Jan. 31
PAKISTAN:
It's been 2 years since an Edinburgh businessman was sentenced to death in
Pakistan ---- The family of Mohammad Asghar, who is mentally ill and becoming
more frail in bad prison conditions, want him brought back to Scotland.
The family of a pensioner condemned to hang in Pakistan have told how they fear
he's become a forgotten prisoner 2 years after being sent to death row.
Languishing in a secure Pakistan hospital, sentenced to death for blasphemy,
Edinburgh businessman Mohammad Asghar can no longer read the newspapers that
used to keep him occupied.
Cataracts have robbed the 71-year-old of his vision, removing one of the last
remaining links to the outside world from which he was removed 6 years ago.
Mentally ill, frail and alone, the grandfather is confined to one windowless
room except for the half an hour each day when he's allowed to walk in the
corridor outside.
He has suffered with vitamin D deficiency through lack of exposure to sunlight
and muscles in his legs have wasted through lack of exercise.
At home in Scotland, his heartbroken daughter Jasmine Rana is renewing her call
to the governments of Britain and Pakistan to finally allow her father to come
home.
The mum-of-4 said: "I honestly thought that the Government would take action
and get him back.
"David Cameron said he would intervene. The Foreign Office send me emails on
how he is, with messages from him. He always tells us not to worry, just to get
on with our lives. But that???s him trying to protect us.
"We are still no further forward in getting dad back where he belongs.
"I'm terrified for him. I can't sleep, I wake up crying. My children forget
what he looks like. 2 of his brothers have died since he's been in jail.
Someone has to help him now."
Mohammad, who ran several grocery shops in Edinburgh, was diagnosed with
paranoid schizophrenia.
The father-of-5 had suffered seizures and depression since having a stroke.
In 2010, he left Edinburgh for Pakistan - where he owned property - shortly
after being discharged from hospital, where he had been sectioned under the
Mental Health Act. Within weeks, he had been arrested in Punjab, accused of
writing letters in which he claimed to be the prophet.
In January 2014, he was sentenced to hang, despite his legal team insisting he
was too sick even to stand trial.
Blasphemy is such a highly charged crime in Pakistan that he is constantly at
risk of vigilante attacks. He was only moved to hospital from jail after being
shot in the back by a prison guard who was supposed to be protecting him.
Human rights group Reprieve lobbied the British government for Mohammad's
release and a 70,000- signature petition was delivered to Downing Street in
October 2014.
In 2014, Jasmine took a petition to Downing Street.
But despite assurances of top-level intervention, he has remained locked up far
from home.
Jasmine said: "Now he's on his own, apart from the guards and the doctors who
are allowed in to treat him.
"We had to argue for him to get a radio and, even then, he's only allowed
certain stations.
"I send pictures of my children so he can see how they're growing. But I can't
explain how terrible it feels. Whenever I'm ill, I find myself thinking it's
nothing to how bad things must be for him."
In December 2014, Pakistan lifted a 7-year moratorium on the death penalty.
Amnesty International say 300 people have been executed since then.
Jasmine added: "Every time I hear someone has been executed, I can't bear it. I
would love to go out and see him but I'm told it's not safe for me.
"I would plead with anyone who will listen - please let him come home."
The family's lawyer, Aamer Anwar, said they had been told not to speak about
the ordeal for fear of jeopardising their father's case.
But they've become deeply frustrated by the government's failure to act.
He said: "The Prime Minister said he was taking this case seriously but, 2
years on, the Asghars are no longer willing to wait for the call telling them
their father is dead because of illness, a hangman's noose or a fanatic's
bullet."
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office insist Mohammad's case remains a high
priority.
They said: "We continue to raise it at senior levels in Pakistan to ensure he
is receiving the best possible support."
(source: dailyrecord.co.uk)
INDONESIA----female may face death penalty
Jessica Charged With Premeditated Murder, Could Face Death
Police in Jakarta have charged Jessica Kumala Wongso, a suspect in the
high-profile murder of her friend, Wayan Mirna Salihin, with premeditated
murder, which means she could face the death penalty, an official said on
Saturday.
The 27-year-old was named a suspect at 11 p.m. on Friday, and investigators
subsequently arrested her at 7.30 a.m. the next day at Hotel Neo, Mangga Dua
Square, Central Jakarta.
"She has been charged with Article 340 of the Criminal Code on premeditated
murder," said Sr. Comr. Krishna Murti, general crimes director of the Jakarta
Police.
