Jan. 23
CANADA:
Innocence Lost; the human cost of a wrongful conviction Patrick Andrew Boivin
"You will be hanged by the neck until you are dead," Justice Ronald Ferguson
pronounced to Truscott after the verdict was read. "May the Lord have mercy
upon your soul."
Innocence Lost: a play about Steven Truscott, written by playwright Beverley
Cooper, was a sold out hit when it premiered at the Blyth Festival in 2008. It
also proved to be a roaring success when it was revived the following season
due to popular demand.
Nominated for a Governor General's Literary Award, Innocence Lost re-examines
Canada's most controversial wrongful conviction and focuses on the human cost
of this tragedy. In 1959, 14-year-old Steven Truscott was sentenced to hang for
the rape and murder of his 12-year-old schoolmate, Lynne Harper, making him the
youngest person to sit on Canada's death row. Maintaining his innocence
throughout, he was acquitted by the Ontario Court of Appeal in 2007. His case
made international headlines and contributed to the abolition of the death
penalty in this country.
"A fictional character named Sarah, a young farm girl and classmate of Steven
Truscott, guides us through this powerful true story. Through Sarah, we witness
how the small town of Clinton, Ontario was torn apart and forever changed by
this tragedy," says Roy Surette, the Artistic and Executive Director of Centaur
Theatre.
"Innocence Lost is not meant to be the definitive word on the trial, conviction
and acquittal of Steven Truscott but rather a look at how events unfolded from
Sarah's point of view and how those events affected her community.
She is the one asking, "How did this happen?" Although I have taken liberties
with history for the purpose of making a play, I have tried to keep the
characters based on real people as true to their original intentions as
possible. I tried to put together what happened on that day in 1959, piece by
piece," says Beverley Cooper.
An excellent cast led by Jenny Young (Sarah) and Fiona Reid (Isabel LeBourdais)
is comprised of leading stage actors from Montreal and across the country, and
emerging artists from Montreal and Ottawa.
Director Roy Surette has called upon a talented team to flesh out this
outstanding production: James Lavoie's costumes and minimalist set are enhanced
by Luc Prairie's imaginative lighting, original music by Keith Thomas and
powerful video design by George Allister and Patrick Andrew Boivin. Stage
Manager Melanie St-Jacques is assisted by Samira Rose and Millie Tresierra is
the Assistant Director.
Immediately after its Montreal run, Innocence Lost will open at the NAC from
February 27 to March 16, 2013.
"...a powerful play depicting the tragic miscarriage of justice in the Steven
Truscott case. Beverley Cooper goes beyond documenting a court case to
thoroughly engage the reader in a poignant examination of the loss of
innocence." Canada Council for the Arts
When and where
The play runs from January 29 -February 24. For tickets and/or additional
information, go to: www.centaurtheatre.com
(source: The Monitor)
CHINA:
Halt the imminent execution of woman who killed violent husband
A Chinese woman who stabbed her husband to death after suffering months of
sustained domestic violence should not be executed, Amnesty International said
today.
Li Yan a 41-year-old woman, from Sichuan province in South West China, could be
executed any day between now and the Chinese New Year in early February.
Amnesty International's Head of East Asia, Roseann Rife, said:
"Justice is not served by executing Li Yan. Amnesty International calls upon
the Chinese authorities to commute her death sentence to a term of
imprisonment.
"Had the Chinese authorities protected Li, as they are required to under
international law, this tragic outcome could have been avoided. Li's claims
should have been properly investigated and her husband prosecuted before she
resorted to violence herself.
"Victims of domestic violence should not have to live in fear and isolation.
The Chinese authorities are obliged to prevent violence against women,
including by their husbands, and to properly investigate all claims and
prosecute those responsible. They need to address this issue urgently and
provide proper support and protection."
Li Yan was sentenced to death in August 2011 for the murder of her husband, Tan
Yong, in late 2010.
Tan Yong inflicted frequent beatings on his wife. He cut off one of her
fingers, stubbed cigarettes out on her face and, during the freezing Sichuan
winters, locked her outside on the balcony of their apartment for several hours
with little clothing.
