Jan 5
IRAN----execution
At least 1 prisoner is hanged in Zahedan
At least 1 prisoner has been hanged on charge of murder in central prison of
Zahedan last week.
According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Hussein
Rostami is the prisoner who was hanged on December 30, 2013.
He has been imprisoned since 7 years ago on charge of murder.
The official Iranian media has not announced any report about this execution
yet.
**************
Sunni hunger strikers are in critical condition
The 4 Sunni prisoners of Ghezelhesar prison, who are on 61st day of their
strike, are in critical condition.
According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Hamed
Ahmadi, Kamal Moulayi, Jahangir Dehghani and Jamshid Dehghani are in hunger
strike since 61 days ago, in response to their death sentences and violation of
separation of crime act, and currently they have a very serious and concerning
condition.
These 4 prisoners whose requests are ignored by authorities, refused to take
serum.
Blood pressure drop, disturbed vision, asthma and kidney bleeding are the side
effects of the lengthy hunger strike, which these prisoners are experiencing
and suffering from, and caused to risen concerns, regarding their death, due to
long time strike.
(source for both: Human Rights Activists News Agency)
PHILIPPINES:
Palace appeals to Filipinos to help raise Zapanta blood money
Malacanang on Saturday continued its appeal to Filipinos to help in raising the
blood money to save the life of Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) Joselito Zapanta
who could be executed anytime this month in Saudi Arabia.
Deputy Presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the government already
extended its share for the Saudi Arabian Riyal (SAR) 4 million blood money
being demanded by the heirs of Zapanta's victim.
"On the part of the government, we have already extended assistance," Valte
said referring to the P4 million standard amount allotted for blood money
cases.
However, Valte said the government continues its appeal to Filipinos to help
save the life of their compatriot.
"We continue to appeal also for donations to make up for the amount that has
yet to be raised," Valte said in an interview with government radio dzRB.
Philippine ambassador to Saudi Ezzedin Tago earlier said Zapanta's family needs
to raise at least SAR 1.48 million (P17.5 million) to complete the SAR 2
million being renegotiated with the victim's family.
Donations for Zapanta may be made to the Riyadh Philippine Embassy's
sub-account in the Saudi Hollandi Bank: Account Number 037-040-790-022,
International Bank Account Number (IBAN): SA 61-5000-0000-0370-4079-0022, Swift
Code: AAALSARI.
Zapanta is currently in death row in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for killing Imam
Ibrahim, a Sudanese national.
Ibrahim's family demanded SAR 5 million for the execution of a tanazul or
affidavit of forgiveness and prevent the imposition of the death penalty, but
later reduced the amount to SAR 4 million.
The payment of the blood money was originally due on Nov. 12, 2012, but was
extended to March 12, 2013. A second extension was granted, with the deadline
moved to Nov. 3, 2013.
The Philippine government has so far raised around SAR 520,831.
Vice President Jejomar C. Binay, also Presidential Adviser on OFW Concerns,
believes that if Zapanta can present a higher amount than what has been
currently raised, Ibrahim's family might reconsider and accept the offer.
Malacanang earlier asked for a "humanitarian consideration" in the case of
Zapanta.
Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio Coloma
Jr. said that it has been a policy of the Aquino government to protect the life
and the rights of Filipinos abroad.
(source: Manila Bulletin)
VIETNAM:
Vietnam tries 89 for drug trafficking, most face death penalty
89 people, a majority of whom face the death penalty, stood a trial in the
northern province of Quang Ninh on Friday for drug trafficking and other
offences.
The defendants, belonging to 4 related rings, were accused of bringing a total
of over 1.47 tons of heroin, 35 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, and over
323,400 meth tablets from Laos to Vietnam and from Vietnam to China, according
to the hearing held by the provincial People???s Court.
The rings were busted following the arrest of Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc, 54, who had
been bringing illegal narcotics from Laos to Vietnam since 2006, in April 2012,
according to the indictment.
