Sept. 24
SAUDI ARABIA:
3 sentenced to death for terror links in Saudi Arabia
3 Saudi men have been sentenced to death for their role in one of the the
country's largest terror cells, media reported Tuesday.
The Special Criminal Court in Riyadh awarded the death penalty to the 3 terror
suspects Monday, the Saudi Gazette reported.
The court also sentenced 20 suspects to prison terms ranging from 5 to 25
years, in addition to a travel ban.
The charges against the convicts included kidnapping and killing a foreigner,
armed confrontation with the security forces, embracing deviant ideology,
joining Al Qaeda, disobedience of the ruler, making explosives and receiving
training in the use of weapons.
The convicts can appeal the verdict within 30 days.
On Sunday, the court sentenced 4 people to death on terror-related charges.
(source: IANS)
PHILIPPINES:
Senate revives death penalty debate----Senator Aquilino Pimentel III says he
will conduct a nationwide hearing on the proposal of Senator Tito Sotto to
revive death penalty in the Philippines
Senator Vicente "Tito" Sotto III on Wednesday, September 23, delivered a
privilege speech to call for the revival of the death penalty because of what
he described as the Philippines' worsening crime situation.
"Let me ask my colleagues, especially Senator Koko Pimentel who is my good
friend, to revisit the issue of death penalty. There are now compelling reasons
to do so. The next crime may be nearer to our homes if not yet there," Sotto
said in his speech.
Pimentel, chairman of the Senate committee on justice, said he would conduct a
"nationwide hearing" to get public sentiment on the matter.
Sotto already filed in January 2015 Senate Bill 2080 titled "An Act Imposing
Death Penalty in the Philippines." It has since been pending in the committee
on constitutional amendments and revision of laws. The bill seeks to repeal
Republic Act 9346, the 2006 law that prohibits death penalty in the
Philippines.
Sotto revived the issue following the death of the mother of actress Cherry Pie
Picache, saying the perpetrators must have been under the influence of illegal
drugs. Sotto is himself a former entertainer.
In June 2014, the Philippine National Police reported a surge in crime - an
increase in total crime volume in the first 5 months of the year compared to
the same period in 2013.
"The law of revenge in the hands of each one of us was given to the government.
We in government must yield that power now or else we will regret its absence
in our future," Sotto said.
Earlier, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) warned
against "attempts by advocacy groups to lobby the legislature for the
restoration of the death penalty."
In a statement on July 2, CBCP president Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates
Villegas also said the "imperfection of our judicial system" could lead to
injustice if the Philippines restores the death penalty.
Villegas said: "There is something terribly self-contradictory about the death
penalty, for it is inflicted precisely in social retaliation to the violence
unlawfully wielded by offenders. But in carrying out the death penalty, the
state assumes the very posture of violence that it condemns!"
President Benigno Aquino III and Justice Secretary Leila De Lima also earlier
said they are reluctant to consider it.
(source: rappler.com)
***********************
PNoy still against death penalty
President Aquino remains cold to proposals to reimpose death penalty amid
efforts in the Senate to start the debates on the issue.
Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said Aquino continues to have
reservations against death penalty because of his concerns on the judicial
system.
"During the campaign, he (Aquino) mentioned that death penalty assumes that our
judicial system is good. But we know for a fact that in our judicial system, in
our judicial framework, sometimes those with weak legal representation are
prejudiced," Lacierda said in a press briefing on Wednesday.
"To the best of my knowledge, that position remains the same. There were no
discussions after that," he added.
Lacierda noted that any wrong judgment on a case involving death penalty would
be irreversible.
"He's looking at the entire judicial framework, how we can improve judicial
framework ensuring that the judgment that would be made will be right, fair,
and just," he said.
Earlier, Sen. Vicente Sotto III reiterated the need to restore the death
penalty following the killing of the mother of actress Cherry Pie Picache in
Quezon City last week. Senate President Franklin Drilon said the debates on the
death penalty should start to determine if it can solve criminality in the
country.
The death penalty was abolished in 1987 during the time of President Corazon
Aquino, but it was revived in 1993 under the administration of President Fidel
Ramos.
Among the crimes that were punishable by death were murder, rape, kidnapping
and drug trafficking.
In 2001, then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo imposed a moratorium on death
penalty but lifted it 2 years following a series of murders and kidnappings.
She, however, did not sign any execution order and commuted all death sentences
to life imprisonment.
