July 18
SAUDI ARABIA:
Outrage Mounts as Saudi Arabia Plans Imminent Executions for 14 Accused
Pro-Democracy Protesters
As President Trump vows not to let human rights concerns interfere with U.S.
relations with Saudi Arabia, the country is set to execute 14 men, including
Mujtaba'a al-Sweikat, who was only 17 when he was sentenced to death 5 years
ago. He had planned to visit and attend Western Michigan University but was
detained by airport authorities in Saudi Arabia for allegedly attending a
pro-democracy rally earlier the same year. We speak with Maya Foa, director of
the legal charity Reprieve. We also speak with Randi Weingarten, president of
the American Federation of Teachers, which is speaking out against the planned
execution.
JUAN GONZALEZ: We begin today's show in Saudi Arabia, where 14 men accused of
taking part in protests are reportedly facing imminent execution. The group
includes Munir al-Adam, who is half-deaf and partially blind, and Mujtaba'a
al-Sweikat, who was only 17 when he was sentenced to death 5 years ago in 2012.
Majtaba'a had planned to visit Western Michigan University, where he had
applied for admission, but was detained by airport authorities in Saudi Arabia
for allegedly attending a pro-democracy rally earlier the same year. He was
accepted by the university as a student in 2013 but was not able to attend.
Following President Trump's visit earlier this year, a Saudi criminal court
upheld several death sentences handed down to protesters. During Trump's visit
to Saudi Arabia in May - his 1st trip abroad as president - he suggested human
rights concerns would not interfere with U.S.-Saudi relations.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We are not here to lecture. We are not here to tell
other people how to live, what to do, who to be or how to worship. Instead, we
are here to offer partnership, based on shared interests and values, to pursue
a better future for all of us.
AMY GOODMAN: Saudi Arabia has one of the highest execution rates in the world.
Human rights organizations say prisoners are often tortured into making false
confessions and convicted in secret trials. Rights groups have urged the Trump
administration to use its ties to the kingdom to prevent further abuses and
stay the executions.
To talk more about the death penalty in Saudi Arabia and the possible execution
of these 14 men, we're joined by 2 guests. In London, Maya Foa is with us,
director of the international legal charity Reprieve. And here in New York,
we're joined by Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of
Teachers.
We welcome you both to Democracy Now! Let's begin with Maya Foa in London. Talk
about who these men are and why you believe that their execution is imminent.
MAYA FOA: Well, these 14 men - thank you. These 14 men, many of them very
young, some of them under 18 when they were arrested by Saudi forces, are all
alleged to have been involved in protest-related offenses. Now, to give you a
couple of examples of what that means, we had another case of a young man
called Ali al-Nimr, who was facing imminent execution last year. He's still in
danger. He's not among the 14. But his charge sheet explained that among the
offenses that had rendered him - that had made him death-eligible were inviting
people to the protest on his Blackberry, administering first aid on his
Blackberry - not on his Blackberry, administering first aid to protesters at
the protest.
There were offenses in the case of, that you mentioned, Mujtaba'a - he was
accused of attending the protest and inviting others to the protest. These are
clearly not offenses that we would deem - that we wouldn???t deem them offenses
at all, let alone worthy of sentencing people to death. Mujtaba'a al-Sweikat,
who you mentioned in the intro, was 17 years old when he was allegedly at this
protest. He had a future in America. He had been admitted to 2 colleges. 2
universities had given him placements. And he was actually due to travel over
to the U.S. He was in the airport on his way there to go and look at the 2
campuses and decide where he wanted to go, when he was arrested by Saudi
forces. He was brutally tortured, so much so that they broke his shoulder. They
denied him first aid. And, of course, the torture was intended to get him to
confess to this so-called crime of attending the protest.
JUAN GONZALEZ: And, Maya -
MAYA FOA: He gave a confession after torture, which is not admissible under
international law or Saudi's own law. He was later sentenced to death. And now
he and 13 others look to be executed at any moment -
JUAN GONZALEZ: Maya, I wanted to ask you - a report that you - that you issued
recently -
MAYA FOA: - if the international community is not able to intervene and call on
the kingdom to halt these executions.
JUAN GONZALEZ: Maya, a report that your organization issued recently says that
as many as 40 % of the people executed in Saudi Arabia are executed for
nonviolent offenses like participating in protests?
