मृत्युदण्ड दिने डरलाग्दा तरिकाहरु

अपराधीलाई सजाय दिनु र पीडित न्याय पाउनु कानूनी राज्यको अपरिहार्य तत्व हो । तर दोषीलाई सजाय दिने तौरतरिका भने देशको कानून अनुसार भिन्न भिन्न हुन्छ । कतिपय देशमा जतिसुकै गम्भीर अपराध गरेपनि अपराधीलाई मृत्युदण्डको सजाय नदिने संवैधानिक व्यवस्था हुन्छ भने कतिपय देशले हत्या, बलात्कार जस्ता अपराधमा मृत्युदण्ड दिने कानूनी व्यवस्था गरेका हुन् । मृत्युदण्डको सजाय सुनाइएको व्यक्तिलाई मृत्युदण्ड दिने तरिका पनि फरक फरक हुने गरेको छ । कतिपय देशमा अपराधीलाई दिइने सजाय यति भयानक हुन्छन् की देख्ने र सुन्नेकेा समेत जिउ काँप्न बेर लाग्दैन ।

अमेरिका, चीन, साउदी अरब, इरान, भारत, पाकिस्तान जस्ता देशहरुमा अपराधीहरुलाई विभिन्न तरिकाले मृत्युदण्ड दिइन्छ । एम्नेष्टी इन्टरनेसनलको एक तथ्यांक अनुसार सन् २०१३ मा विश्वमा ७ सय ७८ जनालाई मृत्युदण्ड दिइएको थियो । विश्वको इतिहास र वर्तमानमा समेत विभिन्न विभिन्न अपराधमा दिइने विभिन्न खाले डरलाग्दा सजायमध्ये केही यस्ता थिए र छन्-

शिर छेदन गर्ने-साउदी अरबमा गम्भीर अपराधका दोषीलाई यस्तो सजाय दिइन्छ । सन् २०१४ को अक्टोबर १५ मा त्यहाँ ५९ जना अपराधीको टाउको काटिएको थियो । खासगरि हत्या तथा बलात्कारका दोषीलाई टाउको काटेर मृत्युदण्ड दिने चलन साउदी अरबमा छ । साउदीमा मात्र होइन बेलायतमा पनि मृत्युदण्डको सजाय पाएकालाई शिर छेदन गरेर सजाय दिइन्छ ।

अपराधीलाई जिउँदै जलाउने- यद्यपि यस्तो खाले सजाय राज्यपक्षले वर्तमानमा दिने गरेको छैन । तथापि बेलायतमा मध्यकालमा राजद्रोहका आरोपितलाई जिउँदै जलाएर मृत्युदण्ड दिइन्थ्यो । सन् १४३१ मा बेलायतमा कैयौँ प्रसिद्ध मानिसहरुलाई जिउँदै जलाइएको थियो । पृथ्वीले सूर्यलाई घुम्छ भन्ने सिद्धान्त अघि सारेका कारण सन् १६०० मा इटालीका वैज्ञानिक जिआर्डिनो ब्रुनोलाई जिउँदै जलाइएको थियो ।

उम्लेको पानी वा तातो तेलमा डुबाउने- सन् १५०० तिर बेलायतमा यस्तो सजाय दिने व्यवस्था थियो । खानामा विष मिसाउने अभियुक्तहरुले यस्तो सजाय पाउँथे । १५३१ मा एक पादरीको खानामा विष मिसाएको आरोपमा एक मानिसलाई तातो तेलमा डुबाएर मारिएकेा थियो । त्यस्तै १५४२ मा मालिक्नीको खानामा विष मिसाएको आरोपमा मार्गरेट डेबी नामकी कामदारलाई उम्लिएको पानीमा डुबाएर मारिएको थियो । यद्यपि तातो पानी र तेलमा डुबाएर मृत्युदण्ड दिने यो कानून १५४७ मा खारेज भएको थियो ।

गर्धनमा झुण्डाउने- राजद्रोहका अपराधीलाई मृत्युदण्ड दिनका लागि गर्धनमा झुण्डाउने वा जिउमा बाँधेर घोडालाई दौडाएर घिसार्ने खालको कानून सन् १२४१ मा बेलायतमै लागु भएको थियो । अपराधीको सरीरका विभिन्न अंगलाई त्यसरी झुण्डाउनु वा घिसार्नु अघि नै काटिन्थ्यो र अंगका टुक्रालाई सहरका विभिन्न भागमा फ्याँकिन्थ्यो । यस्तो नृशंस सजायको अभ्यास अहिले नभएपनि अपराधीलाई झुण्डाएर मृत्युदण्ड दिने अर्थात् फाँसी दिने चलन भारत, पाकिस्तान लगायतका देशमा कायमै छ । इराकी पूर्व राष्ट्रपति सद्दाम हुसेनलाई समेत झुण्डाएर मृत्युदण्ड दिइएको थियो ।

मेसिनले जिउ काट्ने- फ्रान्सेली राज्यक्रान्ति सन् १७८९ ताकाबाट त्यहाँ यस्तो सजायको प्रचलन सुरु भएको थियो । यसरी मानिसलाई काटेर मार्ने मेसिनको नाम गिलोटिन थियो, जुन त्यस बेलाका एकजना सांसदको नाम हो । फ्रान्सेली राज्यक्रान्तिपछि त्यहाँका धेरै मानिसलाई गिलोटिनमा काटेर मृत्युदण्ड दिइएको थियो ।

