ind, Jan 16, (AP): The Trump adminis- tration early Saturday carried out its 13th federal execution since July, an unprecedented run that concluded just fi ve days before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden - an opponent of the federal death penalty. Dustin Higgs, convicted of ordering the killings of three women in a Maryland wildlife refuge in 1996, was the third to receive a lethal injection this week at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana. President Donald Trump’s Justice Department resumed federal executions last year following a 17-year hiatus. No president in more than 120 years had overseen as many fed- eral executions. Higgs, 48, was pronounced dead at 1:23 a.m. Asked if he had any last words, Higgs was calm but defi ant, naming each of the wom- en prosecutors said he ordered killed. “I’d like to say I am an innocent man. ... I am not responsible for the deaths,” he said softly. “I did not or- der the murders.” He did not apologize for any- thing he did on the night 25 years ago when the women were shot by another man, who received a life sentence. Trump As the lethal injection of pentobar- bital began to fl ow into his veins, Higgs looked toward a room reserved for his relatives and lawyers. He waved with his fi ngers and said, “I love you.” Louds sobs of a woman crying inconsolably began to echo from the witness room reserved for Higgs’ family as his eyes rolled back in his head, showing the whites of his eyes. He quickly became still, his pupils visible with his President-elect Joe Biden speaks about the COVID-19 pandemic during an event at The Queen Theater, on Jan 14, in Wilmington, Del, as Vice-President-elect eyelids left partially open. Kamala Harris listens. (AP) A sister of Tanji Jackson - one of the murdered women who was 21 when she died - addressed a written statement to Higgs after his execution and mentioning his family. “They are now going to go through the pain we experi- America enced,” she said. “When the day is over, your death will not bring my sister and the other victims back. This is not closure.” The statement didn’t include the sister’s name. Sentences Biden vows to boost COVID vaccine supplies The number of federal death sentences carried out under Trump since 2020 is more than in the previous 56 years combined, reducing the number of prisoners on federal ‘We’ll manage hell out of feds response’ death row by nearly a quarter. It’s likely none of the around 50 remaining men will be executed anytime soon, if ever, WILMINGTON, Del, Jan 16, (AP): problems. Until now states have been what a stupid, stupid thing to happen.” with Biden signaling he’ll end federal executions. President-elect Joe Biden has pledged focused on inoculating health care Biden has long held that economic The only woman on death row, Lisa Montgomery, was to boost supplies of coronavirus vac- workers, and some are starting to vac- recovery is inextricably tied to control executed Wednesday for killing a pregnant woman, then cine and set up new vaccination sites cinate people 75 and older. Relatively of the coronavirus. cutting the baby out of her womb. She was the fi rst woman to meet his goal of 100 million shots in few are providing shots to people be- Under Biden’s multipronged strat- executed in nearly 70 years. 100 days. It’s part of a broader COVID tween 65 and 75. egy, about $20 billion would be allo- strategy that also seeks to straighten Another carryover from the Trump cated for a more disciplined focus on Federal executions began as the coronavirus pan- out snags in testing and ensure minor- administration plan: Biden said he in- vaccination, on top of some $8 billion demic raged through prisons nationwide. Among those ity communities are not left out. tends to mobilize local pharmacies to already approved by Congress. Biden prisoners who got COVID-19 last month were Higgs “Some wonder if we are reaching administer vaccines. has called for setting up mass vaccina- and former drug trafficker Corey Johnson, who was ex- too far,” Biden said Friday. “Let me “Is it achievable?” he asked. “It’s tion centers and sending mobile units ecuted Thursday. be clear, I’m convinced we can get it a legitimate question to ask. Let me to hard-to-reach areas. In the early Saturday execution of Higgs, offi cials inside done.” be clear. I’m convinced we can get it On Friday, he announced former the execution chamber were more diligent about their keep- The real payoff, Biden said, will done.” FDA chief David Kessler as his chief ing masks on after a federal judge expressed concern that At a