The prolonged violence at the hands of her husband experienced by Li Yan began
not long after the couple were married in early 2009.
Li Yan contacted the authorities, including the police, on several occasions to
seek protection and required hospital treatment after 1 attack.
The police took pictures of Li's injuries after one beating, but no action was
taken. Unsurprisingly, the violence continued.
Amnesty is concerned that judges did not fully take into account evidence of
the sustained abuse that Li suffered, including the testimony of people who had
witnessed the abuse, when handing down the death penalty.
The Supreme People's Court in Beijing approved Li Yan's death sentence in
mid-January. She is currently being held at Anyue County Detention Centre.
Amnesty opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception, regardless of
the nature of the crime, the characteristics of the offender or the method used
by the state to carry out the execution.
(source: Amnesty International)
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES:
Drug suspect granted retrial by UAE Supreme Court
All?defendants facing charges that carry the death penalty or life imprisonment
must be assigned a lawyer to prepare their defence, the UAE Supreme Court has
ruled.
It issued the ruling as a verdict was delivered in the appeal of man convicted
of dealing hashish.
The dependent, 1 of 2 men caught distributing hashish, was granted a fresh
trial by the court as he was not represented by a lawyer at his original trial.
?The UAE Supreme Court issued the ruling as a verdict was delivered in the
appeal of man convicted of dealing hashish.
The pair were arrested in Sharjah 2 years ago and were charged with possession
of hashish for supply, and consuming hashish. The defendant was also charged
with driving a vehicle under the influence of narcotics.
In September 2011, he was jailed for 10 years, fined Dhs 50,000 and ordered to
be deported when he finished his sentence.
However, the supreme court ruled that he was not given a state lawyer at the
time and that this was a violation of the rules of criminal procedure in the
UAE.
The court ruled that it didn't even need to look at the other appeal grounds
and said it was satisfied that the defendant should have been given better
protection in a case that could have warranted life imprisonment or even the
death penalty.
It was also ruled that all defendants facing such serious charges should have a
lawyer present when appealing their sentences.
(source: 7daysindubai.com)
INDONESIA:
New tactics see Western drug mules behind bars in Bali
Drug syndicates are using Westerners to smuggle drugs into Bali in new tactics,
Indonesian authorities said Wednesday as a British grandmother became the
latest to face the firing squad for trafficking.
Lindsay Sandiford, 56, was sentenced to death Tuesday after being caught with
4.79 kilograms (10 pounds, 9 ounces) of cocaine worth $2.4 million in her
suitcase as she arrived on a flight from Bangkok last May.
The haul was destined for sale in the hard-partying resort island, which is
enjoying a tourism boom and where drugs can be freely obtained despite harsh
penalties and high-profile arrests.
"Drugs are absolutely easily available... from weed and 'shrooms to crystal
meth and acid," said Australian Andrew Lee, 21, in Kuta, the island's
entertainment strip, which is lined with bars.
"Hundreds of people sell epinephrine outside the clubs," he added.
Sandiford sobbed as the sentence was handed down in a court in Bali's capital
Denpasar, with judges rejecting arguments she was coerced into transporting the
drugs by a gang that had threatened her children.
"We hope the verdict sends a message to the world that Bali is not a drugs
haven and that offenders will be given the fairest possible punishment,"
Justice Minister Amir Syamsuddin told AFP Wednesday.
Sandiford joins a line-up of foreigners on death row or serving heavy sentences
in Bali's infamous Kerobokan jail, as drug syndicates turn their gaze on an
island that draws nearly 3 million tourists each year.
According to police figures, 22 foreigners including 4 Britons, 3 Germans and 2
Russians were nabbed in 2012 in drugs-related cases on the island.
Narcotics officials say drug syndicates now prefer to use Western drug mules
who can better blend in with the millions of arrivals at Bali's international
airport and evade police detection.
"Using European couriers is a new trend in 2012. A year earlier, most of the
couriers hailed from the Middle East and African countries," Bali narcotics
police chief Mulyadi told AFP.
