March 17
TANZANIA:
19 Face Death Penalty Over Albino Killings in Tanzania
19 people have been sentenced to death after being convicted of killing
albinos, the Tanzanian government has confirmed.
Home Affairs Deputy Minister, Hamad Yusuf Masauni told Anadolu Agency on
Saturday that the convicted are among 133 people arrested and charged with
killing people with albinism from 2006 to 2015.
"Other albino attacks and killings cases are in different stages in different
courts countrywide," the minister said in a telephone interview from Dodoma,
Tanzania's administrative capital.
Masauni said at least 75 people with albinism have been killed in Tanzania
since 2006, while more than 100 people have been attacked and mutilated.
Such attacks are due in large part to widespread superstition in East Africa
that body parts of people with albinism carry magical powers that witch doctors
claim to harness, or other beliefs that view albinos as cursed or causing bad
luck.
Commenting on the plea from people with albinism asking the government to
implement death penalties for those convicted of the killings, the minister
said the government is keen on exercising the court's ruling.
"Death penalties have long procedures and processes to be followed before
implementation. Once we are done with the process, those found guilty will be
executed," Masauni said.
Last year, the government formed a tripartite committee involving government
officials, people with albinism, witch doctors who are believed to have a hand
on albino killings and other stakeholders, as a strategy to combat attacks and
killings of people with albinism.
The Tanzanian government has also targeted witch doctors, arresting more than
200 of them in different parts of the country, as part of the fight against
albino killings.
The government, civil society and various groups including those with albinism
have also joined hands to prevent attacks through special concerts, radio and
TV programs in both public and privately owned media outlets.
Apart from Tanzania, albino attacks and killings have also been reported in
other East African countries, including Burundi and Kenya.
(source: The Citizen)
INDIA:
German Bakery blast: Baig's death sentence commuted to life term
The Bombay High Court on Thursday commuted, to a life term, the death sentence
to Mirza Himayat Baig after his conviction for the February 13, 2010 Pune
German Bakery blast which killed 17 people, including foreigners, his lawyer
said.
"Baig has been totally absolved of all charges including conspiracy, murder,
attempt to murder and other serious charges pertaining to the German Bakery
blast," said his lawyer Abdul Rehman.
"He has only been convicted under the Explosives Act and given a life sentence.
This is the first step only - we plan to appeal this and we are confident he
will come clear from this too," he added.
Around 7 p.m. on the day, a powerful blast ripped through the popular eatery
near the Osho Ashram in the fashionable Koregaon Park area and much frequented
by the young crowd. Among the 17 killed were an Italian woman, an Iranian and 2
Sudanese students. Another 60 patrons were injured in the blast, including 12
foreigners while the eatery subsequently reopened briefly and shut down.
A Pune sessions court had in April 18, 2013 awarded the death penalty to the
sole accused, Indian Mujahiddeen operative Baig, against which he had appealed
before the Bombay High Court.
(source: sify.com)
****************
India police arrest father-in-law over 'honor killing'
The father-in-law of a lower-caste student brutally hacked to death in a
suspected " honor killing" in India has been arrested, police said on Tuesday.
3 men armed with sickles and sharp weapons attacked the 22-year-old student
from the lowest Dalit caste and his wife on a crowded street in the southern
state of Tamil Nadu on Sunday, killing him and seriously injuring her.
The woman's father and uncle were among 5 people arrested over the assault,
which was apparently motivated by her decision to marry outside her own caste,
police said.
"We have arrested 5 accused and are looking for 5 more," A. Dhavamani, an
investigating officer, said.
"3 of them were involved in the attack, including the woman's uncle," he said,
adding that the others have confessed to conspiracy to kill the victim.
The Press Trust of India news agency said the woman's mother was also among
those arrested, although this could not immediately be confirmed.
Her father surrendered to police late on Monday and was formally arrested.
Police said the 19-year-old woman married the Dalit engineering student 8
months ago in defiance of her family, who are from the higher Thevar caste.
