Sept. 12
MALAYSIA:
Slim Hope for Indonesian Man on Death Row in Malaysia
The head of the West Nusa Tenggara office of the Manpower and Transmigration
Ministry said on Tuesday that his office was working to secure a stay of
execution for an Indonesian man being held in Malaysia.
Mohlis said that the death sentence for Muhammad Bakri bin Belaho, 67, who has
languished in a Malaysian jail for 23 years, has been upheld by the Malaysian
Supreme Court.
Bakri was jailed for killing the wife of another man.
"We are currently taking steps to help this migrant worker of ours, even though
he has been detained in Malaysia for 23 years," Mohlis said. "We are also
looking for his family."
Bakri, who went to Malaysia looking for work in 1989, was convicted of killing
Aminah binti Bahrah, the wife of an Indonesian man.
Mohlis said that Bakri was originally scheduled to be put to death on Friday,
but the execution was pushed back to an undetermined date because of an
agreement signed by the Indonesian Supreme Court and its Malaysian counterpart.
"Muhammad Bakri can be released from the death penalty if we can find the
family of Aminah and get them to pardon him," Mohlis explained.
A search for family members has been unsuccessful up until now. Mohlis' group
is also looking for Aminah's husband, Shamsudin bin Salahudin, who is
originally from Sumbawa. Police in Malaysia reported that Shamsudin was
kidnapped prior to the original trial and that he hasn't been found.
Mohlis said his office has also made arrangements through the provincial office
for the placement and protection of migrant workers, to help Bakri's family go
to Malaysia prior to the execution.
Unfortunately, the organization has been unable to find the family, he said.
(source: Jakarta Globe)
*********************
Malaysia and Indonesia to battle drug trafficking together
With numerous reports of the rising drug smuggling trade in Indonesia and
Malaysia, both countries hope that by working together they can make in roads
into ending the illegal smuggling trade that continues to confound the
countries despite the death penalty for those caught with drugs.
"What we are looking to create is a joint information trade between both
countries police and narcotics forces in order to assist those with more
information in the drug trafficking trade," said one Malaysian narcotics
official, adding to Bikyamasr.com that "information is vital to ensuring that
both police and customs officials know who is arriving and a potential threat."
For Indonesia's part, its National Police said it hoped that the increase in
cooperation and bolstering border patrols will help curtail the illicit drug
trade in the region.
Indonesian National Police Chief Gen. Sutarman said that as an archipelago of
more than 17,000 islands, Indonesia has many points of entry for drugs to be
smuggled into the county.
"Indonesia has thousands of entry ways, be it legal ports or illegal, in the
north, west, south and east. They are open for illegal culprits to enter
Indonesia," Sutarman said at narcotics talks between the 2 countries.
Traffickers often smuggle their products by sea, he said, which is why working
with the Malaysian side will help watch over the waters much more doable.
"In the west, [the drugs] came from the Netherlands using big boats anchoring
in international waters, later [the drug shipment] is picked up using speed
boats and carried to Indonesia," he said. "And they use firearms. That is why
[police] must be vigilant because at times they can fight back."
Sutarman said that since 2010, the majority of the drugs were shipped via
Malaysia. To reduce shipments, he added, Indonesian police were asking
Malaysian authorities to step up patrols.
Indonesian National Police Narcotics Director Arman Depari said in comments
published by The Jakarta Globe that the talks focused on strategic, tactical
and operational aspects of drug-smuggling eradication.
"We will see if we can conduct a joint investigation or joint operations,"
Arman said, adding that cooperation between the 2 law enforcement agencies
would cut down on bureaucratic red tapes.
"E-mail and calls between staffers" will be used more under the cooperation
arrangement, the one-star general said.
Both narcotics departments called for vigilance in dealing with African
migrants.
Since late July, four African women were also found with the same drugs, worth
RM2.82mil hidden in their luggages, said KLIA Customs director Badaruddin
Mohamed Rafik.
In late August, a Nigerian man was convicted of drug trafficking in Malaysia
and is to face the death penalty.
The man, Moses Chinedu Nwosu, 50, was found guilty of trafficking drugs in the
country by the High Court and is to face the mandatory death sentence for
drug-related offenses.
He was sentenced after the court said that the prosecution was able to prove
"beyond a reasonable doubt" the man's guilt.
The Nigerian had owned a restaurant in Bangkok and was attending university in
Thailand when he was arrested in Malaysia with over 14,000 kilograms of
marijuana in March 2011.