"Westerners are less suspicious because they look wealthy and appear less
likely to break the laws," he said.
National narcotics agency spokesman Sumirat Dwiyanto said that international
syndicates were also wary of hiring Indonesians for fear they could "spill on
them and expose their network".
"This is a business of trust. They prefer to use their own people whom they can
really trust," he said.
A prisons official said there were currently 35 foreigners and 56 Indonesians
on death row in Indonesia, including Briton Gareth Cashmore, who was sentenced
after being arrested on drugs charges in the capital Jakarta last October.
Among them are two members of the "Bali 9" -- a group of Australians caught at
the island's airport in 2005 with heroin strapped to their bodies. 7 others of
that group are serving long jail terms.
Another high-profile inmate of Kerobokan is Australian Schapelle Corby, who was
arrested with a haul of marijuana in 2004 and sentenced to 20 years
imprisonment in a blaze of media headlines.
After Sandiford's arrest, 3 other Britons and an Indian were detained in
connection with the same drugs ring, but most were cleared of trafficking
charges and received light sentences.
The last figure in the ring to face justice, Briton Julian Ponder, is due to be
sentenced next week with at least seven years' imprisonment likely.
Sandiford was silent and withdrawn after the court's decision, which came as a
shock after prosecutors had argued for a relatively lenient 15-year sentence,
her lawyer Esra Karokaro said.
"Certainly she was devastated by the verdict. She's psychologically shaken," he
told AFP. Death penalty sentences are commonly commuted to long jail terms in
Indonesia, but the process can take years.
Sandiford's case has rekindled the debate over whether capital punishment meted
out to terrorists, murderers and drug traffickers in Indonesia is effective at
reducing crime.
"Many of these couriers have also been exploited, and can be considered victims
besides the drug users. It's more important to go after the syndicates," said
Rafendi Djamin, who heads the Human Rights Working Group.
(source: Agence France-Presse)
BAHRAIN:
Bahrain court upholds death penalty in police killing
A Bahraini appeals court on Wednesday upheld a death sentence against a
protester convicted of murdering a policeman in March 2011.
The officer, Ahmed al-Mreyssi, died after being repeatedly run over during
anti-government protests.
The court upheld a life sentence given to a 2nd man in the case.
Bahrain and its Sunni royal family have been shaken by unrest since
pro-democracy protests began in 2011. Most protesters are from the Shia
majority.
The death sentence was confirmed on Wednesday for Ali al-Taweel, and the
sentence to life imprisonment for Ali Shamlo.
Lawyers for the 2 men have said they will appeal against the decision at the
court of cassation in a final effort to have the sentences reduced.
Bahrain's largest opposition political party Al Wefaq denounced Wednesday's
decision and said confessions used as evidence in convicting the 2 men were
extracted by torture.
The Gulf island kingdom has been wracked by nearly 2 years of violence that
followed the clearing of an iconic landmark, Pearl Roundabout, in the capital
Manama, in February 2011.
As violence escalated 35 people, including 5 police officers, were killed.
Hundreds more were hurt and thousands jailed - the vast majority Shia Muslims.
Since then, opposition and human rights activists say another 45 people have
been killed, a figure which the government disputes.
In October last year 2 policemen died of injuries sustained during clashes with
protesters in villages outside Manama.
Last December, a Bahraini court commuted to life imprisonment the death
sentences of two other protesters convicted of killing two policemen in another
incident in 2011.
(source: BBC News)
IRAN----executions
3 prisoners were hanged in Iran today
3 prisoners were hanged in the prison of Ghazvin (Qazvin; west of Tehran) today
Wednesday January 23.
According to the the state run Iranian news agency Fars, 3 prisoners identified
as "K Kh." (28), "A. N." (34) and "A. H." (41) were convicted of possession and
trafficking of narcotic drugs and sentenced to fines, lashes and death by
section 2 of Qazvin revolutionary court.
