[Deathpenalty] death penalty news-----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

May 4


COUNCIL OF EUROPE:

Press Release----Council of Europe Secretary General: the clock is ticking
for the death penalty in the United States of America


"I am confident that the United States of America will eventually follow
the example of almost all other civilised and democratic nations in the
world and abolish capital punishment once and for all" said Terry Davis.
"The cases of Zacarias Moussaoui and Joseph Lewis Clark are the two most
recent milestones in this country's slow but steady path to higher
standards in administering justice and respecting human dignity and human
rights.

Yesterday, Zacarias Moussaoui was sentenced to life imprisonment for the
crimes he committed. A day earlier, convicted murderer Joseph Lewis Clark
had to help his own executioners in order to end a 90 minute ordeal of
unprecedented cruelty and incompetence. Now he is no longer punished, he
is simply dead, and it is the American public who must live with the
terrible images of a wrong practice at its worst.

The United States of America is a proud and powerful country. When the
time comes, the decision to abolish the death penalty will be theirs and
theirs alone. But to speed up this decision I encourage our American
friends to look for good examples abroad. They enjoy an observer status in
the Council of Europe, a body which has helped to transform Europe into a
death-penalty free zone with great benefits for justice and absolutely no
negative consequences to the rates of violent crimes. I call on our
American friends to make full use of their observer status - and observe
both why and how the death penalty can be abolished" concluded the
Secretary General.

(source: Press Division of the Council of Europe)






KUWAIT:

Kuwait hangs 5 in biggest group execution in 16 years


3 Kuwaitis and an Indian convicted of murder and a Pakistani found guilty
of drug trafficking were hanged in Kuwait on Tuesday, the largest number
of executions in a single day in 16 years.

The 5 men were hanged inside the interior ministry building in Kuwait City
before dozens of spectators were allowed to view their hooded corpses.

Farraj al-Rukaibi, a Kuwaiti, was convicted of raping and murdering a
Pakistani girl and of raping an Egyptian girl after abducting them both.

Another Kuwaiti, Mohammad al-Shimmari, was convicted of abducting an Asian
maid and then raping her after she died.

The woman jumped to her death from Shimmari's car while trying to escape.
But he then took her body to the desert and raped her while "she was in a
pool of blood", according to his confession.

Saad al-Mutairi, also a Kuwaiti, was convicted of shooting 2 Asian maids
dead when he tried to rob their employer's house.

Shukrallah Ansari, an Indian, was convicted of robbing and murdering his
Kuwaiti employer in the desert, while Mian Mohammad Iqbal of Pakistan was
convicted of smuggling a large quantity of drugs.

Authorities reintroduced public hangings in June 2002 following a steep
rise in drug offences and murders.

Kuwait has executed a total of 66 people, 3 of them women, since its first
use of the death penalty some 4 decades ago. Most have been convicted
murderers or traffickers.

Ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia had the most executions among Arab Gulf
states with 83 in 2005 alone. The death penalty is meted out in the
kingdom for murder, rape, apostasy, armed robbery and drug trafficking.

(source: SAPA-AFP)






CONGO:

UN denounces executions in DRC


The UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, MONUC, on
Wednesday denounced summary executions, kidnappings and illegal
exploitation of natural resources carried out by militias and regular
soldiers in Katanga, in the south-east of the country.

"On the basis of gathered witness accounts, MONUC's team can affirm that
both the Mai Mai (rebels) and the FARDC (Congolese army) are
systematically committing human rights violations," said Sonia Bakar,
deputy head of MONUC's human rights division, during a news conference.

After an inquiry in February in Mitwaba, northern Katanga, MONUC
established "the identity of 97 cilivians who have been killed, injured or
undergone cruel and inhumane treatment between the beginning of 2005 and
March 2006", she said.

"47 cases, including 33 summary executions, were committed by the FARDC.
45 cases, including 31 summary executions, were attributed to the Mai Mai,
and five cases to unidentified armed men," she said.

MONUC called for the perpatrators of crimes in Katanga to be pursued The
fighting between Congolese forces and the Mai Mai rebels in the
mineral-rich region of the DRC is further fuelled by competition for
natural resources.

Humanitarian agencies estimate that since November last year almost 170
000 people have fled conflicts in the north and centre of Katanga, where
villages have been burned and harvests pillaged.

MONUC called for the perpatrators of crimes in Katanga to be pursued and
for an inquiry into the "presumed summary executions committed in Mitwaba
prison by the 63th brigade of the FARDC in April 2005".

The UN mission also commended the DRC electoral commission for, last
Sunday, fixing July 30 as the date of the country's first free
presidential and legislative elections in 40 years.

"MONUC is pleased with this announcement and considers the Congolese
electoral process to be more irreversible than ever," said Jean-Tobie
Okala, deputy spokesperson for MONUC.

He underlined that the international community, financing almost all of
the $430-million electoral budget, "has never invested so much in an
electoral operation".

MONUC, made up of 17 000 blue-helmet peacekeeping soldiers, is currently
the biggest UN peacekeeping mission in the world.

(source: SAPA-AFP)






ZAMBIA:

Supreme Court Upholds Death Sentence of Kasisi Girls High School Teachers'
Killer


THE Supreme Court yesterday upheld four death sentences passed by the High
Court, including that of a police officer who killed three Kasisi Girls
High School teachers in September 2001.

In another judgment, Supreme Court Judge, Dennis Chirwa sitting with
Justices Peter Chitengi and Timothy Kabalata also quashed a death sentence
and a 20-year jail sentence.

