[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Nov. 25


PAKISTAN:

British awaiting response from Pakistan on extradition treaty


Political and economic relation between Pakistan and United Kingdom would
strengthen in future, said British High Commissioner Mark Lyall Grant.

According to the Pakistani newspaper, The News, during his recent visit to
Pakistan, Prime Minister Tony Blair had announced to double Pakistan's
development aid, which would pave way for further strengthening of
relation between the two countries, he said.

Mark Lyall Grant arrived in Pakistan in May 2003 as British high
commissioner.

He will complete its tenure this year.

He said the foreign direct investment from Britain is going strong day by
day.

There are now 100 British multinationals operating in Pakistan.

Grant said, "We welcome the Pakistan government's announcement that the
upcoming election would be free fair and transparent." Britain will
continue its support to Pakistan's efforts to strengthen its democratic
institutions, he said.

Regarding to extradition treaty with Pakistan he said, "We are waiting for
Pakistan's reply on changing the death penalty for persons extradited as
the United Kingdom has abolished the death penalty." Once Pakistan accepts
this demand, an agreement would be inked, he said.

He said Pakistan has sought some extradition from the United Kingdom but
there is no treaty between the two countries so it could not be
materialized.

(source: Islamic Republic News Agency)






VIETNAM:

Briton sentenced to death in Vietnam drugs trial


A Vietnamese court on Saturday sentenced a British national accused of
drugs charges to death and gave a female accomplice a life term.

Le Manh Luong, 46, who is of Vietnamese origin, was charged with leading a
gang accused of smuggling 339 kilograms (745 pounds) of heroin into
Vietnam from neighbouring Laos.

Tran Thi Hien, 47, a woman who also holds a British passport, was given a
life term. Prosecutors had asked for the sentences at a hearing in Quang
Binh, central Vietnam.

The two were on trial with six accomplices, including two Laotians, in
what is believed to be the biggest drug trafficking case ever heard in
this central province, 500 kilometers (300 miles) south of Hanoi.

3 other defendants were given death sentences while the rest were given
jail terms ranging from 13 months to 23 years.

At least 59 people have been sentenced to death in Vietnam in 2006,
according to information compiled from state media. The punishment has
been carried out 25 times this year.

Communist Vietnam, which has some of the toughest drug laws in the world,
imposes the death penalty on anyone caught with more than 600 grams of
heroin or 20 kilograms of opium.

Foreigners, however, are rarely executed. Only one Westerner has been put
to death here for drug trafficking since 1975 -- Nguyen Thi Hiep, a
Canadian of Vietnamese origin, who was executed by firing squad in April
2000.

Vietnam has in the recent past spared the lives of several Australian
nationals sentenced to death on drugs charges.

(source: Khaleej Times)






JAPAN:

Death sentence to stand in '95 murders, robbery


The Supreme Court rejected an appeal Friday by a South Korean man
sentenced to hang for killing 2 people and robbing 1 of them in 1995 in
Aichi and Fukuoka prefectures, a move that finalizes his penalty.

Presiding Justice Ryoji Nakagawa upheld lower court sentences on Pak Il
Gwang, 59, who exercised his right to remain silent during the police
investigation and pleaded not guilty in the trial.

Nakagawa concluded that Pak "murdered a woman he previously had a
relationship with because he got angry with her marrying another man, and
stabbed a taxi driver to death because of a lack of money when he was on
the run."

"There is no room for leniency in his motivation and the crimes, conducted
in less than 20 days, were well-planned and cruel. The next of kin are
hoping for a harsh punishment and the death penalty cannot be avoided,"
Nakagawa said at the top court's No. 2 petty bench.

The finalization of Pak's death sentence will bring the total number of
inmates on death row in Japan to 97.

Pak's defense counsel argued the DNA analysis of bloodstains on the
victims' clothes as well as those found at the crime scenes that linked
Pak to the murders "was not reliable."