(source: Iran Human Rights)
***********************
Judicial head defends public hanging of robbers
The head of Iran's judiciary says the execution of 2 prisoners convicted of
armed robbery was in the "interest of the Islamic society."
ISNA reports that Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani said: "Security is one of the chief
necessities of civil society, and we must in no way be sentimental about it. It
is clear that the judiciary is saddened by executions, but when the issue
concerns social security, we cannot close our eyes to reality."
Alireza Mafiha and Mohammad Ali Sarvari were hanged in public for assaulting
and robbing an individual on the streets of Tehran.
The incident was captured by surveillance videos and posted on Youtube and
later broadcast on Iranian public television.
Critics claim the punishment far exceeded the crime committed. The 2
perpetrators threatened and assaulted their victim with a machete and robbed
him of his wallet.
Larijani insisted that without "firm confrontation" of such crimes, society
would face worse situations.
Mafiha and Sarvari, both in their 20s, were hanged in a public park where the
crime reportedly took place.
The execution of the 2 young men has drawn criticism from many human rights
activists, who claim that executions, especially in public, perpetuate violence
in society.
(source: Radio Zamaneh)
****************
Imprisoned pastor in Iran with U.S. citizenship receives support from U.S.
officials
The U.S. government and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
have issued calls for the release of an American pastor who may face the
gallows for spreading the Gospel in Iran.
Saeed Abedini, an Iranian-born pastor who is a naturalized U.S. citizen, faces
charges of undermining the Iranian government by planting house churches and of
trying to turn the country's youth from Islam, according to media reports.
Abedini's supporters say he was in Iran last summer to finish building an
orphanage when members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard hauled him away in a
bus for prison, according to World Watch Monitor, a news service focusing on
the persecuted church. Abedini has suffered beatings while in prison and now
faces trial before a Revolutionary Court judge, Abbas Pir-Abbassi, labeled a
human rights violator by the European Union and infamous for his harsh
sentencing -- including executions -- of students who protested Iran's 2009
elections.
The U.S. State Department has yet to call for Abedini's release, although U.S.
National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor urged Jan. 18 that the pastor
be freed.
"We remain troubled by the case of U.S. citizen Saeed Abedini, who was arrested
by Iranian officials more than three months ago on charges relating to his
religious beliefs," Vietor said, according to Fox News. "We call upon Iranian
authorities to release him immediately."
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, a government advisory
body, also called for Abedini's release and denounced Iran's "trumped-up"
charges.
"The national security charges leveled against Mr. Abedini are bogus and are a
typical tactic by the Iranian government to masquerade the real reason for the
charges: to suppress religious belief and activity of which the Iranian
government does not approve," USCIRF chair Katrina Lantos Swett said in a news
release, adding that Abedini cannot expect justice in court.
"Judge Pir-Abbassi is notorious for conducting swift trials and imposing
lengthy prison terms, as well as the death penalty, without any semblance of
due process," Swett said.
Iranian state media had reported on Monday (Jan. 21) that Saeed would be freed
on bail, a report that Saeed's wife, Naghmeh Abedini, denounced as a lie,
according to Fox News.
"This has been a repeated promise by the Iranian regime since Saeed was first
thrown in prison on Sept. 26, 2012," she told Fox. "We have presented bail.
After the judge told Saeed's lawyer that bail was back on the table, the family
in Tehran ran around in circles today to make sure Saeed was let out on bail.
But again the bail officer rejected bail."
CNN reported that a trial of Abedini begin Monday (Jan. 1). The pastor gave the
judge a written statement and answered questions by prosecutors and his defense
attorney.
The trial included a hearing -- from which Abedini and his lawyer were barred
-- in which a lay church leader was called to testify about his connection to
Abedini, according to a blog post by Jordan Sekulow, executive director of the
American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ). Questions ranged from whether
Abedini encouraged conversion to Christianity and how he financed his trips to
establish an orphanage in Iran.
During a conference call reported by CNN, Naghmeh Abedini said she last spoke
to her husband on Jan. 9. "He sounded OK," she said. "He sounded tired. He said
he had come to a realization that they would not be releasing him anytime soon.
