The death penalty is an effective form of punishment...

The death penalty is an effective form of punishment and should not abolished, said one of Lebanon's leading magistrates, Ghassan Rabah. In an interview with The Daily Star, Rabah said that the death penalty provided consolation for the parents of the victim and society, which would otherwise not feel safe and satisfied without this form of reciprocal retribution. He added that it also prevented vendettas between the family of the victim and the family of the criminal. "With all due respect to some Christian views that are opposed to the death penalty, especially the Catholic position that believes only God can take what He has given, it is hard to agree with this argument when even the Catholic Church permitted the death penalty hundreds of years ago for those who committed savage crimes like killing children and rape," Rabah said. Rabah said he refused the concept of reforming the criminal, asking "what about the innocent victim?"