Nov. 21
QATAR:
American Christian couple facing death sentence in Qatar
An American Christian couple could be handed the death penalty for allegedly
starving their daughter to death last year.
Matthew and Grace Huang's 8-year-old adopted daughter Gloria died in their home
in January 2013. The Qatari government have accused the parents, who are
ethnically Asian, of killing Grace to harvest her organs.
Campaigners believe they have been wrongly accused due to suspicion regarding
their bi-racial family, which is unusual in Qatar.
Gloria and her 2 brothers were originally adopted from Africa. The family moved
to Qatar from LA for Matthew's work as an engineer in 2012, and insist that
Gloria suffered from an eating disorder which is attributed to her being born
into extreme poverty in Ghana.
According to a website campaigning for the Huangs' release, "From time to time
she [Gloria] would exhibit an eating disorder - common among children with
backgrounds similar to hers - where she would refuse food for days at a time
and then eat more than an adult. Other times she would eat food from the
garbage even when she had healthy food available. Yet most of the time she was
vibrant and seemingly healthy. She then died suddenly in the midst of one of
her cycles of refusing to eat."
Following her death, the Huangs were charged with murder and sentenced to 3
years in jail. They served 11 months in an Islamic prison before being granted
bail last November. Now under house arrest and are not permitted to leave
Qatar, a hearing is due to take place on November 30 during which they could be
given the death penalty.
There is no physical evidence that Gloria suffered any starvation, and
independent witnesses testifying in court that they had seen her eating several
days before her death.
The medical examiner who conducted the autopsy also told the court that he had
never mentioned the word "starvation" in his reports, but instead "emaciation".
Campaigners insist the Huangs are innocent, and that their continued detention
is a gross violation of international human rights.
"The Qatari police were fully justified in investigating Gloria's death. But
facts refute the charge that the Huangs starved their daughter or that they had
adopted her for illegitimate reasons. The continued detention of American
citizens Matthew and Grace Huang should end and they should be allowed to
travel home to the United States immediately," a statement on the website
reads.
Prayer vigils are being held by the Huangs' home church, Lake Avenue Church in
Pasadena, California, ahead of their next hearing.
In a letter to the church around Easter 2013, Matthew wrote: "The power of
Jesus' work on the cross gives us new life. I am reminded that Easter is a time
for rebirth, renewal, and restoration.
"My family needs to be restored together. My emotions are tired and weary.
Jesus brings restoration, and we are reminded of that this Easter."
A statement from the US State Department in October calls on the Qatari
government to allow the Huangs to travel back to the US, where their 2 sons are
currently living, pending the completion of their trial.
(source: Christian Today)
VANUATU
Vanuatu MP wants death penalty for witchcraft
A Vanuatu politician is calling for witchcraft to be a crime punishable by
death.
The comment from former finance minister Willie Jimmy follows an incident last
week on an island near Malekula in which a community, allegedly including
chiefs and church pastors, hanged 2 men for suspected sorcery.
Police are treating the men's deaths as homicide.
But opposition MP Willie Jimmy says that Melanesian people regard black magic
as very real, and people who practice it should get the death penalty.
(source: Radio Australia)
BANGLADESH:
50 Bangladeshi expatriates awaiting death penalties in prisons abroad ---- All
of the death row inmates were convicted for committing murders
Around 50 Bangladeshi expatriates who had flown to the foreign lands in search
of employments, are currently waiting for execution of their death penalties
while serving in prisons across the globe.
Among them, the verdict for 29 death row inmates have been put to a halt
through negotiations held in between the Bangladeshi embassies and the
governments of the respective countries. Such negotiations mainly focuses on
compensating the victim's families.
The numbers were revealed through a written statement issued by Expatriates'
Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Engineer Khandker Mosharraf Hossain
issued to the parliament yesterday.
All of the death row inmates were convicted for committing murders.
Among the death sentence awardees, 12 Bangladeshi migrants are in Saudi Arabia,
23 in Dubai, 12 in Kuwait, 1 in Bahrain, 1 in Singapore and one in Abu Dhabi.
The Wage Earners' Welfare Board under the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and
Overseas Employment, was active enough in order to free the convicts from the
trial in the respective countries, said the minister.
In the statement, he informed that an "understanding" has been reached through
negotiations with the concerned countries to cancel the death penalty for 29
Bangladeshi expatriate workers.
Letters seeking mercy have already been sent to the Bangladeshi Missions in
those countries, according to the statement by the Expatriates' Welfare
Minister.
Except for the countries mentioned above, 35 more are facing trials in
different countries on murder charges ??? 15 in Dubai, 10 in Saudi Arabia, 3 in
Oman, 3 in Qatar, 1 each in Kuwait, Egypt and Bahrain.
Khandker also highlighted that 2,759,541 people from Bangladesh received
employment in different countries across the world in between January 2009 and
September 2014.
"The number was 137,088 during the BNP-Jamaat regime from 2001 to 2006," he
said.
The ministry had undertaken construction work of nearly 400 centres for
providing technical trainings at the upazila levels, said the minister.
(source: Dhaka Tribune)
UGANDA:
Death penalty for terrorism convicts okayed
The Cabinet has approved the principles for amending the 2002 Anti-Terrorism
Act, including a clause highlighting a mandatory death penalty for persons
convicted of terrorism.
The information minister Rose Namayanja has said the new amendments would
enable the country pre-empt and respond better to the changing trends in
terrorism.
The clause, stipulating a mandatory death penalty for persons convicted of
terrorism, will make the sentence the only option in the law that the judge can
sentence the convicted person once the Act is passed by Parliament and assented
to by the President.
Uganda is one of the few countries with the death penalty.
