July 26
IRAN:
54 criminals sentenced to death in Iran
54 people convicted of committing heavy crimes have been sentenced to death
penalty over the last 4 months, Mehr News Agency reported quoting Spokesperson
of Iranian Judiciary System Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei as saying to
journalists in his weekly briefing.
"They are accused of murdering, kidnapping and raping," said Ejei.
According to Ejei, 45 of them have been executed in that period.
Iran takes the 2nd place in the world after China in term of execution rate.
(source: Trend News)
PAKISTAN:
My 17 death sentences’ by Jaleel Morejo ---- The man who holds the country’s
record for the most death sentences tells his tale
“Evading death 17 times brings joy and worry at the same time. I feel that I am
constantly being taken to the gallows but am stopped midway.”
Hafiz Jaleel Morejo — more commonly known as Jalal Morejo because of a spelling
error in his FIR and jail record — sets a new record each time he heads to the
gallows, and breaks it each time he returns. After his 17th return trip from
the noose, he tried to tell the world of his innocence in an interview recorded
at the Sukkur Central Jail-I on Monday. “I am serving a 14-year sentence for a
crime I never committed,” he told The Express Tribune.
Jaleel, a jawan in the 7th Sindh Regiment from 1993 to 1997, is a
Hafiz-e-Quran. “Whenever a black warrant is issued for me, I start praying to
Allah Almighty,” he said.
Jaleel’s version of events differ from the recorded facts. He claims that his
father, Abdullah Morejo, was embroiled in a karo-kari dispute with his uncle,
Haji Habibullah Morejo, and some other men. The matter was resolved at a jirga.
“In accordance with the jirga’s verdict, we married a girl from our side to the
Haji Habibullah Morejo group and thought that the dispute has been resolved
once and for all,” he said. “However, my uncle, cousins and other people went
against the verdict and raided our land. They killed my father, Abdullah
Morejo, and uncle, Maulvi Abdul Haq Morejo.”
Jaleel says he was framed by his cousins after they killed their own brother.
Haji Haroon Morejo — the man Jaleel was accused of killing — was suffering from
cancer. Jaleel says Haroon’s brothers killed him while he was praying at the
mosque. Jaleel claims to have just arrived in town to visit his family back in
May 1997 when the police arrested him on murder charges. “I kept pleading
innocent all the way from the police station and all through the court
proceedings, but it was no use.”
“My cousins are quite well off and they spent their money like anything,” he
added darkly.
When he finally got out, he married his childhood sweetheart and headed back to
the army. “I was bailed out in 1999 and as soon as I reached the village I
married my cousin Rashda. Just four days after the Rukhsati, I left to rejoin
the army. When I returned on a two-month leave, the police arrested me once
again claiming my bail had been cancelled.”
Jaleel says he has even tried reconciliation but his cousins demanded Rs1
million as blood money.
Despite the setbacks, Jaleel remains optimistic. His wife, who lives with her
parents, visits him every 2 or 3 months and she too believes that her husband
will come home soon.
His case history reveals that he lives in Chanari village in the Naushahro
Feroze district and had shot Haji Mohammad Haroon Morejo to avenge the murder
of his father and uncle in 1997. On April 7, 2000 the Naushahro Feroze district
and sessions court gave Jaleel the death penalty. Petitions with the Sindh High
Court, Supreme Court and an appeal to the then president were dismissed.
In what appeared to be the hand of God — or in this case the hand of the
president — his execution, meant for March 14, 2008, was pushed back two months
by the new president, Asif Ali Zardari. The newly elected Pakistan Peoples
Party government intended to amend death penalty law.
This was by no means the end of the matter and Jaleel had to endure 16 more
black warrants. Luckily, they all fell through. On July 1, his 17th death
penalty was scheduled for July 14 at 4:30 am. He was saved by the president’s
decision to postpone all death penalties throughout the country till September
30.
(source: The Express Tribune)
****************************
Watan Party moves SC for end to death penalty in Pakistan
A petition has been filed before the Supreme Court on Monday to seek abolishing
of the death penalty in the country.
The petition has been filed by Watan Party through Barrister Zafar Ullah Khan
enlisting federation, Law and Justice Ministry and Interior Ministry as
respondents.
The petitioner showing distrust in the prosecution system in the country says,
a weak and inefficient prosecution is most of time, resulting in the sentence
to the innocent people to death and the execution of former Prime Minister
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto is a glaring example in this regard.
The petitioner submitted that prevailing corruption in the society has also
plagued the criminal justice system in the country whereof the chances of the
innocent ones being declared guilty have increased manifolds.
Referring to the constitution, the petitioner contended that right to life has
been embodied as natural right in Article 9 whereas end to life through
unnatural means is quite incompatible and inconsistent with the concept of
“right to life”.
He prayed to the court to scrape the death penalty in the books of law as it
was unconstitutional and was necessary to save the innocent from being
wrongfully convicted under the current system.