Pak was convicted of stabbing to death Harumi Fujiwara, 41, at a bar in
Nagoya on Jan. 12, 1995, and then killing a 59-year-old driver of a taxi
he took in Fukuoka on Jan. 28, 1995, when he was on the run. He also
robbed the cabby of several thousand yen.

The Fukuoka District Court sentenced him to death, and the Fukuoka High
Court upheld the verdict.

Extradition sought

Japan will seek the extradition of a South Korean man who is in custody in
connection with the strangling of a woman in Tokyo 2 1/2 years ago, police
sources said.

Kim Sang Ho, 47, was placed in custody in South Korea in late September on
suspicion of killing Mitsuyo Fujihara, 69, a hotel employee, in her
residence, which was on the 2nd floor of a pachinko prize buyer's office
in Shinagawa Ward, in April 2004, the sources said.

An investigation determined that Kim broke into Fujihara's dwelling and
strangled her with his hands on April 10 or 11.

Japanese police identified Kim from DNA tests carried out on skin found at
the scene and placed him on an international wanted list through Interpol.

Kim left Japan immediately after the murder, the sources said.

Japan has concluded extradition pacts with the United States and South
Korea.

(source: Japan Times)






MALAYSIA:

Former MP's daughter pleads she's innocent


Deborah Donde, the Kenyan student being held in Kuala Lumpur over drug
charges, has pleaded innocent.

Her father former Gem Member of Parliament, Mr Joe Donde, said the family
was in touch with Deborah on Tuesday when she asserted she was innocent.

She had apparently made a statement with the police in the presence of the
Kenyan Ambassador to Malaysia.

Her family was expecting her home for Christmas next week before the
arrest. Now whether she makes it for Christmas depends on whether the
Malaysian Government clears her of the alleged drug charges, which carry a
death penalty.

Donde said Deborah might have found herself in the company of friends who
could be drug users.

Mrs Donde has travelled to Malaysia to appeal for the release of her
daughter, who she believes is innocent.

The family sought solace in the fact that blood tests conducted by the
Malaysian Police on Tuesday had proved that she had not taken drugs.

Under Malaysian law, anyone found with 200g or more of marijuana is
sentenced to death on conviction. But the four students were found with 4
kilos of the drug.

More than 100 people, a third of them foreigners, have been hanged for
drug offences in Malaysia since the law was introduced in 1981, but the
lucrative drug trade continues to lure traffickers.

Deborah was arrested with another Kenyan female student, and two male
students from Saudi Arabia and Eritrea.

They were arrested last Saturday and have been in police cells since then.

Southern Kuala Lumpur Sepang District Police Chief, Mr Zahedi Ayob, told
AFP that anti-narcotics officers arrested the suspects in a special
operation.

"We have evidence to charge them with drug trafficking, as they had a huge
amount of drugs in their possession," he said.

The police were expected to complete investigation before formally
charging the suspects in court yesterday.

Donde, who remained indoors the whole day at his Loresho home as one of
his daughters surfed the internet for new developments, accused Foreign
Affairs minister, Mr Raphael Tuju, of remaining silent the whole week as
the family agonised.

"My daughter could be innocent ... She could be guilty. I do not know. But
what is the minister doing to get the facts?" asked Donde.

He appealed to the minister to get to the bottom of the matter and provide
the family with the facts over their daughter's involvement in the alleged
crime.

Her family was expecting her home for Christmas next week before the
arrest. Now whether she makes it for Christmas depends on whether the
Malaysian Government clears her of the alleged drug charges, which carry a
death penalty.

Donde said Deborah might have found herself in the company of friends who
could be drug users.

Mrs Donde has travelled to Malaysia to appeal for the release of her
daughter, who she believes is innocent.

The family sought solace in the fact that blood tests conducted by the
Malaysian Police on Tuesday had proved that she had not taken drugs.