The article carries a minimum jail sentence of 20 years and a maximum penalty
of life in prison or death.
"[As this is a case] with a sentence [prospect] of more than 5 years, we could
detain her," Krishna said. "We have 24 hours to question her before deciding
[whether to extend] the detention."
Jessica was brought in to the Jakarta Police headquarters at 10. p.m. for
questioning, but as of 4 p.m., investigators were still waiting for the arrival
of her legal defense team.
"If her lawyers don't show up, the state will provide her with legal
assistance," Krishna said.
Contacted separately, one of Jessica's lawyers, Andi Yoesoef, said that his
team would accompany her, but he also called Saturday's arrest deplorable,
claiming his team was not informed of it beforehand.
"It is the right of police, but at the very least, they should have provided
prior notice," he said.
"Yudi will attend today's questioning," Andi said, referring to another lawyer
for Jessica, Yudi Wibowo Sukinto.
Jessica has been at the center of police investigations into Mirna's case in
recent weeks.
Mirna, also 27, suffered convulsions on Jan. 6 at Olivier cafe in Grand
Indonesia shopping mall shortly after taking a sip of her Vietnamese iced
coffee. She was then taken to a nearby hospital, where she died.
Lab tests confirmed there were traces of highly toxic cyanide inside her
stomach, as well as in the drink she consumed.
Police said the drink was ordered by Jessica, who arrived at the cafe almost an
hour earlier.
Investigators have questioned Jessica as a witness at least five times and
searched her home, while at the request of police, the immigration office had
also imposed a travel ban.
(source: Jakarta Globe)
IRAQ----executions
ISIS Executes 18 Civilians in Mosul, Iraq
The ISIS has recently executed a number of civilians across its territories in
Northern Iraq, including a young Kurdish man in Mosul for allegedly cooperating
with Kurdish Peshmerga forces against the terrorist group.
ISIS militants executed a 17-years-old Kurdish man in a military base in their
Northern Iraqi stronghold of Mosul.
Sources revealed that the victim was from the predominantly Shabak village of
Bajrbog near Bashiq district, and he was abducted by ISIS some 20 days ago.
Since the northern province of Nineveh has fallen into the hands of ISIS in
June 2014, the extremist group is conducting mass killings and arbitrary
punishments against locals to spread fear in the area and, as a result, leave
the civilians with no choice but obedience.
Elsewhere in Salahaddin province, nearly 17 youths received the death penalty
by ISIS as they had killed an ISIS member, raised an Iraqi flag on a
telecommunication tower in Shirqat district and cooperated with the Iraqi
government against ISIS.
Local sources told to the Iraqi media that the insurgents hung the corpses from
lamp posts after the executions.
(source: AhlulBayt News Agency)
CHINA:
China Sentences 2 Men to Death in Slaying of Tibetan Monk
A Chinese court sentenced two men to death in the 2013 killing of Akong
Rinpoche, a well-known religious figure who founded the 1st Tibetan Buddhist
monastery in the West and built an international network of spiritual retreats.
Thubten Kunsal, a Tibetan man who had worked at Akong's monastery in the United
Kingdom as an artist for 9 years, fatally stabbed Akong, his nephew and his
driver after confronting him at his home in the city of Chengdu over $415,000
in wages he believed he was owed, according to a statement Sunday by the
Chengdu People's Intermediate Court.
Thubten and another man, Ciren Banyue, were given the death penalty while a 3rd
man was sentenced to 3 years' prison for hiding daggers used in the killings.
Thubten and Ciren said they planned to appeal, according to the court
statement.
Akong's monastery Kagyu Samye Ling, which is based in southwest Scotland with
branches in Europe and Africa, has denied it owed Thubten pay. It did not
immediately have comment on the sentences.
Born in 1939, Akong was recognized at age 2 by a search party as a lama
incarnate and entered the Dolma Lhakhang monastery before fleeing to India as
Chinese forces moved in to stamp out the 1959 Tibetan uprising. He moved to
Britain several years later, studied at Oxford University and founded his
Buddhist center in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, in 1967.
The monk, who became a British citizen, maintained friendly relations with the
Chinese government and frequently visited the country to look after charity
projects. Akong was on a fundraising trip when he was stabbed.
(source: Associated Press)
INDIA:
Court holds 2 guilty of Yug Chandak's brutal killing
A year after trial commenced in the sensational kidnap and murder case of
8-year-old Yug Chandak, the sessions court here found both accused - Rajesh
Dhanalal Daware (19) and his friend Arvind Abhilash Singh (23) - guilty of
diabolic killing on Saturday.