He was charged under Section 39(B) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
In his judgement, the High Court said that Moses' "testimony amounted to a mere
denial and failed to raise a reasonable doubt on the case against him.
"The accused testified that the black bag seized from him belonged to a Malay
man who traveled in the taxi with him from Bukit Kayu Hitam to Alor Setar.
"However, according to a witness, Moses was seen carrying the black bag from
the parking lot to the terminal and its key was found in his pocket," the court
added.
(source: Bikya Masr)
INDONESIA:
Bali drug smuggling charges: lawyer speaks
Police files on 2 drug smuggling suspects from Brighton have been formally
handed to Bali prosecutors after more than three months of investigation.
Julian Ponder and Rachel Dougall, a couple, who lived on the holiday Island,
have now been transferred to the notorious Kerobokan Jail.
Julian Ponder is charged with drug possession and trafficking. He faces 5 years
to Life for the possession and the Death Penalty for the trafficking.
His partner Rachel Dougall faces a possession charge in relation to cocaine
found in their villa during a police raid.
Speaking from Bali, her lawyer Ary B Soenardi said she was in the wrong place
at the wrong time.
(source: ITV)
EGYPT:
Muslim Clerics: Kill All Who Insult Islam
Recently an Egyptian Muslim posted a YouTube videotape of himself cursing
Islam, its holy book, the Koran, tearing the latter to pieces and throwing it
in the garbage. Excerpts of what he said follow:
There it is, Allah's book, this is the basic catastrophe. I don't know what day
it is of this disgusting month of Ramadan! You are making the tearing of the
Quran such a big and dangerous thing...it is instinctive to tear this book,
those sons of [profanity] think they can threaten me and challenge me to tear
the Quran, but I want to prove to them that they are nothing and what is the
big deal in tearing this book!! There it is [he starts tearing the Quran] in
the trash. Are you feeling better now! You cannot touch a hair on my head! We
keep blaming Hamas and Gaza, but it is not them, it is this son of [profanity]
book that I am stepping on right now. That book is the source of all evil and
the real catastrophe. There is nothing new here, it is not Omar Abdel Rahman,
Abbud or all the others; it is this garbage that is causing us to run in a
demonic never-ending circle that will never end.
While this latest Koran desecration is a reminder that there are everyday
Egyptians who are sick of the Talibanization of Egypt, a recent talk show on Al
Hafiz channel concerning this incident is an indicator of what is in store for
them.
After the video of the man tearing the Koran was played, 1 of 3 guests, a
bearded and white-robed Dr. Mahmoud Sha'ban, visibly shaken by what he had just
seen, said:
Someone like him must receive the punishment he deserves--and it is death. He
is an apostate...It is clear from what he says that he is a Muslim, and must be
killed as an apostate. As for that act itself, it is an infidel act, and he
deserves to be struck by the sword in a public place--and as soon as possible;
as soon as possible; as soon as possible. It must be announced and photographed
and disseminated among the people, so that all the people may know that we
respect our Koran and its words from Allah, and whoever insults it, receives
his punishment from Allah. If people like him are left alone, they will only
get bolder and bolder.
The next guest, Sheikh Abdul Mohsin, said: "I support the words of Sheikh
Mahmoud [who just spoke], that this man must be killed fast, that he may be an
example to others, so that all learn that we have reached a new phase in
respecting Islam and the holy sanctity of the Koran and Sunna. This man has
become an apostate and must suffer the penalty in front of the people."
The 3rd and final guest, Dr. Abdullah, was somewhat critical of the 1st 2
Islamic scholars--not because they called for the man's death, but because, by
focusing on the fact that the man had apostatized, it seemed as if they were
exonerating non-Muslims: "The issue of killing him is not limited to his being
a Muslim and then apostatizing. No, it is known to us from the Sharia that
whoever insults the Prophet or tears the Koran, his judgment is death--whether
he's a Muslim or non-Muslim, or non-Muslim."
Later, a listener called in saying, "Just so you know, if I ever meet one of
these people, their life is void--they're simply dead." The talk show host, who
agreed that the man must be slain, responded with some moderate talk about
letting the state handle such people, to which the first sheikh, Dr. Mahmoud
Sha'ban, erupted in rage:
"Man, we're talking about the religion of Allah! The religion! The religion!!
The woman who insulted the Prophet, he voided her life! There were 10 people at
the conquest of Mecca whose lives the Prophet also voided!"
