[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 14




THE NETHERLANDS:

Death penalty not backed by majority


Some 59% of the Dutch are opposed to the death penalty in principle and
26% would support it in cases of terrorist attacks which led to multiple
deaths, according to an opinion poll by Maurice de Hond.

Most death penalty supporters back Geert Wilders' anti-immigration PVV
party and Rita Verdonk's populist TON movement.

Verdonk herself is opposed to the death penalty because of mistakes made
by the legal system, she told tv programme Business Class on Sunday.

(source: Dutch News)






INDONESIA:

Bali bombers in death row refuse to seek pardon


3 militants convicted of the 2002 Bali bombing have officially ruled out a
request for a presidential pardon that becomes their final chance to avoid
the capital punishment, prosecutors said Monday.

The trio -- Imam Samudera, Amrozi and his older brother Ali Ghufron --
were sentenced to death for key roles in the nightclub bombings that
killed 202 people, mostly foreigners.

A team from the Bali Court of Appeal has planned to visit Central Java,
where the bombers are being held at a tightly guarded prison island, to
seek clarification about the next legal move they intend to take.

"Then the unexpected news came, that Amrozi and his gang have sent a
letter confirming they are not requesting a pardon," Bali provincial
prosecutors' office head Putu Alit Atyana was quoted by leading news
website Detikcom as saying.

"We must report to the Attorney General's Office, which also has asked us
to bring the letter to Jakarta," he said.

(source:Xinhua)






IRAQ:

Before Execution, Hussein Admits to Having NO WMDs


On 12/30/06 Saddam Hussein was executed for having ordered the suppression
of rebellious Kurds in Iraq. That campaign left 180,000 Kurds missing and
presumed dead. Numerous grave sites of multiple bodies reinforced that
number. But an illuminating confession revealed--not under duress but with
an alleged friend-- Hussein said no WMDs were left after 1991. And
considering the circumstances, it's likely he did not lie.

Ronald Kessler (reporter/author New York Times; Washington Post; Wall
Street Journal) was the one to interview George Pirothe last confidante of
Hussein before his execution. Piro was the perfect man for the job. An
Arabic speaker born in Beirut, he came to the US at 13, eventually served
in the military, became a police detective, and joined the FBI in 1999.

Being a subject-matter expert, Piro was given the special mission of
debriefing Hussein before his execution. He became his best and only
friend for 8 months. He wanted to find out Hussein's thoughts on the
initial invasion of Iraq, his role in ordering 300,000 people killed, and
his WMDs.

Piro used his 8 months to perfection. He found out that Hussein did indeed
order the use of chemical weapons against the Kurdish town of Halabja
earlier, as well as many other atrocities. Finally, Hussein confided why
he actually had no usable WMDs, but pretended he did.

Because of Iran's war of attrition with Iraq, Hussein always felt Iran was
a threat. And, if Iran thought he had serious WMD, they would be reluctant
to attack Iraq. The only way Iran would believe it was if others thought
it was true, particularly the US. So whenever the inspectors visited,
Hussein gave them the runaround and acted like he still had WMD.

Given the fact that the Iraqi generals thought they had chemical weapons
that were to be used during a US attack, it was impossible for anyone to
find out otherwise. All were convinced there were WMD. They didnt know
where they were, but were convinced other Iraqis did.

Hussein was more astute than people believe. In fact, the (then) existing
US administration warned profusely of Hussein's WMDs. In separate
occasions in 1998 harbingers included Madeline Albright, Sandy Berger,
Scott Ritter (inspector), Nancy Pelosi, Barbara Mikulski, Diane Feinstein,
Tom Daschle, and Bill Clinton. In 1998, 2001 and 2002 it was Bob Graham,
Joe Lieberman, and Harold Ford. In 2002 alone it was Patty Murray, Jim
Jeffords, Ted Kennedy, Wesley Clark, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Dick
Gephardt, Al Gore, Bob Graham, Patty Murray, John Rockefeller, Henry
Waxman, Dick Gephardt, Robert Byrd, Barbara Boxer, Tom Harkin, and Arlen
Specter. In 1998, 2002, and 2003 it was John Kerry. Direct quotes from
each are available about Hussein's WMDs.

