Sept. 14
SAUDI ARABIA:
Woman awaits execution in Saudi for killing a man who attempted to rape
her
A young woman is waiting execution in Saudi Arabia for killing a man who
was trying to rape her, the Saudi newspaper Arab News reported yesterday.
The woman was convicted of murdering a man while trying to stop him from
raping her. Repeated efforts to sway the family of the murder victim to
grant her pardon have failed, said the paper.
Arab News did not give the name, age or nationality of the woman.
Abha prison director Major Saud Al Otaibi told the paper that the woman
has spent six years wondering whether her fate will be pardon or death.
Lately she has become isolated, extremely depressed and her physical
condition is deteriorating, Al Otaibi said.
A human rights group interferred on her behalf, but its efforts failed.
Although forcible rape is universally condemned, some find it ironic that
defending against it apparently results in similar condemnation in Saudi
Arabia, the paper noted.
(source: Khaleej Times)
INDONESIA:
Australian foreign minister welcomes second militant's death sentence in
Indonesian court
Australia's foreign minister said Indonesian courts have struck a blow
against terrorism on Wednesday by sentencing a second Islamic militant to
death over a suicide bombing at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta last
year.
The accused, Achmad Mohamed Hasan, had claimed the South Jakarta District
Court's verdict was a result of pressure from the United States, which has
publicly supported the struggle against terrorism in the world's most
populous Muslim nation.
On Tuesday, the same court sentenced to death Hasan's fellow militant,
Iwan Darmawan Mutho, alias Rois, for helping plan and carry out the attack
that killed 12 people and wounded nearly 200 others on Sept. 9 last year.
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Wednesday's conviction showed
Indonesia's determination to fully prosecute those involved - directly or
indirectly - in terrorism.
"Indonesia's courts have delivered another blow to terrorism with the
conviction today of Achmad Hasan ... for his role in the bombing of the
Australian Embassy," Downer said in a writtenstatement.
"Achmad Hasan was closely involved in the planning of the attack," he
said.
"The court's sentence reflects the abhorrence felt in all countries for
terrorists and those who support them in their terrible crimes," he said.
(source: The Jakareta Post)
IRAQ:
Iraq May Expand Death Penalty----Proponents in National Assembly say it is
a much-needed response to terrorism. Sunni Arabs fear they would be
unfairly targeted.
Struggling to fight back against insurgents roiling the country, Iraqi
lawmakers have begun to debate sweeping anti-terrorism legislation that
could significantly expand use of the death penalty.
Iraq's leaders, who have been widely criticized at home for not doing
enough to protect their citizens, are contemplating expanding the list of
crimes punishable by death to include offenses such as attacking
government buildings, using explosives to kill people and advocating
sectarian violence.
But like many issues in Iraq, the debate is being shadowed by the bloody
legacy of Saddam Hussein and the religious and ethnic divisions that many
fear are feeding the current violence.
Although many Iraqis have been calling for more executions since the
insurgency began, some Sunni Arabs fear that they will be unfairly
targeted by the death penalty because the rebellion is centered in Sunni
regions of the country.
And human rights groups are expressing concern that an expanded use of the
death penalty may push Iraq back toward a time when the government
wantonly executed its opponents.
"We have to be careful," acknowledged Thamer Ghadban, a Sunni legislator
with the secular Iraqi List slate, who nonetheless said he was confident
that lawmakers would pass a cautiously worded bill that would be
implemented fairly.
"We need some kind of a response to these terrorists, to make them think
two or three times before they decide to carry out terrorist acts," said
Ala Noori Talabani, a member of the transitional National Assembly with
the Kurdish alliance. "Otherwise, what will make people afraid to commit
these crimes?"
U.S. authorities initially banned the death penalty after American-led
forces deposed Hussein in 2003.
When Iraq's 1st transitional government took control last year, it
immediately reinstated the death penalty, which is common throughout the
Middle East. But delays in reforming the country's justice system slowed
its use, to the growing frustration of many Iraqis who saw the delays as
evidence of their government's impotence.
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has been on the defensive recently for
saying he personally opposes the death penalty, even for Hussein, who is
set to go on trial next month on charges stemming from a 1982 massacre of
143 Shiite Muslims.
This month, Iraqi officials carried out the nation's first executions
since the fall of Hussein, hanging three men convicted of murder, rape and
kidnapping in the southeastern city of Kut.
Executions are a significant demonstration of the democratic government's
credibility, said Laith Kubba, a spokesman for Prime Minister Ibrahim
Jafari.
