[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

March 2


MOROCCO:

Royal pardon to 8,836 inmates, commutation of sentence to 24,218 on birth
of princess Lalla Khadija

On the occasion of the birth, Wednesday, of Princess Lalla Khadija,
daughter of king Mohammed VI, the monarch granted his pardon to 8,836
inmates, and decided to commute the sentences rendered against 24,218
prisoners. In the most important pardon since the one granted to 10,000
inmates in 2005 on the 50th anniversary of the independence of Morocco,
Thursday's pardon will liberate 1,365 youths, under 20, 278 foreigners, 53
pregnant or breastfeeding women, or those accompanied by their children,
63 patients and disabled, and 167 aged people, said a press release of the
Justice Ministry.

The pardon will also benefit 11 prisoners among the 133 persons sentenced
to capital punishment that Morocco counts. These will have their sentence,
which, anyway, has not been executed in Morocco since 1994, commuted to a
life sentence, the press release added.

The commutation also touched 139 foreigners from different nationalities,
and 30 life-sentence inmates who saw their prison term limited to 30
years.

A large royal pardon had benefited, in mid-April 2005, some 7,179 inmates
on the occasion of the circumcision of Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan, in
perpetuation of the royal tradition of granting pardon on religious
holidays or in celebration of some special events.

(source: Maghreb Arabe Press)






IRAQ:

Outrage over Imminent Execution of Iraqi Women


3 young women accused of joining the Iraqi insurgency movement and
engaging in "terrorism" have been sentenced to death, provoking protest
from rights organisations fearing that this could be the start of more
executions of women in post-Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

The execution of the three -- Wassan Talib, Zaineb Fadhil and Liqa Omar
Muhammad -- and a fourth, Samar Sa'ad 'Abdullah, found guilty of murdering
five members of her family, are scheduled to begin Mar. 3, according a
member of the BRussells Tribunal.

All four are being held in the Khadamiya female prison in northern
Baghdad.

One of the three alleged "terrorists", Muhammad, 25, gave birth to a
daughter after her arrest and is still nursing the child in prison. A 2nd,
Talib, 31, is also in prison with her 3-year-old child, according to
Amnesty International.

Talib and Fadhil, 25, were sentenced to death by the Central Criminal
Court of Iraq (CCCI) on 31 August 2006 for the 2005 murder of several
members of Iraqi security forces in the Baghdad district of Hay al-Furat.
Both women denied any involvement. Fadhil reportedly claimed that she was
abroad at the time of the alleged killings, according to Amnesty
International.

Muhammad was sentenced to death on 6 February 2006 by the CCCI, for
kidnapping an official from the 'Green Zone' in 2005, according to sources
in the Iraqi Lawyers' Union. Her husband is said to have been detained and
accused of the same crime.

It is not known whether the three alleged "terrorists" will lodge appeals.
But while this is possible, it is unlikely they will be successful without
their own legal representation, according to sources.

An appeal by Abdullah was earlier rejected and she faces imminent
execution, according to Amnesty International.

Many lawyers here are interpreting the death sentences on the three
alleged "terrorists" as an attempt by the Iraqi regime to intimidate
insurgents. 2 of those sentenced to death -- Fadhil and Mohammad -- were
accused of joining their husbands and 2 members of their families in their
alleged crimes, according to the Iraqi Lawyers' Union.

Some Iraqis here have openly expressed surprise and disbelief that these
women could have been involved in any insurgency.

It was a question of honour for Iraqi men that their women did not
participate in any form of violence, they told IPS.

Independent lawyers have expressed strong criticism of the trials, saying
they were "unfair" and violated international conventions.

The accused were denied the right of legal defence, Walid Hayali, a
lawyer, said. He was barred from representing the three in court, he
added.

"No lawyer was given the opportunity to do his job," a close friend of
Talib confirmed to IPS.

But the right to independent legal representation was guaranteed under
international law, lawyers here said.

The passing of a death sentence on the mother of a newly born child was
also in violation of a specific UN safeguard, they added.

Iraqis questioned here said they believed the executions, if allowed to
take place, would raise the level of violence across Iraq.

"This won't go unpunished," Fadhil Aziz, 40, from the Amiriya district in
Baghdad told IPS.