When the host tried to get a word in, the cleric exclaimed: "I am the sheikh,
not you. I am the sheikh, not you! I am the sheikh! Hear me to the end, before
I get up and leave!!"
Dr. Abdullah tried to mediate by clarifying to the host: "Do you know what the
word 'void' [hadr] means [in Islamic jurisprudence]? It means it is the right
for anyone who meets them [those who insult Islam] to kill them."
Simply put, the host was wrong to think that those who insult Islam should only
be killed by the state. Any good Muslim can--and should--kill them, wherever he
finds them. Of course, with a Muslim Brotherhood president in office, whether
those who offend Islam are killed by the state or by Islamic vigilantes becomes
somewhat semantic.
Already under President Morsi's 1st 2 months, Islamists have become more
emboldened--whether by pressuring women to wear the hijab, killing a Muslim
youth for publicly holding hands with his fianc???e, or disseminating flyers
that call for the total genocide of Egypt's Christian Copts--flyers that even
openly included names and mosque contact points for those Muslims who wish to
collect their rewards for killing Christians.
(source: Assyrian International News Agency)
GAMBIA:
No Light At The End Of The Tunnel Of Fear In Gambia
In the Gambia, there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel of fear.
Recent extrajudicial executions, nocturnal killings and beatings have
reinforced the powerlessness of the population to fight and expose corruption
and other heinous acts.
In this tiny country, democracy takes one step forward, one step back. What can
we do? And what can the international community do to rescue the Gambia from
chaos?
Last April and May, the Gambia was host to the African Commission on Human and
People's Rights where the country's position as an advocate for human rights
was on display. Soon afterward, the government brazenly contradicted its
position through extrajudicial executions in a tragic betrayal of the Gambia's
international obligations.
The Gambia is the custodian of the African Commission not only because the
African Charter had been adopted in Banjul and is now headquartered there but
because the Gambia's adherence to international political and human rights
norms was seen, at the time, as exemplary. It was thought that this would
ensure the Gambia as a good place to serve as headquarters to both the charter
and commission.
In accepting the invitation to host the African Commission, the Gambian
government agreed to guarantee the conditions and sustain an environment that
would enable the norms and values of human rights and democracy to flourish.
Alagi Yorro Jallow is the founding managing editor of the banned newspaper,
Independent, in the Gambia.
Unfortunately, Gambia is not a place where democracy and human rights are
upheld. Over the years, President Yahya Jammeh has become ever more
dictatorial-some might even say, crazy. DeWayne Wickham, a columnist for USA
Today, rightly pointed out that "Yahya Jammeh could well be Africa's biggest
psychopath." Jammeh's regime currently has 47 people on death row, and dozens
serving life sentences. Officials confirmed the execution of 9 inmates on
August 24, the 1st in the Gambia since 1985. Although Gambia reinstated the
death penalty in 1995, shortly after Jammeh took power in a military coup, no
prisoners are believed to have been executed until recently.
The 9 prisoners were reportedly dragged from their prison cells without
warning. They were not allowed to say good-bye or given the opportunity to have
their last meals and prayers. They were lined up and shot by a firing squad;
and now the remaining 38 are at risk of the same fate.
Family members claim they were not aware of the executions until they heard the
news broadcasts. They do not know when the killings took place, how they were
killed, where they are buried and whether they were buried according to Islamic
rites.
Speaking in a televised broadcast to mark the Muslim festival of EID, Jammeh
said, "All those guilty of serious crimes and who are condemned will face the
full force of the law. All punishments prescribed by law will be maintained in
the country to ensure that criminals get what they deserve; that is, those who
killed are killed--by the middle of next month, all the death sentences will
have been carried out to the letter." Jammeh vowed to execute them, and swore
that, if they were not executed, he would "drink alcohol and eat pork," in
violation of Islamic law.
In the days that followed, 18 were killed in a 2nd round of brutal executions.
President Jammeh had announced during August that all prisoners on death row
would be executed by mid-September to tackle a rising crime rate and to
dissuade people from committing "heinous crimes."
Before Jammeh's takeover, the Gambia was viewed as an "exception" on a
continent where authoritarianism and military regimes have been the norm since
the colonies gained independence. Apart from an aborted coup in 1981, the
Gambia had enjoyed relative peace and stability since it attained independence
in 1965. Unfortunately, all of that changed in July 1994, after the coup led by
Jammeh. Most Gambians genuinely fear the 45-year-old autocrat, and there is
little opposition to him.