Up until Christmas he had had hope." According to World Watch Monitor, Saeed
Abedini converted from Islam to Christianity in 2000 and helped start house
churches in Iran. He had been arrested multiple times by authorities, but
Tiffany Barrans, ACLJ's international legal director, told World Watch Monitor
that in 2009 the pastor made a deal with Iran's intelligence police. That deal
allowed him to come back to Iran to build an orphanage in exchange for staying
out of house church work, an agreement his supporters say he kept. But before
his latest trip to Iran, the religiously controlled Revolutionary Guard took
jurisdiction over Iran's Christian community from the intelligence police,
Barrans said, coinciding with a more aggressive campaign to drive Christianity
out of Iran.
Barrans told World Watch Monitor that the U.S. could put pressure on Iran
through countries like Brazil and Turkey, which have strong economic ties with
Iran.
"We can reach out to multiple countries to just put in an inquiry on Pastor
Saeed," Barrans said. "If Iran takes enough inquiries from friends, they will
take notice of Saeed's case and ensure justice is done, whether that means he
receives a fair trial, or they take him out of the Revolutionary Court system,
or if they release him immediately."
Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty
Commission and a former USCIRF commissioner, called Saeed Abedini's ordeal "yet
one more example of the Iranian government trampling the human rights of people
who don't kowtow to their dictates concerning religious and political beliefs."
Abedini's trial comes as Iran shows no signs of relenting in its persecution of
Christians and their defenders. Pastor Benham Irani continues to languish in
prison under a 6-year sentence for "acting against the interests if national
security," according to International Christian Concern, a Washington advocacy
group for the persecuted church.
In addition, Iranian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, who was acquitted in September
of apostasy charges that could have brought execution, was thrown back in
prison for a brief stint -- incarcerated on Christmas Day but released Jan. 8.
His attorney, however, sits in prison under a lengthy sentence, according to
the British religious rights organization Chrstian Solidarity Worldwide.
Mohammed Ali Dadkhah, a prominent Iranian human rights lawyer who helped secure
Nadarkhani's release, was jailed and disbarred for 10 years in September 2012.
Reports indicate his health is rapidly deteriorating.
Abedini's wife Nagmeh, who lives in the U.S. with her and Saeed's two small
children, told the Boise, Idaho, TV station KBOI of a conversation she had with
her husband over the phone.
"It was weeks and weeks before I even heard his voice," she said. "He shared
that he really misses the kids and me and really wants to be home."
The ACLJ is taking a petition to President Obama, Congress and Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton urging all available diplomatic and legislative means to
be used in securing Saeed Abedini's release. The petition is online at
http://aclj.org/iran/save-american-pastor-iranian-abuse-imprisonment.
(source: Baptist Press)
INDIA:
Panel Slams Police in India Rape Case, Rejects Death Penalty
India needs to implement existing laws, not introduce tougher punishment such
as the death penalty, to prevent rape, a government panel set up to review
legislation said on Wednesday, following a brutal gang rape that shook the
nation.
Panel head justice J.S. Verma rejected outright the idea of the death penalty
for rape cases, a demand from some protesters and politicians in the days after
the 23-year-old physiotherapy student was attacked on a moving bus.
"There was an overwhelming opinion against the death penalty, even women's
groups opposed this," Verma told a news conference. This recommendation was in
line with the opinions of rights organizations concerned harsh new laws would
not solve the rising number of reported sexual assault cases in India.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asked Verma to look at possible amendments of
criminal law in response to public anger after the rape and subsequent death of
the student, who was assaulted with metal bars and dumped bleeding on a
highway.
In that case, because the woman died of her injuries, the 5 accused have been
charged with murder and face the death penalty if found guilty. The victim died
of massive organ damage in a Singapore hospital 2 weeks after the attack.
Hearings in the case against the accused begin in a fast track sessions court
on Thursday. The court must decide which of the prosecution's charges it will
hear before a trial formally begins.
