Aug. 17
LEBANON:
Lebanon Indicts 11 over Terror-Related Charges
Lebanon Military Investigative Judge Fadi Sawwan on Monday issued 8 indictments
against 11 individuals over terror-related charges, including forming armed
cells to carry out attacks.
The indictment also accused the men of murder and attempted murder of Lebanese
soldiers during duty in the northern city of Tripoli as well as acts of
sabotage and possession of weapons and explosives, The Daily Star reported.
A judicial source said among the indicted men was Amir Mansour, the brother of
Osama Mansour who was killed in April by police as he tried to escape arrest.
He had been sentenced to death in absentia over an August 2014 attack in the
northern city.
The other suspects included 8 Syrians and 3 Lebanese.
They could face the death penalty if convicted.
Last October, the Lebanese Army seized the headquarters of militant commander
Shadi Mawlawi after 4 days of clashes that left 42 people dead and some 100
wounded. The stronghold had been manned by Mawlawi and his partner Osama
Mansour, militant commanders reportedly linked to the Al-Qaeda affiliate Nusra
Front.
(source: Tasnim news)
EGYPT:
Human rights groups blast new anti-terrorism law
President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi ratified Sunday evening a new anti-terrorism law,
which makes terrorism a capital offense, and which human rights advocates are
calling "catastrophic."
The new law
The law, which entered into force upon ratification, will task criminal courts
to consider terrorism-related crimes that are punishable by 5 years in jail up
to death sentences.
The new law stipulates that anyone who establishes, organizes, runs, preside a
terrorist group or entity shall be given from sentences ranging from life
imprisonment to death.
Those who belong to or participated in a terrorist group shall receive a harsh
punishment not less than 10 years in jail, the law said. Terrorist groups shall
be fined from 100,000 EGP to 3 million EGP ($12,7000 to $383,000.)
Moreover, anyone convicted of sabotaging electricity transmission towers or gas
and oil pipelines may be sentenced between 7 years in jail to life
imprisonment; in case that his "terrorist" acts lead to the death of a person,
the punishment would be toughened to the death penalty.
Those who incite violence directly or indirectly shall receive at least a
sentence of 5-year imprisonment. This punishment could be toughened to 7 years
in jail in case that the act of inciting violence occurred inside a religious
worship place or among military and security personnel.
Under Article 24, any one who attacked a public transportation vehicle shall be
sentenced at least to seven years in jail; however, it could be punishable up
to a life sentence if the vehicle belongs to the police or military.
The punishment of hacking any governmental website is punishable minimum of 10
years in jail.
Those who abstained from calling or reporting the police about "almost
terrorist acts" shall be sentenced 3 months in jail and be fined between
100,000 EGP and 300,000 EGP.
'Law incites killing'
"The law brushes off all standards of freedoms; and all human rights activities
see it the terrorism itself," Ali Atef, lawyer at the Arab Network for Human
Rights Information, told The Cairo Post Monday, adding that "any opposition
member could be charged with terrorism under this law."
The law confers immunity for those who carry out the law; for example if a
security member used force or killed an alleged terrorist on the ground of
self-defense, he would not be held for accountable. Atef saw that this law
"allows killing."
Walid Farouk, Chairperson National Association for the Defense of Rights and
Freedoms (NADRF), told The Cairo Post Monday that law was passed few months
before electing a new parliament to "broaden the Ministry of Interior's
powers."
"The law has unclear and broad phrases to serve the police body," he noted. He
added that the Egyptian Criminal Code has already articles by which terrorists
are being tried so he questioned the timing of its issuance.
Article 3 stipulates that a terrorist is a person who used "violence, threats,
and terror against people inside and outside the country to destabilize the
public order. "Farouk, however, said this law could be used against the police
personnel as well "In case that a police officer tortured an inmate or a
civilian, he could be designated a 'terrorist' under the Article 3 of the law."
"Hence, I think this law will be unconstitutional zed," he said, as it has
flawed articles. He noted that the law also enables the country to pursue the
Muslim Brotherhood members and supporters who fled the country.
Media blackout
"The law is muzzling mouths of media," Atef said; according to Article 35,
journalists who publish "incorrect" terrorism-related information that
contradicts the Ministry of Defense's official statements shall be fined
between 200,000 EGP and 500,000 EGP.
Per the law, publishing or broadcasting information about trials of
terrorism-related crimes shall be authorized by the presiding judge of the
court; violators of this article shall be fined between 20,000 EGP and 200,000
EGP.
In July, Egypt's Journalists' Syndicate and other number of human rights
organizations voiced their rejection to the law.
Court's broadened powers
Per the law, the court can order residency in a certain place, ban possession
of means of communication, order participation in rehabilitation programs, and
order the deportation of foreigners.
Confiscated money for insurance
Per article 54, the state shall issue, obligatorily, life insurance documents
for the security and military personnel charged to combat terrorism; the Prime
Minister has the authority to allocate money confiscated by the court for
repaying the value of insurance documents.
(source: The Cairo Post)
BANGLADESH:
13 men to face charges over boy's videotaped beating death
Police in northeastern Bangladesh are seeking charges against 13 men for
allegedly beating a 13-year-old boy to death in a case that stunned a nation
used to violent crime because a video of the boy being tortured was posted
online.
Detective Branch Inspector Suranjit Talukdar on Sunday sent the charges to a
court in Sylhet city involving the case of victim Samiul Islam Rajon, who died
of internal bleeding. The attackers allegedly punished him after accusing him
of stealing a bicycle, an allegation his family and police say is unfounded.