Jammeh's government has tortured and killed journalists and forced into exile
those who dared criticize him. He has cowed the rest into self-censorship. The
Gambia's prisons are filled with political prisoners, and rivals to the regime
often disappear or turn up mysteriously dead in the night.
With the recent executions, we find ourselves asking anew: Is it possible to
act courageously as a citizen in the Gambia today? Perhaps, although it is
surely true that our experiences have taught us that there are limits to what
Gambians are able to endure, especially when we are not able to truly speak out
against the madness and anarchy that prevail. As years of intimidation build,
stress finds less and less relief as every possible effort to push on, report
and publish is exhausted. And when, time and time again, those efforts are
foiled by government intervention, when personal safety is threatened, perhaps
only the courage to seek another way, from another place, can become the force
of change. Until that time there is little hope; no light at the end of the
tunnel of fear.
(source: Opinion, Alagi Yorro Jallow---Jellof News)
IRAQ:
IRAQI VICE PRESIDENT REJECTS GUILTY VERDICT BECAUSE HE DOESN'T WANT TO BE
EXECUTED
Iraq is a nation that will likely be beset by troubles for many years to come.
First and foremost is of course the violence which continues despite the
departure of American troops, nut the biggest problem the country faces, the
one which is really at the root of all the other troubles, is the nascent and
troubled government.
After all, the country had been ruled for decades by brutal dictators who
violently crushed any notion of political dissidence or even contrasting
opinion. That in turn has given the nation no strong or even sound politicians
to run the country, leaving them with the best of the rest.
One of those people is Tariq al-Hashemi who has been on the run after being
charged with running death squads. Now a court in back home has found him
guilty of doing what it is he was accused of doing, something he soundly
rejects. It's not clear at this point if Hashemi is rejecting the verdict
because he feels he is innocent or because he doesn't want to go to jail be
executed, the latter of which would be a reasonable concern.
"The verdict is unjust, politicised, illegitimate and I will not recognize it
But I put it as a medal of honour on my chest because it was Maliki, not anyone
else, behind it. I'm proud that it is Maliki, and not anyone else, to target
me," said Hashemi from his hiding place in Turkey. "The death sentence is a
price I have to pay due to my love for my country and my loyalty to my people.
I reiterate that I'm innocent, and am ready to stand before a fair judicial
system and not a corrupt one that is under Maliki's influence."
Hashemi will apparently not appeal the verdict because it would require him to
return to Iraq which would be difficult to escape from again.
At least 10 of Hashemi's former bodyguard testified that he had ordered them to
carry out murders, something he has also rejected because everyone just lies
about him.
"I can certainly understand why he is trying to avoid returning. I mean the
death penalty is no joke, that's for sure, that kind of thing can get you
killed," said Scrape TV International analyst Gustav Hander. "Obviously he
feels this is politically or ethnically motivated or something, whatever gets
him out from under the executioner's axe I suppose. I doubt that will work
because they sure do like killing folks in Iraq as Hashemi has proven."
Technically Hashemi is still Vice President which is weird since he has been in
Turkey since December. He has not been charged with job abandonment which also
carries with it a death sentence.
"Obviously if he goes back he is going to be executed and/or will have to start
working again which are both things he clearly does not want to happen. I guess
he shouldn't have ordered those people dead or he shouldn't have been an ethnic
minority. I mean all of that is really his fault and he can't blame anyone else
for it," continued Hander. "I mean Iraqi justice has to take a path that is
independent of legislative interference. That is one of the precepts of
democratic society and clearly something Iraq still needs to learn. Also
murder, democratic societies don???t like murder. They need to learn that too."
Hashemi is reportedly quite comfortable in Turkey and has no plans to leave
anytime soon.
(source: ScrapeTV)
********************
Execution Spree Protested
Human rights groups are expressing fears that Iraq's government may be using
state-sanctioned executions to eliminate opponents held in prison following
spate of executions carried out last month. Three women were among 21 prisoners
executed in a single day on Aug. 27. 2 days later, 5 more detainees were put to
death. The government provides few details about the identity of executed
prisoners, or the charges against them. Former Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi,
now in exile in Turkey, last month sent a letter to President Jalal Talabani
requesting his intervention "to stop the arbitrary and ever-increasing rate of
executions in Iraq." Days after al-Hashemi sent the letter, the government of
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki sentenced him to death in absentia for allegedly
killing a security official and a lawyer. His son-in-law Ahmed Qahtan was
likewise sentenced to death by hanging.