Separately, the Supreme Court is hearing a petition to move the case out of
Delhi, after one of the accused said strong public opinion in the city would
prejudice the case.
Verma said he was shocked to hear top government officials congratulate the
Delhi police chief's handling of the case, when, he said, police negligence was
to blame for a climate of insecurity in New Delhi, known as India's "rape
capital."
"Practically every serious breach of the rule of law can be traced to the
failure of performance by the persons responsible for its implementation," the
recommendations submitted to the government by Verma on Wednesday stated.
The report said the failure of public functionaries responsible for traffic
regulation and law and order enabled the Delhi gang rape, and said the case had
revealed "officials' low and skewed priority of dealing with complaints of
sexual assault".
He also rejected lowering the age juveniles can be tried as adults, a demand
from some politicians and protesters. A sixth accused in the case has told
police he is under 18, meaning he would face a maximum three year sentence if
found guilty.
The panel did recommend other milder forms of sexual harassment be more
strictly legislated against and punished.
"Sexual assault degenerates to its gravest form of rape beginning with
uncontrolled sexual harassment in milder forms, which remain uncontrolled. It
has, therefore to be curbed at the initial stage."
(source: Voice of America)
*****************************
Verma panel says no to death penalty
The Justice Verma Committee formed to look into crimes against women on
Wednesday ruled against recommending the death penalty even in the rarest of
the rare rape cases, and also did not favour lowering the age of a juvenile
from 18 to 16.
The committee, which was tasked with suggesting legal reforms to deal with
sexual assault cases, however said the minimum sentence for a rapist should be
enhanced from 7 years to 10 and that life imprisonment must always mean jail
for 'the entire natural life of the convict'. It has also recommended forming a
new constitutional authority like the CAG for dealing with issues related to
education and non-discrimination of women and children.
Presenting the report on 'Amendments to Criminal Law', Mr. Verma said at a time
when there were talks of abolishing the death sentence, the committee has
"enhanced the punishment to mean the remainder of life". An overwhelming
majority of scholars and women's organisations told the committee they were
strongly against death penalty.
After the gangrape and death of the para-medical student in Delhi last month
that led to a nationwide uproar, Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde had
said that the government favoured death sentence in the rarest of the rare rape
cases.
He had then announced formation of a three-member committee headed by the
former Chief Justice of India, with former Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh
Justice Leila Seth and former Solicitor General of India Gopal Subramaniam as
its members.
"According to the Working Group on Human Rights, the murder rate has declined
consistently in India over the last 20 years despite the slowdown in the
execution of death sentences since 1980. Hence we do take note of the argument
that introduction of death penalty for rape may not have a deterrent effect,"
the Committee recommended.
The Committee also said that in the proposed Criminal Law Amendment Bill, 2012,
the minimum sentence for punishment for rape should be enhanced to a minimum of
10 years (currently it is 7 years) with maximum punishment being life
imprisonment.
The Committee said castration would be unconstitutional and inconsistent with
basic human rights treaties to expose any citizen without their consent to
potentially dangerous medical side effects.
On the issue of reducing the age of a juvenile from 18 to 16, Mr. Verma said:
"Assuming that a person at the age of 16 is sent to life imprisonment, he would
be released sometimes in the mid-30s. There is little assurance that the
convict would emerge a reformed person."
(source: The Hindu)
************************
Death penalty for murder, rape of Bihar minor
A man who raped and murdered a 7-year-old girl was Wednesday awarded death
penalty by a Bihar court, a lawyer said.
The Darbhanga sessions court of Judge Sunil Kumar Singh described the incident
as "rarest of rare" and sent Indra Kumar Sharma to the gallows for the 2010
rape and murder, a prosecutor said.
According to the police chargesheet, the accused kidnapped the 7-year-old girl
from village Raghopur, about 200 km from here.
Police officials here said that it was the 1st death sentence awarded in a
murder-cum-rape case by a Bihar court since the outrage over the Delhi
gang-rape last month.