Under Malaysian law, anyone found with 200g or more of marijuana is
sentenced to death on conviction. But the four students were found with 4
kilos of the drug.

More than 100 people, a third of them foreigners, have been hanged for
drug offences in Malaysia since the law was introduced in 1981, but the
lucrative drug trade continues to lure traffickers.

Deborah was arrested with another Kenyan female student, and 2 male
students from Saudi Arabia and Eritrea.

They were arrested last Saturday and have been in police cells since then.

Southern Kuala Lumpur Sepang District Police Chief, Mr Zahedi Ayob, told
AFP that anti-narcotics officers arrested the suspects in a special
operation.

"We have evidence to charge them with drug trafficking, as they had a huge
amount of drugs in their possession," he said.

The police were expected to complete investigation before formally
charging the suspects in court yesterday.

Donde, who remained indoors the whole day at his Loresho home as one of
his daughters surfed the internet for new developments, accused Foreign
Affairs minister, Mr Raphael Tuju, of remaining silent the whole week as
the family agonised.

"My daughter could be innocent ... She could be guilty. I do not know. But
what is the minister doing to get the facts?" asked Donde.

He appealed to the minister to get to the bottom of the matter and provide
the family with the facts over their daughter's involvement in the alleged
crime.

(source: The (Kenya) Standard)






IRAN:

Reports claim Iranian gay was hanged


A Web site called Iran Focus reported Nov. 14 that "a gay Iranian man was
hanged in public on Tuesday in the western city of Kermanshah on the
charge of sodomy."

The report said "Shahab Darvishi was charged with organising a 'corruption
ring,' deliberate assault and 'lavat,' which means homosexual relationship
between two men or sodomy."

The report credited "the official news agency IRNA" as a source for the
story.

The Islamic Republic News Agency's version of the story said the
Kermanshah Province Justice Department Communications Department said
Darvishi was "found guilty of forming a coterie of corruption rings,
physical assaults and the despicable act of sodomy."

IRNA said the death sentence was issued by the Second Court of the town of
Sahneh, and upheld by the Second Appeal Court of Kermanshah and the 27th
Branch of the Supreme Court.

"Hundreds of Kermanshah's residents were present at the scene of the
execution," IRNA said. "They were supportive of the judicial system's
decision and called for adopting a tough stance against criminals and
disturbing elements."

Iran's version of Islamic law does punish gay sex with execution, and many
human-rights activists say, with varying degrees of certainty, that the
nation has executed numerous men for the crime since the 1979 religious
revolution.

But it is notoriously difficult to fact-check news that emanates from the
nation, and skepticism of any one report is always warranted, as Iran does
not have a free press.

On Nov. 15, Human Rights Watch's Jessica Stern sent an e-mail to this
publication which said, in part: "We are concerned with the charges in the
case and by the case's lack of information. One or two sources should be
considered inconclusive, especially in reporting on a case of this kind.
... We strongly urge caution until more information is known."

In the same vein, the secretary general of the Iranian Queer Organization,
formerly called the Persian Gay and Lesbian Organization, commented:
"Similar to the Mashad incident last year, it may be extremely difficult
to firmly establish why this man was hanged, or whether the charges were
fabricated. Whatever the truth is, the Iranian government must be stopped
from killing people for sex-related crimes."

On July 19, 2005, 2 teenage boys, Mahmoud Asgari and Ayaz Marhoni, were
publicly hanged in Mashad, and graphic photos of the executions circulated
on the Web. Some Iranian and foreign media said the teens' crime was being
gay lovers. Other Iranian and foreign media said they had raped a boy.
International human rights groups say they have been unable to determine
which version of the story is true.

Nonetheless, "the death penalty is on the books for gay sex [and] it'sat
least sporadically enforced," said Scott Long, HRW's LGBT program head, in
a Nov. 16 interview.

