Sept. 25
SINGAPORE:
6.5kg of heroin seized in largest haul this year
The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) has made its largest single seizure of
heroin so far this year, seizing about 6.5kg of heroin, which could have fed
the addiction of about 3,125 heroin abusers for a week, during an operation
against a local drug syndicate on Tuesday.
Also seized were about 1.3kg of cannabis, small amounts of other drugs, such as
ice and ecstasy, and more than S$12,000 in cash.
The CNB said the drugs have a street value of about S$506,000 and the syndicate
is believed to have been smuggling in a sizeable amount of drugs from a
neighbouring country and distributing it to the local market.
2 Singaporean men, aged 44 and 46, were arrested in the operation. If
convicted, the 2 may face the death penalty.
(source: todayonline.com)
NIGERIA:
No to Death Penalty for Our Soldiers
On September 16 2014, a court martial in Abuja sentenced to death by firing
squad 12 soldiers of the 7th Division of the Nigerian army in Maiduguri, Borno
State, for mutiny. It also convicted the soldiers of criminal conspiracy and
attempt to commit murder, for which they were sentenced to life imprisonment.
The events leading to the court martial occurred on or about May 14, 2014 when
the soldiers allegedly shot at the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 7th
Division, Major-General Abubakar Mohammed. The soldiers reportedly felt that
their superior officers, under the leadership of General Mohammed, had shown a
callous disregard for the lives of their junior colleagues, sending them on a
mission that had a high level of risk to their lives. The risky timing of the
mission, they believed, could have been changed to avoid the near certainty of
the men being ambushed by Boko Haram. They were thus protesting against an
apparent failure of responsible judgment and a duty of care by their superior
officers.
The incident of May 14 was an embarrassment to both Nigeria and our armed
forces. It was further evidence of the deplorable state of affairs within the
army and it came at a time when the army was under intense scrutiny of the
international community on their professionalism and commitment to human
rights. The whole world had also been wondering why our armed forces were
unable to search and rescue over 200 schoolgirls abducted from Chibok.
PREMIUM TIMES does not in any way condone the actions of these soldiers. Using
violence to express frustration and dissent is never justified. There are due
processes, which should be followed to register displeasure and discontent.
Investigating the incident and punishing the misconduct is right and proper.
However, the death sentence meted out to the soldiers is deeply flawed and
condemnable on many grounds. To begin with, it is arguable that the charges
preferred against the soldiers were disproportionate to what actually
transpired. There is no evidence that anyone was hurt during the protest for
which the soldiers were charged and condemned. It would indeed be a tragic
commentary on the state of the Nigerian army if so many armed soldiers with the
intention to kill were unable to inflict any harm on their target.
The more likely story is that these soldiers acted without intent to kill. If
so, an essential element of the crime for which they were charged was not
present.
Secondly, there were several mitigating factors. The credible allegations of
corruption, high rate of combat-related mortality, non-payment of allowances to
fighting men on the frontlines and absence of rotation are all factors that
easily mitigate the charges. In law, these factors, together, support a defence
of provocation or, alternatively, of post-traumatic stress disorder.
There are serious doubts whether the court martial under the Army Act complied
with the essential rules of fair hearing. The guarantee of fair hearing in
criminal proceedings under Nigeria???s Constitution requires a clear separation
of the roles of the prosecutor, judge and defence. Yet, in a court martial, the
Army is the investigator, prosecutor, defence counsel, and the judge. This is
akin to placing soldiers charged before a court martial beneath the protections
provided for in our constitution. We agree that persons who opt to go into the
armed forces subject themselves to a special regime with its own forms of
discipline. We draw the line, however, at any suggestion that our men and women
in uniform should thereby be placed outside the protection of the Constitution.
These clear flaws persuade us in PREMIUM TIMES that in this case, capital
punishment cannot be supported or justified. Indeed, the facts of this case
demonstrate the savagery of the death penalty as a form of punishment
altogether. Legalized killing in the name of justice or in this form is both
insidious and hypocritical. It is murder.
Above all, far from engendering discipline at a time that we need it most in
our armed forces, the fate of these valiant men could seriously undermine
discipline in the armed forces, which is the bedrock of military ethics. No
action has been taken to address the corruption at senior levels of the armed
forces that exposes our country to the mortal threat by what was thought to be
a rag-tag insurgency. It is corruption and the associated poor weaponry and
equipment available to the armed forces that have exposed our men and women in
uniform to avoidable death and danger. Until this problem is addressed, our
fighting men and women will feel that they are being led to slaughter by a
country unfit for their sacrifice.
(source: Editorial, Premium Times)
PHILIPPINES:
Senate moves to restore death penalty
Plans are afoot in the Senate seeking to restore the death penalty owing to an
upsurge in heinous crimes but the Palace is lukewarm to the idea.
