May 13
RUSSIA:
Russian State Duma refuses to institute capital punishment for terrorism
Russia's State Duma has rejected in the 1st reading on Tuesday the initiative
of member of the Liberal Democratic Party faction Roman Khudyakov on
instituting capital punishment for terrorism.
The lawmaker suggested making relevant amendments to articles 78, 83, 87, 88
and 205 of the Russian Criminal Code. In his opinion, "there's a considerable
gap in the criminal legislation between the degree of social danger of the
crime committed and the punishment for it." "More than 1/2 of citizens support
the institution of the death penalty for terrorism, while the criminal
legislation doesn't envisage capital punishment for it," Khudyakov said, ITAR
TASS reports.
However, the State Duma Committee on Civil, Criminal, Arbitration and
Procedural Legislation spoke against the amendments. The committee concluded
that the concept of the initiative ran counter to the current legislation and
Russia's international commitments, specifically, Protocol No.6 to the European
Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
concerning the Abolition of the Death Penalty.
(source: Russia.Az)
MALAYSIA:
Sabah's death row inmates in prison since the 1990s----Sabah Prison Director
says this is due to executions being called off for some reason or other.
It has been quiet for quite a while since the last execution was carried out in
Sabah. Those in death row have been languishing in prison since the 1990s as a
result of executions being called off for some reason or other.
Sabah Prison Director Abdul Basir, while confirming this, attributed the
virtual "moratorium" on death sentences to the need "to allow inmates to
exhaust all their legal remedies before executions can be carried out".
Prison Department Director-General Zulkifli Omar however chipped in that
Malaysia has not stopped executing hardcore criminals at least, both local and
foreign, but they may not have been publicised as in Indonesia recently. "Like
Indonesia, we will not succumb to foreign pressure. Foreigners are not exempt
from the death penalty."
He disclosed, without giving any breakdown, that currently there were 1,043
death row inmates nationwide. "We don't have offhand the number of foreigners
in death row but there have been executions of foreigners."
Their comments come in the wake of Suhakam's Roundtable Discussion in Kota
Kinabalu since Monday on the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel,
Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) which Malaysia has refused
to sign for more than 2 decades.
Malaysia, continued Zulkifli, has for example the mandatory death penalty by
hanging for drug trafficking in contrast to Indonesia's execution by firing
squad. "Capital punishment is mandatory for murder, terrorism-related offences,
robbery with firearms and firearms possession, kidnapping and ransom."
"Ultimately, foreign nationals would come to know of our laws (on the death
penalty) and respect them."
Abdul Basir, resuming, disclosed that death sentences in Sabah would not be
carried out unless they received the consent and signature of the Governor.
"When it comes to death sentences, there are several steps to be carried out
including finally the Governor's consent and signature."
Moderator Commisioner Aishah Bidin raised the issue of many death row inmates
in Sabah being subject to long periods of incarceration, causing mental
torture. "Anytime, a prison officer could come in and tell them that their time
has come."
"The right to life is the highest form of right and the decision to kill a
criminal because of the lives taken would not make the government any better."
Suhakam Vice Chairman Khaw Lake Tee feels that the government should sign CAT
without waiting to amend the laws on the death penalty. "They keep saying that
we have the penalty in our books and we need to amend them before signing CAT.
It's not necessary."
"The government has been giving the same excuse each time when the death
penalty is raised. CAT is one of nine core international treaties."
The participants at the roundtable which came from government, enforcement
agencies, NGOs and individuals, also discussed torture, caning, whipping and
other methods of punishment like community service.
(source: Free Malaysia Today)
PAKSITAN:
3 More To Be Hanged In Machh Jail
The Balochistan Home Department issued the black warrants of 3 condemned
prisoners in Central Jail Machh.
Sources in the Home Department told that the black warrants of condemned
prisoners were sent to the Machh jail administration on Monday for execution.
The condemned prisoners include Muhammad Musa, Ali Gul and Akhtar Muhammad.
The Jail Superintendent had been asked to fix the date for execution of the
condemned prisoners within 7 days.