Iraq's Justice Ministry said there were 96 executions so far for 2012, with
another 196 on death row. Many Iraqis, including former detainees, assert the
number is much higher than what the government is reporting. Iraqi authorities
say all of those executed had been convicted on charges "related to terrorism,"
but offer little information about the specific crimes. Christof Heyns, UN
Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, has noted
the situation. "I am appalled about the level of executions in Iraq. I deeply
deplore the executions carried out this week," Heyns said last month.
The surge in executions has also drawn repeated criticism this year from the UN
High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay. "Given the lack of
transparency in court proceedings, and the very wide range of offences for
which the death penalty can be imposed in Iraq, this is truly a shocking
figure," Pillay said in response to the August execution spree.
(source: World War 4 Report)
SAUDI ARABIA:
Justice By The Sword: Saudi Arabia's Embrace Of The Death Penalty
In Saudi Arabia, the heads of the executed are sewn back on by a doctor
immediately after they have been severed by a swift stroke of a scimitar, if
done properly. Afterward, the bodies are transported to be buried in unmarked
graves.
4 people were executed by beheading in Saudi Arabia Tuesday, bringing the total
number of executions to 57 so far this year, according to the AFP news agency.
3 were Saudi citizens and 1 a Palestinian. The 4 men were found guilty in three
separate cases and executed in 3 different cities.
2 Saudi men, Mohammed bin Ahmed Kharmi and Musa bin Mohsen Kharmi, were
convicted of armed robbery and beheaded in the city of Jizan. A Palestinian,
Wael Anba, had stabbed a Yemeni man to death and was executed in Jeddah. The
3rd Saudi man, Saad al-Mansuri, was beheaded in Buraida for shooting a fellow
citizen to death with a machine gun.
The number of executions in Saudi Arabia nearly tripled from 27 in 2010 to 79
in 2011, and the Persian Gulf state remains one of 21 nations known currently
to carry out the death penalty, according to Amnesty International.
"In Saudi Arabia, death sentences were mostly handed down after court
proceedings that failed to satisfy international standards of fair trial,"
Amnesty said in a 2011 report.
"Foreign nationals, particularly migrant workers from developing countries in
Africa and Asia, were sentenced to death and remained particularly vulnerable
to the secretive and summary nature of the criminal justice process."
In June 2011, an Indonesian woman working as a housemaid, Ruyati Binti Sapubi,
was executed after she butchered her Saudi employer with a meat cleaver, citing
persistent abuse and being refused leave to return home to see her family.
Indonesia placed a moratorium on sending domestic workers to Saudi Arabia,
following Sapubi's execution.
Saudi Arabia, one of the few remaining absolute monarchies in the world, has a
criminal justice system that is based on a strict interpretation of Shariah law
as set forth in the Islamic holy book, the Quran.
The death penalty is typically handed down for violent crimes, including
murder, rape and armed robbery, but also for drug trafficking, adultery,
sodomy, apostasy (renunciation of religion, meaning Islam) and "sorcery."
Beheading is the preferred method of execution in Saudi Arabia, though it was
not applied to women until the 1990s. Other methods include death by firing
squad and public stoning in cases of adultery.
Human rights groups have criticized the Saudi criminal justice system over its
lack of transparency and due process, as well as for applying the death penalty
to those who were minors at the time they committed their crimes, a practice
prohibited by international law under the U.N. Convention on the Tights of the
Child.
"Countries around the world have banned this barbaric punishment for children,"
said Jo Becker, children's rights advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, in a
2010 statement.
"Saudi Arabia ... should seize the opportunity to end this practice around the
world once and for all."
Saudi Arabia's prominence as one of the world's major exporters of oil and a
key ally of the U.S. in the region, however, has largely insulated it from
serious criticism by major foreign powers that might be able to pressure the
kingdom to improve its record on human rights.
(source: IB Times)
JAPAN:
Death penalty upheld for Japan crowd knifeman
A Japanese court on Wednesday upheld the death sentence imposed on a man who
ploughed a truck into a crowd of shoppers before stabbing passers-by in a
rampage that left seven people dead.
Tomohiro Kato, 29, had appealed against the penalty for the 2008 attack in
Tokyo's bustling electronics district of Akihabara, which also left 10 people
injured.
Kato, who used a double-edged knife in the attack, was sentenced to die last
year after telling Tokyo District Court he was "fully responsible" for the
bloody massacre on a busy June lunchtime.
However, his lawyers had appealed on the basis that Kato, who did not appear in
court, was delusional.
