June 29
MALAYSIA:
64 of the Iranians in Malaysian jails have death sentences
Most of the hundreds of Iranians now jailed in Malaysia have been detained
under the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 (DDA 1952.).
Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said 341 have been detained
under the DDA 1952, 64 of them convicted under Section 39B of the act, which
carries the mandatory death penalty.
"Another 8 are detained under the Special Preventive Measures (LLPK) and 13
under the Immigration Act," he said at a media conference after receiving a
courtesy call from the Iranian Ambassador to Malaysia, Mohammad Jalal
Firouznia, at the Home Ministry in Putrajaya on Friday.
Among the matters discussed at the meeting were the repatriation of the
prisoners. Iran is also seeking to extradite four prisoners but the ministry
would have to discuss it with the Attorney-General's Chambers, said Ahmad
Zahid.
"We don't want a situation where the repatriation of the drug prisoners will
result in their re-entry, thus several methods to ensure that the drug
syndicates are eliminated will continue to be discussed.".
He said the other matters discussed included the prevention of drug smuggling
from Iran to Malaysia and the exchange of information between the Malaysian
police and their Iran counterparts.
He added that Iran was among the countries that have succeeded in tackling the
problems of drug addiction, thus the ministry planned to share information
through the National Anti-Drugs Agency with a similar unit there.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Jalal said despite the fact that the number of Iran's
prisoners in Malaysia was not too big, it would still try to transfer some of
them back to Iran.
"On today's meeting, there's very good and close cooperation between the 2
countries. Nevertheless, we would like to reactivate all the MoUs and
agreements between the 2 countries, especially the area of co-operation between
the police and anti-drugs agencies," he said
(source: The Malaysian Insider)
*************************************
29 Kiram followers plead 'not guilty'
29 alleged followers of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III who took part in the
Sabah intrusion pleaded not guilty to terrorism-related charges, a Malaysian
newspaper reported on Friday.
Among those arraigned before Malaysian High Court judge Ravinthran Paramaguru
on Thursday was Kiram's nephew, Datu Amirbahar Hussin Kiram, whom Malaysian
authorities identified as a "general" in the Sulu Sultanate's Royal Security
Force (RSF).
According to Star Online, the presiding judge ordered a joint trial of the 29
accused Filipinos, who are being tried for Waging War against the King and
sheltering or recruiting individuals to become members of a terrorist group.
Waging War against Malaysian King Yang di-Pertuan Agong is punishable by death
sentence while the second charge, carries a life imprisonment penalty.
Of the 29 accused, 20 were charged with waging war against the King while the
rest are being tried for recruiting and harboring terrorists.
Aside from Datu Amirbahar, also charged were Basad Samuel, Mohamad Ali Ahmad,
Pabblo Allie, Abd Hadi Mawan, Atik Hussin Abu Bakar, Dani Ismail, Saidili
Jaharul, Totoh Hismullah, Basil Samiul, Rizman Gulan, Abdul Majil Jubin, Rijmal
Salleh, Julham Rashid, Tani Lahad Dahi, Al Wazir Osman, Virgilio Nemar
Patulada, Masir Aidin, Anwar Salib Akhmad, Ismail Yasin, and Binhar Salib
Akhmad.
Charged for lesser terrorism-related charges were Aman Radie, Timhar Hadir,
Holland Kalbi, Lin Mad Salleh. 3 more people were charged for harboring
terrorists, including Norhaida Ibnahi, Kadir Uyung and Lating Tiong.
Meanwhile, another accused - Salib Akhmad Emali - faced all 3 charges and
another case for allegedly recruiting individuals to become members of a
supposed terror group.
The last of the accused, Habil Suhaili, is set to be arraigned on July 12 in
Tawau, where he was undergoing treatment, the Star Online said.
Sought for comment, the sultanate???s spokesman, Abraham Idjirani, said they
have no information about the trial since neither the sultanate nor the
Philippine government has been granted access to the detained Filipinos.