Meanwhile, while strongly condemning the target killing in Balochistan, Supreme
Court Bar Association has demanded of the government to arrest within 72 hours
assassinators of Saleem Khan Jadoon, the brother of ex-vice president of SCBA
Balochistan Jahanzeb Khan Jadoon, who also fell victim to target killing in the
province.
The SCBA officebearers and senior lawyers told a press conference here on
Monday the government had totally failed to protect life and property of the
citizens as such it did not have any right to stay in power in any more so it
should quit forthwith.
Giving an ultimatum to the government SCBA Secretary Qamar Zaman Qureshi said
“If the killers of Saleem Khan Jadoon are not arrested within next 72 hours the
SCBA will be compelled to resort to “the right action” against the rulers
against which the lawyers would not refrain from coming on the roads against
the government inability to control the law and order situation”.
The SCBA secretary said at the SCBA meeting scheduled to be held on July 28 in
Islamabad “the plan of action” will be devised for launching country wide
protests against target killings in Balochistan and other parts of the country,
particularly Karachi.
Condemning that incident he said about seven days ago Saleem Jadoon was killed
by unknown persons who forced entry into his office in Quetta proving that
there was no law in the country and also no one was there to check their way
and activity.
About judiciary, SCBA Secretary said the restoration of independent judiciary
neither benefited the lawyers nor the masses and every body still appears
waiting for the realisation of the dream they were shown during the lawyers’
movement for justice and the rule of law completely prevailing in the country.
He said the decisions of the Supreme Court had failed to produce the desire
results because the SC was unable to get them implemented which was making the
whole exercise of justice futile in the eye of the people. He said despite
elapse of seven days the Balochistan government and the federal government did
not even took pain to publicly condemn the murder of brother of the Bar’s ex
vice president and how can the government feel any regret or sorry on the
killings of ordinary countrymen being gunned down daily in Karachi or Quetta.
Judicial activism Panel Chairman Muhammad Azhar Siddique has also condemned the
murder of Saleem Khan Jadoon and asked the government to establish its writ and
take steps to protect life and property of the people who are being killed by
guns in unknown hands. He also demanded for a judicial inquiry of Saeem
Jadoon’s murder for exposing the real culprits and punishing them in accordance
with the law.
(source: The Nation)
*******************
Supreme Court moved against death penalty
A CONSTITUTIONAL petition has been filed in Supreme Court’s Lahore Registry
seeking abolishment of death penalty in the country to prevent wrongful or
illegal convictions being awarded due to lack of just, fair and reasonable
prosecution and judicial system. The petitioner has also pleaded that the death
penalty is unconstitutional.
The Watan Party filed the petition through its provincial president Basim Khan
on Monday.
Barrister Zafarullah Khan, the petitioner’s counsel, contended that the rampant
use of death penalty both in the past and present for murder was not only
unconstitutional but also illegal and cruel punishment. He said the
responsibility to prevent the wrongful conviction laid with the criminal
justice system but the widespread corruption in the society had further
increased the chances of the innocent being declared guilty and hanged.
He said more than 60 countries of the world had devised a system and brought
about legislative enactments, including special appeal procedure for
post-wrongful convictions. If fresh evidence comes to light, the courts could
reopen the case on the recommendation of the boards, constituted by each
country, and reverse their judgments rendered no matter how many years had
passed, he maintained.
Barrister Khan said there were many examples of acquittals the world over and
pointed out that Greek courts had convicted three former prime ministers but
when it lost to Turkey but 90 years later, on the application of one of the
heirs, the court acquitted them posthumously. He said that presently, out of
213 countries of the world only 68 countries were in favour of the death
penalty, including China, Pakistan, the US, India and Japan whereas 17 out of
52 states of the US had already abolished it.
The counsel pleaded that the capital punishment was also in violation of
Article 9 of the Constitution of Pakistan according to which that no person
shall be deprived of life or liberty. He further said that under Article 45 of
the Constitution, the President’s power to grant pardon, mostly death sentences
were commuted to life imprisonment due to political influence and the reprieve
was not for everybody.
The counsel said that the acquittal of double murder accused and CIA contractor
Raymond Davis was an acquittal for payment and was in violation of Article 25
of the Constitution.
(source: The News)
INDIA:
Sikhs protest Bhullar's death penalty near UN
Asking the United Nations to put pressure on India to not carry out death
sentence on Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar, hundreds of Sikhs gathered near the UN
headquarters and protested against his death penalty.
Bhullar was convicted for carrying out a bomb blast in New Delhi outside the
All India Youth Congress headquarters in 1993, which claimed nine lives.
His mercy plea was rejected in May 2011.
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, legal adviser of Sikhs for Justice said that the group
had written to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reminding him that the UN General
Assembly had passed a resolution that called on nations to put a moratorium on
the death penalty.
"We are asking the UN to save Professor Bhullar," said Pannun, noting that no
response from the UN had been received.
UN spokesperson Martin Nesirky told PTI that, so far, no communication on
Bhullar had been received by Ban's office.