A magistrate in Sylhet, Farhana Yasmin, scheduled a hearing for Aug. 24 to
determine whether charges will be accepted.
A 28-minute chilling video of the beating of the boy, who cried for help, went
viral online, triggering protests in the South Asian country, where such
incidents are not rare. His body bore at least 64 injury marks, according to an
autopsy report.
In the video, recorded with a cellphone camera, the boy is heard screaming in
pain and pleading with his attackers: "Don't beat me please, will die, will
die." The attackers laughed at the boy when he asked for water.
Like many poor children in Bangladesh, Rajon was forced to leave school to work
to help his family, in his case selling vegetables.
The main suspect visible in the video fled to Saudi Arabia. He has been
detained there and is waiting repatriation to face trial. The other 12 men were
arrested by police with the help of local residents, who allegedly caught some
of the attackers when they tried to dump the body.
If convicted of murder, the attackers could face the death penalty.
(source: CBS news)
SAUDI ARABIA----executions
3 Sri Lankans, 1 Egyptian beheaded in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia has decapitated 4 more foreign nationals amid global concerns over
the rising number of the executions in the kingdom.
According to the Saudi Interior Ministry on Monday, 3 Sri Lankan nationals were
executed in the western Saudi port city of Jeddah for their role in the murder
of a Saudi man.
An Egyptian was also beheaded in the Eastern Province for stabbing and
strangling a citizen to death.
According to statistics, 120 people have been executed in the kingdom since the
beginning of 2015, showing a drastic increase in compassion with the 87
executions carried out throughout the previous year.
Back in May, the United Nations warned of the "fast pace" of executions in the
Arab country, saying it is "very disturbing."----Christof Heyns, the UN Special
Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions
"If it continues at this pace, we will have double the number of executions, or
more than double the number of executions, that we had last year," Christof
Heyns, the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary
executions, said.
In the same month, the Saudi regime had issued an online vacancy announcement
for hiring 8 executioners.
Riyadh has been under fire for having one of the world's highest execution
rates. London-based Amnesty International attributes 79 executions to the
kingdom in 2013 and 2012, 82 in 2011 and 2010, and at least 69 executions in
2009.
Under the Saudi law, apostasy, armed robbery, drug trafficking, rape and murder
carry the death penalty.
(source: PressTV)
NIGERIA:
Why Cases of Convicted Soldiers Should Be Reviewed
What the former helmsmen have not disclosed is that through their criminal
negligence, thousands of ill-equipped soldiers were massacred by the insurgents
while those who refused to commit suicide were either tried, convicted and
sentenced to death by courts-martial set up in questionable circumstances.
Recently, the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Alex Barde
(rtd) disclosed that the armed forces lack the equipment with which to fight
the insurgents in the North-East region. Other senior military officers who who
were in charge of the armed forces during the era have confirmed that the the
troops deployed by them were neither equipped nor motivated sufficiently to
prosecute the war on terror. The implication of the belated revelations of the
erstwhile military commanders is that the huge funds earmarked for the purchase
of military hardware for waging the war against the terrorists were diverted
and cornered by some criminal elements. On his own part, the immediate past
National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki(rtd.) has said some arms and
ammunition, ordered during the government of former President Goodluck
Jonathan, are yet to arrive in the country. He said some elements, whose
identities he did not disclose, were frustrating the nation's efforts to get
the critically needed equipment to fight the terror sect, Boko Haram.
What the former helmsmen have not disclosed is that through their criminal
negligence, thousands of ill-equipped soldiers were massacred by the insurgents
while those who refused to commit suicide were either tried, convicted and
sentenced to death by courts-martial set up in questionable circumstances.
Thus, from September-December 2014, 70 soldiers were sentenced to death while
several others were jailed for mutiny arising from the legitimate demand for
arms and ammunition to confront the terrorists. To avoid further embarrassment
which the death penalty attracted for the armed forces, the immediate past
Chief of Army Staff, General Kenneth Minimah (rtd.) engaged in the summary
dismissal of not less than 1000 soldiers in contravention of the provisions of
the Armed Forces Act.
... the Chief of Army Staff, General Umar Yussuf Batarai should confirm the
cases of the convicted soldiers without any further delay.
As if the official cruelty meted out to the soldiers was not enough, General
Minimah, as the confirmed authority, refused to review the findings and
sentences passed on the convicted soldiers which ought to have been done within
60 days of the verdict of the courts-martial. By refusing to promulgate and
confirm the said findings, the ex-Chief of Army Staff has denied the convicted
soldiers of the constitutional right of appeal. Instead of transferring them to
prison as required by law, the army authorities have kept the convicted
soldiers incommunicado in dehumanising conditions in an underground cell in
Apapa, Lagos. Even their family members and lawyers have been denied access to
them without any justification.
Despite the recent announcement that the cases of the convicted and dismissed
soldiers and the ongoing trials before courts-martial would be reviewed, the
Special Court-Martial trying Brigadier-General Enitan Ransome-Kuti at Abuja sat
last week. Even though the charge of cowardly behaviour has been struck out by
the military court based on the defendant's no-case submission the case has
been further adjourned to September 2, 2015 for continuation of trial. Since
the other courts-martial have been dissolved while the suspects have been
directed to appear for a review of their charges filed against them it is
discriminatory, inequitable and illegal to continue with the trial of
Brigadier-General Ransome-Kuti. The case should be reviewed in the interest of
justice. In the same vein, the Chief of Army Staff, General Umar Yussuf Batarai
should confirm the cases of the convicted soldiers without any further delay.
(source: Opinion; Femi Falana (SAN) writes from Lagos----Premium Times)
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