Oct. 30
BAHAMAS:
Kofhe Goodman Sentenced To Death
Kofhe Goodman has today been sentenced to hang for the murder of Marco Archer.
Goodman sat in the prisoner's dock in the Supreme Court hearing crouched
forward with his hands on his chin. He made no verbal reaction when the death
penalty sentence was handed down.
Justice Bernard Turner said: "This case is a clear and compelling case for the
ultimate sentence of death, to satisfy the requirements of due punishment for
the murder of this child and to protect this society from any further predatory
conduct by this convict at any time in the future.
"Kofhe Edwardo Ferguson Goodman, I hereby sentence you to suffer death in the
manner authorised by law."
Marco's mother Tryphemia Meadows told The Tribune afterwards that the sentence
wouldn't bring back her son, but at least Goodman 'won't be able to hurt
anymore little boys.'
Goodman, 39, stood trial between April 17 and August 2 in connection with the
murder of Marco Archer. He was found guilty despite pleading not guilty to the
murder charge he faced.
Between September 23 and September 28, 2011, Goodman killed 11-year-old Marco
Archer, of Brougham Street.
A death sentence, life imprisonment, and a 15-year prison term were the
punishments Justice Bernard Turner was asked by counsel to consider in the
sentencing.
Justice Turner said today the case for death was a compelling one - it
warranted 'the ultimate sentence of death' - having taken into account the
circumstances of the case and Goodman's criminal history - which had revealed
his former victims of buggery and attempted murder were around the same age as
Marco Archer.
Justice Turner signed the ruling sentencing Goodman to the death penalty and
court was adjourned.
Goodman's attorney, Geoffrey Farquharson, indicated the intent to appeal
conviction and sentence.
He asked the court to direct the Superintendent of Prisons to maintain his
client's remand status pending the appeal application, rather than hold Goodman
as a 'condemned man.'
Justice Turner said he would consider the application.
(source: Tribune 242)
PAKISTAN:
No proposal to convert death penalty into life imprisonment: Nisar
Federal Minister for Interior and Narcotic Control Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan
informed the upper house on Wednesday that there was no proposal under
consideration of the government to convert the death sentence into life
imprisonment. Responding to a question, the minister said a total of 13,223
death penalties were announced across the country since 2002, of which, 501
were consummated. He said a total of 6149 terrorists had been arrested by the
law enforcing agencies since year 2002. The minister said 12,404 persons were
killed while 26,881 injured in different terrorism incidents during the same
period across the country. Nisar said a national policy on missing persons was
being formulated by the government while a task force in this regard had also
been formed.
5 meetings of the task force had already been held and its final report once
completed would be presented before both the upper and lower houses, he added.
To another question, Ch. Nisar informed the house that 413 incidents of
terrorism including suicide attacks took place in the country since June this
year.
He said it was the duty of the provincial governments to maintain law and order
in their respective provinces, however, the federal government was providing
all out assistance to the said governments to curb the menace of terrorism.
(source: Associated Press of Pakistan)
****************************
16 Balochis were executed in an act of revenge by Iran ---- Between 314 and 544
persons have been executed in Iran in 2013 alone
16 Baloch political prisoners were executed in Iran in an act of revenge for an
attack on the border security forces. The executed Balochis were already in
Zahedan prison and took no part in the attack. It was alleged that the Baloch
prisoners crossed the border from Pakistan and they were executed after an
encounter between Mersad, an Iranian paramilitary group and another armed
group. In this encounter, according to government news agencies, 17 border
security personnel were killed. Public prosecutor Mohammad Marziyeh announced
that "16 rebels linked to groups hostile to the regime were hanged in the
prison of Zahedan in response to the death of border guards in Saravan, Iran."
Many Balochi persons have been arrested in Iran on charges of crossing the
border illegally, smuggling drugs and creating a law and order situation.
However, they are hanged on the charges of insurgency after attacks on border
security personnel and clashes with the security forces.