protest of the execution of Corey come from uniting the nation in a new In fact, Dr. Leana Wen, a public science officer for the vaccine drive. offi cials at Johnson’s execution were lax about coronavirus Johnson, on Jan 14, near the Federal effort grounded in science. health expert and emergency physi- Kessler has been advising Biden as a precautions. When a marshal called from a death-chamber Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Biden spoke a day after unveiling a cian, said the president-elect should co-chair of his advisory board on the phone to ask if there were any impediments to proceeding Ind, Charles Keith, of Canton, Ohio, $1.9 trillion “American Rescue Plan” aim higher. coronavirus pandemic. A pediatrician with Higgs’ execution, he kept his mask on and shoved the holds a sign with all of the mugshots to confront the virus and provide tem- “At this point, mass vaccination is and attorney, he has emphasized a receiver under it. of the 10 men and one woman who porary support for a shaky economy. our last and best chance to restoring need to ease public concerns about the have been executed by the federal About $400 billion of the plan is fo- normalcy,” she said. “There should safety of the vaccines. Not since the waning days of Grover Cleveland’s presi- government since July 14, 2020. (AP) dency in the late 1800s has the U.S. government executed cused on measures aimed at control- be no expenses spared in the vaccine With the backing of Congress and federal inmates during a presidential transition, according ling the virus. Those range from mass rollout. A hundred million in 100 days the expertise of private and govern- vaccination centers to more sophisti- needs to be seen as only a start.” ment scientists, the Trump adminis- to the Death Penalty Information Center. Cleveland’s was cated scientific analysis of new strains tration delivered two highly effective also the last presidency during which the number of civil- and squads of local health workers to Strategy vaccines and more are on the way. Yet ians executed federally was in the double digits in one year, trace the contacts of infected people. Two medical groups, the Infectious a month after the first shots were giv- 1896. “You have my word: We will man- Diseases Society of America and the en, the nation’s vaccination campaign In an opinion piece in The Washington Post earlier this age the hell out of this operation,” HIV Medicine Group, said Friday eve- is off to a slow start with about 12.3 week, Martin Luther King III, the eldest son of Martin Lu- Biden declared. He underscored a need ning they “strongly support” the Biden million doses administered out of more ther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, noted that Higgs, a for Congress to approve more money plan. The strategy “will be vital to end- than 31 million delivered, or 39%. Black man, was scheduled to die Friday - his father’s birth- and for people to keep following basic ing the impacts of COVID-19” in the About 10.6 million individuals have day. With last-minute appeals, it was delayed into early precautions, such as wearing masks, US, the groups said. received first or second doses, accord- Saturday. avoiding gatherings and frequently As Biden spoke, some governors ing to the Centers for Disease Control “The federal government should not be needlessly tak- washing their hands. blasted the Trump administration for and Prevention. But the American ing more Black lives, and to do so on my father’s birthday Widodo Kim Throughout the plan, there’s a focus what at least one said was “deception” Hospital Association estimates that would be shameful,” he wrote. on ensuring that minority communities in suggesting earlier this week that a 246 million must be vaccinated to Pressure is already building on Biden to follow that have borne the brunt of the pan- reserve of vaccine doses was ready to reach widespread or “herd” immunity through on pledges to end the federal death penalty. The Asia demic are not shortchanged on vac- ship, augmenting supplies. An admin- by the summer. Vaccines currently cines and treatments. istration official said states have still available require two shots to be fully ACLU released a statement after Higgs’ execution urg- not ordered all of the doses allocated ing Biden to invoke his presidential powers after he is A key challenge for Biden and the effective. nation: Vaccines are in too-short sup- to them, and called it a problem with Biden has called the vaccine rollout sworn in. NTSB team in Jakarta: A team from the US National Transportation Safety