Idjirani said the court hearings were nothing but a "kangaroo trial" since it
is doubtful that the accused were given proper representation and their rights
duly respected.
As to Datu Amirbahar, he pointed out that the Sultan's nephew was not part of
RSF.
"He even acted as negotiator or middleman during the negotiations between the
Malaysian authorities and the RSF in Sabah before the fighting broke out,"
Idjirani said, adding that Amirbahar's father, Sultan Bantilan Esmail Kiram II,
will file an appeal before the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Commission.
Idjirani reiterated that the Malaysian court has no authority to try the
Filipinos since the Malaysian government only exercises "administering
authority" over Sabah.
Maintaining that the Malaysia's move was illegal, Idjirani said Malaysia has no
right to prosecute the Filipinos for committing terrorism pending the
determination of the sovereignty of Sabah, as provided under the 1963 Manila
agreement signed by the heads of Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia.
The 1963 Manila accord states that "the inclusion of Sabah into the Federation
of Malaysia will not prejudice the interest of parties concerned until the
issue of the Sabah claim is finally resolved by the United Nations", according
to Idjirani.
"Malaysia is only an occupant of Sabah, so they have no right to file charges
against those Filipinos," Idjirani said, adding they will file a communication
to the UN over Malaysia's continued violation of the accused Filipinos' rights
in Sabah.
(source: Manila Standard Today)
SINGAPORE:
Muidin to hang for murdering Dirang
Contract worker Muidin Maidin has been sentenced to death the High Court here
for the murder of 4-year old Nurul Nadirah Abdullah, also known as Dirang, on
March 1 last year.
Johor Baru High Court judge Datuk Abdul Halim Aman ruled that the prosecution
had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt against the 26-year old for
committing the offence at the oil palm plantation in Jalan Suria 47, Bandar
Seri Alam, Nusa Damai, Masai here between 11.30am on March 1 last year and
midnight the following day.
Before delivering judgement, Abdul Halim said that Muidin was a threat to
humanity as he had caused an innocent child to suffer a most painful death.
"Your DNA (Deoxyribo Nucleic Acid) was found inside the child which meant that
there must have been some form of activity, and she must have resisted which
explained the signs of pressure on her jaw apparently from your hand trying to
stop her screams.
"After she had lost consciousness from the suffocation, you burnt her body to
conceal the evidence.
"There is no punishment other than the mandatory death penalty for this heinous
crime," he said.
The judge also asked Muidin on his own response if a young member of his own
family had suffered the same fate.
"Or are you devoid of feeling? You are the most cruel of murderers," Abdul
Halim said.
The judge's rebuke did not stop there as he went on to tick off Dirang's
stepfather, Lima Anak Medeng, 25, for being irresponsible by allowing a young
child to go out on her own with a shopping list which he had penned for her to
buy the "Mi Sedap" instant noodles and eggs.
"It was early in the morning and both the mother and stepfather were in, yet
they allowed the child to go out on her own," he said.
It was reported that it was common for Dirang to go alone to a neighbour's
house-cum-shop in the Seri Delima flats to buy groceries.
Abdul Halim said that the forensic evidence had been instrumental in proving
Muidin's guilt while the other evidences further strengthened the prosecution's
case.
The DNA samples, namely the blood samples taken from the accused and the
victim, matched although Muidin had stated in his statement of defence that it
was a conspiracy against him.
Besides the DNA match, the soil sample collected from the mudguard of Muidin's
motorcycle and produced as one of the exhibits also matched the soil sample
taken from the construction site located between Tasik Flora Heights and Taman
Nusa Damai, 5 kilometres from the oil palm plantation.
Dirang's charred remains were found buried in a deep hole.
The prosecution also proved that remnants of the yellow fabric found on
Dirang's remains was Muidin's sarong as he only had 1 sarong, and after the
incident, the yellow sarong could no longer be found at his house.
Muidin also did not at any point of time, denied that it was not his sarong.
Muidin's alibi that he was at a friend's house on March 1, 2012 also turned out
to be detrimental to the defence when a defence witness testified that he last
saw Muidin on Feb 29, which was the day before.