Turning down the appeal, presiding judge Yoshinobu Iida told Tokyo High Court
the original judgement was sound, Jiji Press reported.
"The defendant shows some sense of remorse, but there are no special
circumstances that call for avoidance of capital punishment," he said,
according to broadcaster NHK.
At the initial sentencing in March last year, presiding judge Hiroaki Murayama
said the killing spree was "a brutal crime that did not indicate a shred of
humanity on the part of the defendant," adding the death penalty was the only
suitable punishment.
The noon-time rampage shocked Japan, which has a low violent crime rate, while
throwing the spotlight on the online bullying that led up to the attacks in
Akihabara, a centre for the manga comic and anime film subculture.
In one of the court hearings, Kato said he had committed his crime because he
had been the target of online bullying.
"I wanted people to know that I seriously wanted to stop the harassment on the
Internet bulletin board that I used," he said, according to Japanese media.
Japan had not seen such a deadly attack since seven years earlier to the day
when a former mental patient stabbed to death eight children at an elementary
school.
Japan is the only major industrialised democracy apart from the United States
to execute criminals, usually for cases of multiple murder. More than 100
people are presently on death row.
International advocacy groups have denounced the Japanese system, under which
death row inmates can wait for their executions for many years in solitary
confinement and are only told of their impending death a few hours ahead of
time.
The wait can become decades, with Japan's wheels of justice turning slowly.
However, the death penalty is widely supported among the Japanese public.
(source: The Sun Daily)
*******************************
Court upholds death penalty for Kato, Akihabara massacre knifeman
The Tokyo District Court ruled today that the death sentence would be upheld
for Tomohiro Kato, who in 2008 killed 7 people in the Akihabara electronics
district. The 29 year old intentionally drove a delivery truck into a large
crowd of shoppers, then getting out and stabbing anyone he could get near,
leaving 10 more people injured. He was given the death sentence last year after
admitting to the Tokyo District Court that he was fully responsible for the
massacre that June afternoon.
While Tomohiro Kato did not appear in court, his lawyers filed an appeal based
on him being delusional. The Tokyo District Court also denied a request in June
of this year for a 2nd psychiatric examination. Judge Yoshinobu Iida said today
that the original death sentence was made in sound judgement, and would be
upheld. At the original sentencing in March 2011, Judge Hiroaki Murayama said
that the death penalty was the only suitable punishment, as the brutal crime
indicated there wasn't a shred of humanity in Kato.
With Japan rarely seeing such violent crimes, the attack shocked the nation. 25
at the time, Kato drove a delivery truck into a crowded, pedestrian-only zone
in a crowded shopping area. Investigators found that about 20 minutes before
the attack, he posted messages to a website via his cell phone stating what his
intentions were, one of which clearly said that he would "kill people in
Akihabara."
Other than the U.S., Japan the only other major industrialized nation that
takes part in capital punishment. A set of executions earlier this year sparked
new outcries from international human rights advocates denouncing the country.
While the death penalty is certainly something to be seriously discussed, it's
hard to imagine any other suitable punishment for a multiple murderer like
Kato.
(source: Japan Daily Press)
IRAN:
Iran TV "confessions" breach suspects' rights warn Amnesty
Amnesty International today expressed concern that recent televised
"confessions" by 5 women and 7 men on Iranian state television may result in
them facing the death penalty.
On 6 August the 12 detainees appeared in a documentary on Iranian state
television channel IRTV1 called "Terror Club". The documentary showed them
"confess" to alleged involvement in the killings of 5 Iranian nuclear
scientists and academics as far back as 2010.
The group said they had received weeks of military and intelligence training in
Israel before carrying out the assassinations in Iran. The documentary did not
show any evidence to support these claims, nor did it state whether they have
been tried.
Televised "confessions" have repeatedly been used by the authorities in Iran to
incriminate individuals in custody. Many have later retracted these
"confessions", stating that they were coerced to make them, sometimes under
torture or other ill-treatment.
Amnesty International said:
"The use of televised "confessions" grossly undermines a person's right to a
fair trial. Such 'confessions' are particularly disturbing in cases like this
one where defendants are accused of crimes which could lead to their being
sentenced to death and executed.
"We call on the Iranian authorities to ensure that these 12 men and women
receive fair trials in accordance with human rights law, and to remove the
threat of execution immediately."
Amnesty is also concerned that the 12 detainees have been held incommunicado
since June 2012, without access to their relatives or to lawyers.
