[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 4



INDIA:

Apex court suspends death penalty of Mumbai blast convict


The Supreme Court Friday temporarily suspended the death sentence of Zakir
Hussain Noor Mohammed Sheikh, convicted for his role in the 1993 Mumbai
serial blasts. A bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan Justice Aftab
Alam stayed Sheikh's death penalty while admitting his plea challenging
the verdict of Mumbais anti-terror court that convicted him of terrorism
charges.

Special Judge P.D. Kode of the special anti-terror court in Mumbai had
condemned Shiekh to gallows for detonating a bomb in the Mahim fishermens
colony in Mumbai, killing 3 people and injuring 6.

After suspending Shiekhs death penalty, the bench adjourned the hearing on
his petition, tagging it with those of Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt and
other convicts of the serial terror bombings of Mumbai.

While convicting a total of 100 people for their role in the blasts, which
killed 257 people, Kode had awarded death sentences to 12.

Shiekh is the 3rd convict on death row who challenged his conviction and
got his sentence stayed. A higher court suspends the death sentence as a
routine while admitting a persons appeal against the conviction.

On Jan 28, the apex court suspended the death penalty of fugitive
underworld don Tiger Memons accountant brother Yakub. He was sentenced to
death for hatching the conspiracy, funding the terror attack and supplying
weapons for it.

Similarly, the apex court Feb 21 suspended the death sentence of yet
another convict, Mohammed Shoaib Ghansar.

Ghansar was found guilty of parking an explosives-laden scooter opposite
the Bombay Stock Exchange. The blast killed 17 people and maimed 57
others.

Besides Yakub Memon, Ghansar and Sheikh, the others on the death row in
the blasts case include Abdul Ghani Turk, Mushtaq Musa Tarani, Pervez
Sheikh, Asgar Mukadam, Shahnawaz Qureshi, Iqbal Yusuf Shaikh and Feroz
Malik.

The Supreme Court is Monday slated to hear the pleas of 2 more convicts
given death sentences by Kode. They are Mohammed Mushtaq Moosa Tarani and
Asgar Yusuf Mukadam.

Tarani was sentenced to death for planting an RDX-loaded scooter in Shaikh
Memon Street that did not explode. He had also planted a bomb at Hotel
Centaur, though the explosion did not cause any casualties.

Mukadam was awarded the death penalty for planting an RDX-laden Maruti van
at Plaza cinema in Mumbai. The explosion had killed 10 and injured 36.

(source: IANS)






GAZA STRIP:

Anti-death penalty double bill in the Gaza Strip


The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), a Gaza-based NGO and a
member of the World Coalition, organised 2 meetings on the death penalty
in March.

The 1st meeting took place on March 10 in the offices of the Palestinian
Society for Democracy and Law in Rafah. At least 30 individuals
representing a number of NGOs in Rafah attended.

The 2nd meeting was held on March 12, in cooperation with Sharek Youth
Forum in Gaza City. At least 30 students and graduates of al-Azhar
University in Gaza and a number of civil society activists attended the
meeting.

Raising public awareness

The events are part of PCHR's death penalty project, which aims at raising
public awareness and creating a public opinion calling for the abolishment
of capital punishment from Palestinian laws. PCHR also seeks to stop
extra-judicial executions carried out by Israeli forces against
Palestinians.

The meetings discussed the international trend towards the abolition of
the death penalty from domestic laws, and the recent United Nations
General Assembly resolution calling for a moratorium on executions.

During the meetings, discussions were opened among the participants who
were divided between supporters of and opponents to the death penalty.

(source: World Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty)