[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Dec. 14



SAUDI ARABIA:

Man Forgives Nephew Moments Before Execution in Abha


A cry for forgiveness at an intense moment was enough for Hamdan Al-Amri
to stop his nephew's execution, Al-Watan reported yesterday.

Badr ibn Hamdan Al-Kaabi, 22, was sentenced to death after being found
guilty of fatally shooting his aunt, Aziza Al-Amri, after a domestic
dispute. He spent 2 years in prison while his case moved its way through
the courts.

Despite spending 2 years refusing to forgive his nephew, the scene at the
site of the execution was too much for Hamdan. As Badr was being escorted
to the middle of the plaza for execution, he cried out to his uncle,
making one last desperate plea for the forgiveness that would spare him
death.

Hamdan said it was the sight of his nephew in chains and in a state of
utter despair and fright that gave him the strength to forgive Badr. "I
never thought that I was going to forgive him," said Hamdan. "It wasn't
until I saw the preparations for the execution that I saw something I
could not tolerate, that I could also stop."

In accordance with Shariah law, the victim or surviving relative has great
sway over the fate of the convicted. Mediators are often called in to
negotiate with victims' families in hopes they could come to a blood money
arrangement where the killer pays restitution in exchange for his life. In
the event a family agrees to blood money and the victim cannot afford to
pay, families or other groups appeal to the community to raise the funds.

In Badr's case, the only one who could save him was the widower of the
woman he was found guilty of murdering. And when Hamdan forgave his nephew
and stopped the execution, the crowd burst out with praises to Allah.
Hamdan told Al-Watan that all he asks for in return is that his nephew
stay away from the family to avoid any future conflict.

Badr told the paper that while he was in prison, Tuesdays were the
scariest because that was when executions usually take place in Abha.
Persons who are on death row are often kept in dark about their scheduled
execution date.

Badr said he figured out he was scheduled for execution last Tuesday after
hearing his mothers voice. "Last Monday I called my parents," said Badr.
"My father was crying over the phone. I called again to find out that my
mother was crying as well. I then realized that Tuesday was going to be
the end of my life."

Badr provided a rare glimpse of a death row inmates final moments.

"In the morning I was accompanied by a police officer to say goodbye to my
friends in prison," he said. "Then they took me to the managers office
where they asked me to write my will," said Badr. Among his final requests
were that friends perform the Haj on his behalf and that his organs be
donated, including a kidney to a fellow inmate.

Badr, who was fasting during the day, expressed his gratitude to his uncle
and said that he is sorry for what he did. "I am planning to perform Haj
as soon as I leave the prison," he said.

(source: Arab News)






CHINA:

China's supreme court upholds death sentence for pair who ran bank scam


China's highest court has upheld the death sentence for two bank employees
who bilked customers out of hundreds of millions of yuan (dollars, euros)
by offering fake accounts with high interest rates, state media said
Thursday.

Zhou Limin, the former head of the China Construction Bank branch in the
northwestern city of Xi'an, and accountant Liu Yibing collected up to 484
million yuan (US$61 million, 48 million) from 30 organizations and 400
individuals, state television said.

They kept about half for themselves, it said, but only 7 million yuan
(US$900,000, 700,000) has been recovered. The report did not give any
details on when Zhou and Liu would be executed.

The Xi'an Evening News said the pair created fake deposit slips for the
customers. They were sentenced to death in 2003 and appealed in 2004 to
the provincial Shaanxi High Court, which upheld the sentence, pending
approval from the State Supreme Court, the newspaper said.

The court gave its approval on Tuesday, it said.

The case is one of an embarrassing parade of corruption cases that have
battered China's banking industry. They usually involve managers accused
of embezzlement or arranging fraudulent loans.

The scandals come at a time when Chinese banks are trying to raise money
from foreign investors to modernize operations.

(source: Associated Press)