Feb. 21
UNITED KINGDOM/ETHIOPIA:
UK Trains Ethiopian Security Forces, as MPs Call for Action on Death-Row Dad
The UK Government is training senior members of Ethiopia's security sector,
despite the illegal detention of a British father on the country's death row.
The news comes as 53 MPs and peers call on the Foreign Office to secure Andy
Tsege's return from unlawful detention.
A freedom of information request by international human rights organisation
Reprieve has shown that senior members of Ethiopia's police, military, justice
ministry and diplomatic corps are studying for an MSc in Security Sector
Management, as part of a UK-aid funded program.
The revelations come amid growing concerns for British father of 3 Andy Tsege,
who is on death row in Ethiopia.
53 MPs and peers from across the political spectrum have written to the Foreign
Office to request that ministers "make representations - privately or publicly
- for Mr Tsege's release." The politicians, representing the Conservatives,
Labour, SNP, Lib Dems, Greens and SDLP, criticise what they say is a set of
"limited demands" that the government has made to Ethiopia so far, in relation
to his case.
Mr Tsege has been imprisoned unlawfully in Ethiopia since 2014, when he was
kidnapped at an international airport and rendered to a secret Ethiopian
prison. Mr Tsege is a prominent critic of Ethiopia's ruling party, and his
ordeal is thought to be linked to a wider crackdown on dissent in the country.
In 2009, while Mr Tsege was living in London, an Ethiopian court handed him an
in absentia death sentence.
The Foreign Office has stopped short of requesting Mr Tsege's return to the UK,
instead focusing on a regular consular and legal access for him. However, the
Ethiopian authorities have only agreed to sporadic consular access, while Mr
Tsege has been prevented from contacting a lawyer. Ethiopian officials have
said Mr Tsege faces no prospect of appealing his death sentence.
In 2014, the Department for International Development told Reprieve that it had
cancelled a similar MSc programme because of "concerns about risk and value for
money". However, the programme was restarted several months later under the 1bn
pounds Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), with the oversight of the
Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defence.
This month, a Parliamentary committee on the National Security Strategy issued
a report that heavily criticised the government's use of the CSSF, saying the
Fund was dogged by a "fundamental lack of transparency". They also warned that
CSSF projects carried a risk of UK complicity in abuses.
Ethiopian officials told the 'Ethiopian Reporter' newspaper in 2016 that "some
90% of the senior officials currently serving in Ethiopia's intelligence
institutions have completed their masters degree in the UK on subjects related
to security." They added: "The courses are fully financed by the UK
government."
Commenting, Harriet McCulloch, a deputy director at Reprieve, said:
"It's shameful that the UK is funding Ethiopia's security sector, when
Ethiopian forces are holding a British dad illegally on death row. MPs are
right to express serious concern over the government's approach. Boris Johnson
must explain why his department is training Ethiopian security officials, but
refusing to negotiate Andy Tsege's return home to Britain."
Reprieve is a UK-based human rights organization that uses the law to enforce
the human rights of prisoners, from death row to Guantanamo Bay.
(source: commondreams.org)
IRAN----executions
2 brothers executed on drug related charges
Reports have surfaced about 2 brothers who were hanged in Ilam (western Iran)
last month on drug related charges, but Iranian official sources have been
completely silent about their executions.
Iran Human Rights has received confirmed reports about the execution of 2
prisoners at Ilam Prison on Thursday January 5. The prisoners have been
identified as Hossein Salehi and Isaac Salehi, brothers sentenced to death on
drug related charges.
Iranian official sources, including the Judiciary and the media, have not
announced these 2 executions.
"Hossein and Isaac were arrested in Ilam in 2014 and were sentenced to death by
the revolutionary court in that city," a close source tells Iran Human Rights.
***************
9 Prisoners Hanged on Drug Charges
9 prisoners have reportedly been hanged in Iran on drug related charges.
2 Prisoners Executed in Dizel Abad (Kermanshah province, western Iran)
According to close sources, 2 prisoners were hanged on drug related charges on
Saturday February 18 at Dizsel Abad Prison. The prisoners have been identified
as Mohammad Karim Azizpanah, 43 years of age, sentenced to death on the charge
of trafficking three kilograms and 350 grams of crystal meth, and Hamid Reza
Reybaz, 35 years of age, sentenced to death on the charge of trafficking 2
kilograms of crystal meth and 200 grams of crack.
"Mohammad Karim is father to two sons. The drugs were in no way his. He was a
driver who was driving a passenger to Kermashah when he was arrested and never
returned," a family member of Mr. Azizpanah tells Iran Human Rights.
