Oct. 23
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES:
Death sentence is commuted
In Abu Dhabi, the Federal Supreme Court has upheld a ruling by a Court of
First Instance commuting the death sentence on a drug trafficker to a
10-year imprisonment and a fine of Dh50,000 to be followed by deportation.
The convict, Mirza Khan, was caught by police in Sharjah with 3 kilograms
of hashish in his possession while he was searching for a buyer. He was
immediately referred to the Public Prosecution which charged him with
importing hashish into the country for trafficking purposes and demanded
that he be punished in accordance with Islamic Shariah law.
Upon trial, the Sharjah court of 1st instance ruled unanimously to execute
him by the available methods.
The convict then appealed against the adjudication and the Court of Appeal
ruled to revoke it and modify the charge to possession and consumption
instead of trafficking and further reduce the punishment to 10-year
imprisonment and a fine of Dh50,000 to be followed by deportation.
Discontented, the convict contested the verdict but the Federal Supreme
Court upheld it.
(source: Khaleej Times)
AUSTRALIA/SINGAPORE:
Mother fights Aussie son's execution
The mother of a Melbourne man who could be executed in Singapore as early
as Friday morning is fighting the execution of her son.
Nguyen Kim has instructed lawyers to do everything they can to prevent her
son Nguyen Tuong Van's death.
Singapore President SR Nathan had refused to grant Mr Nguyen a last-minute
reprieve and Melbourne lawyer Lex Lasry, QC, told The Sunday Age Mrs
Nguyen was "very distressed" and would do anything to avoid her son being
killed.
"I mean, she's reasonable composed but she's very upset," Mr Lasry said.
"She doesn't understand the justification for it, but then again, neither
do I."
The 25-year-old Nguyen's family will be told of the execution, by hanging,
a day before it is planned.
If former sales executive Nguyen, of Glen Waverley, is hanged, he will be
the first Australian to be executed overseas since Sydney barman Michael
McAuliffe was hanged in 1993 in Malaysia.
Nguyen has been on death row since March last year, when he was given a
mandatory death sentence after being caught carrying 396.2 grams of
heroin.
He was arrested in December 2002 at Changi Airport, while returning to
Melbourne from Cambodia, after a packet of heroin was found strapped to
his back and another in his hand luggage.
Nguyen said he had been pressured by loan sharks to act as a drug mule to
help pay off his twin brother's legal debts of about $25,000.
(source: AAP)