Judge Christopher Mushabati, who examined the matter together with Justice
Lombe Chibesakunda and Sandson Silomba, upheld the death sentence of the
police officer, Kenious Sialuzi, who killed the three teachers of Kasisi
Girls High School.

Justice Mushabati in upholding the death sentence said the appeal against
the sentence had no merit and as such should be dismissed.

Sialuzi was jointly charged with the late former State House comptroller,
Gibson Zimba, for killing Mfumu Ching'ambu, Kelvin Nyirongo and Elion
Mupenda. The three died shortly after the shooting.

Justice Mushabati said the three teachers were not found in possession of
any weapons on them when they were shot dead in Mr Zimba's yard and the
police officer did not consider saving their lives.

The judge said if the police officer maimed the 3 teachers, he would have
acted professionally since the three were not armed.

He said excessive force was used on the 3 teachers as several bullet
wounds were found on their bodies.

The Supreme Court also upheld the death sentence of Bubble Kamwanga, Happy
Wamunyima jointly charged for murdering Nyakamwandi Kanyambi in August
1998.

Supreme Court Judge Chirwa in upholding the death sentences of the two
said there was overwhelming evidence against them that they killed
Kanyambi.

The duo on August 31, 1998 murdered Kanyambi after pushing her into a
house, which was on fire.

The court also upheld the death sentence of Frederick Sichilya after he
was convicted and sentenced to death by a Kasama High Court for killing
his brother using a gun.

And Golden Museba and Kebby Kashinamilunda walked to freedom after the
Court quashed the death sentence and a 20-year jail term of the lower
Court.

Meanwhile, High Court Judge, Anthony Nyangulu quashed the decision of the
Police Public Complaints Authority (PPCA) recommendation to terminate
contracts of two police officers, Patrick Mulomboi and Constable Conrad
Bwalya as the first and second applicants.

Judge Nyangulu also declared the decision of the Inspector General (IG) of
police in effecting the decision of terminating the officers' contracts as
null and void.

Judge Nyangulu said that PPCA did not have powers under section 57 (1) (C)
under which they purported to have acted.

(source: The Times of Zambia)






INDONESIA:

7,000 march and pray for death row Catholics


In Flores, a procession, 3 km long, recited the rosary, as per tradition,
and called for the release of Tibo and his friends.

Around 7,000 Catholics took part in a 3-km long "prayer procession" in
Flores, Eat Nusa Tenggara (NTT) province, calling for the release of
Fabianus Tibo, Marinus Riwa and Dominggus da Silva. On this island with a
Catholic majority, the rosary is usually prayed on 1 May. This year,
members of the community of the parish of St Marie Banneux of Lewoleba
decided to unite their commitment to save the three Catholics to their
prayer. Their three fellow patriots are on death row, convicted of their
role in inter-religious clashes in Poso, Central Sulawesi, in 2000. So
far, the three men are the only ones who were found guilty of any part in
the conflict; no light has been shed on this conflict as yet, but then,
perhaps there is no will to do so.

During the recital of the rosary, flyers were distributed, calling on the
President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, to take the case of Tibo and his
friends into serious consideration, in the name of "equal justice" and the
"value of human life." The large rally was organized by young Catholics of
the parish of Lewoleba, Lembata regency.

In the afternoon, Fr Hironuimus Kaja Kwure launched the march with a
prayer. Pieter Wawin, a youth from Lamahora parish addressed the crowd:
"We strongly hope that all residents of Lembata listen to our voice of
concern for the fate of three condemned men. We call on all Catholics to
unite with us in expecting a fair trial and the release of Tibo and his
friends."

On 2 May in Kupang, the capital of NTT province, the group of lawyers
defending the three Catholics issued a statement, underlining the need of
Susilo's intervention in the matter, so that the names of those who really
masterminded the bloody events in 2000 will come out. Last year, the
president turned down the first request for grace for the condemned
Catholics and he has still not pronounced himself about the 2nd. PADMA -
this is the name of the group of lawyers - has also urged the authorities
to shed light on the "enigma of the violence in Poso."

The 3 Catholics were condemned for the massacre of 200 Muslims that
happened in the context of the wider inter-faith conflict that shook the
province of Sulawesi between 1998 and 2001.

(source: AsiaNews.it)






TAIWAN:

6 avoid death penalty for murder of Aboriginal girls


The Hualien District Court yesterday sentenced a woman, her son and 4
others to life imprisonment for the murders of 2 Aboriginal girls, 1 of
whom was the son's girlfriend.

"They committed a cruel crime, but because they confessed and have
expressed their remorse, the court decides not to sentence them to death,"
the court ruling said.

The ruling said 20-year-old Kao Lu-you was the boyfriend of a 15-year-old
surnamed Chen and that Kao and his mother Lin Li-er were angry with Chen
after her father accused Kao of having sex with his daughter.

Kao's family paid the Chen family NT$100,000 to settle the lawsuit for
under-age sex out of court, but Kao was incensed when he received a court
order summoning him to stand trial for statutory rape, the ruling said,
and so Lin and her son decided to murder the girl.

All cases of statutory rape must be referred to prosecutors.

Last December Kao asked Chen to meet him to discuss the case. She appeared
with a friend of hers, a 12-year-old girl surnamed Lee, who became the
second victim.

According to the ruling, Kao gave the girls drinks laced with a powdered
sedative and asked them to accompany him to a dike near Hualien City.

The ruling said Lin and the 4 other defendants were waiting at the dike
and they beat the 2 girls to death there.

The group then carried the bodies by motorscooter to a bridge in Hsiulin
Township, Hualien County, took the girl's clothes off and threw the bodies
off the bridge, the ruling said.

(source: Taipei Times)