June 24
SOUTH KOREA:
South Korea ferry disaster: Surviving passengers of Sewol tragedy give evidence
in court
Surviving passengers of a South Korean ferry which sunk in April, killing 304
people, are due to give evidence in the trial of its captain and 14 crew
members.
Students from the Danwon High School in Ansan, 18 miles south of Seoul, will
testify with other passengers in a smaller court nearer to their home, rather
than the one where the defendants are being seen in Gwangju, in the south of
the country.
The Sewol ferry set sail on 16 April with 476 passengers and crew on board -
more than 300 of which were schoolchildren.
They were enroute from the mainland to the island resort of Jeju as part of a
school trip, when nearing the end of the journey, the vessel, which was
overloaded, also made a sharp turn to the right causing it to capsize.
Captain Lee Joon-seok, 68, was caught on rescue footage being one of the first
to leave the ship, while many passengers, obeying orders, remained in the
cabins. It is thought a delayed evacuation order from the captain did not get
through to all remaining on board.
The captain and 3 officers are charged with "homicide through wilful
negligence," a charge that comes with the death penalty if found guilty, while
the others face negligence and abandoning ship counts which come with hefty
prison sentences.
"The examination of witnesses will be held at the Ansan branch since the
students are minors, most of them live in Ansan, and that it is difficult for
them to be on a long-distance trip due to the side effects of the accident,"
Judge Yim Jeong-yeob said in his ruling, the Korea Herald reported.
(source: The Independent)
INDONESIA:
Migrant Care Says Prabowo 'Jumped in Last Minute' on Wilfrida Case
Migrant workers' advocacy group Migrant Care on Monday accused presidential
candidate Prabowo Subianto of trying to score easy political points by taking
public credit for efforts to save Indonesian domestic worker Wilfrida Soik from
facing the death penalty for killing her 60-year-old Malaysian employer, in a
case that riveted Indonesia.
"Prabowo only joined the case in September 2013," Migrant care director Anis
Hidayah said. "It's safe to say that he jumped in last minute."
Advocacy work on Wilfrida's case began in 2010 with her arrest in Kelantan,
Malaysia. Migrant Care, along with Malaysian activist Alex Wong, were involved
from the beginning.
When the issue was brought before the House of Representatives, Prabow's party
- the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) - did not want to get involved, the
NGO said.
The legislator's response on the issue was facilitated by Indonesian Democratic
Party of Struggle (PDI-P) lawmaker Rieke Diah Pitaloka - a member of the same
party as Prabowo's opponent in the July 9 presidential election, Jakarta
Governor Joko Widodo - along with Lerry Mboik from the East Nusa Tenggara
Regional Legislative Council (DPD), as a representative from Wilfrida's
province of origin.
Deputy Speaker of the House Pramono Anung sent a letter to the Malaysian
government asking for clemency.
"Once the reporting of this Wilfrida case got big, Prabowo joined the advocacy,
especially after Migrant Care managed to prove that Wilfrida was sent abroad
when she was still underage and within the moratorium period," Anis said.
Prabowo's contribution was limited to providing an additional lawyer to the
legal team sent by the Indonesian Embassy, she said.
"Migrant Care is protesting Prabowo's gesture to make Wilfrida's case a tool in
his campaign, let alone if he uses it as a compensation for the lack of migrant
workers' protection plans in his program," she said.
In the 3rd presidential debate on Sunday, Prabowo cited his role in the
Wilfrida case as evidence of his strength on migrant workers' issues.
(source: Jakarta Globe)
MALAYSIA:
Police detains man, seize drugs worth RM35,000
Police detained a man and seized drugs worth RM35,000 after raiding a premises
at the Bandaraya housing scheme in Bukit Bangsar on Friday.
Brickfields police chief ACP Muhammad Azlee Abdullah said the drugs comprised
445 grams of heroin, syabu (185g), ganja (130g) and eramin 5 (530 pills) while
the suspect also tested positive for morphine.