Superintendent Machh Jail Ishaq Zehri told DawnNews that Akhtar Muhammad from
Killa Abdullah district would be executed on May 19, while Muhammad Musa and
Ali Gul would be hanged on May 20.
The mercy petitions of the prisoners were rejected by President Mamnoon Hussain
previously. The condemned prisoners were convicted by anti-terrorism courts in
Quetta for various murder cases.
(source: thenewstribe.com)
**************
Death row: Reply sought in plea for legal aid to Pakistanis held abroad
Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday granted time to the federal government until
June 15 to reply to a petition seeking directions for the government to defend
Pakistanis on death row in the Middle East.
The judge observed that the court would start proceedings at the next hearing
even if the government did not submit a reply.
Barrister Sarah Belal, counsel for the Justice Project Pakistan (JPP),
submitted that in December 2014, the court had directed the Ministry of
Interior, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis
and the Bureau of Immigration & Overseas Employment to submit para-wise replies
to the issues raised in the petition but they had not abided by the court
orders.
She said 8,597 Pakistanis were imprisoned abroad. Of them, 4,357 are
incarcerated in the Middle East alone, she said.
Belal said, "Since October we have seen 23 executions of Pakistanis in Saudi
Arabi. Other countries are making representations to the Gulf states for their
prisoners, but our country is exhibiting a lackadaisical attitude towards the
lives of its citizens abroad."
The JPP had filed a petition in the LHC on behalf of the families of Pakistani
migrant workers facing execution in the Middle East. The petition includes the
families of those whose loved ones had been recently beheaded in Saudi Arabia.
Belal said there had been longstanding concerns about the criminal justice
system in the Middle East, falling short of international standards of fair
trial - especially in death penalty cases. "Pakistani migrant workers
imprisoned in the Middle East are at the mercy of local courts with no access
to lawyers, impartial translators and counsellor assistance from the Pakistani
diplomatic missions," she said.
She said such Pakistanis faced punishments due to lack of understanding of the
legal process, inability to communicate directly with the court and having no
mechanisms of producing evidence from Pakistan in their defence. She requested
the court to direct the government to defend Pakistanis languishing in Middle
East jails.
(source: Express Tribune)
INDONESIA:
Veloso's Indonesian lawyers meet with DOJ officials
Mary Jane Veloso's lawyers from Indonesia met with Philippine Department of
Justice (DOJ) officials on Tuesday to discuss her case.
Her lawyers said they will do everything they can to have her death sentence
lifted.
One of her lawyers, Rudyantho, said he remains optimistic about the case of
Veloso.
"I come here to try to find out how to help Mary Jane... We try to do our best
for Mary Jane," he said.
According to Rudyantho, they also discussed how the charges against Veloso's
alleged recruiters, Kristina Sergio and Julius Lacanilao, can be used to plead
her case.
"We just try to find out the real story, what happened in Kuala Lumpur when
Sergio recruited her to Kuala Lumpur then send her to Indonesia," the lawyer
said.
"My target is how we can cancel the death penalty," he added.
Veloso's lawyers will fly back to Indonesia on Thursday.
Veloso was meted the death penalty in Indonesia for bringing in 2.6 kilograms
of heroin from Malaysia in 2010.
She was scheduled to be executed via firing squad at midnight on April 29 but
was granted a last-minute reprieve by Indonesian authorities after Sergio
turned herself over to Philippine police
(source: ABS-CBNNews)
********************
Robert Ellis murder: Indonesian prosecutors call for 15 years' jail for wife
---- Prosecutors could have pushed for the death penalty but instead ask for 15
years with deductions for time already served
The wife of the murdered British-Australian businessman Robert Ellis should be
jailed for 15 years for orchestrating the hit, Indonesian prosecutors have
argued.
Noor Ellis admits she approached 5 men to take care of her problems with her
husband in Bali. They ambushed him in his villa, slashed his throat and dumped
his corpse in a ditch last October.
Prosecutors could have pushed for the death penalty for premeditated murder.
Ellis, known also as Julaikah Noor Aini, cried when the court heard the
recommendation on Tuesday. Prosecutor Made Dipa Umbara said time already served
since the crime should be deducted from a 15-year sentence.
"The defendant's actions caused the victim's death," he said.