"If Iraqis do not get an effective government that will enforce law and
order, then the outcry, the pressure for a strongman, may be dangerously
strong," Kubba warned recently.
Iraq's current law makes numerous crimes punishable by death, including
murder, sedition and some drug offenses, said Tariq Harb, a prominent
Baghdad attorney.
According to a draft of the anti-terrorism legislation, people convicted
of attacking police officers, army personnel and diplomatic missions could
be subject to the death penalty. So too could those who arm, mobilize or
finance citizens to carry out attacks against other sectarian groups.
Lending assistance in any of the crimes also could be punishable by death.
The sweeping language of the legislation has prompted the National
Assembly to try to clarify the proposal, lawmakers said. Ghadban said the
original language could have made a taxi driver who drove a terrorist to a
target subject to the death penalty. Those ambiguities will be cleared up,
he and others said.
But talk of expanding the death penalty is already making some Sunni
leaders and citizens uneasy.
At Baghdad's large Umm Qura Mosque, cleric Mahmoud Sumaidaie warned Friday
against unjust uses of force by authorities. And several Sunnis who came
to pray expressed misgivings about expanding the death penalty.
"I support the principle of execution," said Mohammed Dhiaa, a Baghdad
shop owner. "But I fear that if the law is implemented, it will be imposed
on one part of society more than another. I fear that many will be
executed."
Lawmakers said they expected the final anti-terrorism bill to pass within
the next several weeks.
(source: Los Angeles Times)
YEMEN:
AI Appeals for International Public Appeal Against Death Sentence in Yemen
Amnesty International has issued an international request for public
support to appeal to the President of the Republic of Yemen to rescind the
Supreme Court decision to carry out the death sentence against Fuad Ali
Mohsin Al-Shahari for allegedly killing an officer of the Political
Security of the rank of Captain. The accused was coerced into confessing
by torture and has consistently denied involvement in the killing. Here is
the text of the Amnesty International world-wide call:
Further Information on UA 139/04 (MDE 31/005/2004, 6 April 2004) and
follow-up (MDE 31/005/2005, 7 April 2005) - Unfair Trial/Fear of Execution
and new concern: Imminent Execution
YEMEN Fuad 'Ali Mohsen al-Shahari (m), aged about 45
The President is reported to have ratified Fuad al-Shahari's death
sentence on 6 September. He could now be executed at any time.
In August 2004, following persistent campaigning by Amnesty International,
the President was said to have ordered the Office of the Attorney General
to review Fuad al-Shahari's case. The details of this review are not
known, but afterwards the Head of the Supreme Court reportedly advised the
Office of the Attorney General that there had been no procedural errors
during Fuad al-Shahari's trial.
Fuad al-Shahari was sentenced to death on 12 November 1996 in a trial that
fell short of minimum international standards for fairness. After he was
arrested he was held incommunicado for a month, during which he was
allegedly tortured and forced to confess to the murder of a captain in the
Political Security Department. He is said to have been sentenced to death
on the basis of this "confession." Among other defects in the trial
proceedings, defence witnesses reportedly did not testify. It was said
that the presence of armed men in court may have intimidated them. The
Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence in May
1999 and March 2004 respectively. See Action File 247/99 for further
information.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible,
in English or your own language:
- urging the President to prevent the execution of Fuad 'Ali Mohsen
al-Shahari;
- expressing concern that he was sentenced to death after proceedings that
failed to meet the minimum international standards for fair trial, and
refer to Safeguard 4 of the UN Safeguards guaranteeing protection of the
rights of those facing the death penalty, which requires that "capital
punishment may be imposed only when the guilt of the person charged is
based upon clear and convincing evidence leaving no room for an
alternative explanation of the facts";
- acknowledging the right of governments to bring to justice those
responsible for criminal offences, but expressing unconditional opposition
to the death penalty.
APPEALS TO:
President
His Excellency General 'Ali' Abdullah Saleh
President of the Republic of Yemen
Sana'a, Republic of Yemen
Fax: + 967 127 4147
Salutation: Your Excellency
Director of Presidential Office
Ali Mohamed Al-Anisi
PO Box 2261
Sana'a, Republic of Yemen
Email: [email protected]
Fax: + 967 127 6866
Salutation: Dear Sir
COPIES TO: diplomatic representatives of Yemen accredited to your country.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat,
or your section office, if sending appeals after 25 October 2005.
(source: Amnesty International)