(source: pride source.com)


UNITED KINGDOM:

'Restore death penalty and never scrap the pound' says Priti Patel


The woman chosen as the Tories' 1st female Asian candidate has revealed
how she fought off her rivals - by pledging to restore the death penalty
and savaging David Cameron's leadership of the party.

When Priti Patel was picked last week to fight the new seat of Witham,
Essex, at the next Election, it was hailed as a major success for Mr
Cameron's attempt to recruit a new generation of female MPs.

Ms Patel, whose parents were driven out of Uganda by Idi Amin, was a
member of Cameron's controversial A-list, seen by many Tory activists as a
ploy to weed out candidates with Right-wing views on law and order and
Europe.

But the 34-year-old defeated a group of more experienced rivals for the
nomination in the solid Tory area by delivering a 'hang 'em and flog 'em'
manifesto that had more in common with "On Your Bike' Norman Tebbit than
"Hug a Hoodie' Mr Cameron, whose approach she was quick to criticise.

Ms Patel, who is now set to become Britain's first woman Asian MP, refused
to apologise for the outspoken style that impressed party activists.

"I am not the type to give weasel- worded answers,' she told The Mail on
Sunday. "I believe a politician has a duty to give straight answers to
straight questions."

She won cheers at the selection meeting by saying she backed restoring
capital punishment - putting her at odds with Mr Cameron who wants a much
softer line on crime and punishment.

"If you had the ultimate punishment for the murder of policemen and other
heinous crimes, I am sure it would act as a deterrent," she said. "We must
send a clear signal to people that crime doesn't pay. The punishment must
fit the crime and yes, I do support capital punishment.

"For far too long the law has been on the side of the criminal. Law and
order is breaking down in Britain and we must do something about it."

Asked if she favoured hanging, the electric chair or some other method, Ms
Patel said: "I haven't thought through all the details." She was even more
outspoken when asked if she agreed with another of Mr Cameron's Tory
critics, Lord Saatchi. The peer last week criticised Mr Cameron's lack of
policies and claimed he would 'say anything to get elected'.

While other candidates loyally backed Mr Cameron, Ms Patel said Lord
Saatchi was right. "I wanted to show what I was made of and that I have
clear Conservative beliefs," she said. "We are in danger of throwing the
baby out with the bath water.

"David Cameron is not doing enough to carry party members with him in
terms of his style and approach. He has broadened the appeal of the party
but he must do more to reassure members and we need to develop more
policies."

She was equally forthright on whether she would ever vote to scrap the
pound and join the euro. While other candidates hedged their bets, Ms
Patel gave a solid commitment. "I said I would never vote for the euro
because I want to see a Britain that is governed by the British for the
British."

By contrast, the man who had been favourite to win the contest,
Conservative front bencher James Brokenshire, whose Hornchurch seat
disappears because of boundary changes at the next Election, was far more
cautious.

"James was slick but he tried to be too clever by qualifying every
statement, whereas Priti jumped straight in and told them what they wanted
to hear," said one official. "She was a breath of fresh air."

The Witham contest was at the centre of a race row earlier this month
after Asian businessman Ali Miraj claimed he was told not to bother to
apply for the seat because the local party wanted a 'white middle-class
male'.

(source: This is London)






CHINA----execution

Killer of Beijing taxi driver and pedestrians executed


China has executed a farmer who killed a taxi driver in Beijing, stole his
car and rammed 9 pedestrians, killing 2 of them.

Ai Xuqiang, a 32-year-old farmer from central China's Henan Province,
bashed a taxi driver to death with a heavy metal bar in Beijing's
Dongcheng District on September 11 last year.

Ai then stole the taxi and sped along Wangfujing Street, the city's most
glittering shopping thoroughfare, knocking down nine pedestrians. 2 of the
9 people were killed.

Beijing's Second Intermediate People's Court convicted Ai of murder,
robbery and jeopardising public security and sentenced him to death. The
execution was carried out yesterday, Xinhua news agency reported.

(source: New Kerala)