शूलीमा चढाउने- इशापूर्व ७१ मा रोमान साम्राज्यको विरुद्धमा आवाज उठाउने ६ हजार मानिसहरुलाई शूलीमा चढाएर मृत्युदण्ड दिइएको थियो । सन् २०१३ मा साउदी अरेबियामा समेत अपराधीलाई शूली चढाएर मारिएको थियो ।

ढुंगाले हानेर मृत्युदण्ड दिने- मृत्युदण्डका लागि अपराधीलाई ढुंगाले हिर्काउने यो चलन अहिले पनि मध्यपूर्वका इरान तथा उत्तरी अफ्रिकाका देशहरुमा कायमै छ । सन् २०१३ मा ब्रुनाइका सुल्तानको आदेशमा एक अपराधीलाई यस्तै सजाय दिइएको थियो ।

कुर्सीमा बसालेर करेन्ट लगाउने- विजुलीको कुर्सीमा अपराधीलाई बसालेर मृत्युदण्ड दिने चलन विगतमा अमेरिकामा प्रचलनमा थियो । सन् १८८८ मा यो प्रथा सुरु भएकोमा विलियम क्याम्लरको हत्या गर्ने अभियुक्तलाई करेन्ट प्रवाहित भएको कुर्सीमा बसालेर मारिएको थियो । अपराधी कुर्सीमा बसेपछि सुरुमा १८ सेकेण्डसम्म विजुलीको झट्का दिइन्थ्यो भने दोश्रो झट्का ७० सेकेण्डको हुन्थ्यो । सन् १९९० को दशकमा यो सजायको तिब्र आलोचना भयो । – एजेन्सीहरुको सहयोगमा

Kathmandu brand freaks, beware!

Have you been lured by beautifully showcased branded jeans or shirts at newly-opened outlets at shopping malls in Kathmandu? Are you planning to purchase a branded t-shirt for coming summer? If you are, we have a word of caution. Almost all branded clothes selling in Nepal are knockoffs of original products manufactured overseas. 

That is to say, products ranging from clothes to footwear with famous international brand labels are actually the fake copies of the originals and are sold at high prices. 

Major importers of so-called branded clothes agree that 90 percent of the branded goods selling in the market, especially foot wears, clothes and even sunglasses are not original but imitations of the originals. Achal Kumar Agrawal, a wholesaler and retailer of garments and accessories at Civil Mall in Kathmandu told Republica that almost all the goods in the market that contain the label of internationally acclaimed brands are actually the fake versions of the branded goods. “Originally branded clothes and accessories are beyond the purchasing capacity of Nepali buyers and what is available in the market are the fake versions that are actually being sold at higher price,” said Agrawal. 

Moreover, some stores purportedly selling branded goods in high profile areas in the Valley pick up at cheap prices goods that are mostly outdated and are no longer in fashion in the international market. 

Ujjawal Shrestha, a leading importer selling garments in Pokhara echoed Agrawal and said that almost all so-called branded products in the market are not originals. “The most common practice among so-called importers of branded clothes is to purchase cheap and local products in Hong Kong and take them to China for putting the fake labels of established brands on them” said the importer, adding that such ‘rebranded products’ are sold in Kathmandu at a handsome profit. He further said that the original brands are so expensive that they are beyond the purchasing capacity of the Nepalese buyers.

A source said that many clothing article that possess brand names such as Abercrombie Fitch, GAP, Gucci and Prada and Louis Vuitton among others are actually Chinese counterfeits. 

Counterfeit clothes, shoes and handbags with designer brands are made in varying quality to fool buyers who only look at the label and do not know what the real thing looks like. This is the case with most jean brands sold in the Nepali market, said Raju Maharjan of Lee Copper store at City Centre. 

Manish Shrestha of Sphinx store at City Centre said that a Prada purse for instance costs around 525 US dollars in Italy, but in Thailand a replica version would cost from 200 to 3000 baht (6 to 100 US dollars). The purse is then sold in the Nepali market as an original at almost four times the Bangkok price. Moreover, the fake version looks so real that buyers cannot tell the difference. “What we can buy at the price range of Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 in Nepal are just the imitation versions of the branded goods, as branded stuff are rarely found in the Nepali market,” Shrestha told Republica. 

Traders say that the best way to stay away from fake branded products is to buy at stores that have acquired authorization for the sale of the products in Nepal. To acquire an authorization stores have to pay royalty to the parent company and are required to sell the complete range of products of a particular brand only. So if a particular store is selling a collection of various brands under the same roof, this means that they are not actually selling the original brands but the replica versions that are collected randomly at different places. There are only a few countable stores such as United Colors of Benetton, Bossini and Nike that sell branded stuffs in the valley.

Discovery to air documentary on Nepal earthquake

KATHMANDU, June 7: Discovery Channel is broadcasting documentary ‘Earthquake: Disaster in Nepal’ on April 25 devastating earthquake that claimed lives of over 8,000 people.

The documentary will be aired at 9:15 pm NST on June 8, according to Discovery India.

The channel said the documentary will feature expert interviews and seismic simulations to explain the science behind the earthquakes, footage of the rescue operations in Kathmandu, news reports from around the globe and exclusive glimpses of new technology and research being developed to help humanity better predict and cope with natural events such as earthquakes.

The program will also feature first-hand accounts from those who survived the natural disaster, from a mother whose baby was buried for 22 hours and a student who was crushed under a multi-story building in the city’s Durbar Square, to a newlywed couple caught up in the avalanche at Everest’s Base Camp 1.