Factors weighing in Ellis's favour were her regret, her admission and her
previous lack of convictions, he said.
Prosecutors also recommended 15 years for 2 of the men involved, Urbanus Yoh
Ghogi and Yohanes Sirokudu.
Robert Ellis, 60, was set upon in his kitchen by 5 men who slashed his throat
"like killing a pig", police said at the time.
His wife of 25 years admitted to hatching a plan to "teach him a lesson" after
being denied a divorce.
Police allege she paid about $15,000 to the men, who are on trial for the same
charges. 2 maids are also on trial for their part, which included cleaning up
the bloody kitchen.
Ellis's defence will respond to the sentence recommendation next week.
1 of Ellis's sons, Peter, said on Twitter he was shocked by the recommendation.
"How can a maximum of death sentence be reduced to 15 years?" he said. "Is this
a joke? I feel sick."
(source: The Guardian)
SAUDI ARABIA----executions
3 Yemenis beheaded in Saudi, 83 executions in 2015
Saudi Arabia beheaded 3 Yemenis for drug trafficking Wednesday, bringing to 83
the number of executions in little more than 4 months, compared with 87 all of
last year.
The condemned men, Eisa Ali Ahmed Hajri, Mohammed Ali Saifi and Majid Gasim
al-Ahdal, were convicted of trying to smuggle hashish into the kingdom, the
interior ministry said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press
Agency.
They were executed in Jazan province which borders Yemen.
The ministry has cited deterrence as a reason for its use of the death penalty
despite criticism from human rights watchdogs.
London-based Amnesty International ranked Saudi Arabia among the world's top
three executioners of 2014.
On a visit to Riyadh this month, French President Francois Hollande said
capital punishment "should be banned," and his country is campaigning around
the world for its abolition.
Drug trafficking, rape, murder, apostasy and armed robbery are all punishable
by death under Saudi Arabia's strict version of Islamic Shariah law.
(source: Agence France-Presse)
IRAN:
Increase in capital executions in Iran
News regarding the number of capital executions in Iran continues to be of
great concern. A few days ago, I published a collection of data on the
executions in the country during the month of April in the "Cronache de Il
Garantista". The data is collected thanks to the work of the NGO Hands Off Cain
and unfortunately the list is extensive. Between April 16 and 20 only, at least
20 prisoners have been executed for crimes related to drugs dealing in various
cities in Iran.
Iran's Constitution is based on the Islamic law: "Islamic law is the essential
source for all branches of law", among which social and civil legislation.
Hanging is the preferred method to aply Sharia law in Iran. For the loop a
strong rope or a steel wire is used, placed around the neck so as to crush the
larynx, causing a prolonged death struggle with severe pains. A few days ago,
also the United Nations condemned the practice.
The reports presented by the Special Rapporteurs coordinated by Ahmed Shaheed
to the United Nations in Geneva on May 8th, state: "The Iranian Government
refuses to recognize the full extent of the executions that took place in the
country, showing a callous disregard both for human dignity and for
international law and human rights". Based on reports in our possession, no
less than 98 prisoners were executed between April 9 and 26, with an average of
6 executions per day. This latest mount in executions brings the number of
victims, from January 1st to today, at over 340, among whom 6 political
prisoners and 7 women.
(source: radicalparty.org)
ENGLAND:
Priti Patel refuses to say whether she wants to bring back death
penalty----Priti Patel, the new employment minister, is pressed on her views on
the death penalty after previously suggesting it would act as a deterrent to
murderers and rapists
Priti Patel, the new employment minister, has refused to say whether she still
wants to bring back the death penalty as a deterrent to crime.
In September 2011 Ms Patel told the BBC's Question Time programme that she
would support the reintroduction of the death penalty because she believed it
would act as a deterrent to crime.
"I have said this before and I say this again: I do think that when we have a
criminal justice system that continuously fails in the country and where we
have seen murderers and rapists ... reoffend and do those crimes again and
again I think that's appalling," she said. "On that basis alone I would support
the reintroduction of capital punishment to serve as a deterrent."
During an interview on Sky News about new employment figures, Miss Patel was
pressed repeatedly about her views on the death penalty.