Board ply. states’ expectations. “a dismal failure so far.” “He must commute the sentences of people on the feder- has arrived in Indonesia’s capital to join the Biden said he would use the Defense Biden committed to better commu- “We need to be getting to more than al death row to life without parole, and he must drop death investigation into the crash of a Sriwijaya Production Act, a Cold War-era law, to nication with the states, to avoid such 3 million vaccinations a day, rapidly,” from all pending trials,” the ACLU said. Air Boeing 737-500, the head of Indone- boost vaccine supplies and work with surprises. His plan calls for the federal said Wen. In 2000, a federal jury in Maryland convicted Higgs of sia’s National Transportation Safety Com- the Federal Emergency Management government to fully reimburse states Biden’s plan also would provide murder and kidnapping in the killings of Tamika Black, 19; mittee said Saturday. Agency to set up 100 vaccination cen- that mobilize their National Guards to $50 billion to expand testing, which is Mishann Chinn, 23; and Tanji Jackson. The team also comprises representatives ters around the country by the end of help distribute vaccines. seen as key to reopening most schools Argued from the US Federal Aviation Administra- his first month in office. Biden’s proposal comes as a divided by the end of the new administration’s tion, Boeing and General Electric. They “Almost a year later, we’re still far nation is in the grip of the pandemic’s first 100 days. About $130 billion Higgs’ lawyers argued it was “arbitrary and inequitable” joined personnel from Singapore’s Trans- from back to normal. The honest truth most dangerous wave yet. “We remain would be allocated to help schools re- to execute Higgs while Willis Haynes, the man who fi red portation Safety Investigation Bureau at the is this: Things will get worse before in a very dark winter,” he said. open without risking further contagion. the shots that killed the women, was spared a death sen- search and rescue command center at Tan- they get better,” he said Friday, as US The political outlook for the legisla- The plan would fund the hiring of tence. jung Priok port in Jakarta to see some of the deaths climbed closer to 400,000. The tion remains unclear, although a pow- 100,000 public health workers, to fo- In a statement after the execution, Higgs’ attorney, plane debris. global toll has now reached 2 million. erful business lobbying group, the US cus on encouraging people to get vac- The plane lost contact with air traffic con- Shawn Nolan, said his client had spent decades on death trollers minutes after taking off from Jakarta Biden seconded the Trump admin- Chamber of Commerce, welcomed its cinated and on tracing the contacts of row helping other inmates. during heavy rain on Jan. 9. The jet crashed istration’s call earlier this week for focus on controlling the pandemic. those infected with the coronavirus. “There was no reason to kill him, particularly during the into the Java Sea, killing all 62 people on states to start vaccinating more seniors, “This is not a political issue,” Biden The Biden administration also plans to pandemic and when he, himself, was sick with Covid that board. reaching those 65 and older as well as said. “This is about saving lives. I launch a public education campaign to he contracted because of these irresponsible, super-spread- Divers found parts of the cockpit voice younger people with certain health know it’s become a partisan issue, but overcome doubts about vaccination. er executions,” Nolan said. recorder on Friday as more personnel joined Higgs had a traumatic childhood and lost his mother to the search for wreckage and victims. Inves- tigators have already downloaded informa- a surge of cases since December. and Liaoning in the northeast and Sichuan The Commission blamed the latest cases cancer when he was 10, Higgs’ Dec. 19 petition for clem- A total of 645 people are being treated in in the southwest. on people or goods arriving from abroad. It ency petition said. tion from the plane’s flight data recorder, which was recovered earlier this week. Nangong and the Hebei provincial capital, The latest infections spread unusually blamed “abnormal management” and “inad- Higgs was 23 on the evening of Jan. 26, 1996, when he, “There are 330 parameters and every- Shijiazhuang, Xinhua said. A 3,000-room fast, the National Health Commission said. equate protection of workers” involved in Haynes and a third man, Victor Gloria, picked up the three thing is in good condition. We are learn- hospital