「環境汚染で短命、なぜ死刑必要？」　印集団レイプ死刑囚が異議

【ニューデリーＡＦＰ＝時事】インドの首都ニューデリーで2012年に起きた集団レイプ殺害事件の死刑囚4人のうちの1人が10日、判決に対する異議申し立てを行い、その理由として同市の環境汚染を挙げた。（写真は資料写真）
　７年前の１２月、ニューデリーを夜間に走行していたバスの車内で２３歳の女性が６人の男に性的暴行を受けて死亡した事件は世界を震撼（しんかん）させ、インド全土で抗議デモを引き起こした。
　アクシャイ・クマル・シン死刑囚（３１）は最高裁への異議申し立ての中で、ニューデリーは「ガス室」のように大気汚染がひどく、水も「毒にまみれている」と指摘し、「デリー首都圏の空気と水に何が起きているか、皆気付いている。寿命は短くなる一方だ、それならなぜ死刑にする必要がある？」と主張した。
　同事件では他の死刑囚も異議を申し立てて却下されており、シン死刑囚の申し立ても同様に認められないものと予想されていた。
　メディアは今週、同事件の死刑囚らの刑が、事件が起きた１２月１６日に執行される可能性があると報じた。死刑囚らの収容施設で、死刑台の動作確認が行われたり、特殊なロープが持ち込まれたりしているとの報道もある。ただ施設関係者はＡＦＰに対し、これを否定した。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2019/12/13-08:31）

One of four Indian men on death row over the infamous 2012 Delhi gang-rape and murder appealed against his sentence on Tuesday citing pollution.
Akshay Kumar Singh was one of a group of men who gang-raped a 23-year-old woman on a bus in India's capital late at night in December seven years ago.
Her case and death -- 12 days later from extensive internal injuries -- sparked national protests and international horror, and became synonymous with India's high rates of sexual violence against women.
Filed through his lawyer, the now 31-year-old said in his review petition to the Supreme Court that the air quality in New Delhi was like a gas chamber and its water full of poison.
Everyone is aware of what is happening in Delhi-NCR (national capital region) with regard to air and water. Life is going to be short, then why death penalty? the petition added.
Akshay is the final defendant out of four given the death sentence in the case to file a review petition before India's top court. It too was expected to be rejected.
Media reports this week said that the men could be hanged before the end of the year, and possibly on December 16, the anniversary of the attack.
Some reports said that Tihar prison, where they are incarcerated, has held a dummy execution to test the gallows and that special ropes are being brought from elsewhere.
A Tihar prison official told AFP that they had no knowledge of any such preparations, however.
Every winter Delhi is shrouded for months in a toxic smog that experts say is shortening the lives of the megacity's 20 million inhabitants.
The pollution appeal comes shortly after another Indian woman was gang-raped and murdered last month, sparking protests and calls for reform of the country's notoriously slow legal system.