The perpetrators, both BCom first year students of from PWS College, Kamptee
Road, were convicted under Sections 302 (murder), 364A (kidnapping for ransom),
201 (destruction of evidence), and 120-B (criminal conspiracy). Principal judge
KK Sonawane will pronounce the full verdict on February 3 after hearing
arguments from both sides on quantum of punishment. Daware's 17-year-old
younger brother, who assisted accused in conspiracy, was already referred to
Juvenile Remand Home. About 26 injuries, including those on the neck, were
found on the Yug's body.
None of the 50 witness examined by the prosecution turned hostile, which is
perhaps rare in such high-profile murder cases, as per additional public
prosecutor Jyoti Vajani, Chandak family's counsel Rajendra Daga and
investigation officer (IO) from Lakadganj Police Station Satyanarayan Jaiswal.
According to them, they brought to fore as many as 20 circumstances to prove
complicity of the accused in the crime.
With a view to extract revenge from Dr Mukesh Chandak for what Daware claimed
as humiliation meted out to him by the doctor and extract ransom, Daware
hatched the conspiracy to kidnap and kill Yug, a second standard student of
Centre Point School, Wardhaman Nagar branch. The duo executed their plan and
brutally killed the child by strangulating him on September 1, 2014.
They later buried his body in sand under pipes near a culvert on the desolate
Gumthi-Gumthala Road near Patansawangi village, 27 kms from Nagpur.
The duo had planned their escape after receiving money, but were arrested on
the next day after Chandak family raised suspicion on Daware. During intense
interrogation, both the accused confessed to killing the boy and led the
investigators to the spot where they had buried the child's body.
The incident shook the conscience of Nagpurians and most joined hands to
condole Yug's death. Candle marches were taken out in support of the Chandak
family and demanded death for the perpetrators of innocent child's killing.
The court relied on a number of factors apart from strong testimony of 50
witnesses to nail the culprits. It included CCTV footage at a petrol pump where
the accused filled up their bike's tank after kidnapping the child, last seen
theory of many witnesses, recovery of child's clothes from the spot shown by
accused and Yug's earring which was traced to Arvind Singh's home. Even the
call details records and more importantly, the testimony of Daware's
girlfriend, went against them.
2 school students from Patansawangi village, who saw the duo taking Yug on
their bikes, were also made witnesses by the prosecution after requesting their
parents.
According to police, Daware was familiar with the place where body was buried
as he often used to take his girlfriend to Adasa and take a break at the spot
while returning.
The prosecution lawyers had already cited three landmark Supreme Court verdicts
including that of Bacchan Singh of 1983, to press for death penalty to the
accused while terming the case as "rarest of rare" with no signs of reformation
of the 2 accused.
It was the second such diabolic killing in the city in three years after
another 8-year-old boy Kush Katariya was similarly killed by Ayush Pugalia on
October 11, 2011, to extracting Rs2 crore ransom from his parents. Fittingly,
he was awarded a rare double lifer by the court, which was enhanced to triple
lifer by the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court.
(source: The Times of India)
*****************
Rapist father awarded death penalty
A local court today awarded death penalty to 1 person on the charge of raping
and strangulating his minor daughter.
According to prosecution, Mehatlal Sanodiya (42) sexually assaulted and
strangled his 13-year-old daughter when she was alone on the night of January
25, 2013. His wife had gone to her maternal home with her younger daughter. On
the next day, the accused closed the door and went to farm. Police were
informed about the crime by neighbours.
Deputy Director (Prosecution) Narendra Singh Uike said as there were no
eyewitnesses in the case, Sessions Judge Devendra Singh delivered the verdict
on the basis of DNA test and other evidence.
(source: webindia123.com)
********************
No illusions about keeping hangman busy but anything else will hurt community
A city sessions court today handed death to 3 men found guilty of gang-raping
and murdering a college girl in Kamduni in 2013, rejecting the argument of
their lawyers that the crime didn't fall in the category of "rarest of rare".
Judge Sanchita Sarkar, who sentenced three others to imprisonment till death,
said if the rising trend of such crimes wasn't "nipped" in the bud, the
"poison" could spread like wildfire.
The sentences were handed down 2 days after the court had convicted Ansar Ali,
Amin Ali and Saiful Ali - the trio sentenced to death - along with Emanul
Islam, Bhola Naskar and Aminur Islam, jailed for life for gang-rape as their
role in the murder couldn't be proved.