Meanwhile, a prosecution witness also testified that he had seen Muidin, clad
in a red T-shirt, coming out of the oil palm estate in Bandar Seri Alam in a
helter-skelter manner on March 1.
A total of 3 defence witnesses and 35 prosecution witnesses were called with a
total of 133 exhibits produced.
Head of the Johor prosecution unit Umar Saifuddin Jaafar prosecuted, assisted
by deputy public prosecutor Jasmee Hameeza Jaafar. Muidin is represented by
lawyers Mohd Daud Ismail and Mohamad Abd Kadir.
Mohd Daud later said they would file an appeal.
(source: New Straits Times)
IRELAND:
Limerick mayor wants death penalty for Ireland
The Mayor of Limerick, Kevin Kiely, has asked the government to look in to
holding a referendum on the reintroduction of the death penalty in
Ireland. Last year murders in Ireland increased by six % to 53 murders and 2
manslaughters. He feels that the reinstatement of capital punishment might help
to curb the increasing numbers of murders in the State.
On Monday evening the body of a drug addict, Lee Slattery, was found in a
shallow grave. He was shot 3 times and dumped in the grave.
It is believed that criminals form the north side of Limerick carried out the
murder over an unpaid drug debt. The police are investigating.
"Once it has been established beyond reasonable doubt that these people are
responsible and have been convicted for carrying out a murderer, the death
penalty should be imposed upon them," said Kiely.
He insisted that Prime Minister Brian Cowen must consider this option if he
plans on preventing future murders including those murders not associated with
gangland crime. He said that it should apply to any premeditated murder.
"Until such a time that we bring in draconian laws to tackle people who have
been involved in murders, the whole situation is going to escalate???Nobody
likes to see anybody lose their life, but there has to be a deterrent there. We
have to look at some of the US states which have the death penalty. In these
states, the level of murder has reduced considerable," he said.
Last year, High Court former President, Mr Justice Richard Johnson also raised
the question as to whether the death penalty should be reintroduced.
The abolition of capital punishment is a condition of EU membership. This
exists in a protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights. Ireland is a
signatory.
Michael Manning (25) was the last person to be executed in the State.
Coincidently it was in Limerick. He was hung in 1954 having murdered, Catherine
Cooper, a nurse from Clare.
The death penalty was abolished in Ireland in 1990.
(source: Irish Central)
SUDAN:
Death Penalty against Drugs Dealers
In the news, President Al Bashir announced the establishment of a higher
council to combat drug abuse.
The council will be headed by the Vice President, with competent ministers as
members to work for a drug-free country.
The President pledged to allocate a budget for the council to shoulder its
responsibilities, underlining the state's concern to combat drugs through an
active strategy to make Sudan a drug-free nation.
The President affirmed serious work to curb drug abuse by designing specific
programmes to tackle conflict zones and areas of displacement.
However, Sudan is affected by drug trafficking and the government is seriously
endeavouring to address the problem.
Drugs destroy youth, waste time and weaken the infrastructure.
The President was shown the seized drugs and lauded the police and the drug
control department for their relentless efforts to curb drug abuse in the
country.
We believe that the admittance of the spread of drugs in Sudan is the first
step towards finding a way out to control the phenomena.
The methods of promoting drugs in Sudan are much worrying irrespective of the
size of its spread.
The promotion of drugs reached the doorsteps of our schools and universities
and the students tell each other where they can find it.
The higher council established according to the President's directives reflects
the tremendous risks considering the waves of migrants entering the country and
the open borders with the neighbouring countries.
In some countries, like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and China, drug dealers are
subject to death penalty as one of the methods to compact drug abuse.
We urge the proposed higher council to present a recommendation for the
issuance of a Presidential decree to hang drug dealers in public squares as
this will send a strong message to criminal gangs to stop this devastating
activity.
Media has its vital role in supporting the higher council in its national
mission.
