[Deathpenalty]death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

June 23



PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY:

Retrials for 35 on death row


Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas yestevil retrials for Palestinian
prisoners sentenced to death by state security courts disbanded 2 years
ago, his office said.

Abbas ordered the retrials in a letter sent to Justice Minister Farid
al-Jallad so that Palestinian prisoners put on death row by the former
military-style courts are granted "fair and transparent" trials.

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights welcomed the decision, which it
said would grant retrials to 35 prisoners sentenced to death by state
security courts, whose sentences could not be appealed and which were
dissolved two years ago.

"This is one of the most important decisions taken by Mr Abbas over human
rights," said Majed al-Aruri, a senior official from the rights group.

Set up in 1998, the military-style Palestinian state security courts were
used to bypass the conventional court system and incurred massive
criticism from rights groups until they were dissolved in 2003.

(source: Agence France Presse)