Knowing Hussein's WMD history, Putin's pronouncement that Hussein had
planned WMDs to be used against the US, Hussein lying in his 14,000 page
report to the UN, Hussein's continued attempts to shoot down allied
aircraft in the 'no-fly' zone, and his total disregard for 14 UN
resolutions, Bush made the correct decision to depose Hussein. NOT, to
attack Iraq. If Bush had not made some move, protection of American
citizenry would have been easily in doubt.

Intriguingly, Hussein did confide with Piro about aspiring to develop
nuclear capability in an incremental fashion. From payoffs to key
officials, Hussein believed sanctions would be lifted within a year or so.
He thought he could then recreate Iraqs WMD capability, mostly destroyed
in 1991.

"His goal was to have the sanctions lifted," Piro stated, "and they likely
would have been lifted if it were not for 9/11." Given Husseins eventual
intentions, it seems as Condoleeza Rices words about "being too late if
you see the mushroom cloud" was omniscient. It's frustrating to admit that
the British M15 was right about Iraq looking for yellowcake in Niger.

Of course, Hussein could have shipped many of his WMDs to neighboring
terrorist states like Syria before things became dicey. That would mean he
didn't have WMDs at the moment of the US incursion after Hussein. Maybe a
lot of Hussein's secrets died with him in Iraq. Then again, maybe not.

(source: American Daily)






KUWAIT:

Kuwait death sentence for Philippines maid


Kuwait's criminal court has sentenced a Philippine housemaid to death
after convicting her of stabbing her employer's 20-year-old daughter to
death.

Prosecutors charged that the maid, Jakatia Mandon Pawa, stabbed the victim
several times with a kitchen knife while she was asleep at dawn on May 14
last year.

Defence lawyers demanded that the maid be examined by psychiatrists to
determine her mental health but the court turned down the request.

It is the 3rd time that a death sentence has been handed down against a
Filippina domestic servant in recent months.

About 73,000 Filippinos work in oil-rich Kuwait, the majority of them
women who are employed as housemaids.

(source: ABC News)






CHINA:

China 'gold medal' for executions ---- More than 60 crimes can carry the
death penalty in China


The Chinese authorities put to death at least 470 people last year, but
may have killed up to 8,000, human rights group Amnesty International has
said.

Amnesty said the hidden extent of executions in China, where figures are
secret, might mean the Olympic host was behind the bulk of them worldwide.

"The veil of secrecy surrounding the death penalty must be lifted," it
said.

At least 1,252 people are known to have been executed in 24 countries in
2007, a slight drop on the previous year.

Just 5 countries - China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the US - were
responsible for 88% of known executions in the world, Amnesty said.

About 3,347 people were sentenced to death in 51 nations last year and up
to 27,500 people are now estimated to be on death row.

Swift justice

In its annual report on the death penalty, Amnesty International said
China had executed more than any country last year, but warned that the
real figure was likely to be several thousand.

"As the world's biggest executioner, China gets the 'gold medal' for
global executions," said the organisation's UK director, Kate Allen.

Many governments claim that executions take place with public support -
people therefore have a right to know what is being done in their name

Amnesty International

"According to reliable estimates, on average China secretly executes
around 22 prisoners every day - that's 374 people during the Olympic
Games," she added.

More than 60 crimes can carry the death penalty in China, including tax
fraud, stealing VAT receipts, damaging electric power facilities, selling
counterfeit medicine, embezzlement, accepting bribes and drug offences,
Amnesty said.

Those sentenced to death are usually shot, but some provinces are
introducing lethal injections, which the government says is more humane.

The BBC's Quentin Sommerville, in Beijing, says justice is usually swift -
most of those sentenced to death are executed only weeks after they are
found guilty.

GLOBAL EXECUTIONS IN 2007

Minimum of 1,252 people were executed in 24 countries

At least 3,347 sentenced to death in more than 50 countries

Up to 27,500 on death row

China: at least 470, estimated more than 8000

Iran: at least 317 people, up from 177 in 2006

Saudi Arabia: at least 143, up from 39

Pakistan: at least 135, up from 82

The death penalty has popular support in China, our correspondent says,
but the government has been attempting to reform the system.

Last year, it decreed that all cases involving the death penalty had to be
referred to the Supreme Court. According to state media, this led to a 10%
fall in executions in the 1st 5 months of 2007.

Amnesty urged the International Olympic Committee and athletes to press
for greater openness about executions during the Olympic Games in Beijing
this August.

"The secretive use of the death penalty must stop: the veil of secrecy
surrounding the death penalty must be lifted," it added.