The Balochis residing in Pakistan and Iran are the victims of their regimes on
both sides of the border who are happy to use them as scapegoats to appease the
public. Balochis want only the fundamental rights that they are entitled to but
face enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in both countries.
Balochistan, a vast area of land has bountiful natural resources and Iran,
Afghanistan and Pakistan have occupied the land and denied the people of their
rights to a homeland. These three countries are making free with the natural
resources and give nothing back but oppression and fear.
According to the Hizbe Mardum, Balochistan, that on October 25, 16 political
prisoners from Balochistan province bordering Iran and Pakistan were put to
death by hanging. These hangings came as retaliation for a clash between
Mersad, a paramilitary group and another armed group.
Public prosecutor Mohammad Marziyeh announced that "16 rebels linked to groups
hostile to the regime were hanged in the prison of Zahedan in response to the
death of border guards in Saravan". He also claimed that more people were to be
executed in the coming days. The 16 men who were hanged had already been in the
Iran prison system, and were not part of the military clash. Evidence has yet
to emerge linking them to the military forces that clashed by the border.
The armed encounter took place in a mountainous region outside the town of
Saravan in the Saran Balochistan province. Various references claim that
somewhere between fourteen and seventeen border security personnel were killed
in the encounter.
The Iranian government has a poor record of disproportionate punishment in
executing Baloch citizens and denying them the right of fair trial. Many of the
citizens of Balochistan province are minority Sunni Muslims, compared to the
Shi'a majority in Iran.
According to the Balochistan Peoples Party, Iran is home to the second highest
number of death penalty cases in the world, falling behind only China, a
country that has nearly 18 times its??? population. According to official
statistics from the Iranian government and reproduced by Amnesty International,
314 hangings have been carried out thus far in 2013. Unofficial death penalty
monitors put the statistic closer to 544, and the real number may be much
higher. Of these, at least 63 have been public.
In Iran, the death penalty is prescribed for a variety of non-lethal offenses
including spying, apostasy, rape, extra-marital affairs, same-sex relations,
and drug trafficking. According to the provincial justice chief, 8 of the
prisoners were hung for drug offenses. The remaining eight had been convicted
of 'enmity against God' and 'corruption on Earth'. The circumstances
surrounding their arrest, trial, and detention is unclear. However, they were
all Balochistan citizens.
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received the names of ten of the
executed persons. They are: Hamza Regi, Abdol Wahab Regi, Meherullah Regi,
Habibullah Regi, Jehand Regi, Sher Ahmad Hussainzehi, Bashir Ahmad Hussainzehi,
Nazim Mollazehi Naveed Shujaee and Hamid Wakalat. Of these 10 persons, 2 of
them had already sent appeals to the United Nations pleading for clemency which
is further proof that they were already in the Iranian prison system and
therefore could not possibly have taken part in the attack.
There are also concerns about the competency of Iran's legal system. Often,
prisoners are denied access to legal counsel and due process. Denying prisoners
access to defense attorneys directly conflicts with their right to effective
representation under the ICCPR. Legal representation and due process are a
fundamental right in ensuring a fair trial. The vague wording of legislation
and crimes, as well as low standards for evidence cast doubts on Iran's
judicial system to meet international standards.
There was some hope that new President Hassan Rouhani would bring about changes
in the practice of torture and state-sponsored killings. However, since taking
office in August, Rouhani's regime has seen an increase in executions and
enforced disappearances.
Article 14 of the ICCPR further provides that everyone "shall be entitled
to...adequate time and facilities for the preparation of his defenses." To
continually deny minority prisoners the right to due process and a fair trial
is to violate international legal standards and the ICCPR.
Iran has been a signatory to the ICCPR since 1975 yet continues to ignore its
obligations. The death penalty must end in Iran, especially as it
disproportionately affects impoverished and minority groups. 'Revenge'
executions are not a fair application of the law and will not help to stem
violence.