Prosecutors said the 1st ring operated in Laos and was led by Sa Van Cau, 40,
who remains at large.
The 2nd ring was led by Nguyen Hung Dung, 35, and Song A Lau, 37, to send drugs
across the country for consumption.
Nguyen Thanh Tuan and his wife, Nguyen Thanh Hien, both 32, were in charge of
the 3rd ring, which smuggled drugs from Vietnam to China.
The 4th ring, led by Nguyen Thi Hoan and Nguyen Thi Doan, also brought drugs to
China.
In addition to drug trafficking, the defendants also faced charges including
illegally keeping military weapons, illegal business activities, forging
documents and bribery.
Prosecutors proposed the death sentence for 66 of them.
The trial, one of the largest of its kind in Vietnam, is slated to conclude on
January 22.
Vietnam has some of the world's toughest drug laws. Those convicted of
smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kilograms of
methamphetamine face the death penalty.
The production or sale of 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal
narcotics is also punishable by death.
Vietnam officially switched from the firing squad to lethal injection in
November 2011. But it was not until last August did the country execute its 1st
prisoner with the new method due to the unavailability of stipulated drugs.
(source: Thanh Nien News)
TANZANIA:
Retaining death sentence wrong says LHRC
Dr Helen KijoThe Legal and Human Right Centre (LHRC) says although the 1st
draft of the new constitution contains people views, the government failed to
scrap the death penalty from its country books.
The centre's Executive Director Dr Helen Kijo told The Guardian on Sunday in an
exclusive interview that the 2nd draft contains most of the proposed issues.
However, there were still other major ones that were left out. Last week the
Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) submitted the second draft in which the
majority of Tanzanians wanted a 3-tier government.
One major issue that was retained is capital punishment despite the effort and
constant campaign by the centre to abolish it, Kijo said in Dar es Salaam.
She said death penalty was still retained in the draft document as in the Act
No.15 Prerogative of Mercy gives the president power to grant a pardon to any
person convicted by a court.
Grant any person a respite, either indefinitely or for a specified period, of
the execution of any punishment imposed on that person for any offence.
She added that Article 14 of the constitution has implicated itself with the
law by granting the right to live but "in accordance with the law."
"Article 14 of the constitution says every person has the right to live and to
the protection of their life by the society in accordance with the law" Dr Kijo
said it is the law that gives power to the presidents to endorse the death
penalty and therefore members of the Constituent Assembly should use the
platform to remove a section in the draft constitution that gives powers to the
president to declare death penalty.
Alternatively, the centre is suggesting that people convicted with murder
should be sentenced to life imprisonment to enable them to reform.
Meanwhile, Kijo praised the draft for making a clear demarcation between
political and leadership position, saying it would enhance separation of power
in accordance with the dictates of democratic governance.
Last September 9, the Minister of Justice and Constitution Affairs Mathew
Chikawe made a landmark statement calling upon the new constitution to scrap
capital punishment and replace if with life imprisonment.
(source: Guardian on Sunday)
TRINIDAD & TOGABO:
Death penalty for child rapists----It will do more harm than good, lawyers warn
2 prominent attorneys and a former high court judge say they do not agree with
a suggestion by Attorney General Anand Ramlogan for the the death penalty to be
enforced for sexual offences against children. They warned that such a measure
will do more harm than good. In an interview with the Sunday Guardian last
month, Ramlogan said he has been toying with the idea for several months will
approach the Opposition early this year to get their consensus.
He spoke about the matter just weeks after the body of six-year-old Keyanna
Cumberbatch was found in a barrel at her Maloney Gardens home. An autopsy
showed that the child was struck unconscious and raped. "The 1st thing I intend
to do is raise with the Opposition as part of our ongoing joint anti crime
talks to see what position they have on the matter," Ramlogan said. He said if
the PNM supported the idea, the measure could form part of the Constitution
Amendment (Capital Offences) Bill.
In 2011, the Opposition refused to give support to an earlier version of the
legislation also known as the hanging bill.
