Aug. 13
PAKISTAN:
Pakistan announces death penalty for 6 behind school attack
Pakistan's army on Thursday announced the death penalty for 6 militants linked
to an assault on a school in Peshawar that killed 151 people, mainly school
children, in the country's deadliest terror attack.
"The convicts were given fair trial by following all the legal formalities and
offering/ providing them legal aid and defence counsels. Today the sentences of
death have been confirmed by the Chief of Army Staff," a statement issued on
the military's website said.
The men were convicted by military courts which were established in the wake of
the attack in December last year. A seventh man was given a life sentence.
(source: Yahoo News)
INDONESIA:
Indonesian Chief Justice Confirms Triple J Poll Influenced Bali Nine Duo
Execution
Just months after national youth broadcaster triple j was scrutinised for
conducting a poll which asked whether Australians convicted of drug smuggling
in countries that carry capital punishment should face their penalties, it has
been revealed that the poll in question did influence the execution of Bali
Nine duo, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.
As Fairfax reports, former Indonesian constitutional court chief justice Jimly
Asshiddiqie, who was heavily involved in the anti-death penalty lobby in the
lead up to the 29 April executions, said that Indonesian President Joko Widodo
made the decision personally, though there were influences, including the
triple j poll featured on the Hack program, which the station later defended.
Of 2123 respondents to the controversial poll, 52 % agreed that Australians
convicted of drug trafficking in a country that carries capital punishment
should be sentenced to death.
Asshidiqie said that President Widodo concluded that: "the majority of the
people in Australia don't care about the executions - only the minority gets
angry with Indonesia."
"So they think this is only about Abbott's politics, not Australia as a whole,"
Asshidique said.
"The [Indonesian] government thinks this is not hurting the people of
Australia, it's only elites, who claim to be popular by misusing public anger."
Asshidiqie said that the poll "made the Indonesian government become more
strong in their position," which was already influenced by a number of other
factors, including former convicted drug smuggler, Schapelle Corby.
Asshidiqie said that Corby and her family's reaction to her clemency in 2012
and eventual release in 2014 were among the reasons the Government formed
negative views of the accused.
"She still spoke very badly about Indonesia. She never showed her thanks, or
expressed any thanks to Indonesia," he said of her 2012 clemency.
"This created a very bad impression among the Indonesian public."
Furthermore, Assidiqie referred to Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott's
comments in which he reminded Indonesia of Australia's 1 billion dollars in
tsunami aid as "very bad" and that Deputy Leader Julie Bishop was "more
diplomatic."
(source: themusic.com)
IRAN----executions
3 Prisoners Executed For Drug Offences
3 prisoners were hanged in the Rajaishahr prison of Karaj (West of tehran)
Wednesday morning August 11, reported the government daily newspaper "Iran".
The prisoners who were not identified by name, were charged with manufacturing
homemade synthetic narcotic drugs in southern part of Tehran. They were between
24 and 37 years old. They were executed as their prison terms were ended.
(source: Iran Human Rights)
ZIMBABWE:
'Limit court's discretion on death penalty'
A legal think-tank has urged local MPs to exercise diligence when debating
proposed amendments to the General Laws Amendment (GLA) Bill claiming it
carried clauses which were likely to bring back the death penalty.
In its latest Bill Watch report, Veritas said the clauses were enshrined in the
Criminal Law Code.
Veritas said legislators should demand separate amendments to the Criminal Code
instead of allowing it to be included in the omnibus General Laws Amendment
Bill.
The GLA Bill is currently at its Second Reading Stage in the National Assembly
and will collectively deal with amendments to about 126 pieces of legislation
to be aligned with the Constitution, including the Criminal Law Code.
"In fact the amendments (to the Criminal Law Code) should have been made in a
separate Bill rather than added to an omnibus Bill (General Laws Amendment
Bill)," the Veritas report said.
"The Bill will amend section 47 of the Code to reintroduce the death penalty
for murder, and the Bill purports to lay down circumstances which a court must
regard as aggravating and so justifying the imposition of the death penalty."
The death penalty had been outlawed by the Constitution and the proposed
amendments to the Code within the GLA Bill were said to allow the courts to
decide for themselves what amounted to murder in aggravating circumstances.
Veritas suggested that Parliament should limit the court's discretion on the
issue.
On sexual offences, the think-tank said the GLA Bill also proposed to insert a
provision in section 70 of the Code to the effect that young persons over 12
but less than 16 years who engaged in sexual intercourse with consent must not
be prosecuted for the crime of sexual intercourse with another young person
unless a probation officer had recommended prosecution.
"This provision will not prevent young people being prosecuted altogether, but
will simply require a probation officer to recommend it. Similar amendments
should be made to other sections of the Code to stop very young persons being
inappropriately prosecuted.
"The law regarding sexual crimes must be looked at as a whole. The whole law on
this topic should be reconsidered to ensure that it meets changing attitudes of
society while at the same time, and above all, protecting children from abuse,"
Veritas said.
(source: NewsDay)
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