The German Cabinet’s decree imposing the death penalty on all terrorists issued yesterday is described by the “Berliner Tageblatt” as coming exactly a week too late.
The new decree, aimed to curb the terrorism which has swept the country since the Reichstag elections provides that the death penalty, applied in the past only to those who killed intentionally, will apply to those “who without intent, commit mortal attack on an adversary in the passion of political battle, from wrath and hate, or kill a policeman or member of the defense force. Also those who cause death to a human being by fires or any other dangerous crime will be punished with death.”
Special courts to try terrorists will be named, according to the decree. The courts will operate “according to an accelerated process” and their verdicts will be subject to no appeal, so that judgments will be executed as soon as pronounced.
The measure provides further that political assailants who seriously wound a policeman through the use of firearms will be sentenced to not less than 10 years imprisonment.:
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