In 2006, Arroyo signed a law abolishing death penalty, believing that state
resources should be used in controlling crime instead of taking the lives of
criminals.
*************************
Group seeks death by firing squad vs. men in uniform
Anti-crime group Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption on Wednesday called on
the government to reinstate the death penalty for the personnel of the
Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines and other law
enforcement agencies who would be found guilty of heinous crimes.
Boy Evangelista, one of the Board of Trustees of VACC, said the position of the
group is to reimpose the death penalty against erring policemen and military
personnel who are involved in major crimes as a deterrent.
"Nobody's safe ngayun sa crime situation sa atin. Kaya ang position namin ay
death penalty for men in uniform who commit heinous or major crimes dahil
inaabuso nila ang kanilang authority or power," Evangelista said in a media
forum in Greenhills, San Juan City on Wednesday.
Evangelista said the group came out with the position paper 2 weeks ago after
several policemen were caught on camera stopping a private car. The cops later
reportedly extorted money from the occupants of the vehicle. "Naging divine
intervention na rin yung nangyari sa hulidap dyan sa EDSA dahil maraming
nabuksang anomalya ng mga implementing agencies," he said.
He added that the VACC supports the reinstatement of the death penalty proposal
of Senator Vicente Sotto III, but not by lethal injection.
"We want the death penalty be carried out via firing [squad] in public to have
a chilling effect," said Evangelista, whose son, Venson, was brutally murdered
by members of car thieves in January 2011.
Aside from the reimposition of the death penalty, Evangelista said the VACC has
also submitted to Malacanang proposals such as review and reform in the
recruitment process of new policemen and the National Police Commission -
Internal Affairs Service.
"Dapat baguhin ang recruitment process kasi dun nag uumpisa then integrate and
civilian sa military training para may check and balance," he said.
(source for both: Philippine Star)
IRELAND:
46% back death penalty for child rape
The death penalty should be introduced for the crime of raping a child,
according to a national opinion poll.
The Irish Examiner/ICMSA survey found that 46% of farmers felt the ultimate
sanction should be introduced for child rape. The Rape Crisis Network of
Ireland said it was encouraging that the problem of sexual violence in Ireland
was being taken seriously by all sectors of society.
Men are more in favour of bringing in the death penalty for the offence - with
some 48% in favour of the provision as opposed to 39% of women.
The findings come as farmers show increasing concern about law and order. The
survey found more than a third of farmers (34%) now cite crime, law and order,
and vandalism as key concerns that are likely to influence how they vote at the
next general election - up from 22% last year
Last year's survey also found that more than 80% of farmers said they should be
allowed to own a gun to protect themselves and their property. In terms of
introducing the death penalty for child rape, farmers over the age of 65 were
most in favour (55%). Farmers aged between 45 and 64 were the least supportive
of such a measure.
Tillage, livestock, and dairy farmers were most supportive of introducing the
death penalty for the rape of a child, with 58% in favour, followed by those in
livestock and dairy at 46%.
There was a large degree of variation in terms of support for the death penalty
in terms of geography.
Farmers surveyed in Cappamore in Limerick felt most strongly about the
introduction of the sanction, with 69% of those surveyed saying it should be
introduced for the crime of raping a minor. It was followed by farmers in
Athenry (56%); those surveyed at the National Open Day in Leitrim (46%), and
those in Tullamore in Offaly (44%).
However, farmers in other areas were far less enthusiastic about the
introduction of such a harsh form of punishment. For example, in Tinahely in
Wicklow, just over a quarter of farmers supported the measure, while 37% in
Carbery in Cork did.
A spokeswoman for the Rape Crisis Network of Ireland said it was encouraging
that sexual violence was a key concern among all sectors of Irish society,
including rural Ireland.
"It's important the issue of sexual violence is taken seriously by all sectors
of Irish society," she said. "In terms of getting justice for survivors and
what form that should take, the important thing is that it always starts with
the community taking the issue seriously."
President of the ICMSA John Comer said it was unlikely that the findings would
be any different for any other sector of Irish society.
"I can't imagine that this kind of a breakdown would be radically different in
any other sector of Irish society," said Mr Comer. ":There was a marked
increase in support for the ultimate sanction among those surveyed older than
65 and, again, I don't think that's particularly remarkable: older people tend
to have harder stances on law and order issues."