"The 25-year-old suspect has 2 previous records for drugs, namely in 2009 and
2010. He will be remanded until June 21," he said.
Muhammad Azlee said the premises that was raided was believed to be a transit
point for drugs.
"We believe the suspect is a drug trafficker but we are investigating if he has
any connection with drug syndicates in Bangsar," he said.
The case is being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act
1952 which carries the mandatory death penalty if convicted
(source: Bernama)
BAHAMAS:
Lawyer Fears Jail - But Says He Won't Pay $2,000 Fine
Lawyer Geoffrey Farquharson, although "terrified" of going to jail, told The
Tribune he will not pay a $2,000 contempt of court fine to avoid prison time.
Thursday marks the end of his 21-day deadline to pay as ordered by Justice
Bernard Turner on June 5 relating to his conduct and statements on 2 separate
occasions, which called the integrity of the court into question. The
alternative punishment is 14 days in prison.
The contempt proceedings for the lawyer have dragged on since October 2013.
After Mr Farquharson's client Kofhe Goodman was sentenced to death, Justice
Turner told the lawyer that he was to appear before him in November to explain
his conduct.
Speaking to The Tribune on Friday, Mr Farquharson addressed the issue of the
fine, his decision to not pay and his representation of Goodman last year,
which led to the contempt ruling in question.
"I am terrified at the prospect of going to jail," he said. "I wake up in the
night thinking about it, you see? And if I were to give in to what my feelings
tell me, I would just go and give them the $2,000 and forget about it. But then
after that, I will have to live with myself," he said.
"The lawyer added that his decision not to pay the fine is part of his effort
to take a stand against the legal system.
"When it comes my turn, I can't really be comfortable if I turn and run when it
becomes difficult for me, and expect others to stand up when it becomes
difficult for them. When it's difficult for me, as embarrassing as it may be I
can't just let my pride cause me to step away from something that's difficult.
I have to be man enough to take my punishment."
When asked if he intended to pay the fine, he said no, adding that he was
innocent of contempt against the court. The lawyer said he has filed a civil
suit against the judge regarding the contempt citation.
Goodman has retained lawyer Wayne Munroe to argue the 28 grounds of appeal he
intends to rely on for the September 9 substantive hearing in the Court of
Appeal.
'Goodman is seeking to have the Court of Appeal overrule a Supreme Court jury's
verdict that found him guilty of the murder of 11-year-old Marco Archer, of
Brougham Street, in August 2013.
The judge, in handing down his sentence, noted that abducting a child,
fracturing his skull with a blow to the head, placing a bag around his head and
discarding his naked, lifeless body in bushes can be considered to be "the
worst of the worst" in the guidelines for sentencing set out by Parliament.
Justice Turner, in considering the death penalty, regarded the mitigating
factors and the circumstances of the case - Goodman's previous convictions for
unnatural carnal knowledge in 1993, which he admitted, attempted murder and
causing grievous harm in August 1998 - and was "satisfied that the
circumstances of this case required that a penalty be imposed".
Mr Farquharson described the trial as a "travesty" and said he did his best for
his former client.
"It'll be incredibly embarrassing and I can't imagine doing anything else for
myself against those fellows," he added. "But I believe I'll survive that and I
will come out knowing that at least the principles I tell people that I stand
for, that when push came to shove, I had the courage to actually stand up for
that because we are going to come to this same point again when it comes to the
constitutional rights of gay people in the Bahamas.
"This same point is going to come up again and somebody, probably won't be me,
but somebody is going to have to have the courage to stand up for that and
until somebody does, the community here isn't going to get it," he said.
(source: Tribune 242)
LIBYA:
Muammar Gaddafi's Son Charged with Murdering Soccer Teammate in Libya
Saadi Gaddafi, 3rd son of former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, has been
charged with killing a former soccer teammate, according to Libya's state LANA
news agency.
Gaddafi is being charged with the murder of Bashir Riani, a Libyan soccer
player who played alongside Gaddafi when the latter played professionally.