She said her views were "not relevent" to the debate about employment figures,
and that she had made the comments "a long time ago".
She said: "I made a comment that it would only be appropriate when we have the
most horrendous and heinous crimes. It is not something that is relevent to
today's political debate or discourse at all.
Michael Gove, the new Justice Secretary, also called for the return of the
death penalty as a newspaper columnist.
Mr Gove said he supported the return of the noose out of "respect for
democracy", and because it would force the courts to act with "scrupulous
fairness".
Writing in the late nineties as a Times columnist, Mr Gove also strongly
criticised the Stephen Lawrence inquiry for being marred by "McCarthyism" and
bearing the "whiff of Salem". The inquiry accused the Metropolitan Police of
institutionalised racism. Mr Gove has not repeated the comments in nearly 20
years.
Priti Patel's exchanges on the death penalty in full
Presenter: One thing that came up yesterday is both you and Michael Gove have
both advocated bringing back the death penalty in the past. Is that something
you want to do now?
Priti Patel: I've been asked about this previously on a number of occassions. I
made a comment that it would only be appropriate when we have the most
horrendous and heinous crimes. It is not something that is relevent to today's
political debate or discourse at all.
I am very much focused in my job as employment minister supporting what we do
when it comes to growing our economy and getting more people back into work.
Presenter: It is appropriate to ask do you still believe it.
Priti Patel: I've told you already, exactly when that comment was made a long
time ago...
Presenter: It wasn't that long ago, it was on Question Time.
Priti Patel: I'll say it again it was made a long time ago and it is not
relevant to today's debate.
Presenter: But do you still believe it?
Priti Patel: I said it back then, when I was asked a question. It is not
relevant to today's political debate and the subject I am here to discuss with
you.
Presenter: But why are you not willing to say whether you believe something?
Priti Patel: Because I am here to talk about employment today.
(source: The Telegraph)
AUSTRALIA:
Palmer seeks end to death penalty help
A bill to prevent police and intelligence officers from sharing information
with foreign governments that leads to the death penalty will be introduced to
parliament on May 25.
Palmer United Party leader Clive Palmer has been given an opportunity to move
his private member's bill by the lower house's selection committee.
Under the bill, police or other officials could be jailed for directly or
indirectly disclosing information to other countries that might lead to the
death penalty.
It follows the executions of Bali 9 ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran
Sukumaran.
The Australian Federal Police gave information to Indonesian officials about
the Bali 9, which led to their arrests for drug smuggling.
(source: 9news.com.au)
NIGERIA:
Group Advocates Death Penalty For Corruption
An Abuja-based nongovernmental organisation, Voice of the Voiceless has
advocated that the federal government should attach death penalty as capital
punishment for corruption in Nigeria.
Speaking to journalists during a march against corruption yesterday in Abuja,
the group's president, Comrade Oliver Ezeama, said they staged the campaign
advocating for death penalty for corruption because it is destroying the nation
speedily, saying they want it to be killed from its root instead of just being
managed.
Ezeama said the nation has tried to fight corruption through various methods in
the past to no avail, adding that some set of people are busy feeding fat on
proceeds of corruption to the detriment of the larger society.
He said: "Look at other African countries progressing; countries that Nigeria
started with; they are far ahead of us and we are still behind. All these
countries that are far ahead of us do not have oil or natural resources as much
as we do but they are all progressing.
"These countries were able to catch up and overtake Nigeria because they
embraced transparency; integrity and dignity while we have remained
underdeveloped by corruption, with citizens living in penury and from hand to
mouth. It is high time we see corruption as a very serious issue in this
country; the menace is more serious than Boko Haram."
According to him: "The nation has channeled a lot of energy into tackling or
security challenge while corruption is killing the very essence of our
nationhood. Boko Haram kills thousands while corruption kills millions every
day.
"Corruption is worse than HIV and even Ebola that is why we must develop
anti-corruption policies as countries like China that stabilised their economy
because of their strict action against corruption. That is why we are pushing
for nothing less than death penalty because Nigerians are not scared of
imprisonment, no matter the length of prison time meted out to them."
(source: Leadership Nigeria)
_______________________________________________
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
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