(source: Zee News)
*****************************
HC admits appeal against death penalty in rape and murder case
The Bombay High Court today admitted the appeal filed by a 22-year-old man
challenging the death penalty awarded to him for raping and murdering a minor
girl and would commence hearing from February 5.
Raju Jagdish Paswan, hailing from Bihar, was convicted last year for murdering
and raping a nine-year-old girl in June 2010 in Sangli district of Maharashtra.
The sessions court had termed the case as falling under "rarest of rare"
category and awarded him death penalty.
When the matter came for confirmation before the High Court, it directed for
the accused to be produced before it so as to know if he wants to file an
appeal against the conviction.
The High Court on the last hearing appointed advocate Niteen Pradhan to appear
for the accused who filed an appeal today.
Admitting the appeal, a division bench of Justices N H Patil and A R Joshi
today said it would start hearing the case on a day-to-day basis from February
5.
The incident dates back to June 21, 2010 when the victim had gone missing from
her house in Bedag village in Sangli district. The victim's father had lodged a
missing complaint. During probe the police learnt that the victim was last seen
with the accused, who used to live in the vicinity.
According to prosecution, when the accused was detained and interrogated he
revealed that he had raped the girl and murdered her and then dumped her body
in a well.
While awarding Paswan death penalty, the lower court observed that he had
committed a heinous crime of raping an innocent child and that it was a "cold
blooded murder."
"After satisfying his lust the accused threw the girl into the well. An
innocent girl was ravished by the accused for his lust. The accused is a menace
to the society and there are no chance of reform. He does not deserve any
leniency," the sessions court observed.
It also held that the social impact such incidents have should also be
considered. "When such cases are rampant a message should be given to society
that such heinous crimes will result in extreme punishment," the court said.
(source: Daily Bhaskar)
MALAYSIA:
23 Year-Old Nigerian Student Sentenced to Death for Drug Trafficking in
Malaysia
A 23 year-old Nigerian student of a private college in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
was sentenced to death by hanging after he was found guilty of trafficking in
16,936gm of cannabis 2 years ago.
As reported by NewStraitsTimes, the Judicial Commissioner Mohd Zaki Abdul Wahab
ruled that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt against
John Amaechi Eze.
In his judgment, Zaki said the accused claimed he was waiting to board an
express bus at a restaurant in front of the Lye Huat Garden hall when he was
arrested by police. However, he said the court did not believe his claim that
he did not own the luggage when witnesses had testified that he was with the
luggage all the time.
His sentencing has elicited a range of reactions and warnings to Nigerians
against trafficking drugs in countries where the stated penalty for such an
offence is the death sentence.
A Nigerian blogger, Ola, who lives in Malaysia and blogs at
www.madameaproko.blogspot.com shared this experience of living in Malaysia
after the sentencing and warned against trafficking drugs. It is quite an
interesting read:
Now, for anyone harboring thoughts of trafficking drugs to this country, this
is what you get. It beats me why someone would risk their life, by taking
banned substance to this racist shit hole called Malaysia, because when issued
a visa, it is clearly stated that the punishment for drug trafficking in
Malaysia is death.
To be fair and honest to Malaysia, there are some very nice and wonderful
people out there, but they are greatly outnumbered by the bigots among them. I
live and study in Malaysia and I've observed a bias pattern in judicial
procedures and policing as regards drug trafficking and crime prevention.
My assertions are based on my day to day experience and observation as a
resident. I have no statistical analysis of the Nigerian population living in
Malaysia neither do I have the exact figures or nationality of the number of
cases prosecuted by the Malaysian judiciary.
From the Nigerian side, The easterners (Igbos) out-number other ethnic groups
within the Nigerian community here. That's why most Nigerians you meet are from
the east. A lot Nigerians you meet are not in Malaysia to study, though they
are enrolled in 1 college or another, they are semi-illiterates or outright
illiterates, very lousy, brash and arrogant (for reasons I don't understand).
Then we have the stranded group who were duped by travel agents into thinking
the pasture in Malaysia is greener.