Xinhua notes that the charges are the 1st coming down from a Tripoli court
since Gaddafi was extradited into Libya from Niger.
Gaddafi made his 1st court appearance since his extradition; he is pleading not
guilty to this and all other charges, including several other murders,
systematic rape, and sabotage. Many of these crimes are alleged to have
occurred during his father's reign and the ensuing revolt to overthrow him.
Iran's Fars news agency is reporting more details on those charges, which
allegedly include personally shooting and killing several anti-Gaddafi
protesters. The report notes that Gaddafi is one of many former regime figures
facing trial. Former Intelligence Chief Abdullah Senussi and former Prime
Minister Baghdadi Mahmudi are also facing similar charges.
Saadi Gaddafi reporetedly spent a year and a half in Niger as a fugitive before
being extradited in March. Both he and his brother Saif al-Islam Gaddafi are
currently detained by Libyan authorities. Saadi is believed to be facing the
death penalty should he be found guilty of the numerous crimes alleged, which
would make him the 1st of his family to be charged and convicted of the many
crimes the large Gaddafi family is accused of committing.
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi appeared remotely before a Tripoli court in May from a
prison cell in Zintan, Libya. He is also pleading not guilty to a number of
crimes similar to the accusations against his brother, in addition to
corruption charges.
Time will reveal whether Saif al-Islam may also be convicted, though some have
argued that, as a looming authority during his father's administration, known
for its brutality, he should not be put before the Libyan court system. In May,
Amnesty International called for Libya to surrender Saif al-Islam Gaddafi to
the International Criminal Court, where he is being accused of committing
crimes against humanity. The Libyan government has so far refused to surrender
him, and the ICC has not requested that Saadi be turned in.
Saadi Gaddafi's trial is scheduled to begin on June 25.
(source: breitbart.com)
CHINA:
Supreme Court overturns death sentence of woman who killed violent
husband----Li Yan, who killed her husband after suffering months of domestic
violence, has had her death sentence overturned by China's Supreme People's
Court.
The decision by China's Supreme People's Court to overturn the death sentence
of a woman convicted of killing her husband after suffering months of domestic
abuse, highlights the urgent need for the authorities to do more to prevent
violence against women, said Amnesty International.
Li Yan, 43, from Sichuan province in Southwest China was sentenced to death in
August 2011 for the murder of her abusive husband, Tan Yong, in late 2010. Li
Yan's brother received news that the Supreme Court sent the case back to the
Sichuan Provincial High People's Court for a retrial in May.
"Justice was never going to be served by executing Li Yan. The decision by the
Supreme Court to overturn her death sentence is significant and the right
course of action," said William Nee, China Researcher at Amnesty International.
"Li's case has shone a spotlight on the need for the Chinese authorities to do
more to prevent violence against women. They are obliged to properly
investigate all such claims of abuse and prosecute those responsible. Had the
authorities protected Li, as they are required to under international law, this
tragic outcome could have been avoided."
The prolonged violence Li suffered at the hands of her husband began not long
after the couple were married in early 2009. Tan frequently beat and brutalized
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.
China's record on preventing violence against women is due to be reviewed by a
UN panel later this year. In the last review in 2006, China was criticized for
the lack of comprehensive national legislation to address violence against
women.
Li contacted the authorities, including the police, on several occasions to
seek protection and required hospital treatment after one attack. The police
took pictures of Li's injuries after one beating but no action was taken.
"Any retrial must fully consider the evidence of the sustained abuse Li
suffered, which was overlooked during the 1st trial. The Court must not impose
the death sentence this time," said William Nee.
Amnesty International 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)
SUDAN:
Sudan woman re-arrested after court dropped death penalty
A Christian woman sentenced to death in Sudan and later freed has been detained
at an airport while trying to leave the country Tuesday, her lawyer said.
Lawyer Eman Abdul-Rahim told The Associated Press that 27-year-old Meriam
Ibrahim was held along with 2 children and her husband at the international
airport in Khartoum, the country's capital. Abdul-Rahim did not elaborate and
security officials did not respond to requests for comment.