"The U.S. and their Iraqi collaborators must pay for the crimes they are
committing against our honour," he warned.

The impending executions are likely to increase the exodus of Iraqis out
of the country.

"I am taking my family anywhere in the world rather than staying here and
facing this," Abi Muhannad, an Iraqi teacher from the Kadhamiya district
in Baghdad told IPS.

The UN estimates that some two million Iraqis have already fled the
country. Approximately 50,000 are leaving every month, threatening to
overwhelm other Middle Eastern countries, particularly Syria, Jordan and
Lebanon.

Approximately one million are today living in Syria and up to 750,000 in
Jordan, according to the UN High Commission of Refugees.

Roughly 40 percent of Iraq's middle class is believed to have fled the
country since the U.S. invasion in 2003, according to the UN.

After the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime, the American occupation
authorities suspended the death penalty. But in August 2004, the new
interim Iraqi government reinstated it for crimes including murder,
kidnapping and threats to national security. In October 2005 a tough new
anti-terrorism law was introduced, setting capital punishment for
"proving, planning, financing and enabling" terrorism.

Last year Iraqi courts sentenced 235 people to death and over 6,000 to
life imprisonment, according to the London daily al-Sharq al-Awsat.

There are over 2,000 women classified as "security detainees", according
to Mohamed Khorshid, quoted by the newspaper.

It is not known for certain how many have been executed since August 2004,
but it is believed the figure is between 50 and 100. During 2006 at least
65 men and women were executed by the Iraqi government, including former
Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.

(source: IPS)

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

Update on actions to stop the execution of three Iraqi women


Statement by Hana Albayaty, Ian Douglas, Abdul Ilah Albayaty, Iman
Saadoon, Dirk Adriaensens and Ayse Berktay

END THIS CRIME NOW!

Update on actions to stop the execution of 3 Iraqi women

On 14 February we launched an appeal to halt the summary execution of
three Iraqi women. Hundreds signed our statement, including numerous
organizations, and demonstrations have taken place in Istanbul, Ankara,
Rabat, Berlin and Stockholm, among other cities.

Wassan Talib (31), Zainab Fadhil (25) and Liqa Omar Muhammad (26) were
reportedly sentenced to death on charges that amount to supporting the
legitimate and legal popular resistance to occupation in Iraq.

We issue this statement now to highlight that the situation in Iraq
inaugurated and sustained by a defeated occupation and its local sectarian
puppet forces makes the defence of human rights practically impossible.

In Baghdad in particular, some individuals that we are regularly in
contact with, and others that were contacted for this specific case,
report facing the same situation, one so volatile that they cannot even
verify the whereabouts or wellbeing of their own families. Unable to move,
or else fleeing for their lives en masse amidst the murderous Bush-Maliki
surge, Iraqis are enduring waves of military repression and violence.

We tried to reach the families of the three women and their lawyer. We
tried to verify their convictions, the charges on which they were
convicted, and their wellbeing or status. We tried to verify the date of
their prospective executions, and ascertain if an appeals process is
underway. Until now, despite efforts along numerous channels (including
contacting legal organizations in Iraq directly, along with human rights
practitioners), no information has been forthcoming from within or outside
Iraq.

We continue to work on the assumption that our information is credible:
that the women may be executed as early as Saturday, 3 March 2007. We ask
people of conscience everywhere to continue their mobilization and bring
pressure on detaining authorities - both the Iraqi government and the
occupation- to release information on the three women and free them. We
call for similar pressure to be placed on human rights actors to
intervene.

Summary executions and arbitrary detention are high crimes under
international law for which the occupation must be held accountable. We
should intensify our protests and support all actions against this
occupation in order to be millions in the street by 20 March 2007.

It is our moral duty to end this crime now!

Hana Albayaty

Ian Douglas

Abdul Ilah Albayaty

Iman Saadoon

Dirk Adriaensens

Ayse Berktay

* Selected statements and actions against the imminent execution of 3
Iraqi women can be found on:
http://www.brusselstribunal.org/HangingActions.htm

* List of endorsers:
http://www.brusselstribunal.org/hangingSignatories.htm

* Original statement Hanging the Womb of Iraq can be found on:
http://www.brusselstribunal.org/hanging.htm