MAYA FOA: That's absolutely right. We've seen a massive uptick in executions
and death sentences for nonviolent protest offenses. It looks very much to us
like an attempt to quell any kind of dissent. Any kind of free speech, freedom
of expression, freedom of assembly are being entirely eradicated in Saudi
Arabia. On the 2nd of January last year, there were 47 people executed in a
mass execution on 1 day. Among those were numerous so-called protesters and a
couple of juveniles, as well, at least 6 of them. One of them, Ali al-Ribh, was
dragged out of school by the police. He was then, again, brutally tortured,
forced to confess, and then executed without anybody knowing, so that his
family only found out about the execution of their son, after the execution
itself, from newspaper reports. To date, they still haven't been told where his
body is. They never got to see it, never got to give him a burial. They don't
know where he was buried or even how he was executed. And that young man, that
child, was executed for apparently attending a protest.
JUAN GONZALEZ: And, Randi Weingarten, the AFT weighing in on this issue, the
importance, and why your union is involved in this issue?
RANDI WEINGARTEN: So, Maya - so, first off, Reprieve is our heroes. And Maya
got to one of our staffers over the weekend. In fact, we represent - we are the
largest higher education union in the United States. And as you know, Juan, you
know, with what we did in terms of students at Rutgers, who are DACAmented, and
fighting for them, we have this reputation now of making sure that we fight for
our students and have multinational, multiethnic universities. And so, Reprieve
got in touch with our locals out in - first, in the University of Michigan,
because we thought that he was going to the University of Michigan, and then we
found out later it was Western Michigan. We represent grad students, adjuncts,
professors. And we just, on Saturday, just went into motion and tried to figure
out how to engage - you know, that's kind of funny, with the Trump
administration, ironic - but how to engage the State Department, Department of
Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and do it in every way we could in
terms of shining the light, because if we don't do that, and as Maya said, what
happens is all this gets done in absolute secrecy, all to - intentionally to
suppress freedom of speech. And so, our union is on it. And we have tried to
find ways to make sure that the Saudi government knows that the American
government is watching this and is fighting this. And that's what we're trying
to do in every way we can.
Obviously, this is a suppression of speech. These are our values. These should
be values internationally. And equally, if not more important, how does anyone
- how does any country be in the community of countries and behead people? And
ultimately, I would say, if anybody in Saudi Arabia is watching, how do you
fight terrorism, how do you fight ISIS, how do you fight all of this, if you
are beheading people? And so, there is a moral issue here, as well as just us
wanting to fight for this child. This child. He's 17. When he got into
university, he was 17 years old. He has been in jail. And what Reprieve has
found, because - historically, because what they know, is that the moment that
people are moved to Riyadh, the moment that people are moved to the capital,
then we don't know if their beheading is imminent or their death is imminent.
AMY GOODMAN: So, Maya Foa, what are you calling for now? And, Randi Weingarten,
have you reached anyone in the Trump administration, since they have close ties
to Saudi Arabia?
RANDI WEINGARTEN: Yes, we actually - between the senators and us, we actually
reached people. We're - and Maya, you know, we are trying to see if we can get
someone to visit this youngster. So we are - you know, we did actually reach
people over the weekend. But as I said, Maya and Reprieve are - we're working
very closely with them.
AMY GOODMAN: Maya, what you're calling for now and the indications to you that
the execution is imminent, with the removal of the men, and specifically
Mujtaba'a, from the prison to Riyadh, which is a sign of imminent execution?
MAYA FOA: That's absolutely right. We are extremely concerned about Mujtaba'a
and the 13 other men, young men, who are now potentially facing imminent
beheading and execution. We are calling on the international community to raise
these cases, to raise them with the new prince in Saudi Arabia, to raise them
with the American government. All of Saudi Arabia's allies need to be saying
that it is not acceptable to be beheading and killing children, killing people
who have simply - their only crime is to have attended a protest, to have
expressed a view about democracy, to have exercised their democratic right to
free speech, that it is not acceptable to quell dissent in this way and to
carry out these executions in secret, without informing the family, in a manner
that the U.N. has said is tantamount to torture. We need to hear from the
allies.