Ibrahim, whose father was Muslim but who was raised by her Christian mother,
was convicted of apostasy for marrying a Christian. Sudan's penal code forbids
Muslims from converting to other religions, a crime punishable by death.
Ibrahim married a Christian man from southern Sudan in a church ceremony in
2011. As in many Muslim nations, Muslim women in Sudan are prohibited from
marrying non-Muslims, though Muslim men can marry outside their faith. By law,
children must follow their father's religion.
The sentence drew international condemnation, with Amnesty International
calling it "abhorrent." The US State Department said it was "deeply disturbed"
by the sentence and called on the Sudanese government to respect religious
freedoms.
On Monday, Sudan's Court of Cassation threw out Ibrahim's death sentence and
freed her after a presentation by her legal team.
Sudan introduced Islamic Shariah law in the early 1980s under the rule of
autocrat Jaafar Nimeiri, contributing to the resumption of an insurgency in the
mostly animist and Christian south of Sudan. The south seceded in 2011 to
become the world's newest nation, South Sudan.
Sudanese President Omar Bashir, an Islamist who seized power in a 1989 military
coup, has said his country will implement Islam more strictly now that the
non-Muslim south is gone.
A number of Sudanese have been convicted of apostasy in recent years, but they
all escaped execution by recanting their new faith.
(source: Associated Press)
IRAQ:
Judge who sentenced Saddam Hussein to death 'is captured and executed by ISIS'
The judge who sentenced former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to death has been
captured and executed by ISIS militants, it is claimed.
Raouf Abdul Rahman, who sentenced the dictator to death by hanging in 2006, was
reportedly killed by rebels in retaliation for the execution of the
69-year-old.
His death has not been confirmed by the Iraqi government, but officials had not
denied reports of his capture last week.
He is believed to have been arrested on June 16, and died 2 days later.
Jordanian MP Khalil Attieh wrote on his Facebook page that Judge Rahman, who
had headed the Supreme Iraqi Criminal Tribunal during Saddam's trial, had been
arrested and sentenced to death.
'Iraqi revolutionaries arrested him and sentenced him to death in retaliation
for the death of the martyr Saddam Hussein,' he said, according to Al-Mesyroon.
Attieh also said that Judge Rahman had unsuccessfully attempted to escape from
Baghdad disguised in a dancer's costume.
The Facebook page for Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, Saddam's former deputy who has
emerged as a key figure among the Sunni militants, also posted that the rebels
had been able to arrest Judge Rahman.
Judge Rahmann, who was born in the Kurdish town of Halabja, took over midway
through the trial in January 2006 after previous judge Rizgar Amin was
criticised for being too lenient in his dealings with Hussein and his
co-defendants.
The father of 3 had graduated from Baghdad University's law school in 1963 and
worked as a lawyer before he was appointed as the chief judge of the Kurdistan
Appeals Court in 1996.
He oversaw Saddam's trial for crimes against humanity over the killing of 148
people in the town of Dujail following an assassination attempt in 1982, and
sentenced him to death by hanging following the guilty verdict.
Judge Rahman had faced claims that he was biased as his home town had been the
subject of a poison gas attack in 1988, allegedly ordered by Hussein.
A number of Judge Rahman's relatives were among the 5,000 people killed in the
attack, and during the 1980s he was also reportedly detained and tortured by
Saddam's security agents.
The judge later criticised the way the execution was carried out in December
2006, saying in 2008 that it should not have been carried out in public and
branding it 'uncivilised and backward'.
The hanging had taken place as Sunni Muslims were celebrating the religious
festival Eid al-Adha, and a video of the execution showed the former leader
being taunted by members of the Shi'ite group.
In March 2007 it was reported that Judge Rahman had applied for asylum in
Britain after travelling to the UK with his family on a tourist visa, claiming
he feared for his life.
He never commented on the claims, which were denied by the Iraqi High Criminal
Court Tribunal which said he had merely been in the UK for a holiday.
(source: Zaman Alwsl)
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