The AHRC urges the Iranian authorities to stop executions in general and of
Baloch political prisoners in particular. Iran must respect the basic human
rights of the Baloch people and other minorities in the country. The government
must conduct impartial investigations into the extrajudicial killings of
civilian Balochis and other minorities living in Iran; and take immediate
measures to ensure that the enforced displacement of the Baloch people is
halted. The authorities responsible for the executions of the 16 Balochis must
be investigated and punished accordingly. Furthermore, the families of the
executed persons must be given suitable compensation.
It should free all political prisoners and people who have committed any crimes
under the laws of the country must be ensured of a fair, free and open trial
and access to legal representation.
(source: Asian Human Rights Commission)
VIETNAM:
2 Australians arrested in Vietnam for alleged heroin smuggling
Vietnam has arrested 2 Australian citizens for heroin smuggling, police said
today, a crime punishable by death in the communist state.
The pair, who have not been named, were caught with 3.5 kilograms of heroin in
hidden compartments in their luggage at Ho Chi Minh City airport, a policeman
with the anti-drug squad told AFP.
Further details about the suspects arrested in Vietnam, aged 31 and 24, have
not been released.
The heroin was hidden in 11 packages which had been treated to avoid detection
by sniffer dogs, the state-run Thanh Nien newspaper reported.
The Australian embassy in Hanoi did not respond to a request for comment.
Vietnam takes a hard line on drugs and anyone found guilty of attempting to
smuggle more than 600 grams of heroin or cocaine can face the death penalty.
Convictions and sentences are revealed only by local media which is strictly
under state control.
Foreigners frequently fall foul of the nation's stiff drug laws.
In August this year, a Thai woman was sentenced to death for smuggling 2 kilos
of cocaine.
The same week, a 31-year-old Nigerian man was sentenced to death for smuggling
3.4 kilos of methamphetamine from Qatar.
Vietnamese authorities have seized more than 24 kilos of drugs at Ho Chi Minh
City airport this year, the Thanh Nien daily said.
On Sunday, a 26-year-old Chinese woman, identified as Li Chunying, was arrested
with 2.2 kilos of methamphetamine.
(source: News.com)
MALAYSIA:
Car used in kidnapping case belongs to accused, court told
The car believed to have been used in a high-profile kidnapping case involving
a child was purchased by one of the accused, the High Court heard.
Clerk Ho Mun Hee, 27, told the court here that she purchased the car - a Proton
Gen2 - with her then-boyfriend Chong Tat Siong.
Chong, 23, a self-employed man, together with handphone seller Foong Khar Fai,
19, and unemployed Lee Phak Seng, 23, are accused of kidnapping a 12-year-old
boy in Jalan Kiara 1, Mont Kiara, on April 27 last year, with the intent to get
a RM300,000 ransom.
Ho said she met Chong while they were both working as handphone sellers at the
Kotaraya shopping mall in the city and later married in 2006.
"When we were dating, we both did not have cars. So, we agreed to buy one.
"The car, a black Gen 2, was registered under my name when we bought it," she
said.
During the examination-in-chief by DPP Datuk Nik Suhaimi Nik Sulaiman, Ho said
Chong used the car most of the time as he had to travel more.
On Monday, Inspector Zaffrul Asraff Mohd Puzi testified that when he checked
the car, which was found in the Ban Loong Car Spray and Mudguard Works in Jalan
Seri Desa 2, Chemor, Perak, he found evidence that the car was in the process
of being painted over.
He said his team found a physics school book with the kidnapped victim's name
written on it in the car's backseat.
Under Section 3 of the Kidnapping Act 1961, the 3 face the death penalty, or
life imprisonment and possibly whipping if spared the death penalty.
On Oct 22, the High Court issued reporters an order not to reveal the underage
victim or his family's names, pictures or other details that could identify
them.