Marriage outside caste or religion still attracts strong censure in parts of
India and can even lead to so-called honor killings, carried out to protect
family pride.
Dalits, formerly known as untouchables, are a historically marginalized
community who have faced centuries of discrimination in India.
The couple had reportedly faced threats from her family before Sunday's attack
that was captured on CCTV, footage from which showed 3 men on a motorbike stop
and attack them as they walked along a crowded street.
There are no India-specific figures on honor killings available, but United
Nations statistics say 1,000 out of the 5,000 such killings every year are in
India.
India's Supreme Court ruled in 2011 that those involved in honor killings
should face the death penalty.
(source: Saudi Gazette)
SAUDI ARABIA----execution
Saudi beheads 73rd person this year
Saudi Arabia has beheaded one of its citizens after sentencing him to death for
murder, bringing to 73 the number of such executions in the kingdom since the
start of the year.
The convicted man, identified as Omar al-Rabie, was beheaded on Wednesday, the
Saudi Interior Ministry said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press
Agency.
The ministry added that al-Rabie was found guilty of shooting to death his
fellow Saudi citizen Ghanem Salem in a dispute.
According to AFP tallies, the latest execution brings to 73 the number of
locals and foreigners put to death this year.
In the most stunning case, Saudi Arabia executed on January 2 Sheikh Nimr
al-Nimr along with 46 other people in defiance of international calls for the
release of the prominent Shia cleric and other jailed political dissidents in
the kingdom.
Saudi Arabia carried out 153 executions, including 71 foreign nationals, in
2015. This number of executions in terms of annual basis in Saudi Arabia has
been unseen since 1995.
Under the Saudi law, apostasy, armed robbery, drug trafficking, rape and murder
carry the death penalty. Beheading with a sword is the most common form of
execution in Saudi Arabia.
Riyadh has been under fire for having one of the world's highest execution
rates.
The New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on the Saudi regime to
abolish its "ghastly" beheadings.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International has recently called on the United Nations
Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for its gross
human rights violations.
In a statement to the 31st meeting of UNHRC, the rights group said that the
kingdom has breached international humanitarian laws on numerous occasions.
(source: albawaba.com)
************
KSA takes pride in applying Sharia Law
The delegate of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) to the United Nations
Ambassador Faisal Trad stressed the fundamentals of the kingdom as being proud
in applying the provisions of the tolerant Islamic Sharia which ensures
justice, rights and duties for all equally without any discrimination.
He added that the best proof of that is the level of growth, prosperity and
progress experienced by the kingdom and the Saudi society of all sects and
individuals of both sexes compared with many countries of the world.
Ambassador Trad made the remarks as he delivered the kingdom's reply to what
was stated by a number of European countries especially Germany, Iceland and
Ireland on human rights in the kingdom before the Human Rights Council held in
Geneva.
He said that the provisions of Islamic law, Saudi applicable regulations and
the kingdom's international obligations ensure non-violation of the right of
any human being and therefore any penalty applied to anyone in the kingdom is
the result of his acts and an offense that is punishable by law and that levels
of litigation are met and all guarantees are provided for a fair, open and
transparent trial that is open to the public, including representatives of the
missions of the above mentioned countries.
Trad said that not under any circumstances, privileges or immunities can be
granted to a class of people without others under any name or any capacity. All
are equal before the judiciary, he stated.
He indicated that the death penalty is provided for by the laws of the kingdom
and that there are dozens of countries around the world that still apply the
death penalty for the most serious crimes, such as terrorism and drug
trafficking.
He stressed the strong rejection of the kingdom for any statement by any
country against the independent and fair judiciary in the Kingdom and its
demand for everyone to respect the judiciary and its rulings, and not interfere
with it in any way. He also demanded that these countries verify their sources
of information before directing any criticism against the kingdom where there
is no respect for the cultural and religious special nature of a country that
represents the heart of the Islamic world, and asked them to refrain from
double standards and trying to exploit the Human Rights Council for political
purposes or to accomplish electoral achievements and to address real human
rights violations without any political, cultural or ideological motives.