We should not wait until Sudan reaches the danger level and then start looking
for solutions.
(source: Sudan Vision Daily)
INDIA:
2 get death penalty for rape, murder of teenage girl
A local court today awarded capital punishment to 2 men for kidnapping, raping
and killing a 19-year-old girl in Lonara village in Kalmeshwar in 2005 near
here.
Additional District Sessions judge, Vibha Ingle, today awarded the death
sentence to Amar Singh Thakur and his accomplice Rajesh Kamble for the rape and
murder of village girl, Kanchan Meshram, on December 18, 2005 in Lonara, about
60 kms from Nagpur.
Thakur, who had previously been arrested in connection with a murder of a
woman, had escaped from the police custody in 2005 and was hiding in a poultry
farm in Lonara village, where he met and befriended Kamble.
A few days later, both of them went to Kanchan's house in the village. However,
sensing trouble, the girl ran for out of her house for help. However, they took
hold of her and she was taken to a nearby field, where she was sexually
assaulted and later killed.
Both of them were absconding after the incident. While Kamble was arrested in
2006, Thakur was held in May, 2010.
(source: Business-Standard)
UNITED NATIONS:
Ban urges countries to abolish death penalty, increase transparency surrounding
procedure
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged United Nations Member States to move
towards the abolition of the death penalty, and called on countries where the
procedure is still practiced to increase transparency to allow a serious debate
on capital punishment.
"The taking of life is too absolute, too irreversible, for one human being to
inflict on another, even when backed by legal process," Mr. Ban said opening
the high-level event and panel discussion at UN Headquarters in New York, on
"Moving away from the death penalty - Wrongful Convictions."
"We have a duty to prevent innocent people from paying the ultimate price for
miscarriages of justice. The most sensible way is to end the death penalty,"
The UN chief said.
The high-level event moderated by Ivan Imonovi, Assistant Secretary-General for
Human Rights, is the 2nd in a series of UN panel discussion on how to move away
from the death penalty.
Since 2007, the General Assembly has adopted four resolutions calling on States
to establish a moratorium on the use of the death penalty with a view to its
abolition. Today about 150 of the UN's 193 Member States have either abolished
the death penalty or no longer practice it.
The event was organized by the Office for the UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights (OHCHR), and featured a film clip showing of West of Memphis, the
critically acclaimed 2012 documentary that follows the events of the so-called
"West Memphis 3," a case in which 3 teenagers ??? Jessie Misskelley, Damien
Echols, and Jason Baldwin - were arrested for the murders of 3 8-year old
children in 1993.
The 3 young men were subsequently convicted of murder and remained in prison
for more than 18 years, before being released in 2011 with the introduction of
new DNA evidence. One of those wrongfully convicted, Mr. Echols, who was
sentenced to death, was among the experts on the panel.
"He is one of too many people around the world who have endured the night mare
of injustice compounded by the threat of death," the Secretary-General said of
Mr. Echols.
"We have to prevent innocent people from paying the ultimate process for
miscarriages of justice: the most sensible way is to end the death penalty."
"This cause is embraced by an ever-growing coalition - from human rights
defenders, civil rights organizations and faith leaders to law enforcement
officials, political representatives and families of murder victims," continued
Mr. Ban in his remarks.
The Secretary-General expressed particular concern that the application of the
death penalty "is often cloaked in secrecy" as a lack of data on the number of
executions or individuals on death row impedes an informed national debate on
the issue.
"But it is a debate that must continue until the world is free of this cruel
punishment," he said, adding that the General Assembly call for a global
moratorium is a stepping stone in the progression towards worldwide abolition.
Since 2007, Argentina, Burundi, Gabon, Latvia, Togo and Uzbekistan have
abolished the death penalty. Over the past year, Benin and Mongolia initiated
measures to follow suit.
However, other countries such as Nigeria and Papua New Guinea have resumed
executions after maintaining a moratorium for many years, and Mr. Ban urged
them to reconsider the use of this inhumane practice.
(source: UN News Centre)
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