Incommunicado detention facilitates torture or other ill-treatment which may be
used to coerce a detainee into making a "confession" which may subsequently be
used as evidence in court. Prolonged incommunicado detention can itself amount
to torture.
Notes
1. One of the men who "confessed" was founder of a cinema and television
production company in Iraqi Kurdistan Mazyar Ebrahimi. He was arrested in
Tehran by Ministry of Intelligence security forces for "reasons of national
security" in June this year. Since then his family has not been informed of his
whereabouts since and have not been able to contact him. Mr Ebrahimi has also
been denied access to a lawyer of his choosing since his arrest because his
case is still considered to be "under investigation".
2. The other 11 who appeared in the documentary are Behzad Abdoli; Firouz
Yeganeh; Maryam Zargar; Ramtin Mahdavi Moshayi; Arash Kheyratgir; Maryam Izadi;
Fouad Faramarzi; Nashmin Zareh; Mohsen Sedeghi-Azad; Ayoub Moslem; and Tara
Bagheri.
3. The documentary also reported that 20 people had been arrested in connection
with the killings but only 12 appeared to make "confessions."
(source: Amnesty International)
******************
Judge praises public punishments for some convicts
The head of the Tehran Criminal Court says sentences issued for armed robbers,
rapists and those who cause public disorder must be carried out in public for
the good of society. Judge Amirabadi Farahani told the Mehr News Agency on
Tuesday, September 11: "The judiciary is determined to carry out in public the
sentences of armed robbers, rapists and disturbers of peace and order in
society."
His statements come on the day that Sadegh Moradi, a convicted rapist, was
hanged in public in Tehran.
"When such sentences are carried out in public," Amirabadi Farahani said,
"those who think they can get away without public shame will see themselves in
that position and do away with stupid thoughts."
He said the public execution of sentences leads to "peace of mind for citizens"
and added: "The public, thus, is reassured that the judiciary will not allow
criminals to escape without punishment."
Amirabadi Farahani stressed that once the court decides that the sentence can
be carried out in public, then it will be carried out at an appropriate public
location.
Sadegh Moradi, the man who was executed in Tehran today, was arrested 4 years
ago while trying to kidnap a woman in the southern part of the city. He was
convicted in the kidnapping and rape of 30 women.
(source: Radio Zamaneh)
UNITED NATIONS:
UN rights chief cites problems in France, Greece, Syria,
Bahrain----Dictatorships, crackdown on Roma, as well as death penalty under
scrutiny
The UN's top rights official laid out the world's most significant human rights
issues Monday, criticizing Syria and Bahrain but also mentioning problems in
Western countries such as France and Greece.
The assessment by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay is
important because it sets the tone for the UN's 47-nation Human Rights Council,
whose month-long session opened Monday.
The UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, on a visit to commemorate Switzerland
joining the world body a decade ago, challenged the council to focus attention
on 5 areas, including discrimination, violence based on sexual orientation and
gender identity, and women's rights.
"It is an affront to our conscience that millions of people still struggle
against poverty, hunger and disease. These conditions violate their fundamental
human rights," he said.
Pillay argued that respect for human rights is key to peace, development and
humanitarian efforts, and she began by citing Syria's civil war as an area of
grave concern with devastating consequences for civilians.
Activists say up to 26,000 people have been killed in Syria since an uprising
began in March 2011 against President Bashar Assad's regime.
Next on Pillay's list was Bahrain for handing down what she called harsh prison
sentences against 20 prominent rights activists and opposition figures,
including seven who face life in prison. Bahrain's UN Ambassador Yusuf
Abdulkarim Bucheeri defended his nation, saying its judiciary held a fair trial
attended by diplomats, human rights representatives and news media.
Pillay spoke of human rights problems in Colombia, Ivory Coast and Congo, then
mentioned France and Greece. She also noted issues in Kenya, Maldives, Mali,
Mauritania, Mexico, Myanmar and many other countries.
"I am also worried by the recent forced closure of Roma camps in France, which
have affected hundreds of people, making them even more vulnerable and exposed
to a whole range of human rights concerns," Pillay told the packed chamber.
"I acknowledge a number of steps that have been taken by the government, but
further efforts must be made to address this situation" and integrate Roma, or
Gypsies, into society, she said.
Pillay also noted problems in Greece, where there has been a surge in racist
attacks against immigrants with dark skin.
"Equally troubling are violent xenophobic attacks against migrants, refugees
and asylum seekers in recent months, for example, in Greece," Pillay said. "I
am also concerned about reports that the police appeared to have been unable to
respond effectively to protect victims of xenophobic crimes."