Mr Comer said that he was not personally in favour of the introduction of the
death penalty as punishment for any crime, but acknowledged that, given the
"heinous" nature of child rape, it was not surprising that many would call for
the death penalty as punishment.
"Any kind of crime against a child is heinous and society deservedly reserves
its worst condemnation for those guilty of this most atrocious and unforgivable
act," he said. "I cannot say that I support the death penalty in any
circumstances but, in common with everyone, I would consider any measure that
effectively deters crimes against children or minors."
Over-65s 'more reactionary' over crimes against minors
Almost 1/2 of farmers think the death penalty should be introduced for those
found guilty of raping a child.
The Irish Examiner/ICMSA survey on farming attitudes found that farmers were
virtually evenly divided on whether the most extreme sanction should be
introduced for those guilty of raping a minor.
The survey found that 46% of farmers either agreed or strongly agreed that the
death penalty should be introduced for committing such a crime, with 44%
disagreeing.
Older farmers, aged 65 and over, were by some distance the most reactionary,
with 55% feeling that a death sentence was the requisite punishment for the
crime of child rape. Farmers aged between 45 and 64 were the least supportive
of such a measure.
Those farmers working in sectors other than tillage, livestock and dairy were -
at 58% - most supportive of introducing the death penalty for such a crime,
followed by those in livestock and dairy at 46%.
Farmers working in the tillage sector were least supportive of introducing such
a harsh form of punishment, with just 39% in favour of bringing in the death
penalty for such a crime.
Geographically, there was a large difference of opinion on the matter.
Farmers surveyed in Cappamore in Limerick felt most strongly about the
introduction of the death penalty, with 69% of those surveyed saying it should
be introduced for the crime of raping a minor. It was followed by farmers in
Athenry (56%); those surveyed at the National Open Day in Leitrim (46%); and
those in Tullamore in Offaly (44%). However, farmers in other areas were very
much against the introduction of such a measure. For example, in Tinahely in
Wicklow, just over a quarter of farmers supported the measure, followed by just
33% in Tinahely in Wicklow and 37% in Carbery in Cork. Commenting on the
findings, president of the ICMSA John Comer said: "I can't imagine that this
kind of a breakdown would be radically different in any other sector of Irish
society. There was a marked increase in support for the ultimate sanction
amongst those surveyed older than 65 and, again, I don't think that's
particularly remarkable: older people tend to [have] harder stances on law and
order issues," he said.
Mr Comer said although he was not in favour of the death penalty personally,
given that the rape of a minor was such an unforgivable act, it was not
surprising that so many people were.
"But, in common with everyone, I would consider any measure that effectively
deters crimes against children or minors," he said.
(source: Irish Examiner)
SINGAPORE:
Indian-origin man sentenced to death for drug trafficking
A 27-year-old Indian-origin man has been sentenced to death by a court here for
trying to smuggle diamorphine, a pure form of heroin, into Singapore, media
reports said on Tuesday.
Prabagaran a/l Srivijayan, a Malaysian national, was arrested in April 2012 at
the woodlands Checkpoint with 2 bundles of diamorphine weighing 22.24g.
The drug was wrapped in black masking tape hidden in the armrest console of the
car he was driving into the country from the southern Malaysian city of Johor
Bahru.
Prabagaran had said he was unaware the 2 bundles were in his car and claimed
trial on the charges of drug trafficking.
Trafficking more than 15g of heroin into Singapore carries the death penalty.
He was convicted in the High Court on July 22, reported Today newspaper.
Court documents said Prabagaran had borrowed the car from a friend to enter
Singapore on that day because he could not use his motorcycle.
He had been behind in paying his monthly instalment and he was afraid that the
motorcycle would be repossessed in Malaysia.
Prabagaran, who worked as a shop assistant at a petrol pump station in
Malaysia, had come into Singapore that day in order to return his work permit
and gate pass to a former employer here.
During the trial, the prosecution had argued that Prabagaran was an untruthful
witness and that his testimony was "unconvincing, riddled with inconsistencies
and cannot be believed".
"If the accused (Prabagaran) had truly intended to return his work permit and
the gate pass to his former employer, he has not offered any satisfactory
explanation why he had to do so several hours before his work shift began,"
argued the prosecution.
Prabagaran's lawyer N Kanagavijayan told the court that his client would be
filing an appeal against the conviction.
(source: Indian Express)
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