Feb. 1
THAILAND/NORTHERN IRELAND:
Derry man facing death sentence----Business partner stabbed in Thai bar
they owned
A Londonderry man is today facing a death sentence for the alleged murder
of his business partner in a Thai bar.
Patrick Oliver Farrell (61), from the Northland Road area of the city, is
being detained in a Thai prison after allegedly stabbing Dubliner Ernest
Brennan (45), to death with a kitchen cleaver in a bar they are believed
to have co-owned in Pattaya.
The fatal stabbing took place at "Jimmy's Place" on Sunday night while the
bar was closed.
However, it is understood there were several witnesses to the alleged
attack in which Mr Brennan was stabbed repeatedly in neck and chest.
Farrell has been charged with first degree murder by the Thai authorities,
investigating Inspector Poonchai Churat confirmed today.
If convicted, he faces one of two sentences - life imprisonment or death.
It is believed that Farrell left Derry for Thailand around Christmas time
but never returned home.
His family were today too distressed to speak about the charge.
Ernest Brennan died in a hospital less than 300 metres from the bar on
Second Road in Pattaya following the attack at 10.30pm (Thai time) on
Sunday.
It is understood he lost a massive amount of blood after one of the blows
severed an artery in his neck.
Mr Brennan had moved to Thailand late last year to be with his Thai wife
and their daughter.
His family are currently preparing to have his remains flown home.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin said today:
"We are aware of the case and we are offering consular assistance to both
parties concerned."
Brendan Richards from the local English speaking newspaper, the Pattaya
Mail, said witnesses had described a horrific scene at Jimmy's Bar.
"Witnesses described a lot of blood," he said.
"What we have heard is that an artery was severed in Mr Brennan's neck and
that doctors could not save him despite the proximity of the bar to the
hospital.
"Mr Farrell was still in the bar he owned with Mr Brennan when the police
arrived according to witnesses.
"There are two sentences for 1st degree murder in Thailand. Either the
death penalty or life imprisonment. It is more likely that if convicted he
will get a life sentence."
(source: Belfast Telegraph)
EUROPEAN UNION/UZBEKISTAN:
Uzbekistan: EU Says Encouraged By Tashkent's Willingness To Suspend Death
Penalty
European Union officials say they are encouraged by indications Uzbekistan
will suspend use of the death penalty and take steps to implement
democratic reforms. EU and Uzbek representatives met in Brussels today for
their annual cooperation council. Although no breakthroughs were reported,
Uzbek Foreign Minister Sodyq Safaev said his country is increasingly open
to international scrutiny.
The European Union has praised Uzbekistan for what it says is the
country's stated will to institute democratic reforms, respect human
rights, and abolish the death penalty.
Uzbek Foreign Minister Sodyq Safaev today met in Brussels with an EU
delegation headed by Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn, who
represented the bloc's current presidency.
After the meeting, Asselborn praised what he said was clear intent from
the Uzbek side to consider abolishing the death penalty.
"This morning, the Uzbek foreign minister stated that Uzbekistan wants to
abolish the death penalty. [The country] needs some time for reflection on
this, but it does want to abolish the death penalty for all cases,"
Asselborn said. "It is a very concrete step in the dialogue between the EU
and the countries of Central Asia. It is truly remarkable that we have
come to such a conclusion."
An Amnesty International report released in advance of the meeting says
Uzbekistan last year sentenced between 50 and 60 people to death.
Asselborn said the EU understands that Uzbekistan's transition to
democracy and rule of law cannot be immediate. He said the bloc is willing
to assist Uzbekistan with reforms, and said he sees developments in the
country in a broader context.
"[The EU is willing] to help encourage them to take decisive steps to
abolish torture, to hold elections as we know them in democratic
countries, [societies based on] the rule of law," Asselborn said. "If one
looks at what happened in Ukraine, in Palestine or what took place on
Sunday (30 January) in Iraq, we see that in the Arab world, in the
countries of the former Soviet Union -- among them Uzbekistan -- democracy
is [taking root] step by step in a decisive fashion."EU officials
privately said they confronted the Uzbek delegation with damning reports
detailing persistent human rights abuses and the torture of prisoners.
Privately, EU officials said they had confronted the Uzbek delegation with
damning reports detailing persistent human rights abuses and the torture
of prisoners. They also challenged the Uzbek side on the conduct of
parliamentary elections last year, which the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has strongly criticized. An OSCE report said
the elections fell significantly short of international standards.
Uzbek Foreign Minister Safaev defended the vote after the meeting.
"[It is] the first time in history [that ] the Uzbeks can select their
deputies to the parliament, selecting [from among] 5 or 6 candidates
running in every constituency," Safaev said. "It is a real step forward.
[For the] 1st time, the more than 3,000 Uzbek NGOs participated in a
system that we call civic society. Five years ago we couldn't imagine
that. [For the] 1st time Freedom House [and] other international
organizations might together with the Uzbek law enforcement system make an
open investigation of the reports of human rights abuses in the
penitentiary system."
EU officials said after the meeting that Sarajevo had argued Uzbekistan's
secular institutions are under continuous threat from Islamist
fundamentalists.
The EU regards Uzbekistan as an important partner country in Central Asia,
given its proximity to Russia, China, and Afghanistan. EU sources said,
however, the bloc had rejected Uzbekistan's request to be included in the
EU's European Neighborhood Policy meant to support countries on the bloc's
borders.
A senior European Commission representative will travel to Uzbekistan in
April to prepare ground for a later visit by the EU's external affairs
commissioner, Benita Ferrero-Waldner.
(source: Reuters)