The prosecution has applied for the gag order as per Section 14 of the Evidence
of Child Witness Act 2007 to protect the identity of the witness.
(source: The Star)
****************
2 Iranian women on death row to face 'due process'----The government's
insistence that 2 Iranian women sentenced to death for drug trafficking must
face due process could anger Tehran.
Malaysia insisted Wednesday 2 Iranian women sentenced to death for drug
trafficking must face "due process" despite a warning from Tehran that their
executions would harm bilateral relations.
Shahrzad Mansour, 31, and Neda Mostafaei, 26, were sentenced to death in
September for smuggling methamphetamine into Malaysia in December 2010. Defence
lawyers are appealing the case.
The 2 Muslim nations both use the death penalty against drug traffickers.
But Iran's foreign ministry warned last week that executing the women would
have a "negative effect" on bilateral ties, and called for them to be spared.
In a statement sent to AFP, Malaysia's Foreign Ministry said that while it
valued relations with Iran it could not tolerate "illegal activities, which are
detrimental to Malaysia's image and security".
"Any infringement of the laws, whether committed by foreigners or Malaysian
citizens, will be dealt with in accordance with Malaysian laws," it said.
"Malaysia assures Iran of the independence of the judiciary system ... It is in
this context that we hope for Iran to understand that any decision of our
courts is carried out in accordance to the due processes of law," it added.
More than 200 Iranians are jailed in Malaysia, mostly for drug-related
offenses, the statement said.
About 1/2 of the 200 have been convicted, with 70 either serving a life
sentence or on death row, it added.
The 2 women were arrested on arrival at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
The court was told that drug traffickers had promised them a free trip to
Malaysia in exchange for transporting "food items" that were filled with
methamphetamine without their knowledge.
The Malaysian judge in the case dismissed that defense as a "fairy tale".
Though hundreds of people are on death row in Malaysia, the country has carried
out few executions in recent years.
Iran has one of the world's highest execution rates, with more than 500 cases
last year and almost the same number so far this year, according to human
rights watchdogs.
Malaysia is a predominantly Sunni Muslim country while Iran is predominantly
Shia.
(source: Free Malaysia Today)
CHINA:
Taipei's 'Murder Cafe' killer given death sentence
A district court in Taipei responded to prosecutors' requests earlier this year
to hand down the death penalty to a 31-year-old woman for robbing and murdering
a couple in a high-profile case dubbed Murder Cafe.
Hsieh Yi-han, a former manager of a coffee shop in New Taipei's Bali District,
was charged with a total of 5 counts - murder, attempted fraud, burglary,
assault and forgery - in April.
Hsieh's lawyer said she will appeal the verdict.
The suspect allegedly drugged and stabbed to death her two victims - retired
businessman Chen Chin-fu, 79, and his wife Chang Tsui-ping, 58, an assistant
college professor, before dumping their bodies in the Tamsui river in suburban
Taipei.
Their bodies surfaced Feb. 16 near the riverside cafe where Hsieh worked. The
victims, who lived nearby, were regular customers at the cafe and were familiar
to the accused.
According to prosecutors and police, Chen was very fond of Hsieh and gave her
about NT$560,000 (US$19,000) between 2000 and 2011, never thinking she would
have designs on his money.
After the murders, Hsieh stole NT$350,000 (US$11,900) from Chen and tried but
failed to withdraw more money from his wife's bank account by disguising
herself as the murdered woman.
She was prevented by bank tellers from making the withdrawal as she could not
produce the correct numeric code required to make a withdrawal.
Hsieh was detained incommunicado by prosecutors March 7 and offered various
differing versions of testimony in an effort to cover her crime and mislead the
police.
Hsieh originally said she and Lu Ping-hung, the cafe's owner, along with his 2
partners, conspired to murder the couple for their money and assets but later
recanted the confession and said that she committed the murders by herself.
However, a separate investigation was still undergoing since the victims'
families, who suspect that Hsieh had other accomplices, have accused her
boyfriend of helping her.
