March 30
PAKISTAN:
Muslim mob demands death penalty for blasphemy
This report from Al-Jazeera is clear as a bell as to what millions of Muslims
in Pakistan want: Death to blasphemers of Islam.
Note what the Islamic religious leader interviewed made clear.
No one who will not support killing those who criticize Islam or its iconic
figures can live without fear of being killed, even by their own guards or
state security.
That they want the man who murdered the state governor who acted on behalf of a
Christian woman to at least commute her death sentence for blasphemy, be
declared a national hero. The killer of the Governor was hanged by Pakistan on
February 29th this year.
They want the woman to be re-arrested and executed. Not retried, but executed
after arrest.
(No due process for those accused of blasphemy of Islam, and certainly not for
Christians.)
All people currently in jail for blasphemy of Islam charges to be executed.
"People from within your ranks will kill you. Your bodyguard will kill you.Your
servants will kill you..."
And this is how sharia works. Not by legislation, but by terror, intimidation,
murder and subversion of the process of law and order.
(source: therebel.media)
INDIA:
Mumbai blast verdict: Muzammil, Nachan plead for leniency
A day after a special court convicted 10 out of 13 on trial but only 1 Muzammil
Ansari for an active role in the conspiracy for causing 3 blasts between
December 2002 and March 2003 at Mumbai Central, Vile Parle and Mulund, he and
all the others on Wednesday pleaded for leniency on the quantum of sentence,
which the court has to now decide.
The court had held four others guilty for abetting the blasts conspiracy and
acts of terror, three only for terrorist act by virtue of possessing
unauthorised weapons in prohibited areas under Prevention of Terrorism Act
(Pota) and also under Arms Act while holding 3 others guilty only for arms
possession as a lesser offence under the Arms Act and completely acquitted 3
others of all charges. Between all 13, the court had framed 166 charges, most
against Muzzammil. He had 43 charges framed against him for offences under
various for having caused all the three blasts, as a planter. There were 29
charges common to almost all for having conspired in May 2001, prepared and
committed terrorist acts "with an intention to threaten the unity, integrity
and sovereignity of Indi and strike terror'' among people, by eventually
executing the blasts, that killed 12 persons and left over 130 injured, most
with hearing losses.
Saquib Nachan, a 56 year old resident of Borivli Village, Padgah in Thane
district near Mumbai, was the first to start and most articulate. He along with
Ateef Mulla and Haseeb Mulla was held guilty of possession of arms under Pota
and Arms Act, attracting maximum life sentence. But he deftly pointed out to an
attentive special judge P R Deshmukh that the law allows the court a "power to
impose even a sentence of a few hours or a day, or even just fine and no
imprisonment, as it sets no minimum term''. The reason he said was because the
earlier, repealed anti terror act of Terrorist and Disruptive Activities
(Prevention) Act (Tada) had a similar but a draconian provision that laid down
a minimum 5 year sentence, which was misused by authorities. He started at
12.30 pm and said "I had myself surrendered on April 10, 2003 pursuant to
moving the Bombay high court. I also sought a CBI probe. Which foolish accused
would seek a CBI probe against himself?'' "I have completed 7 years 9 months in
jail in this case before getting bail in 2011. My father, a well regarded man
had asked me to surrender after asking me if I had done anything wrong. I said
I Hadnt. He had immense faith in the judiciary. He died last month. My sons
were called sons of a terrorist. My daughter was one year old when I was
arrested, my sons in school. Now I am a grandfather.''
"My father was a prominent leader not only among Muslims but for all the
communities in Padgah. He ran institutions for uplifting the people. But the
terror tag caused his prominence to suffer too." Nachan also said that his
sons' education took a hit. "The emotional loss is irreversible."
Nachan said, "I have not been found guilty of any other charge including the
charge of causing terror, for which I am grateful to this court. I advised
other accused to view this judgment in positive angle.'' Ateef Mulla, a fair 40
year old MBA from Padgah spoke next. He spoke softly of how he has "no criminal
antecedants'' and never once violated any of the strict bail conditions in the
last ten years after being released in 2005, the first to be given bail in this
case. But even the judge's voice softened later when Ateef spoke of how his
"youngest, 2 year old son is suffering from a Beta Thallesemia syndrome and
underwent a bone marrow transplant in a Pune hospital which has cautioned
extreme care for years as his life could be at risk.'' "I have to take my son
to hospital every 15 days. My father too is a cancer survivor who the doctors
had given up on.'' His father, Nasir Mulla who has been attending almost every
hearing, sat in court, listening, his brows furrowed.
The rest of the 10, followed, each speaking in low tones, pleading for minimum
possible sentence. Haseeb Mulla and most others said their family depend on
them, many had no jobs and the trial had cost their business and had no crime
record. Anwar Khan, held guilty only under Arms Act has already completed the
maximum sentence permissible in law. But he said he be awarded the minimum
sentence as he had lost his job at NDA, Pune as a Urdu teacher. He later said
that he has authored a book "learn Urdu in 30 days' while in jail in 2009 which
many educational institutions including the defence are now using, he said.
