IOct. 6
SAUDI ARABIA:
2nd Saudi juvenile faces beheading for anti-government protests
A 2nd juvenile is now facing imminent beheading after a Saudi court upheld a
conviction for his role in anti-government protests in the kingdom's Eastern
Province.
Dawoud al-Marhoon was just 17 years old when he was arrested in May 2012 at the
height of protests influenced by the Arab Spring. He was allegedly tortured and
made to sign a confession that was later relied on to convict him, resulting in
a death sentence by beheading.
British legal aid group Reprieve said on Tuesday that the Specialized Criminal
Court had decided to uphold Dawoud's conviction and death sentence. With all
legal avenues now exhausted, Dawoud could be executed by beheading at any time
without prior notification to his family. Reprieve said Dawoud is being held in
solitary confinement and has been barred from speaking with his lawyer, who was
not allowed to attend secret hearings and was blocked from receiving
information about appeal hearings.
The ruling by the Specialized Criminal Court means that at least 2 Saudi
juveniles now face imminent execution for a role in anti-government protests.
The same court decided last week to uphold a sentence of 'crucifixion' for Ali
Mohammed al-Nimr, who was arrested during anti-government protests in February
2012 and tortured into a confession, which he later recanted. A sentence of
crucifixion involves a prisoner being beheaded and his body being displayed in
public.
The case of Ali al-Nimr led to international condemnation and calls to halt the
execution.
"Ali al-Nimr's case has rightly prompted revulsion among the international
community - it is therefore horrifying that the Saudi government is pushing
ahead with plans to exact a similarly brutal sentence on another juvenile,
Dawoud al-Marhoon," said Maya Foa, director of the death penalty team at
Reprieve. "It's also deeply disappointing to see the US and the UK - who are
among the Saudis' closest allies - failing to intervene strongly to stop these
executions from going ahead."
(source: BNO News)
INDONESIA:
Couple face death penalty for drug trafficking
A drug-trafficking couple are facing the death penalty after they were caught
with RM15,000 worth of cannabis shortly after checking into a hotel with their
2 children.
District police chief ACP Roslan Bek Ahmad said police conducted a raid at a
hotel in Jalan Simpang Tiga around 2pm on Monday following a tip-off about
possible drug trafficking activities taking place in a room there.
Personnel from the district Narcotics Crime Investigation Department were
greeted at the hotel room door by a male, who was immediately detained along
with a female and two children in the room with him.
Following an inspection of the room, police found roughly 6.24 grams of
suspected cannabis hidden inside a cigarette packet, and a further 746.8 grams
of suspected cannabis wrapped in a package that was hidden inside a bag.
Police also seized a scale from the room along with a modified bottle believed
to be used to smoke the cannabis.
"Initial investigation revealed that the 31-year-old male from Kampung Tabuan
Tengah is married to the 32-year-old female suspect.
"The 9-year-old girl in the room was found to be the couple's daughter, while
the 12-year-old boy with them was found to be the woman's child with her
previous husband," Roslan said in a statement to the media yesterday.
The arrest and subsequent interrogation of the couple led police to a house at
Merryland Estate in Matang later the same afternoon where they arrested a
33-year-old finance company clerk after he was found with roughly 272.45 grams
of suspected cannabis hidden in his bedroom.
Roslan went on to reveal that the 3 adult suspects have already been remanded
for 7 days for trafficking drugs under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act
1952, which carries the mandatory death penalty upon conviction.
The 2 children, meanwhile, have been placed in the care of the girl's paternal
grandfather.
(source: theborneopost.com)
_______________________________________________
A service courtesy of Washburn University School of Law www.washburnlaw.edu
DeathPenalty mailing list
DeathPenalty@lists.washlaw.edu
http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/listinfo/deathpenalty
Unsubscribe: http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/options/deathpenalty
