July 3
BANGLADESH:
Bangladeshi Islamists seek death penalty for ex-minister
Bangladeshi Islamists on Friday protested in Dhaka demanding death penalty for
former minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui accused of blasphemy for comments
perceived to be against Islam.
Anger among Islamists has been rising since former telecommunications minister
Abdul Latif Siddiqui was released on bail last week over comments he made in
2014 against the annual hajj pilgrimage.
Supporters of Hefajat-e-Islam and other hardline Islamic groups chanted "Death
for infidel Latif" and waved placards during a march through the capital.
"Our protest will continue till the government ensures the highest punishment
for the non-believer," Noor Hossain Kafeli, a senior leader of Hefajat, told
reporters.
Hundreds of riot and plainclothes police flanked the march in case of violence,
while similar protests were held in other parts of the Muslim-majority country.
Hefajat led mass protests in 2013 calling for a new blasphemy law that left
scores of people dead, mainly in clashes with police.
"At least 3 to 4 thousand people are attending this procession. We are
remaining alert to avoid any untoward incidents," a police commander told AFP
on condition of anonymity in Dhaka.
Siddiqui told Bangladeshi expatriates at a gathering in New York last September
that he was "dead against" the hajj mainly because it was a "waste" of
manpower.
Footage of the comments was broadcast back in Bangladesh where protests
prompted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to sack him.
He was eventually arrested for "wounding religious sentiments" and remains
under police investigation. No charges have been laid.
In 1994, similar protests by Islamists forced author Taslima Nasreen, a
self-declared atheist, to seek exile abroad.
(source: Hindustan Times)
ETHIOPIA:
Ethiopia mulls tough trafficking law, including death penalty
Life in jail for traffickers in EthiopiaHuman traffickers in Ethiopia could
face life in jail or the death penalty under a bill presented to parliament on
Tuesday aimed at curbing the illegal flow of people in and out of the Horn of
Africa country.
The move comes 2 months after at least 30 Ethiopian migrants were shot and
killed by Islamic State militants in Libya and after others have died while
heading to Europe on rickety boats across the Mediterranean.
The legislation, proposed by the Ministry of Justice, contains a range of
penalties for trafficking and smuggling including fines of up to 500,000 birr
about $7,500 and the death penalty in cases where victims suffer severe injury
or death.
The bill must be approved by the House of Representatives, which could take
several months, officials said.
Although Ethiopia's economy is growing at one of Africa's fastest rates,
unemployment still remains high and thousands of people opt to take treacherous
treks across the Sahara to reach Europe via the Mediterranean or brave the Gulf
of Aden to reach wealthy Gulf States in search of jobs.
For a period of several months beginning in late 2013, Saudi Arabia deported
more than 163,000 Ethiopians it said lived in the Kingdom illegally.
The US State Department urged Addis Ababa last year to amend and strengthen its
laws to tackle people smuggling, toughen penalties, boost judicial
understanding and police capacity, as well as improve oversight of recruitment
agencies.
The draft legislation provides immunity to victims and proposes the formation
of a national committee led by Ethiopia's deputy prime minister to co-ordinate
anti-trafficking activity.
(source: Reuters)
SUDAN:
Sudanese Judge Finds Sufficient Evidence to Convict Christian Pastors - Defense
Next in Trial
Unfortunately, the news coming out of Sudan is not what we would have hoped.
After a full day of trial today, in which the judge questioned both Pastor
Michael and Pastor Peter, the judge concluded there was sufficient evidence to
"charge" both pastors with the offenses alleged against them. Under Sudanese
criminal procedure, the charge is not a conviction; rather it comes with a
presumption that the defense must now counter by presenting evidence of the
men's innocence. The full set of charges and possible sentences based on
Sudan's criminal code are below.
--Article 21: Joint acts in execution of a criminal conspiracy;
--Article 50: Undermining the constitutional system (Penalty: death, life
imprisonment, or imprisonment and confiscation of property);
--Article 53: Espionage (Penalty: death, life imprisonment, or imprisonment and
confiscation of property);
--Article 55: Disclosure and obtaining information and official documents
(Penalty: 2 years imprisonment or a fine);
--Article 64: Promoting hatred amongst or against sects (Penalty: 2 years
imprisonment);
--Article 69: Disturbance of the public peace (Penalty: 6 months imprisonment;
or fine or no more than 20 lashes);
--Article 125: Blasphemy/insulting religious creeds (Penalty: 1 year
imprisonment; or a fine or no more than 40 lashes).
During the trial, the judge question both men about documents found on their
computer after their arrests. This evidence includes internal church reports,
maps that show the population and topography of Khartoum, Christian literature,
and a study guide on the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS). All
of these materials, with the exception of the internal church report and the
study guide on NISS are publicly accessible materials.
The pastors acknowledged having the internal church report, though both
reported to the judge that they had never seen the study guide on NISS before
it was presented in court and had no knowledge of how it got on the computer.