Prisoner Executed in Shiraz (Fars province, southern Iran)
According to the Baloch Activists Campaign, a prisoner was hanged at Shiraz
Prison on the morning of Tuesday February 20. The prisoner has been identified
as Ismael Hassanzehi, sentenced to death on drug related charges. The report
says that prison authorities had told Mr. Hassanzehi's family to travel from
Sistan & Baluchestan to Shiraz Prison in order to have their last visit with
him, but when they arrived, they were given Mr. Hassanzehi's dead body instead.
6 Prisoners Executed in Birjand (South Khorasan province, eastern Iran)
According to the Baloch Activists Campaign, 6 unidentified prisoners were
hanged at Birjand Prison on drug related charges. The exact dates of the
executions are not known, but it is reported that they were carried out in the
last few days.
Iranian Authorities Silent on Executions
Iranian official sources, including the media and the Judiciary, have not
announced these 9 executions.
(source for both: Iran Human Rights)
SAUDI ARABIA:
Saudi Arabia seeks death for suspect in Germans' shooting
Prosecutors in Saudi Arabia are seeking the death penalty for a suspect accused
of opening fire on German diplomats, a newspaper reported on Monday.
The 2 envoys escaped unharmed when bullets hit their car in the
Shiite-dominated Awamiya area 3 years ago, police said at the time.
Awamiya, on the Gulf Coast near Dammam, has been a centre of unrest among the
minority Shiite community since protests began there in 2011 and developed into
a call for equality.
A trial began on Sunday in Riyadh for the suspect, who was not named but could
face the death penalty, Okaz newspaper reported.
Almost a year after the shooting the interior ministry said it had arrested a
suspect, Salem bin Abdullah bin Hussein, who was wanted for a number of violent
crimes.
Okaz reported that the man on trial before a court specialising in "terrorist"
cases is accused of several offences.
These include attacking a diplomatic vehicle, attempting to kill police,
participating in demonstrations, inciting sedition and causing sectarian
strife, the newspaper said.
The Germans` car was hit by fire from an automatic weapon which caused the
vehicle to burn, it said.
Okaz said the accused asked the court for 1 month to prepare his defence.
German media reports after the shooting said the 2 Germans worked for their
country's BND foreign intelligence service, something Berlin`s foreign ministry
declined to comment directly on at the time.
Awamiya was the home of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, who was convicted of
terrorism and executed 1 year ago.
Nimr was a driving force behind protests by Shiite residents that began in 2011
and developed into a call for equality.
Most of Saudi Arabia's Shiites live in the east and have long complained of
marginalisation in the Sunni-dominated kingdom.
Data from activists late last year showed 25 Shiites were on death row
allegedly related to incidents since 2012 in Qatif, the Shiite-dominated area
that includes Awamiya.
(source: zeenews.com)
PHILIPPINES:
House leadership hit for railroading death penalty bill
Opposition lawmakers in the House of Representatives on Tuesday scored the
leadership's plan to railroad the death penalty bill by bypassing the plenary
debate and putting the bill to a vote next week.
In a press conference at the House of Representatives, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman
said a "train terminal has been installed menacingly in the plenary hall of the
House of Representatives" due to the planned railroad of House Bill 4727
seeking to restore the death penalty on Feb. 28.
Lagman said the leadership led by Majority Leader Rodolfo "Rudy" Farinas wanted
to railroad the bill following opposition from lawmakers who constantly
questioned the quorum during sessions in a bid to block the prompt passage of
the bill.
"The advance voting was a reaction to the quorum calls of those objecting to
the retrogressive measure," Lagman said.
Lagman said the Lower House could not act on passing the death penalty bill on
Feb. 28 if there is no quorum in the plenary.
"It is a puzzle why the House leadership gets peeved when the absence of a
quorum is raised considering that under the Rules no business can be conducted
in the absence of a quorum," Lagman said.
Lagman said moving to adjourn the session due to absence of a quorum is
permitted in the Rules of the House, under Article 75 of Rule XI as a
legitimate parliamentary motion.
"It is the duty of the House leadership to maintain a quorum after the roll
call is held in order to assure that the interpellations and debates would
continue," Lagman said.
Asked why the House leadership is rushing the passage of such a controversial
measure just less than a month after it reached the plenary for debates, Lagman
said the leadership is railroading the bill because it is not confident with
its numbers to pass it.
"If they are acting this way, they don't have the numbers," Lagman said.