Donald Trump, at the head of this program, you had quoted him saying that we
share values. Well, I would very much hope that the execution of children for
attending protests, the execution of disabled people, people who have been
disabled through torture they have received at the hands of the Saudi
authorities, that American values are not in killing those people, that America
still stands for democracy, for freedom of speech, for freedom of assembly, and
that we do not support the executions, the unlawful executions, of children, of
peaceful protesters, of vulnerable people, like disabled Munir al-Adam. And I
would hope that we can all call on the Saudi authorities to halt these imminent
executions of these 14 individuals immediately and give them a permanent stay
of execution.
AMY GOODMAN: Maya Foa, we want to thank you for being with us, director of
Reprieve, speaking to us from London.
(source: Democracy Now!)
**********************
Stop imminent executions in Saudi Arabia
see: https://act.reprieve.org.uk/page/s/SaudiProtestExecutions)
(source: Reprieve)
*****************
Urgent Action
JUVENILE OFFENDER'S DEATH SENTENCE UPHELD
An appeal court has upheld the death sentence against Abdulkareem al-Hawaj, a
Shi'a man who was convicted of offences committed when he was 16 years old. The
court appears to have based its sentence on forced "confessions."
Write a letter, send an email, call, fax or tweet:
* Urging the authorities to quash the conviction of Abdulkareem al-Hawaj, and
order a retrial in line with international fair trial standards without
recourse to the death penalty;
* Calling on them to order an independent investigation into his allegation of
torture and other ill-treatment;
* Reminding them that Saudi Arabia is a state party to the Convention on the
Rights of the Child, which strictly prohibits the use of the death penalty for
crimes committed by persons below the age of 18;
* Urging them to immediately establish an official moratorium on executions
with a view to abolishing the death penalty in Saudi Arabia.
Friendly reminder: If you send an email, please create your own instead of
forwarding this one!
Contact these 2 officials by 28 August, 2017:
King and Prime Minister
His Majesty King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud
The Custodian of the two Holy Mosques
Office of His Majesty the King
Royal Court, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Fax: (via Ministry of Interior) +966 11 403 3125 (please keep trying)
Twitter: @KingSalman
Salutation: Your Majesty
Ambassador Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia
601 New Hampshire Ave. NW
Washington DC???20037
Phone: 1 202 342 3800
Fax: 1 202 944 5983
Email: i...@saudiembassy.net
Salutation: Dear Ambassador
(source: Amnesty International USA)
IRAN----executions
3 More Executions for Drug Charges, Authorities Still Silent
3 more executions reported in Urmia's central prison for drug related charges.
Iran Human Rights had reported on the executions of 2 prisoners by the names of
Mashallah Siyadnavin and Mohammad Reza Sadeghi.
According to a report by the human rights news site, Maf News, 3 prisoners were
hanged on drug charges at this prison on Friday July 14. The prisoners were
identified as Parviz Tamaripour, Faramarz Asgharzadeh, and Ramin Honareh. The
report confirms that Mashallah and Mohammad were also executed on Friday,
despite earlier reports that they were executed on Saturday.
These prisoners along with another prisoner by the name of Tohid Amini were
transferred to solitary confinement in preparation for their executions.
Tohid's execution sentence was not carried out.
Executions for drug related charges are still being carried out in Iran, even
though the general outline of a bill to reform the death penalty for drug
charges was approved by the Iranian Parliament. If the final bill is approved,
the death sentences for many prisoners with drug charges will be commuted to a
prison sentence.
Iranian official sources, including the Judiciary and the state-run media, have
not announced these 5 executions.
(source : Iran Human Rights)
EGYPT:
Halawa case 'moving towards a conclusion'
Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney has said the trial of Irish citizen
Ibrahim Halawa in Cairo looks to be "moving towards a conclusion".
Mr Halawa, 21, was 17 at the time of his arrest in 2013 and has been charged
with serious offences related to his alleged participation in a political
protest, all of which he strongly denies. His lawyers believe that, if
convicted, he may face the death penalty.
In a statement issued yesterday, Mr Coveney said: "I have just had a report
from our team of diplomats at the Irish Embassy in Cairo who were in court
today for the latest hearing in the ongoing group trial involving Ibrahim
Halawa.
"Today's court session saw video evidence shown and discussed, and 17 witnesses
called by the defence lawyers. The judge said that this was the full list of
defence witnesses, and that no further witnesses remain to be called in the
trial.
???The case will continue on 25 July and the judge indicated that the
prosecutor will present the final arguments for the prosecution side on that
occasion. Irish Government observers will be present in the court again for
that hearing and for the subsequent hearings when the defendants' cases will be
presented.