Besides these documents, the only evidence brought by the prosecution against
the Christian pastors was a sermon Pastor Michael gave, a sermon that was
supported by Christian doctrine shared by their common denomination.
Serious charges, like those brought here, require serious evidence. Yet, the
court has found the evidence sufficient and called for the defense to put on
its case on July 14th. After the defense is presented, the Court will have a
final opportunity to review all the evidence presented and drop the charges or
convict the Pastors.
At the conclusion of today's court hearing, the attorney requested access with
his clients - a right that is guaranteed both under Sudanese law and
international law - but the judge only had authority to grant him visitation at
the court.
While the judge offered the attorney 10 or 15 minutes at the court to prepare
his defense, the attorney protested that such time is not adequate to prepare a
defense, let alone a defense for charge that carry the death penalty.
Sudanese law grants sole discretion for visitation rights at the prison to the
prison directorate, who in this case has previously denied requests for access.
The attorney will appeal the matter this Sunday to the prison authorities and
press that denying access to his clients for preparation of their defense
violates Sudan's constitution.
We will continue to provide updates on this critical case for the lives of
these 2 Christian pastors at it continues. We are working with Mariam Ibraheem
(a Christian mom who we helped free from death row in Sudan last year) and our
contacts on the ground in Sudan to fight for the freedom and exoneration of
Pastors Michael and Peter. We are also directly urging the Sudanese government
to provide critical access to the pastors' attorney (who himself was recently
wrongfully arrested) as the trial continues.
As Mariam has said, "Being Christian is not a crime." Yet for these 2 Pastors,
they could be sentenced to death for expressing their Christian faith. We
cannot be silent.
As we continue fighting for their freedom, please pray for Pastor Michael,
Pastor Peter, and their families, and join nearly 200,000 in signing our
petition for their freedom at BeHeardProject.com.
(source: ACLJ.org)
MALAYSIA:
Indian man held in largest drug bust in Malaysian capital
Malaysian police have arrested a 36-year-old Indian national near here and
seized 19 tonnes of white powder, believed to be ketamine, worth USD 7.6
million in the largest drug bust in the Malaysian capital this year.
Senior police official R Munusamy said the drug was seized at a house used as a
storage for the substance in Rawang.
He said the seizure was discovered following the arrest of the Indian national,
who was not identified, yesterday.
"When we arrested the man, we found 2 packets, each containing 5kg of white
powder believed to be ketamine," said Munusamy.
"Following the arrest, the suspect led us to a house in the suburb of Rawang,"
he said, adding that when they raided the house they found 762 gunny sacks,
each containing 25kg of the same white powder.
He said they also arrested a 42-year-old businessman at the house.
"We have sent the substance for analysis to verify that it is ketamine.
"Both men have been remanded to help with investigations," he said adding that
the drugs were believed to have been brought in from India.
Malaysia has a mandatory death penalty by hanging for anyone found guilty of
carrying more than 50 grams of a drug.
\Few people have been executed in Malaysia in recent years.
(source: Business Standard)
CHINA:
Intellectually-disabled Australian could face death penalty in China
An intellectually-disabled Australian man detained in China for more than a
year could face the death penalty after being charged with smuggling more than
2 kilograms of the drug crystal methamphetamine.
Lawyers acting for 26-year-old Ibrahim Jalloh say he was tricked into becoming
an unwitting drug mule by members of an international syndicate who preyed on
his naivety.
The man named in the Chinese court as the main instigator became friends with
Mr Jalloh through casual soccer games and eventually convinced him to travel to
Guangzhou to bring back "important documents" in return for $15,000 last June.
Mr Jalloh, who was born in war-torn Sierra Leone before moving with his family
to Australia when he was 17, was arrested at Guangzhou's international airport
attempting to board a flight back to Brisbane via Singapore. He said he had not
checked the contents of the suitcase he was given in Guangzhou because it was
locked and he wasn't given a key.
"[name withheld] just told me it was some important documents," Mr Jalloh said.
"He never told me it was drugs inside. If it was drugs, I cannot [sic] leave
Australia to do this."
The man is facing separate charges in Australia on conspiracy to import drugs
from China. He is alleged to have sent another Australian drug mule jailed in
Guangzhou, Queensland man Bengali Sherrif.
Mr Sherrif was arrested in similar circumstances to Mr Jalloh just days apart,
and is awaiting the outcome of an appeal of his suspended death sentence.
Mr Jalloh receives a full disability pension in Australia and his lawyers
produced two independent medical opinions from Australian doctors attesting to
the fact that his intellectual disability hampered his judgement and made him
easy to manipulate.
In court on Friday, Mr Jalloh appeared to struggle with his concentration and
had difficulty fully appreciating the court translator's questions in English.
His yellow detention centre-issued T-shirt was worn inside-out, and often he
seemed unable to express himself fluently.