Senate President Franklin Drilon said another lawmaker has been pushing for the
Senate to start debates on the death penalty. Senator Vicente Sotto on Tuesday
delivered a privilege speech advocating the restoration of death penalty,
citing the recent cases of high-profile murder, kidnapping-for-ransom and drug
trafficking among other heinous crimes.
President Aquino, however, has maintained his reservations on the death penalty
although the issue has been discussed several times before and after the 2010
election campaign, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said.
"What happens if there was a wrong judgement? What if it was a mistake? An
issue like this---there's no reversal if the death penalty was imposed," said
Lacierda.
To the best of his knowledge, Lacierda said the President's position remains
the same.
"I think there was a discussion during the campaign, there was another
discussion sometime during the 1st or 2nd year of this administration, but his
position remains - it's still the same. He has reservations on the death
penalty," Lacierda said.
What they're looking into, Lacierda said, is the entire judicial framework, of
improving it to ensure that the judgment that would be made will be right,
fair, and just.
Interviewed over Radyo Bombo, Drilon scalled for a thorough study to determine
if the rising criminality is due to the absence of the capital punishment or
the failure of the PNP to address the peace and order situation.
"We should look into that extensively because the Philippine National Police
has enough budget. It is important to know if the police are visible, because
if they are not, then that is probably one of the reasons for the rising
criminality," he said.
Because of the absence of death penalty, Sotto pointed out that for the past
several years, we have become a virtual "wild, wild west in the Eastern
Islands."
"Whether it be murder, rape, drug manufacturing, criminals have more fun in the
Philippines," he said.
Some P4 million of shabu and drug ingredients were seized while 4 persons were
arrested in a raid conducted in a big shabu laboratory in Pampanga, Sotto said.
He also cited the murder of the 75-year old mother of actress Cherry Pie
Picache inside her own home, the killing of a 7-year old girl in Pampanga and
1-year old girl who was also possibly raped.
(source: Manila Standard)
PAKISTAN:
Abduction and rape: Rapist handed death penalty on 3 counts
A lower court in Sibi on Wednesday convicted a man of rape and murder and
handed him death penalty on 3 counts.
District and sessions court Judge Rashid Mehmood found the man, Sunny Masseh,
guilty of kidnapping, raping and murdering and also imposed Rs600,000 fine on
him.
According to the petitioner, Sunny Masseh had kidnapped a 5-year-old daughter
of a Hindu trader on January 22, 2014, in Sibi. Reportedly, the convict
sexually abused and raped the girl, who was later found unconscious with her
hands and feet tied with a rope. The victim was admitted to hospital in a
critical condition, where she succumbed to her injuries after a few days.
(source: Pakistan Tribune)
*************************
Briton on Death Row Shot in Pakistan Prison
A 70-year-old Scottish man sentenced to death in Pakistan for committing
blasphemy was shot and wounded in prison Thursday, officials said, and is
currently being treated in hospital.
Mohammad Asghar was sentenced to death in January for claiming to be a prophet
of Islam, moving British Prime Minister David Cameron to say he was "deeply
concerned" about the issue.
Asghar, who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in Britain in 2010, had
declared his prophethood in court and included a reference to it on his
business card, a government prosecutor said at the time of his trial.
"A jail employee shot him (this) morning. He is in a stable condition," an
official of Adiyala Prison in Rawalpindi told AFP.
"The employee has been arrested and investigations have been launched," the
official said, requesting anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to media.
A member of his legal team, who also requested anonymity, told AFP that Asghar
was shot in the back and a criminal case had been started against a constable.
The British High Commission in Islamabad said in a statement: "We can confirm
that a British national has been injured in prison in Pakistan. We are
providing consular assistance."
Asghar's family has urged the British government to intervene to bring him
home, saying he had attempted suicide in jail.
They also said the allegations against Asghar stemmed from a property dispute
with one of his tenants.
Blasphemy is an extremely sensitive issue in Pakistan, where 97 % of the
population is Muslim and insulting the Prophet Mohammed can carry the death
penalty.
Last week, gunmen shot dead a university professor in Karachi known for his
liberal views on Islam who had been labeled a "blasphemer" in a text message
campaign.
Adiyala jail also houses Mumtaz Qadri, the former bodyguard of Punjab
provincial governor Salman Taseer whom he gunned down in 2011 over the
politician's call for the blasphemy laws to be reformed.
Qadri was feted by a wide segment of the population including many lawyers,
while a mosque named in his honour was recently built in the capital Islamabad.
Though Asghar was on death row, Pakistan has had a de facto moratorium on
civilian hangings since 2008. Only 1 person has been executed since then, a
soldier convicted by a court martial and hanged in November 2012.
(source: naharnet.com)
_______________________________________________
DeathPenalty mailing list
DeathPenalty@lists.washlaw.edu
http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/listinfo/deathpenalty
Search the Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/deathpenalty@lists.washlaw.edu/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A free service of WashLaw
http://washlaw.edu
(785)670.1088
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