Lagman scored the leadership for rushing the bill while muzzling the opposition
by putting a deadline for the plenary debates.
"They appear omnipotent. When we use the rules legitimately it's like they are
the ones peeved. I cannot understand why we should rush the voting on this very
important although retrogressive measure," Lagman said.
Lagman said this is the 1st time in Congress' history to stifle the brewing
opposition on any legislation in the House of Representatives.
"This kind of muzzling has not happened before. This is a way of continuing the
culture of violence because suppressing freedom of expression is a form of
violence," Lagman said.
For his part, Akbayan Rep. Tom Villarin said the leadership is railroading the
bill fearful that it would not be passed once President Rodrigo Duterte's
political capital erodes.
Duterte faces anew the issue of his involvement in death squads when he was
Davao city mayor as divulged by his former right-hand man SPO3 Arturo Lascanas,
who claimed Duterte ordered the death squad to kill criminals and his vocal
critics, including broadcaster Jun Pala.
"Maybe by the 2nd year of the Duterte presidency, his political capital would
go down. That is the only pragmatic and political reason on why they want to
rush this bill. Right to life cuts across sectors," Villarin said.
On Monday, Farinas said that the House majority agreed to limit the offenses
punishable with death to drug-related offenses, plunder and treason.
He said that mere possession of illegal drugs has been removed from the
drug-related offenses in the bill.
Accoding to the original version of the bill, the following are punishable with
death under the Revised Penal Code - treason, qualified piracy, qualified
bribery, parricide, murder, infanticide, rape, kidnapping and serious illegal
detention, robbery with homicide, rape, intentional mutilation or arson and
destructive arson.
The following offenses under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act are also
punishable with death - importation; sale, trading, administration,
dispensation, delivery, distribution and transportation; maintenance of a den,
dive or resort; manufacture; possession of certain quantities of dangerous
drugs; cultivation; unlawful prescription; misappropriation or failure to
account confiscated, seized or surrendered dangerous drugs; and planting of
evidence.
Carnapping is also a criminal offense punishable with death under the
Anti-Carnapping Act or Republic Act 6539.
Plunder is also punishable with reclusion perpetua to death according to
Republic Act 7080 or the plunder law as amended by Republic Act 7659.
Lawmakers initially wanted to remove plunder from death row, which garnered
public backlash compelling Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez to call for plunder as
punishable with the death penalty.
Meanwhile, the death penalty bill in the Senate hit a gridlock after senators
centered on the country's obligations to the United Nations International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which under the Second Optional
Protocol states that "Each State Party shall take all necessary measures to
abolish the death penalty within its jurisdiction."
********************
CBCP to take death penalty bill to SC
The Supreme Court is expected to be the next battleground for the proponents
and challengers of the death penalty should lawmakers succeed in railroading
the passage of the bill reviving the proposed punishment for heinous crimes.
This developed as an official of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the
Philippines (CBCP) announced its support for lawmakers expressing opposition to
the reimposition of the death penalty.
Rudy Diamante, executive secretary of the CBCP's Commission on Prison Pastoral
Care, said the bishops would exhaust all legal means to question the bill once
it is enacted into law.
"We will go to the Supreme Court. We will exhaust all legal means available
because we believe that it is unconstitutional. It is cruel. It is inhumane,"
he said in a press forum in Manila on Monday.
Diamante said there were 2 ways to dispute the restoration of death penalty in
the high court: having a prisoner sentenced to death question it; or through
lawmakers who ratified the Philippines' international treaty obligation against
death penalty.
The CBCP official made the statement following the "Walk for Life" prayer rally
against the death penalty and extrajudicial killings organized by Catholic lay
people on Saturday.
Lawmakers from the House of Representatives are currently holding plenary
debates on the bill for the reinstatement of the death penalty, after which
they will vote on the measure.
House Majority Floor Leader Rodolfo Farinas Jr. said voting on the death
penalty bill would take place on Feb. 28, a few days earlier than the initially
agreed March 8 schedule.
This was one of the agreements reached at the nearly three-hour majority caucus
meeting, where the lawmakers decided to continue with the plenary debates.
Sought for comment, Akbayan Rep. Tom Villarin said antideath penalty lawmakers
like him would "exhaust all parliamentary means to stall this seeming
railroad."
"We can't do deadlines when passing this very important measure. Taking away
life is not something to be taken lightly nor to be rushed," Villarin said.
The bill is a priority legislation of House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, who
vowed to restore the death penalty, one of President Duterte's campaign
promises.
(source for both: newsinfo.inquirer.net)
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