Germany, the country that deported him in 1995, has also raised objections to
him being on death row.
The protesters included many women and children.
"Wake up and save religious minorities in India. We want justice," they
chanted.
They held placards saying "Stop India from Judicial Murder" and "American
woman's son is on death row."
Bhullar's family are American citizens. "I want the UN to intervene and save my
brother's life," Tejinder Singh Bhullar told PTI.
(source: PTI)
UGANDA:
Death penalty ‘traumatises jail warders’
The men who lead death row inmates to the gallows are traumatised on
surrendering a prisoner to the hangman, a forum has been told.
Death row inmate died for ‘cheating on lover’
Uganda’s Commissioner of Prisons Johnson Byabashaija said convicts wait for
nine years for their sentences to be confirmed, by which time they would have
formed bonds with the warders.
“It is ironical that we are the ones to lead them to the gallows after being
with them for so long. It is very traumatising even for us,” said Dr
Byabashaija.
He was speaking during the second day of a meeting of judges, commissioners of
prisons and legal practitioners from East Africa on the death penalty at the
Silver Springs Hotel in Nairobi.
Views clashed
But his views clashed with those of judges, who on Monday rejected calls to
abolish the death penalty.
The judges from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania argued that no man has the right to
kill and the offenders of such a crime should suffer a similar fate.
Dr Byabashaija called for life sentences, arguing that death sentences were not
even punishment enough.
“We are all going to die anyway. They should be live so that they can feel the
repercussions of their actions,” he said.
Tanzania’s representative to the East African Law Society, Mr Tito Byenka, said
hanging was inhumane and suggested other means through which the death penalty
could be carried out “such as lethal injection”.
The meeting ends on Wednesday.
(source: The Nation)
*********************
Judges Back Death Penalty
Judiciary officers yesterday said the death penalty as a punishment for capital
offences should not be completely abolished.
The judges suggested that the penalty should remain and be provided for extreme
instances. "There should be instances reserved for death penalty," argued High
Court judge Andrew Bashaija.
Principal Judge Yorokamu Bamwine said a trial judge should take the discretion
whether a person should be executed or not. "If there are mitigating factors,
the judge should not be compelled to pass a death sentence," he said. The
judges were responding to a presentation by Ms Jacqueline Macalesher, the Penal
Reform project manager on death penalty, at the opening of a 3-day conference
in Nairobi, Kenya.
The conference dubbed "Round Table on Death penalty in East Africa: challenges,
strategies and comparative jurisprudence," attracted human rights and legal
advocates, justices and prison authorities from East Africa. Human rights
activists said public opinion largely favours death penalty as a punishment to
convicts in capital offences despite the alternative sentence of life
imprisonment.
The activists said the situation calls for the respective states in East Africa
to appreciate that although capital punishment exists in their law books, crime
remains high. "Punishment is all about rehabilitation and reform and death
sentence does not provide that ultimate goal," said Mr Livingstone Sewanyana,
the executive director of the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative.
(source: All Africa News)
THE BAHAMAS:
Bishop Hall: Don't be fooled by death penalty promises
BAHAMIANS were warned by Bishop Simeon Hall not to be fooled by election
campaign promises on the death penalty - as both major political parties have
been timid when it comes to capital punishment.
As the next general election draws near, Bishop Hall said, voters should judge
politicians by their records and not their pre-election statements.
"It would be most unfortunate if the debate on capital punishment sinks to the
level of political football. Bahamians must check what each party did on the
issue while in office rather than the political rhetoric they espouse during
pre-election," said Bishop Hall in a statement released yesterday.
"To be frank, the record shows that both major political parties have been
reserved on capital punishment. What is also a matter of public record is that
while in opposition both parties have, at different times, suggest(ed) that
they would do a better job with crime if elected.
"Progress against the criminal mayhem which presently confronts us will only
take place when a bipartisan approach is created and executed by all in power,"
said the bishop.
Opposition leader and former Prime Minister Perry Christie last week said his
party is committed to carrying out executions in accordance with capital
punishment legislation.
"There are some of us who agree and some of us who disagree, but I'm here
tonight to say that the PLP has always complied with and carried out the law as
it relates to hanging and nothing will change with respect to that," Mr
Christie told a crowd of supporters on the final night of the PLP's eastern
conclave, according to a published report.
However, the PLP did not execute any death row inmate during its last five year
term in office from 2002 to 2007.
Five inmates were executed while the Free National Movement was in power
between 1992 and 2002, according to published reports. Thirteen were hanged
under the 25-year administration of Sir Lynden Pindling from 1967-1992.
The last time a death row inmate was hanged - murder convict David Mitchell -
was in 2000 during the former Ingraham administration.
A 2006 judgment by the London-based Privy Council, the country's highest court
of appeal, ruled that the mandatory death sentence for the crime of murder was
unconstitutional. As a result, other inmates serving mandatory death sentences
at Her Majesty's Prison had to be re-sentenced, delaying future executions.
(source: The Tribune)
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