(source: Saudi Press Agency)
SRI LANKA:
Sri Lankan gets death for rape, murder of 5-year-old girl
Several suspects were rounded up. The father of the child, who was also under
suspicion, volunteered to undergo DNA test to clear his name.
A Sri Lankan court on Tuesday sentenced a man to death for rape and murder of a
5-year old girl in September last year.
Saman Jayalth, a 36 year old man was found guilty after the DNA test. He later
confessed to the crime. He was charged on 4 counts including abduction, abuse,
rape and murder.
5-year-old Seya Sadewmi went missing from her home after she went to sleep on
September 11. Her body was found a day after near the village stream by her
small home. Forensic reports later showed that the child was tortured and raped
before being strangled to death.
Several suspects were rounded up. The father of the child, who was also under
suspicion, volunteered to undergo DNA test to clear his name.
According to a Unicef report, everyday 3 to 5 children are raped in the
country. The horrific rape and murder of Seya triggered rights groups'
campaigns to invoke death penalty.
Although Lankan courts hands out death sentences for crimes, the state has not
carried out any executions since 1976. Instead the death sentences have been
commuted to life imprisonment.
Soon after the murder of Seya, then newly elect President Maithripala Sirisena
promised to re-introduce the death penalty. According to the commissioner
general of prisons, Rohana Pushpakumara, there are 1,115 prisoners on death row
in Lankan prisons.
(source: Khaleej Times)
BANGLADESH:
Nizami tells son, lawyers to 'seek review' against his death penalty
Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami will seek a review of the death
sentence awarded to him for crimes against humanity during Bangladesh's
Liberation War, his lawyer says.
His son Barrister Nazib Momen and 2 lawyers were at Kashimpur's Dhaka Central
Jail-2 at noon on Wednesday.
Nizami, who headed vigilante militia Al-Badr in 1971, appeared 'worried' during
their meeting, Jail Superintendent Prashanta Kumar Banik told bdnews24.com.
His lawyer Motiur Rahman Akhand said, "He (Nizami) was not present during the
incidents for which he has been sentenced to death. He said he will plead for a
review to get justice."
The International Crimes Tribunal issued a death warrant for Nizami on Tuesday
night hours after a full copy of his appeal verdict was released by the Supreme
Court.
The warrant wrapped in red cloth was read out to him after it reached Kashimpur
prison.
Nizami's lawyer Akhand said the defence would file a plea within the 15-day
deadline. The sentence cannot be executed unless the review plea is resolved.
The convict then may seek a presidential pardon if the plea is turned down.
The tribunal on Oct 29, 2014, ordered Nizami to be hanged for murder, rape, and
the killing of intellectuals.
The Supreme Court, after hearing his appeal later, upheld the maximum penalty
for the Jamaat chief.
An influential minister in the BNP-Jamaat coalition government of 2001-6, he
carries another death sentence for his role in the 10-truck arms haul case in
Chittagong.
Born on Mar 31, 1943, in Monmothpur of Pabna's Sathia Upazila, Nizami had
earlier headed Islami Chhatra Sangha, Jamaat's student front before it was
renamed to become Islami Chhatra Shibir.
The Jamaat-e-Islami had actively opposed the secession from Pakistan and formed
militias to collaborate with the invading forces of the Pakistani Army in 1971.
Nizami was chief of the Al-Badr, a militia made up of members of the so-called
Peace Committee and Islami Chhatra Sangha.
Al-Badr gained notoriety for executing prominent pro-liberation members of the
Bengali intelligentsia ranging from doctors, journalists and teachers to
writers and composers on Dec 14, just days before Bangladesh secured victory by
defeating West Pakistan's forces.
(source: bdnews24.com)
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