June 28
MEXICO:
Mexican official calls for study on reinstating death penalty
Mexico's attorney general on Monday called for Congress to study
reinstituting the death penalty in Mexico, 1 day after hundreds of
thousands of Mexicans filled the streets of Mexico City to protest a
rising tide of kidnappings, theft and corruption.
Many of those protesting Sunday carried signs calling for the death
penalty.
"The mandate of society should be addressed and go to Congress," Attorney
General Rafael Macedo de la Concha said at a graduation ceremony for 275
agents of the Federal Agency of Investigation, Mexico's FBI. "The death
penalty should be seriously analyzed."
President Vicente Fox also attended the graduation.
It seemed unlikely that Congress would move quickly to reinstitute the
death penalty, which Mexico abolished decades ago. But the fact that
Macedo de la Concha raised the issue a day after the demonstration
indicated how much the march has roiled Mexico's political waters.
Estimates of how many people attended the demonstration Sunday ranged from
250,000 to 2 million people. The march was organized by more than 180
groups, including leading business organizations.
Fallout from the march dominated radio and television Monday, and it was
the subject of political debate pitting Fox against Mexico City Mayor
Manuel Lopez Obrador.
Fox said Monday that he welcomed the protest as proof that democracy is
growing in Mexico. But Lopez Obrador, who's widely considered to be a
possible successor to Fox, said at his morning press briefing that the
march was organized by rightist political groups opposed to his candidacy
and his leftist Democratic Revolutionary Party.
"Certainly many marchers came out of their own will, considering this is
one of the main problems of the capital and the country. But nevertheless,
there were those who got political mileage out of it," he said.
Others challenged Lopez Obrador's assessment, saying the march included
people of all political beliefs and economic levels.
"Some of the rich attended, but the march was fundamentally attended by
the middle and lower classes because, let's not forget that kidnappings
have affected them most of all," said Moises Gonzalez Navarro, a lawyer
and professor at the prestigious Colegio de Mexico. "The rich are not
really kidnapped because they have bodyguards, tinted cars, the same with
politicians. But poorer people don't have those luxuries."
Crime statistics are hard to come by in Mexico and are often unreliable
because victims don't report crimes or corrupt police alter them.
The attorney general's office in Mexico said 126 kidnappings were reported
in the capital in 2003. In the 1st 5 months of this year, 77 were
reported.
According to the National Registry of Private Security Offices, the number
of companies providing protective services has more than doubled, from
2,332 to 5,140. The Citizens Council on Public Security and Penal Justice,
a watchdog group, estimated that between 1997 and 2003, 4,000 people were
kidnapped in the country.
(source: Knight-Ridder Tribune)
IRAN:
Iran Drops Death Penalty for Professor Guilty of Blasphemy
Iran's hard-line judiciary backed off from the death sentence issued
against a history professor, his lawyer said Monday. The sentencing of
Hashem Aghajari had sparked days of protests in 2002.
Mr. Aghajari was convicted of blasphemy after he said in a speech that
Muslims were not "monkeys" to follow blindly the teachings of clerics.
Although that charge, carrying the death penalty, was dropped earlier this
month, he may still face up to five years in prison for "insulting
religious values," said his lawyer, Saleh Nikbakht. Mr. Aghajari has been
in jail since 2002.
The head of the Supreme Court, Ayatollah Mohammad Mohammadi Gilani, said
last week that Mr. Aghajari could be freed on bail. But the court ruled
Monday that he must remain in jail for another month.
Mr. Aghajari, a reformist politician who lost a leg while serving in the
1980-88 war with Iraq, had said he would not appeal his death sentence.
But in keeping with Iranian law, the verdict was sent to the Supreme
Court, which ordered a review.
"He had said that he would not appear in court today because it was behind
closed doors," said his wife, Zahra Behnoodi, the ILNA news agency
reported. "The only reason he went to court today was to show his good
intention."
Mr. Nikbakht said Mr. Aghajari did not accept the charge of insulting
religious values that was brought against him on Monday. "I am a Shiite
Muslim and do not accept any of the charges leveled against me," Mr.
Nikbakht quoted his client as saying.
Two other dissidents appeared at the court on Monday. Emadedin Baghi, a
reformist journalist, was tried for insulting senior officials. Fatimeh
Haghighatjoo, an outspoken former member of Parliament, was charged with
spreading lies.
The European Union and Human Rights Watch denounced Iran this month for
human rights violations, including infringements of the rights of
political prisoners.
But Mr. Nikbakht said Monday that dismissing the blasphemy charge against
Mr. Aghajari was evidence that international pressure had forced Iran's
judiciary to show greater lenience.
"I do not think the judiciary will seek charges that carry death sentences
anymore," he said. "Anyone who was visiting Iran brought up Mr. Aghajari's
case with Iranian officials. This had huge effect."
U.N. Visits Suspected Nuclear Site
(source: New York Times)
INDONESIA:
Megawati refuses to pardon drug traffickers on death row
President Megawati Soekarnoputri reiterated on Monday she would not pardon
convicts on death row for drug trafficking as their acts destroyed the
younger generation.
"I have to emphasize here that I will never give pardons to those found
guilty of involvement in drug trafficking," Megawati said in Minahasa,
North Sulawesi.
At least 23 people convicted of drug trafficking are awaiting execution in
Banten after Megawati refused give them a presidential pardon.
Megawati said a strong stance on drugs would not mean anything if the
public was not aware of how dangerous drug traffickers were.
If the younger generation were not aware of how damaging drug abuse was
"we will hear about more and more children involved in taking drugs," she
said.
Megawati said her tough-on-drugs policy was taken in line with a United
Nations' declaration to fight drug trafficking.
However, the UN has also issued a declaration calling for the end of
capital punishment, especially as a penalty for drug offenders.
National Narcotics Agency head Comr. Gen. Togar Sianipar said drug
trafficking cases in Indonesia were on the increase.
Agency data shows drug trafficking cases jumped from only 1,833 in 1999 to
7,410 last year, with the number of suspects rising from 2,590 in 1999 to
9,795 in 2003
(source: The Jakarta Post)