"I don't have any knowledge about this," he said repeatedly, as his mother,
younger sister, aunt and a Sierra Leonean community elder who all flew in from
Sydney watched on.
But Chinese prosecutors said an appraisal conducted by a Chinese mental
hospital doctor showed Mr Jalloh only had "slight mental development delay" and
that he "had the capability for bearing criminal liability" and was fit to
stand trial. The prosecution pointed to the fact that Mr Jalloh had moved to
Brisbane away from his family home in Sydney, that he played soccer and had
fathered 1 children as proof of his independence and mental aptitude.
Mr Jalloh is 1 of several Australians on serious drug charges in Guangzhou who
say they have been set up by international drug syndicates operating out of the
southern metropolis - a major regional drug hub which has become Australia's
largest source of methamphetamine in recent years.
They hail from different cities in Australia - including Sydney, Brisbane, Gold
Coast and Adelaide - and are of diverse ages and backgrounds. But there are
similarities in their stories, including lengthy email chains with the
purported syndicate members who appear adept at gaining their trust and finding
ways to convince them to travel to Guangzhou.
Anthony Bannister, a former jockey from Adelaide, was handed a suspended death
sentence in Guangzhou last month after being found guilty of attempting to
smuggle 3 kilograms of ice to Australia. He said he travelled to Guangzhou
after being promised a lucrative divorce settlement.
Sydney man Peter Gardner, an avid gym enthusiast, said he was in Guangzhou to
buy performance-enhancing peptides and was stunned when customs officers found
30 kilograms of ice in his black sports bags instead.
And 64-year-old Gold Coast pensioner John Warwick died in a prison hospital in
Guangzhou last year, having been arrested on suspicion of concealing 1.9
kilograms of ice in a DVD player. His daughter Amanda Davis said he was lured
to Guangzhou by an online lonely hearts scam.
The wave of Chinese-manufactured ice making it onto Australian streets was
described by new Border Force Commissioner Roman Quaedvlieg as one of the
country's biggest threats.
In all, as many as a dozen Australians have been detained in Guangzhou in the
past year or so on similar drug charges which could attract the death penalty.
Only Bannister and Sherrif have been sentenced so far.
(source: Sydney Morning Herald)
IRAN:
European states continue to fund drug hangings as Iran executions spike
New analysis released yesterday (2 July) by the NGO Iran Human Rights shows
that over 2/3 of the 570 people so far executed in Iran this year were
sentenced to death on drugs charges.
The executions can be linked to funding for counter-narcotics programmes
provided via the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and funded by European
states including France and Germany.
Research by the international human rights NGO Reprieve shows that France has
provided more than EUR 1 million to Iran's Anti Narcotics Police (ANP) in
recent years; while Germany contributed to a EUR 5 million UNODC project which
provided the ANP with training and equipment.
The UNODC projects aim to increase the numbers of people arrested and convicted
of drugs charges, but do not impose effective conditions to ensure that the
financial support does not contribute to increased numbers of hangings. With
Iran now executing at a historically high rate, and 69 % of the executions this
year so far having been for drugs offences, Reprieve is calling on the UNODC
and its funders to act urgently to impose conditions on the support they
provide.
A number of other European states, including the UK, Denmark and Ireland have
already withdrawn funding from similar UNODC programmes in Iran, with the
Danish Government accepting they are "leading to executions". But France and
Germany have declined to make similar commitments, and have not ruled out
contributing to a secretive new UN funding settlement for Iran's ANP.
The UNODC is currently negotiating this five-year agreement, and UNODC chief
Yury Fedotov travelled to Iran in February this year to pledge that a deal
would be finalised "in the next 2 months". He added that "no country can
compete with Iran when it comes to the amount of narcotics discovered and
seized."
Reprieve's research by has found that at least EUR 15 million in European
support can be directly linked to the arrests and hangings of thousands of
people - including women, children, and a number of European nationals.
In 1 2014 case, a 15-year old Afghan boy, Jannat Mir, was hanged for allegedly
moving heroin across the Afghan/Iranian border, during a period in which the
UNODC was overseeing an EUR 5 million border operation.
The UNODC's own human rights guidance advises that if executions for drug
related offences continue, the body should "employ a temporary freeze or
withdrawal of support".
Maya Foa, Director of Reprieve???s death penalty team said:
"Even as Iran's execution rate skyrockets, European nations like France and
Germany continue to fund brutal raids by the Iranian police which routinely
send people to death row for non-violent offences. 7 out of 10 people hanged in
Iran this year have been caught in these type of operations, but European
funders and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime continue to turn a
blind eye, and are even considering a new funding deal.
"It is an untenable hypocrisy for European countries and the UNODC to claim
they oppose the death penalty in all circumstances while enabling and
encouraging it overseas. If their commitments on the death penalty are to count
for anything, they should impose effective and transparent conditions to ensure
their aid does not lead to executions."
(source: ekklesia.co.uk)
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