The judge had acquitted 2 men, Rafikul Islam Gazi and Noor Ali. A ninth
accused, Gopal Naskar, died in custody last year.
The lawyers for Ansar, Amin and Saiful, the death-row trio, said they had
decided to move the high court. Should the 3 - they have the option of taking
the matter right up to the President if the high court and the Supreme Court
uphold the judgment - fail to get clemency, they would be the 1st to be hanged
in Calcutta since the August 14, 2004, execution of Dhananjoy Chatterjee.
Chatterjee had raped and murdered a schoolgirl, a crime that was deemed rarest
of rare.
In her judgment today, additional district and sessions judge Sanchita Sarkar
said a "strong message" needed to be sent.
"It is true that it cannot be predicated that a crime-free society will dawn if
the hangman is kept feverishly busy, but it is equally true that barbaric rapes
and murders have become the order of the day and inadequate punishment may lead
to the sufferings of the community at large," she said in her 113-page
judgment.
"I conclude by stating the obvious that a strong message needs to be sent to
the perpetrators of such a ghastly crime against women that such crimes shall
not be countenanced. I also feel that if the rising trend towards such crime is
not nipped in the bud and arrested at its inception the poison is likely to
spread like wildfire through the social order, rendering it hapless and
defunct," the judge added.
"To put the record straight, these persons have not been convicted only on
account of conspiracy but also for their overt acts. The offence of gang rape
in the instant case at hand compounded with murder has shocked the collective
conscience of the society at large."
On June 7, 2013, the 21-year-old second-year BA student was walking back to her
home in Kamduni, a North 24-Parganas village 50km from the city, after a
college exam when she was dragged into the caretaker's room of a compound with
a boundary wall and gang-raped repeatedly. She died during the assault. Her
body was found the next morning.
"The acts of the convicts were committed with a deliberate pre-planned design
to gain control over the victim. The antisocial or socially abhorrent nature of
the crime is reflected from the fact that the said crime was committed not for
personal reasons but to terrorise the people of the locality and to frighten
them," the judge noted.
There have been instances when a death sentence handed down by a lower court
has been changed by an upper court. Aftab Ansari and Jamiluddin Nasir - both
sentenced to death for their role in the 2002 attack on Calcutta's American
Centre - escaped the gallows after the Supreme Court commuted their sentences.
The top court ruled that Ansari would remain in jail throughout his life while
Nasirwould have to serve a minimum of 30 years.
Last year alone, Calcutta High Court sources said, 21 verdicts of capital
punishment were converted to life imprisonment.
This morning, the judge first heard the arguments of the defence counsel and
the prosecution before she gave the convicts a chance to appeal individually.
Senior lawyers said the practice of a judge hearing out the convicts one last
time before handing down the verdict, when they face death penalty or life
imprisonment, was common.
Ansar's counsel Firoz Edulji argued that the crime didn't fall in the category
of "rarest of the rare" and underscored the importance of the court to assess
how harmful the convicts could be to society if they are released.
Then public prosecutor Dipak Ranjan Ghosh said the crime was "heinous" and
"brutal", before going on to describe how the victim's body had been subjected
to "grievous, fatal injury".
"Consider this. Saiful Ali, while giving his statement under Section 164,
aggressively and enthusiastically re-enacted how the rape and murder was
committed. I have not seen anything like this in my 33 years (in the
profession). If that does not make it rarest of the rare, I do not know what
does," Ghosh submitted.
In an apparent endorsement of Ghosh's argument, the judge noted: "Exemplary
punishment is, therefore, the need of the hour, for if this is not (among) the
rarest of rare crimes, there is likely to be none."
None of the 6 convicts betrayed any emotion as the judge pronounced the
verdict. Ansar, who beckoned 1 of his lawyers, asked him to "get a copy of the
judgment quickly".
The ruling establishment claimed the judgment was a "victory". Urban
development minister Firhad Hakim, who had joined his party's chorus in the
past to ridicule a section of Kamduni residents for their campaign for justice,
said: "We are happy with the judgment. The administration performed its duty by
arresting the culprits and bringing them to justice."
The family of the victim, according to her elder brother, said they would move
the high court against the acquittal of Rafikul and Noor. "We will figure out
our course of action after meeting chief minister Mamata Banerjee," he said
while leaving the court premises.
(source: The Calcutta Telegraph)
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