The death penalty is a cruel and unusual punishment which has no place in a civilized society . The United States is one of only 2 countries outside of the Middle East , Asia , and Africa which still practices capital punishment . Death sentences are disproportionately applied to minorities, and people from low-income backgrounds. Despite what many believe , executions are not “painless”, with many botched lethal injections taking place in the US. 

In March 2022, the death penalty was reinstated for Dzhokhar “Jahar “ Tsarnaev (the surviving Boston marathon bomber ), after previously being overturned only 2 years prior . It was actually Joe Biden’s administration who pushed to have his death penalty reinstated . This is extremely hypocritical coming from a man who promised the nation that he would abolish the death penalty , and Biden deserves to be held politically accountable . 

I also find this to be extremely hypocritical in a country that calls itself “pro-life”. Pro-life means all lives are valuable and not that the state gets to pick and choose what’s convenient for their agenda . The government should not get to decide who lives or dies , I believe death penalty at the hands of the state is murder . Ironically , it seems to be those who are most politically conservative who support the “pro-life movement”, who are also overwhelmingly in favour of the death penalty .

Furthermore , Jahar was only 19 years old at the time of the bombings . He wasn’t even legally old enough to purchase alcohol , but somehow the state decided he was old enough to be sentenced to death . Jahar also  had to face many issues such as growing up in poverty in a refugee family in America , and dealing with becoming depressed and struggling in school after his parents returned to their home country. He was also never known to be violent and had a very caring nature . Young Jahar loved cats and his nieces and nephews, volunteered with disabled children, and dreamed of becoming a doctor or nurse and helping people like his relatives in Chechnya. That is not to excuse his shocking actions , but his character based on those who knew him does not fit with that of a “violent terrorist”. He was a young teenager who was brainwashed into radical Islamic propaganda by his older brother , who had become his guardian and the main influence in his life after his parents went back to Dagestan in 2011. I believe that if his brother wasn’t in the picture , he never would have taken this type of action on his own , or even been capable of masterminding it.

Regardless of my sympathy for the victims , two wrongs do not make a right . The solution for this crime is not to take another life . The death penalty is archaic and does nothing to help society , I believe the death penalty only perpetuates the cycle of violence and death . There is no reason in the 21st century why we need to use a violent, medieval form of punishment for our society’s criminals.  I would also like to add the fact that some of the family members of the victims (including the parents of the youngest victim , Martin Richard) don’t even want Jahar to receive the death penalty because they want him to be punished for what he’s done and live out his sentence , and not receive further publicity. Additionally , only 1/5 of Massachusetts residents actually support the death penalty (the state where Jahar resided in since he was 8 years old).

Lastly , as I stated above , the death penalty perpetuates racism and classism as it’s disproportionately applied to ethnic minorities and low-income people . While there is a debate as to whether the Tsarnaev’s are considered “White” or not , I believe that Jahar is not seen in the public eye as a White American due to his looks , name , and Muslim background. He is also from a family of working-class refugees. I feel that there has been a lot of sensationalized Islamophobia in the media regarding this case which has been extremely influential to public support on the death penalty for Jahar.

I hope those who agree with me will do the right thing by signing this petition .

I have also started another petition for Jahar to protest the severely restrictive SAMs (Special Administrative Measures) he has been placed under for the last decade , please make sure to sign and share as well! https://www.change.org/RemoveSAMSTsarnaev

“If the goal of our justice system is to seek revenge against criminals , then Tsarnaev should be executed. But if the goal is to seek justice , then spare his life “. - Pope Francis