Farhaan Khot who face life sentence said, "I lost my father and now I have to
take care of my mother. I have a wife and three kids to also look after. My
financial condition is very weak. My family had suffered a lot. I seek the
minimum sentence.''
Muzammil Ansari, who faces maximum death penalty, was the last to go, post
lunch break. His voice, at a pitch where hearing was impossible two chairs
away, said he was a mechanical engineer and the ''charges against me are
false''. He expressed remorse and said "award me minimum sentence to what I
have undergone.'' He has been inside prison for 13 years. He also sought
"interim bail to spend time with family.'' He said his financial condition was
bad and he could not afford a lawyer for bail earlier. "But I have been good
inside jail, I helped other inmates write letters to the jail superintendent
about their health issues.'' He himself has suffered a health issue while in
custody after being "tortured by police while in custody.'' "It was my most
difficult period. I am the only earning member as my father a heart patient
cannot work now.''
(source: The Times of India)
BAHAMAS:
2 Guilty Of Killing Officer And Girlfriend
2 men who were unanimously convicted by a jury last night of their alleged
roles in the disappearances and murders of a Department of Immigration officer
and his girlfriend in Andros could be sentenced to death upon their return to
the Supreme Court for sentencing.
After more than 6 hours of deliberation, which included the 12-member panel's
return to Justice Indra Charles' courtroom for additional directions on a
criminal joint enterprise, Zintworn Duncombe, 28, and James Johnson, 22, were
found guilty of murdering Shane Gardiner and his girlfriend Tishka Braynen. The
victims' decomposed bodies were found in Andros, some 266 feet apart, in
December 2013.
While the jury returned not guilty verdicts for alleged murder accomplices
Daniel Coakley, 28, and Cordero Saunders, 26, all 4 men were unanimously
convicted of double kidnapping, conspiracy to commit armed robbery and
attempted armed robbery.
Crown prosecutors Darnell Dorsett and Patrick Sweeting informed the judge that
the prosecution was seeking to have the death penalty imposed on Duncombe and
Johnson, which would require the production of a psychiatric report and social
inquiry report prior to sentencing scheduled for May 29.
Gardiner and Braynen were allegedly killed after a failed plot to take $8,000
in gambling winnings from the immigration officer. Braynen, of Cargill Creek,
and Gardiner, who lived in Love Hill, both in Central Andros, were reported
missing around 1.45pm on November 24, 2013. Gardiner had recently been assigned
to the island.
On December 21, 2013, police in Andros discovered the remains of a man with
"items related to a female".
Duncombe, Saunders, Johnson and Coakley, who all denied the allegations, were
respectively represented by lawyers Ian Cargill, Moses Bain, Donna Major and
Terrel Butler.
(source: tribune242.com)
SAUDI ARABIA----executions
Saudi executes 2 citizens for murder
Saudi Arabia executed 2 citizens convicted of murder on Wednesday, raising to
81 the number of death sentences carried out in the ultra-conservative kingdom
this year.
Dhafer and Hussein al-Mutliq were found guilty of killing fellow Saudis Azeb
and Mahdi al-Moamer in a dispute between the 2 families, the interior ministry
said.
They were both executed in Najran, in the south, a ministry statement carried
by the official SPA news agency said.
Most people put to death in Saudi Arabia are beheaded with a sword.
In 2015, Saudi Arabia executed 153 people, most of them for drug trafficking or
murder, according to an AFP count.
Saudi Arabia says 47 executed on terror charges, including top Shia cleric
Human rights group Amnesty International says the number of executions in Saudi
Arabia last year was the highest for 2 decades.
The kingdom is one of the world's top executioners, although its tally in 2015
was far behind those of China and Iran.
Saudi Arabia has a strict Islamic legal code under which murder, drug
trafficking, armed robbery, rape and apostasy are all punishable by death.
(source: Agence France-Presse)
BELARUS:
Statement by the Spokesperson on the confirmation of a death sentence in
Belarus
"The Supreme Court of Belarus on 29 March confirmed the death sentence against
Ivan Kulesh, which had already been handed down by the Hrodna Regional Court in
November 2015.
Mr Kulesh is guilty of serious crimes and we reiterate our deepest sympathy to
the family and friends of the victims of these crimes.
Despite the seriousness of the acts, the European Union opposes capital
punishment in all cases. It has proved to fail as a deterrent and it represents
an unacceptable denial of human dignity and integrity.
We urge Belarus, the only country in Europe which still applies capital
punishment, to respect the right to life of each one of its citizens and to
join a global moratorium on the death penalty as a first step towards its
abolition."
(source: eeas.europa.eu)
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