In short, You meet criminals of all shapes, size and age. They just sleep, eat,
wake up, and hope the next Maga pays. They are so much, you'll think all
Nigerians living in Malaysia are criminals, but we have bright students doing
well and graduating in Malaysian Universities, we have gainfully employed
graduates trained by Malaysians themselves (few) and business men and women
doing legitimate business exporting goods to and from Nigeria (also few
compared to the population of the Nigerian community). But the Yahoo boys and
drug traffickers are so high in number it seems they've all relocated from
Nigeria to Malaysia. Conditions here favour them.
Basic infrastructure is great here compared to what we have in Nigeria. 24
hours electricity, running water, well laid roads, affordable high speed
internet, compact 3/4 bedroom apartment, affordable furniture, little or no
scrutiny on international remittance etc. Malaysia is a Yahoo Boy's paradise.
Though, most foreigners especially new comers call them (Malaysians) lazy and
stupid (I still don't get the rationale behind that).
On the Malaysian side, you'll meet the Malay Supremacist. A Muslim, religious
bigot, loud, aggressive and assertive. He (male and female) hates Jews and
despises Christians. He wants to protect the "sanctity" of Islam, State
resources are at his disposal. His opinion and interest supercedes that of
others. His ancestors are the 1st settlers in Peninsular Malaysia. His
interpretation of the Islamic text dictates and guides the Muslim community and
some times the whole nation. His favourite question when he meets you for the
1st time in class or anywhere is "Are you Muslim?". He runs the country and he
knows it.
Then we have the Chinese Chauvinist, a business tycoon/ hard working student.
Drives flashy cars, he believes his race is the best. He is rich and he has
read stories of Nigerians using Malaysian girls as drug mules, black/chemical
money stories; he has meet or read of stranded Nigerians who loiter around
Kuala-Lumpur begging for money (these stranded guys don't shower, so they
stink). He cringes when you happen to be in the same elevator, crosses to the
other side of the road when you are walking towards each other and always
thinks you need something from him any time you try to talk to him. He has held
on to so many Nigerian horrible stories and thinks every Nigerian is like that.
Then, we have the Angry Indian, always pissed and mean-mugging you. He has been
discriminated against so much that even his language is not included in the
country's ATM machine (LMAO). He is always trying to pick fights with you and
the first comment he makes is "THIS IS MY COUNTRY!". He'll smash his crash
helmet on you at the slightest provocation or stab you. He also reads of
atrocities committed by Nigerians and sees you as a threat.
So, living in Malaysia has made me a racism connoisseur of sought. In fact, I
have become so sensitive that I believe I can tell if an individual is racist
within a few seconds of being around them. There are people in Malaysia whose
sole purpose in life is just to ruin your day. Racism in Malaysia is perfect.
It is subtle when it needs to be and brass when necessary.
As a foreigner you might be misled into thinking Malaysia is a boring place and
no one gives a damn about you, so you can do what ever you like and get away
with it. No, you are seriously mistaken. Malaysia sometimes feels like the
North-Korea we watch on T.V. Some citizens are very nosy and they watch and
observe every move you make. I read a news article some weeks ago that says
about 80% of Police personnel don't do normal Policing but rather, spy and
gather intelligence.
So, my point is this. Malaysia is a tightly controlled society where the
authorities decide what business prospers, whether legal or illegal. Elements
within the police control the drug trade, the distributors are under their
command and they arrest them when it's politically needed to unite the country
against a common enemy. We hear of stories of Iranian and Arab drug traffickers
who are quietly deported and warned never to return to Malaysia but other
nationalities are shown off as trophy in front of news men who broadcast and
publish sensational news headlines. South-east Asian countries are united
against drug trafficking and they hold meetings regularly to discuss new
strategies on deterrent, Death (rolls eyes). So, it baffles me why people still
take the risks John Amaechi Eze was sentenced on January 22; a British Grand
mother Lindsay Sandiford was also sentenced to death on the same day in
Indonesia. In the year 2008, two Nigerians were executed in Indonesia and one
in Singapore.
Nigerians, please stop trying to bring drugs into Malaysia.
(source: Bellanaija.com)
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