June 12
IRAN:
Iran protests against execution of its citizens in Saudi Arabia
Iran has summoned the Saudi charge d’affaires to protest against Saudi Arabia’s
execution of a number of Iranian nationals on drug charges.
ISNA reported on Tuesday, June 12, that Alireza Enayati, Iran's Foreign
Ministry director for the Gulf region, called for an “immediate explanation”
from Hassan Zeyd regarding the “inhumane” actions of his government in
executing the Iranians.
Enayati also pointed out that Saudi Arabia had violated its international
commitments and human rights provisions by denying the prisoners the right to
consular access.
He added that Iran will pursue the matter through international channels and
stressed that Saudi Arabia will be responsible for the consequences.
Saeed Ghashghavi, the MP in charge of Iranian citizens’ affairs abroad,
reported earlier that 38 Iranians were imprisoned in Saudi Arabia. He said the
Saudi Foreign Minister had assured Iran’s Foreign Minister during a telephone
conversation that the death sentence against the Iranian nationals had been
halted.
Iran and Saudi Arabia are among the countries where drug offences carry the
death penalty.
(source: Radio Zamaneh)
CHINA:
Report Vows Tighter Death Penalty Procedures
A document released on Monday by China’s State Council Information Office
titled The National Human Rights Action Plan of China (2012-2015) promises that
review of all death penalty cases will be open to the public. From The Global
Times:
The review of death penalty should include the questioning of the defendant,
and listening to the opinions of his or her attorney if the attorney so
demands, the action plan said.
Legal supervision by the Supreme People’s Procuratorate over the review of
death penalty will be strengthened, the plan said, adding that the Supreme
People’s Court will publicize typical cases to clarify the norms of application
of death penalty.
The action plan said China will continue to push forward standardized
measurement of penalty, and the people’s procuratorates will make suggestions
on penalty measurement to the people’s courts when handling criminal cases.
The discretion in penalty measurement will be institutionalized. Guidelines on
penalty measurement by the people’s courts will be worked out, so will
regulations of the Supreme People’s Court, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate
and the Ministry of Public Security on standardizing procedures of penalty
measurement to guarantee openness and fairness in penalty measurement, it said.
The director of research for the Supreme People’s Court told The China Daily
that tighter court procedures had already helped reduce the percentage of death
penalty verdicts overturned, from 10 % in 2010 to 7 % last year:
“Courts have mastered uniform policy, including procedural and evidence norms,
for cases in which the death penalty could be a possibility,” Hu said.
Consequently, the number of death sentences overturned due, for example, to
mistakes in gathering evidence were significantly lower, he said.
Sentences that were overturned were mostly due to procedural flaws,
inappropriate sentences or crimes related to finance.
The China Daily piece also included the below diagram outlining the steps in
the judicial review process:
(source: China Digital Times)
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