For capital offences like murder, rape, defilement, armed robbery and treason,
depending on the judges' discretion, the offender can be sentenced to death.
"Under the new Anti-Terrorism Law, once convicted, the only sentence a convict
can get is death. It is going to be the punishment written in the law. The
judge has no option, but to sentence the convict to death," Moses Watasa, the
commissioner for information, explained.
However, the law will not go without criticism. A mandatory death penalty is
already a contentious topic in Uganda.
In 2005, the Constitutional Court, in a petition by Susan Kigula and 416 others
against the Attorney General, declared the death sentence unconstitutional.
Part of their argument was that the mandatory death sentence did not provide
the court with the opportunity to take into account any individual mitigating
circumstances that might make the death penalty an inappropriately severe
punishment.
"We are including these amendments in the Act because we want to mitigate the
threat of terrorism. If courts challenge the decision, it is constitutional.
But, we can always appeal." Namayanja said.
"If someone is involved in terrorism acts where people are killed, then they
deserve the death penalty," she added.
Uganda has had its share of the impacts of terrorism.
On July 11, 2010, 2 suicide bombings at the Kyadondo Rugby Club and the
Ethiopian Village in Kabalagala, Kampala left over 74 soccer fans dead and
close to 100 others injured.
Other amendments in the Act include definition of the term "fund", which the
Cabinet wants to be harmonised with the International Convention on the
Containing Financing for Terrorism, 1999, as assets of every kind, whether
tangible or intangible, movable or immovable.
This component also encompasses the mode of acquisition/transfer of such
assets, for instance legal documents'/instruments, whether in electronic or
digital.
The documentation may include but not be limited to bank credits, travellers'
cheques, money orders, shares, securities, bonds, drafts and letters of credit.
Cabinet also wants the definition of the words "terrorism" and "Acts of
Terrorism" to be adjusted to include the international aspects envisaged by the
UN Convention Against Terrorism.
"Since the current Anti-Terrorism Act was enacted in 2002, the methods of
planning, financing and execution of terrorist activities have become more
sophisticated." Namayanja said.
For instance, terrorists are increasingly taking advantage of advances in ICT
to plan and communicate and execute heinous crimes.
(source: New Vision)
TAIWAN:
TDPO to seek death penalty in case of stalker stabbing murder
The Taipei District Prosecutors' Office (TDPO) yesterday said it was seeking
the death penalty for stabbing suspect Chang Yen-wen, who allegedly stabbed his
ex-girlfriend to death after failing to convince her to remain in their
relationship on Sept. 22; prosecutors said that despite the cruel nature of the
killing, Chang has not shown any regret for his actions.
According to prosecutors, Chang, who worked as an auditor for a local
accounting firm, was going through a rough time with his ex-girlfriend, Lin
Pen-jen. In early September, they visited Japan together in an attempt to save
their relationship.
Prosecutors said the plan went badly, as they reportedly quarreled during the
trip, with Chang even taking several indecent photos of Lin as he sexually
assaulted her.
Lin was said to have tried to break up with Chang after they came back to
Taiwan, yet Chang was opposed and threatened to release the photos of Lin if
she broke off the relationship.
In the early morning of Sept. 22, Chang went to Lin's apartment to plead his
case. He took a knife with him and threatened that he would commit suicide if
she rejected his request. As Chang took out the knife, Lin pushed him away out
of fear. Chang lost control and stabbed her 47 times in the head, neck, arms
and legs.
Chang's act was witnessed by passers-by, who called the police. The suspect was
arrested at the scene.
Although Chang claimed that he was insane with rage and that his original plan
was to commit suicide, prosecutors deemed his actions to be premeditated murder
as he bought the knife in advance and hid around Lin's apartment for 2 hours
before she left for work. In addition, prosecutors also said that Chang changed
his testimony several times during questioning, illustrating that he does not
truly regret the crime.
Prosecutors said Chang had committed several crimes as he tried to maintain his
relationship with Lin, including threats, rape and offenses against privacy.
Therefore, prosecutors deemed that he should face the most severe penalty.
Responses from Lin's Family
Regarding the charges levied yesterday, the victims' family said that the death
penalty is what the suspect deserves and this is the only way to deliver
justice to Lin.
In addition, they said that Chang is an adult and should take responsibility
for what he has done and accept the punishment that the judge hands down.
(source: The China Post)
IRAN----execution
Man hanged in public a day after UN condemns regime's "high frequency of
executions"
A day after the United Nations General Assembly's 3rd committee adopted the
UN's 61st resolution condemning human rights abuses in Iran and urged the
regime to stop the executions, a man was hanged in public in a northern city.
The prisoner identified as H. Mirjani, 32, was hanged in Velayat Square in the
city of Qaemshahr.
The execution that comes after the adoption of the resolution that expressed
its "deep concern at serious ongoing and recurring human rights violations" in
Iran, notably the "alarming high frequency of executions and increase of the
carrying-out of the death penalty in the absence of internationally recognized
safeguards, including public executions," demonstrates the Iranian regime's
disregard for international concerns.
Since the start of Hassan Rouhani's presidency a year ago, the executions in
Iran have taken on an unprecedented scale with over 1000 executions.
(source: NCR-Iran)
**********************
Public executions continue in Iran. Another man was publicly hanged in Northern
Iran today.
1 man was hanged in public in the city of Ghaemshahr (Northern Iran) today,
reported the official Iranian news agency IRNA. The prisoner was identified as
"R. M." (32 year old) and sentenced to death convicted of rape, said the
report.
Today's public execution was the 6th so far in November 2014. A video footage
from a public execution carried out 15. November in Southern Iran shows that
the prisoners are slowly pulled up with a crane. It takes normally several
minutes till the prisoner dies by this method.
(source: Iran Human Rights)
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