is under construction in Shiji- “It is harder to handle,” a Commission imports but gave no details. women in Washington, D.C., and drove them to Higgs’ ing about it now,” said Soerjanto Tjahjono, azhuang. statement said. “Community transmission “They are all imported from abroad. It apartment in Laurel, Maryland, to drink alcohol and listen chairman of the National Transportation Virus clusters also have been found in already has happened when the epidemic is was caused by entry personnel or contami- to music. Before dawn, an argument between Higgs and Safety Committee. Beijing and the provinces of Heilongjiang found, so it is difficult to prevent.” nated cold chain imported goods,” said the Jackson prompted her to grab a knife in the kitchen before President Joko Widodo’s government statement. (AP) Haynes persuaded her to drop it. granted a waiver allowing the NTSB team ❑ ❑ ❑ Gloria said Jackson made threats as she left the apart- to enter the country during its coronavirus- NKorea holds military parade: North ment with the other women and appeared to write down related travel ban in which foreigners are Korea displayed new submarine-launched bal- the license plate number of Higgs’ van, angering him. The barred from entering. listic missiles under development and other The 26-year-old Boeing 737-500 was out military hardware in a parade that underlined three men chased after the women in Higgs’ van. Haynes of service for almost nine months last year persuaded them to get into the vehicle. leader Kim Jong Un’s defiant calls to expand because of flight cutbacks caused by the the country’s nuclear weapons program. Instead of taking them home, Higgs drove them to a se- pandemic. The airline and Indonesian of- State media said Kim took center stage in cluded spot in the Patuxent National Wildlife Refuge, fed- ficials say it underwent inspections, includ- ing for possible engine corrosion that could Thursday night’s parade celebrating a ma- eral land in Laurel. jor ruling party meeting in which he vowed “Aware at that point that something was amiss, one of have developed during the layoff, before it resumed commercial flying in December. maximum efforts to bolster the nuclear and the women asked if they were going to have to ‘walk from missile program that threatens Asian rivals here’ and Higgs responded ‘something like that,’” accord- (AP) ❑ ❑ ❑ and the American homeland to counter what ing to court documents. he described as US hostility. Higgs handed his pistol to Haynes, who shot all three China builds hospital in 5 days: China During an eight-day Workers’ Party con- women outside the van, Gloria testifi ed. on Saturday finished building a 1,500-room gress that ended Tuesday, Kim also revealed “Gloria turned to ask Higgs what he was doing, but hospital for COVID-19 patients to fight a plans to salvage the nation’s economy, hit saw Higgs holding the steering wheel and watching the surge in infections the government said are by US-led sanctions over his nuclear ambi- shootings from the rearview mirror,” said the 2013 rul- harder to contain and that it blamed on in- tions, pandemic-related border closures and ing by a three-judge panel of the 4th US Circuit Court fected people or goods from abroad. natural disasters that wiped out crops. The hospital is one of six with a total of The new elected Christian Democratic Union, CDU, party chairman Armin The economic setbacks have left Kim with of Appeals. 6,500 rooms being built in Nangong, south Laschet, (center), greeted by outgoing chairwoman Annegret Kramp-Karren- nothing to show for his ambitious diplomacy Chinn worked with the children’s choir at a church, Jack- of Beijing in Hebei province, the official Xi- bauer, (left), after the voting at a digital party convention in Berlin, Germany, with President Donald Trump, which derailed son worked in the offi ce at a high school and Black was a nhua News Agency said. on Jan 16. The party of German Chancellor Angela Merkel decided on a suc- over disagreements about sanctions relief in teacher’s aide at National Presbyterian School in Washing- China had largely contained the corona- cessor for the outgoing chairwoman Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, (left), at the exchange for North Korean denuclearization ton, according to The Washington Post. virus that first was detected in the central convention. On the (right) stands the other candidate of the fi nal voting Friedrich steps, and pushed Kim to what is clearly the city of Wuhan in late 2019 but has suffered Merz. (AP) toughest moment of his nine-year rule. (AP)