(source: Want China Times)
IRAN----executions
2 More Executions in Iran
On Monday October 28 Iranian authorities executed a person by hanging in
Parsilon Prison of Khorrambad (in the capital city of Iran's Lorestan province)
for "Membership and cooperation with Abdul Malik Rigi's group [Jundullah]",
"Possession of an explosive vest", and "Illegal exit out of the country",
reports Iranian state-run news sites.
Iranian authorities also carried out an execution sentence in Sari Prison.
According to an official of the Revolutionary Court in Sari, a prisoner,
announced by Iranian state-run media as "F.J.", was hanged to death for
"Possession of more than 9 kilograms and 240 grams of crack." The gender of the
prisoner was not announced by Iranian officials or state-run media.
(source: Iran Human Rights)
*************************
Prisoners hanged in Sari and Gachsaran
The Iranian regime's judiciary in the city of Sari hanged a prisoner in the
city's main prison on Tuesday.
The reports published in the state-run media gave no details except saying that
the victim had been condemned to death on drug related charges.
Also, another prisoner was hanged in the main prison in teh city of Gachsaran
on Monday. The victim who was identified by his initials B.Z. has been
sentenced to death on drug related charges.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International expressed concern over the lives of two
Kurdish prisoners as "surge in executions" continues in Iran.
During the weekend the Iranian regime has executed at least 20 prisoners
including 18 political prisoners in Zahedan, Khoramabda, Salmas.
*******************************
Iranian regime plans for more executions -report
A meeting was held in Qezel Hesar Prison of Karaj on Monday, October 21 by
security and intelligence forces to plan and schedule further executions. The
judge supervising this prison and several other security forces from Tehran had
also participated in this meeting, according to report received from Iran.
Currently there are more than 1000 prisoners in only ward 2 of Qezel Hesar
Prison awaiting execution.
On Saturday October 26, mullahs' regime henchmen hanged Habibollah Golparipour
and Reza Esmaeili (Mamedi), 2 Kurdish political prisoners, on charges of
cooperating with Kurdistan Free Life Party, in Orumiyeh central prison and
Salmas prison respectively.
Meanwhile, 2 other Kurdish political prisoners Zaniar and Loghman Moradi, 25
and 27 respectively, are in risk to be executed in Gohardasht prison.
(source for both: NCR-Iran)
**********************
Kurdish Political Prisoner Executed In Iran; 2 Others Sentenced to Death
An Iranian Kurdish political prisoner was executed in the early morning hours
of October 26th. Habibollah Golparipour, 29, had spent the last four years of
his life in prison, where he was subject to the abusive treatment and torturous
practices of Iran's prison system. Golparipour had been arrested in 2007 for
his "alleged links with the armed Kurdish opposition group Party of Free Life
of Kurdistan (PJAK)" and he was sentenced to death in 2010 under a charge of
"moharebeh" (enmity against God). Police reportedly found him in possession of
political books at his arrest. His father, Nasser Golparipour, did an interview
in 2011 where he explained the circumstances of his son's sentencing:
My son is very young. I have repeatedly told officials to do something so that
my son can return to his life. I even told presiding Judge Khodadai, "My son is
young and he had made a mistake. Please don't respond to his mistake by
committing one as well." He replied, "Your son was arrested with books. He
would receive a 2-year prison sentence." After the death sentence was issued, I
went to see [the Judge]. I told him, "You promised me." He replied, "I wasn't
able to do anything.
During his incarceration, Golparipour was tortured physically and
psychologically - so severely his arm and leg were broken - and denied family
visitations. He was also transferred between prisons multiple times, without
any warning. In an attempt to protest the intolerable conditions of his
imprisonment, he engaged in multiple hunger strikes, one of which lasted 15
days. When Goliparipour was executed on Saturday, his parents were not given
prior notice.
