Bwa mbere mu myaka 17 ishize, uyu munsi kuwa mbere tariki 13 Nyakanga 2020 biteganijwe ko muri leta ya Indiana yo muri Amerika bicisha urushinge uwakatiwe igihano cy’urupfu n’urukiko rwo ku rwego rw’igihugu.

Kuwa gatanu w’icyumweru gishize, umucamanza yari yatambamiye ishyirwa mu bikorwa ry’iki gihano kuri Daniel Lewis Lee wahamwe n’icyaha cyo kwica. Ni nyuma y’uko benewabo ba Lewis bari basabye ko kumwica bitinzwa, bavuga ko bafite ubwoba ko kujya kureba iyicwa rye bishobora kubanduza coronavirus.

Gusa leta yahise ijuririra icyo cyemezo cy’umucamanza, giteshwa agaciro. Urukiko rw’ubujurire rwa Amerika rwavuze ko nta tegeko rya leta cyangwa ibwiriza rivuga ko benewabo w’uwakatiwe urwo gupfa bitabira umuhango wo kumwica.

Benewabo wa Bwana Lewis ariko biteganyijwe ko bajuririra iki cyemezo mu rukiko rw’ikirenga. Bwana Lewis Lee ni umuzungu w’ibitekerezo bishyira hejuru abera (white supremacist) wakoreye iyicarubozo maze akica umuryango w’abantu batatu imibiri yabo akayijugunya mu kiyaga.

Mu 1996, Lewis Lee n’undi mugabo witwa Chevie Kehoe, barezwe kwiba intwaro, kwiba no kwica William Mueller, umugore we Nancy n’umwana wabo Sarah w’imyaka 8.

Mu 1999 Lewis Lee yakatiwe urwo gupfa, naho Chevie Kehoe akatirwa gufungwa burundu.

Uyu yagombaga kuba yarahawe igihano cyo gupfa mu kwezi kwa 12 nyuma yo guhamwa n’icyaha. Ibi byatindijwe n’uko urukiko rwari rwabujije ko ahabwa iki gihano.

Earlene Peterson, umukobwa we, umwuzukuru we n’umukwe we (umugabo w’umukobwa we) bishwe na Lewis Lee, gusa yanze ko uyu mugabo yicwa.

Umwaka ushize yabwiye CNN ati: “Byateza isoni umukobwa wanjye kuba hari umuntu wakwicwa kubera we”. Kwica Lewis ni kimwe mu bihano by’urupfu biteganyijwe guhabwa abantu bane muri uku kwezi kwa karindwi n’ugutaha kwa munani muri Amerika. Ni abagabo bane bahamijwe ibyaha byo kwica abana.

Urwo gupfa ku rwego rw’Igihugu no ku rwego rwa Leta bitaniye he?

Mu bucamanza bwa Leta zunze ubumwe za Amerika, ibyaha bishobora kuburanishwa n’inkiko zo ku rwego rw’igihugu (federal courts), cyangwa se n’inkiko zo ku rwego rwa za leta.

Ibyaha bimwe na bimwe, nko kwigana idolari cyangwa ubujura bw’ikoranabuhanga, bihita biburanishwa n’inkiko zo ku rwego rw’igihugu, kimwe n’ibyaha byibasira itegekonshinga rya Amerika. Ibindi byaha biburanishwa n’inkiko zo ku nzego za leta bitewe n’uburemere bwabyo.

Mu 1972, icyemezo cy’urukiko rw’ikirenga cyavanyeho igihano cy’urupfu ku nkiko zose zo muri Amerika. Mu 1976 uru rukiko rw’ikirenga rwongeye gusubizaho igihano cy’urupfu muri leta zimwe.

Mu 1988 guverinoma ya Amerika yatoye itegeko risubizaho igihano cy’urupfu ku nkiko zo ku rwego rw’igihugu.

Imibare ya Death Penalty Information Center ivuga ko kuva mu 1988 kugeza mu 2018 abantu 78 bakatiwe urwo gupfa n’inkiko z’urwego rw’igihugu, ariko batatu aribo bishwe. Hari 68 bafunze bakatiwe iki gihano.

Munyaneza Theogene / intyoza.com