THERE have been several comments recently, particularly via social media, about convicted murderers being hanged in Guyana. In most cases, the issue raises its head whenever there are murders which shock persons as being notably gruesome.Minister of Legal Affairs Basil Williams said Wednesday  when asked about this that the issue was not being considered seriously by the administration.
According to the minister, hanging was not stated in the APNU+AFC manifesto, and as such the government is not necessarily considering it.
He reminded that the death penalty is something that most countries in other parts of the world are looking to get rid of, and he does not see Guyana moving in the opposite direction.
In the past years, there have been some very gruesome murders in which children, spouses and other persons were murdered.
There have been charges, convictions for some of those gruesome crimes but the death penalty was never handed down as punishment by a judge since 1997. Guyana last executed a death row prisoner in 1997.
Over the last few years, human rights groups and other bodies have been lobbying Guyana to abolish several antiquated laws and foremost were the laws regarding buggery and the death penalty.