MAJORITY OF UAE SUPPORTS EXECUTION

almost two-thirds of residents back the death penalty and almost three-quarters support execution for murder, a new survey suggests. The poll, compiled for Al Aan TV’s Nabd al Arab (Arabs’ Pulse) programme by YouGov Siraj, shows that 65 per cent of residents disagree with abolishing the death penalty. The results are contradictory, of those who said they favoured abolition of the death penalty, some also said they supported the execution of murderers. Asked to select which of nine crimes, from theft to murder, should be punishable by death, 8 per cent favoured capital punishment for all of them. Murder and rape drew the strongest responses, at 72 per cent and 60 per cent. Thirteen per cent supported execution for drunk driving, and nearly 18 per cent for sex outside of marriage. Forty-six per cent of the survey respondents said drug smuggling should be punished by death, and 51 per cent said child abuse deserved capital punishment. Nearly 9 per cent said thieves should get the death penalty. Execution for corruption was supported by 17 per cent, and 12 per cent favoured it for domestic abuse. The survey polled 151 people and the margin of error was 8 per cent.