"The various natures of crimes against our innocent children have caused me to
think that we should consider the introduction of the death penalty for sex
crimes against children. It could be a sentencing option that the court or
judge will have and he or she can impose it in, appropriate cases, where the
facts and circumstances are so extreme that it shocks the conscience of the
court in terms of imposing the sentence of death," said the AG.
"We can leave it as a sentencing option to the judge so that in appropriate
cases ... it can be imposed." Ramlogan explained that if violence was inflicted
on a child under age 14 and the circumstances were outrageous, the court should
have the option of imposing the death penalty. He said, while there is an
ongoing debate on whether punishment of any form - including the death penalty
- reduces crime, something has to be done to deter criminal elements.
AG: sex predators should have rights forfeited
"There are arguments that can go both ways. If someone is a beast in human form
and stalks our land, then the issue is whether they have forfeited their rights
to life," he said. Ramlogan said an issue to be considered is whether victim of
sex crime victims should be entitled to personal retribution in the court. In
some countries they have the option of presenting a victim impact statement to
the judge.
This gives victims a chance to tell the court what the offence has affected in
their life, whether they were required medical or mental health treatment and
what they wished to be done at sentencing. He said while the death penalty was
proposed for the most heinous crimes "it has never been imposed for anything
other than murder, treason, piracy and hijacking".
Maharaj: It will achieve no purpose
However a former attorney general said before capital punishment is introduced,
it should be thoroughly studied. "This is putting the cart before the horse. It
will achieve no purpose. I am advising him (Ramlogan) to behave like an
attorney general in respect of the law," said Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj. He
called on the AG to say whether there has been a study by the Law Commission.
If so, he said, it should be made available to the public.
Maharaj warned against introducing legislation merely to promote public
emotions or sensationalism and said the fact that the PP Government has not
been able to implement the death penalty for murder means that "it is really
worthless and of no jurisprudential value for him to talk about the
introduction of the death penalty on another offence". He said Ramlogan was
only "courting public emotions hoping to get some support and really that is
not the basis for law reform".
"He is really capitalising on the emotions of the public. It is just PR," said
Maharaj who described Ramlogan's plans as "arbitrary, irresponsible and
un-attorney general like." If a law is introduced and it cannot be implemented,
he said, it would be irresponsible and a waste of resources and time.
Khan: death penalty could do more harm than good
Senior counsel Israel Khan said he would not support the measure. "What will
happen is after a child is raped, the criminal would kill the victim so there
would be no witnesses. Criminals think a certain way. The death penalty should
really be reserved for the most serious offences which are murder or treason,"
he said. Khan said it was not possible to legislate for morality because
criminals do not believe they will be caught: "So that is why I would not
support the death penalty for practical reasons."
Khan said the Government could not even solve the country's murders, far less
implement another penalty. He said one way of reducing child sex offences was
by introducing moral and spiritual values in homes. "Sex offences happen across
the board with people who have 5 bedroom homes and a jacuzzi in a house. It all
has to do with twisted minds," he said
Volney: A waste of parliamentary time
Former high court judge and justice minister Herbert Volney said introducing
additional legislation "would not help anything, any government, anybody or any
cause." Instead, the Government should provide the judiciary with more
resources, courts and staff. Volney said the law already states that the death
penalty is available to anyone who kills a child.
"So there is no need to change the law. What they need to do is to expedite the
process in terms of the law. That is where the Government has not come up to
mark. This is where they have failed," he said Volney recalled that several
years ago, then Attiorney General Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj was able to hang
reputed drug baron Dole Chadee and several of his accomplices.
"I see no reason why Anand Ramlogan, if he wants to implement the death penalty
in these cases, can not follow within the book Maharaj followed and just
replicate the decisions that were made at that time." Volney, who served 16
years in the courts, said there was no reason to come up with another death
penalty. "It will be a waste of parliamentary time if you ask me."
(source: The Guardian)
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