Kurds like Golparipour are subject to this kind of vicious political
persecution. Various laws - like the one forbidding "enmity against God" - are
applied arbitrarily and prosecuted inconsistently, but a death sentence could
easily be the penalty for stepping out of line. Many more Kurds await their
executions on death row, including brothers Zanyar and Loghman Moradi, who are
currently incarcerated in Raja'i Shahr Prison.
The Moradis are convicted of the assassination of Saadi Shirzadi, the son of a
Friday prayer leader. However, an IHRDC report reveals the written confessions
which secured the sentence were forcibly obtained; the brothers also say they
were tortured into writing then. The 2 brothers deny any involvement in
Shirzadi's killing. According to the Campaign for Human Rights in Iran,
judicial authorities have bolstered efforts to ensure their death sentence is
upheld and their executions carried out. The brothers spoke out about the
circumstances of their imprisonment and death sentence in a letter, and calling
for a just resolution:
"Our expectations remain unaddressed after many pieces of correspondence and
our requests of judicial authorities for a re-trial. We do not expect the trial
and punishment of those who tortured us and treated us inhumanely and
immorally. But we still expect the Marivan Friday Imam to act honestly and
courageously, as is expected of his religious position, and as he repeatedly
promised....The Friday Imam could have ... taken a long step toward our release
by admitting that we are innocent and that he has no grievances against us."
(source: kurdishrights.org)
INDIA:
High court set asides death penalty of 2 in quadruple murder case
The Madurai bench of the Madras high court on Tuesday set aside an order of the
additional district and sessions court in Tirunelveli, which had sentenced 2
people to death, in a case related to the murder of 4 people. The bench also
directed the state government to pay Rs 5 lakh compensation to the legal heirs
of the deceased family, for which the amount shall be deposited at the trial
court.
On April 19, 2007 one A Jayakumar, 47, his wife Shanmugathayee, 33 and his 2
minor children - Indira, 10 and Bhuvaneshwari, 8 - were brutally murdered by
two people, namely M Kattu Raja, 27 and his relative S Vettumperumal (a)
Krishnan, at the former's farmhouse situated in Kailasaperi village in Kalakadu
taluk in Tirunelveli district.
According to the prosecution, the motive behind the gruesome murders was that
Jayakumar had allegedly developed an illicit relationship with Raja's wife.
After the incident, the Kalakkadu police had registered a case under Section
302 (murder) read with 34 (4 counts), 449 (house tress-pass to commit offence
punishable with death) and Section 3(2) (v) of SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities)
Act, 1989.
On December 26, 2012, the trial court found the two guilty after examining 30
witnesses and passed orders sentencing them to death along with a fine of Rs 1
lakh each. Following it, the matter was referred to the high court bench. When
the matter came up before the high court on January 31, the bench ordered
re-investigation after it found that the earlier probe was far from
satisfactory and entrusted the further investigation to one P Mahendran,
additional superintendent of police (crimes) Tirunelveli.
Delivering the judgment on an appeal filed by the 2 convicts, the division
bench comprising justices M Jaichandren and S Nagamuthu expressed regret over
the outcome in the case. On behalf of the appellants, senior counsels I
Subramanian and V Kathirvelu argued the case.
"The diabolic manner in which the 4 precious lives have been simply snatched
away by the horrible act of the stone-hearted assailants is painful. But, we
regret to say that the officers who investigated the case had failed in the
legal obligation to make thorough and scientific investigation," justice S
Nagamuthu who wrote the judgment, said.
The judge further observed that there were serious lapses in the investigation
which ultimately resulted in the failure of justice.
Neither the public prosecutor who conducted the case nor the judge who presided
over the trial court bestowed adequate attention to the case to see that an
important object - aruval - which was allegedly recovered from the accused was
proved as required under the law through appropriate witnesses. Besides, the
bicycle and motorcycle which were allegedly used by the accused were not
produced at the trial court by the police.
(source: Times of India)
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