[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 4



INDIA:

Apex court upholds death penalty for multiple murders


The Supreme Court has upheld the death penalty awarded to a youth who
killed three teenaged siblings of his friend a decade ago despite living
with them for 4 years like a family member. A bench of Justice P.P.
Naolekar and Justice Lokeshwar Singh Panta ruled that enormous crimes like
multiple murders must entail death sentence.

Ratifying the death sentence for Prajeet Kumar Singh of Bettiah town in
West Champaran district of Bihar, the bench said: "The murder was
committed for a motive which evinces total depravity and meanness." It
fell in the category of "the rarest of the rare" cases, fit for death
penalty, it added.

The 9-page ruling of the apex court was delivered Wednesday but released
Thursday.

In April 1998, Prajeet went berserk at the dead of the night at the place
of his friend Prakash, slaughtering his younger brother Deepak, 16, sister
Kiran, 15 and cousin Pooja, 8.

In his slaying spree, he never thought for a moment that he was butchering
the same people with whom he had been staying for 4 years as a family
member for carrying out studies.

Though Prajeet was paying Rs.400 to his friend's family for his stay and
food, he had not paid it for months altogether, causing a due of Rs.4,000.

It was apparently a gentle reminder for payment of the dues from Prakashs
father that infuriated Prajeet and he went on to commit the killings.

While upholding the noose for Prajeet, the apex court bench said, "The
enormity of the crime is writ large. He caused multiple murders and
attacked 3 others."

"The brutality of the act is amplified by the manner in which the attacks
were made on all inmates of the house and in which the helpless victims
were murdered," the bench added.

"The brutality is indicative of the fact that the act was diabolic of the
superlative degree in conception and cruel in execution and does not fall
within any comprehension of the basic humanness, which indicates the
mindset which cannot be said to be amenable for any reformation," the
judges said.

"In view of the aforesaid facts, we are of the view that there would be
failure of justice in case death sentence is not awarded in the present
case. The case falls in the category of the rarest of the rare cases. The
Session Court and the High Court were justified in imposing death sentence
on the accused," the bench ruled.

(source: IANS)

*************************************

Death penalty for diabolical killing of children


Describing the killing of 3 innocent children who were asleep as one of
the "rarest of rare cases," the Supreme Court has confirmed the death
sentence imposed on an accused by the trial court and the High Court.

Prajeet Kumar Singh, a tenant in the house of his close friend Prakash
Kumar, was paying, besides rent, Rs. 500 a month for taking food there.
However, after some months he stopped the payments. According to the
prosecution, on the fateful night in April 1998, Prakash demanded payment
of arrears of Rs. 4,000 and after a wordy duel, both friends went to
sleep. Later, Prajeet killed Prakash's children sleeping on the second
floor with a dagger like weapon. When the parents went upstairs on hearing
the noise, the accused attacked them also. A sessions court in Bihar
awarded Prajeet death sentence and the Patna High Court confirmed it.

Dismissing his appeal, Justices P.P. Naolekar and L.S. Panta said: "The
enormity of the crime is writ large. The accused-appellant caused multiple
murders and attacked 3 witnesses. The brutality of the act is amplified by
the manner in which the attacks have been made on all the inmates of the
house in which the helpless victims have been murdered, which is
indicative of the fact that the act was diabolic in the superlative degree
in conception and cruel in execution and does not fall within any
comprehension of the basic humanness which indicates the mindset which
cannot be said to be amenable to any reformation."

(source: The Hindu)






BRITAIN/IRAN:

Britain urges Iran to limit executions


Britain's Foreign Office has urged Iran to limit the number of executions
it carries out.

"We call on Iran to review the apostasy provisions of the draft penal
code, and ensure that the new law respects and is fully consistent with
Iran's commitments under the international human rights conventions it has
ratified", said Foreign Office Minister Kim Howells, according to a
statement released on Wednesday by his office. He was referring to a draft
Iranian penal code currently under debate by Irans hard-line dominated
Majlis (or Parliament) which would make apostasy, heresy and witchcraft
punishable by death.

"We are opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances, but in those
countries where it is retained it should be imposed only for the most
serious crimes and in strict accordance with international minimum
standards. It should not be applied to juvenile offenders or for
non-violent crimes such as adultery, consensual same-sex relations or
religious belief', he said.

Howells raised the issue, along with concerns about the treatment of the
Baha'i community in Iran, in a meeting with the Iranian ambassador to the
UK at the Foreign Office on Tuesday, the statement said.

"Iran executes more people than any other country in the world apart from
China and the use of the death penalty is increasing. According to
independent human rights organisations Iran executed over 300 people in
2007, compared to 177 in 2006 and 94 in 2005", it added.

(source: Iran Focus)






VIETNAM:

Death row Briton saved in Vietnam ---- Mr Luong was injured during the
Vietnam war


The life of a mentally-ill Briton who was on death row in Vietnam has been
spared by the country's president.

Le Manh Luong, 68, was due to be executed by firing squad after being
found guilty of smuggling heroin in November 2006.

He suffered brain damage in the Vietnam War but was officially granted
clemency by President Nguyen Minh Triet.

The former mechanic, who came to London in 1983, had part of his brain
sliced off by an American missile.

His family, who live in Kidbrooke, south east London, expressed their joy
at his clemency being granted.

Mr Luong's niece, Thanh Le, said: "We are so happy. Now we can go and
visit him and he will have the horrific ankle and wrist shackles removed."

Mr Luong arrived in London as one of the Vietnamese "boat people".

Sentence commuted

Representations were made on his behalf to the Vietnamese government by
the former Prime Minister Tony Blair.

There was also a petition organised on the Downing Street website, which
was signed by more than 1,400 people.

Campaigners claim that Mr Luong asked "What is heroin?" and "What is a
weapon?" at his trial.

A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: "We can confirm that Le Manh
Luong, a British national, has had his sentence commuted to life
imprisonment.

"We made a number of representations to the Vietnamese government on
behalf of Mr Luong."

A campaign for his life to be spared was also fought by legal charity
Reprieve, which petitions for British citizens to be taken off death row
in prisons around the world.

Reprieve legal adviser Hayley Ichilcik said: "This is fantastic news. Mr
Luong no longer has the shadow of execution hanging over him.

"He will be moved from death row and the shackles which were welded round
his wrists and ankles can be removed."

(source: BBC News)






UGANDA:

Judge tips on death penalty


Many African governments do not support the death penalty but fear to
remove it from their law books, a human rights lawyer has said.

George Kegoro, the executive director of the International Commission of
Jurists (Kenya Chapter), noted that the countries had retained the penalty
just to please their citizens who would otherwise resort to mob justice as
a means of solving their grievances.

"No country in Africa has hanged or executed a convict on death penalty in
the last 10 years," he said.

The judge was on Tuesday addressing a conference on the establishment of
the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights at Impala Hotel.

According to Amnesty International, 13 African countries have abolished
the death penalty for all crimes while 20 retain the law but no longer
implement it.

(source: The New Vision)