"Many governments claim that executions take place with public support.
People therefore have a right to know what is being done in their name."

UN resolution

Iran was 2nd to China with 317 known executions during 2007, the report
said, followed by Saudi Arabia on 143, Pakistan on 135 and the US on 42.

Amnesty said the totals had risen alarmingly in Iran, Saudi Arabia and
Pakistan, but that worldwide they showed a drop - down to 1,252 from 1,591
the previous year.

The executions in Iran included the stoning to death of a man for
adultery, and the execution of 3 people who were teenagers aged between 13
and 16 at the time of their arrests, it added.

In Saudi Arabia, those killed included a child offender aged 15 or 16 at
the time of his detention, and an Egyptian man who was beheaded for
"sorcery" and adultery - one of at least 76 foreigners executed by the
Gulf kingdom.

Despite the statistics, Amnesty welcomed the wider trend toward the global
abolition of the death penalty, noting that in December 2007, the UN
General Assembly had voted by a large majority in favour of a resolution
calling for an end to capital punishment.

"The taking of life by the state is one of the most drastic acts a
government can undertake. We are urging all governments to follow the
commitments made at the UN and abolish the death penalty once and for
all," it added.

(source: BBC News)

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

Report: China led world executions in 2007


China's executions in 2007 less than half of 2006 level, AI says

AI says China alters way of handling death penalty cases; fears number may
rise

Iran had 2nd-highest level of executions in 2007, group says

United States recorded fifth-highest number of executions, Amnesty reports

China reduced the number of executions it carried out last year but still
executed more people than any other country in the world, Amnesty
International said Tuesday in its annual report on the death penalty
worldwide.

Iran remains the country with the 2nd-highest number of executions, with
377 killings that included a man stoned for adultery, the human rights
group said.

The number of American executions fell to its lowest level in about 15
years, putting it fifth in the world with 42, Amnesty officials said.

Amnesty analysts said that early in 2007 China reformed the way capital
cases are handled, leading to a substantial reduction in executions. They
said at least 470 people were put to death, from 1010 in 2006. But they
cautioned that the actual number is undoubtedly higher, and warned that
any drop may be temporary.

Piers Bannister, a death penalty researcher at Amnesty, said the group
fears that the slowdown is only a "logjam" that will lead to a rise in
executions once a review by China's top court of all capital cases is
concluded.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing did not respond to requests for
comment on the findings in the Amnesty report. The ministry has said in
the past that Amnesty is "biased and hostile toward China."

More than 60 offenses in China are punishable by the death penalty,
including drug trafficking and embezzlement, Bannister said.

Amnesty reported that 3 countries -- Iran, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia -- put
people under the age of 18 to death, the youngest a 13-year-old executed
in Iran in April.

Amnesty's report cited research by other groups claiming the number of
people put to death in China was much higher, with some research
indicating that as many as 6,000 people may have been executed in 2007.
Death penalty figures are treated as a state secret in China.

In all, at least 3,347 people were sentenced to death in 51 countries, and
as many as 27,500 people are estimated to be on death row, Amnesty said.

(source: Associated Press)






MALAYSIA:

Husband and wife drug dealers escape death penalty charge


A husband and wife escaped the death penalty today after their drug
trafficking charge was reduced to possession. While the husband, Lee Kwong
Foo, was offered the reduced charge which carries a maximum 20 years jail
term and a minimum 10 strokes of the rotan, the wife Wong Siew Lan was
freed after the prosecution decided not to pursue the case against her.

Both Lee and Wong were night market traders. They have 2 children.

Lee pleaded guilty to the reduced charge and was sentenced by the High
Court to 9 years jail and ordered to receive the maximum 10 strokes of the
rotan.

Judge Suraya Othman ordered the jail term to run from the date of his
arrest on Oct 20, 2005. She also freed Wong following the prosecutions
application not to pursue the case.

Both Lee and Wong were charged with possessing 3.4 gm of heroin and 13.6
gm of monoacetylmorphine at No. 189, Jalan Rukun 11, Jalan Kuchai Lama in
Taman Gembira here at 1.30am on Oct 20, 2005.

In mitigation, counsel J. Kuldeep Kumar who represented the couple,
pleaded for leniency saying Lee has 2 children aged 13 and 14 to support.
DPP Rihaida Rafie pressed for a deterrent sentence as drug offences were
serious.

(source: New Straits Times)