Yearbook 2008
Antigua and Barbuda. In the fall, the death penalty was
imposed for anyone who with a firearm or knife kills or
seriously injures another person. Previously, the law's most
severe punishment had only been imposed for deliberate
murder. According to
Countryaah reports, the government decision was a direct result of the
shooting of a young British couple on a honeymoon in the
country in July during a robbery raid in their bungalow.
Before the couple was killed, reports had come that
increased arms smuggling on the islands had led to more
violence in society. Antigua and Barbuda, whose economy is
largely based on tourism, feared that the death toll would
lead to a downturn in the tourism industry.
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