Only 18 years for capital murder. After all, the victim wasn’t even a Muslim. And before you dismiss that fact as having anything to do with this verdict, recall that in Islamic law, punishments for killing non-Muslims are less than those set for killing Muslims. Turkey, of course, is a secular country. But such laws remain as cultural hangovers — particularly in an age of rising support for political Islam. From AP, with thanks to Sr. Soph:
…The youth, who has only been identified by the court in the Black Sea city of Trabzon by his initials, O.A., was convicted of killing the Rev. Andrea Santoro, 60, on Feb. 5 while he prayed in his parish in Trabzon.
Witnesses said the youth shouted “Allahu Akbar” – Arabic for “God is great” – before firing two bullets into Santoro’s back, according to authorities.