She also criticized the United States, along with Belarus, China, Japan, Saudi
Arabia and authorities in the Gaza Strip for their use of the death penalty in
recent cases.
(source: Postmedia News)
INDIA:
HC upholds death sentence of Pune BPO rape case accused
The Bombay High Court today upheld the conviction of 2 persons accused of
kidnapping, raping and murdering a 22-year-old BPO employee in Pune in 2007.
The accused - Purushottam Borate and Pradeep Kokade - were awarded death
penalty in March this year by a sessions court in Pune.
A division bench of Justices V M Kanade and P D Kode today said it was
confirming the conviction of the 2 accused but would pass an order on their
sentence tomorrow.
"We are confirming the conviction. The trial court has not erred in convicting
the two. But on sentencing we would like to hear more arguments from both the
defence and prosecution lawyers regarding mitigating circumstances and so on,"
Justice Kanade said.
The duo were convicted under sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 364
(kidnapping), 376 (rape) and 302 (murder) among other sections of the Indian
Penal Code (IPC).
While the prosecution had sought severe punishment of death for the 2 arguing
that there is no chance of reformation, defence lawyers had sought clemency on
the ground that the duo had no prior criminal records.
Public prosecutor Revati Dhere had argued that the incident was pre-planned and
pre-mediated by the 2 accused who knew that it was the victim's last day in
Wipro.
"They had prior knowledge. They conspired the abduction, rape and murder in
advance," she argued.
According to the prosecution, the victim, a Wipro BPO employee working at
Hijewadi IT park in Pune, had on November 1, 2007 boarded the regular cab
contracted by the company to ply the employees to report for night duty.
The cab driver Borate who was accompanied by his friend Kokade, however,
changed the route and took the victim to a remote place where she was raped by
both of them.
The duo then strangled her to death using her 'dupatta' and disfigured her face
inflicting injuries with a sharp weapon to hide her identity. The body was
recovered the next day following which the 2 were arrested.
The sessions court had while awarding death penalty to the 2 accused held that
even after commission of crime the accused did not show any remorse and went
about their work.
"They took the helpless victim to a secluded place and raped her turn by turn.
The accused were not under duress or domination of any other persons and their
acts were just for satisfying lust," the lower court said in its judgment.
The victim, who hailed from Uttar Pradesh, was a science graduate from the
University of Pune. She had joined Wipro BPO as an associate in December 2006
and was staying with her sister and brother-in-law in Panchvati area of Pashan.
(source: Deccan Herald)
PAKISTAN:
Christian girl accused of burning pages of the Koran in Pakistan says she is
still 'scared for her life'
A Christian girl who was detained after being accused of burning pages of the
Koran in Pakistan has said she is scared for her life and fears "anyone who
might kill us."
In her 1st public words since the controversy erupted last month, Rimsha Masih
said she was happy to have been returned to her family after securing bail but
that she was still frightened. "I'm scared," she told CNN, speaking by phone
from an undisclosed location.
The girl, who may be as young as 11 but who is believed to have a much younger
mental age, was released at the weekend from a maximum security jail where had
been held in solitary confinement for 3 weeks after a court granted her bail.
She had been detained after Muslim neighbours in her Christian community in
Islamabad claimed she had been spotted burning pages of the Koran, an offence
considered to be blasphemy and which technically could result in the death
penalty.
When she was asked whether she had burned pages of the Koran, Rimsha, speaking
in just short sentences, immediately replied: "No."
The girl's family adamantly denied the claims and in a rare instance of the
authorities in Pakistan standing up to potentially false claims of blasphemy,
Khalid Jadoon, an imam at the local mosque and one of those who had accused
her, was accused of fabricating the burned pages and was himself charged.
Her father, Mizrak Mashi, a painter, said nobody in his family would dishonour
or damage the Koran. "We respect the Koran just like we respect the Bible," he
said. "We couldn't imagine committing blasphemy let alone doing it. Our
children would never do this either."
Campaigners say that Pakistan???s blasphemy laws, which date from the days of
British rule, are regularly abused and are used to settle personal grudges. But
the government has been reluctant to respond to demands for their reform,
fearful of triggering a backlash from religious groups.
One of those who spoke out against the laws was the governor of Punjab
province, Salmaan Taseer, who was as a result shot dead by his bodyguard in
January 2011. Another government minister who wanted to reform the laws was
shot dead several months later.
(source: The Independent)
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