"It has taken a long time to get to this stage in the process, but it finally
looks as if this trial is moving towards a conclusion."
(source: irishlegal.com)
BANGLADESH:
3 to die for killing boatman in Manikganj
A Manikganj Court has sentenced 3 people to death penalty for killing a boatman
in 2015.
The death-row convicts are Monirul Islam, Rasel Mollah and Kartik Hawlader
hailed from Faridpur and Pabna.
The court also fined them Tk 20,000 each.
Judge Md Mizanur Rahman of Manikganj District and Sessions Judge Court passed
the order on Tuesday morning.
According to the court sources, the accused took Abdur Razzak's engine-driven
boat on rent on October 5, 2015. Later, they fled with the boat after killing
Abdur Razzak.
Deceased's brother, later, filed a murder case with Harirampur Police Station.
(source: businessnews24bd.com)
PAKISTAN:
No threat of imminent execution to Kulbhushan Jadhav SC lawyer
Senior Supreme Court lawyer Pavani Parameswara Rao on Monday asserted that
there can be no imminent execution of former Indian naval officer Kulbhushan
Jadhav as the matter is pending before the International Court of Justice
(ICJ).
"They (Pakistan) cannot execute Jadhav as of now, because they made a promise
before the ICJ that as long as the proceedings are continuing, they cannot
execute. So they will honour the commitment," Rao told ANI.
He said that there are other ways in which the plea for Jadhav's clemency can
be made in Pakistan.
"There are other parties also who have powers of clemency. The President of
Pakistan has power to grant pardon, and commute sentence just like the
President of India. So therefore they can always make appeal," he added.
Welcoming the Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa's decision to
review Jadhav's case, Rao said, "If he wants to exercise his power then he is
most welcome, if he doesn't do then President of Pakistan can be approached.
Even if he does not do that, then the ultimate result is to go to the ICJ where
the case is pending."
The advocate's remark came a day after Pakistan's media wing, ISPR, informed
that the Paksitan chief was "analysing" evidence against Jadhav.
"The petition of Indian national is now with COAS who'll decide soon. The Army
Chief is looking at each aspect of Jadhav's appeal,analysing the evidence and
will decide on merits", Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General
Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor said.
Jadhav's clemency appeal has been rejected by the Military Appellate Court. If
his appeal for clemency is rejected by General Bajwa, he can then file another
mercy petition with President Mamnoon Hussain within 90 days of the Army Chief
deciding on his appeal.
Jadhav was arrested on March 3 last year from Balochistan allegedly for
espionage attributes. He was later awarded death sentence by a Pakistani
military court.
India had then moved the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against the death
penalty and in its verdict on May 18 had restrained Pakistan from executing
Jadhav.
A leading Pakistani daily has voiced its support in favour of the alleged
Indian spy's mother, saying that she should be granted visa to visit Pakistan
on 'humanitarian grounds as this provides the latest opportunity for India and
Pakistan to back away from an increasingly confrontational stance against each
other.
(source: dnaindia.com)
INDIA:
Death penalty belongs to medieval ages, says Oppn V-P nominee Gopalkrishna
Gandhi----Opposition parties' vice presidential candidate Gopalkrishna Gandhi
responds to Shiv Sena's allegation that he had opposed 1993 Mumbai blasts
convict Yakub Memon's death sentence.
Gopalkrishna Gandhi, who filed his nomination on Tuesday as the vice
presidential candidate of 18 opposition parties, said he believes death penalty
belongs to the medieval ages and it's wrong.
Gandhi's statement came amid allegations by Shiv Sena that he had opposed 1993
Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon's death sentence.
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut had said on Monday: "Even after the plotters of the
Mumbai 1993 blasts were given capital punishment, some people tried their best
to get the death sentence commuted and show leniency. Gopalkrishna Gandhi was
one of them. I think the Congress party is insulting the country by nominating
such a person to a constitutional post."
But the former West Bengal governor cleared his stand on Tuesday, saying: "I
believe death penalty belongs to the medieval ages. It's wrong. My views
inspired by Mahatma Gandhi and Dr Ambedkakar."
Gandhi said such an allegation was expected from the Shiv Sena.
"Yes, I had also written to Pakistan PM demanding that he should not hang
Kulbhushan Jadhav," Gandhi said after filing papers for the vice-presidential
election.
He said he is an ordinary citizen, and not associated with any party.
"My views are my own. I am not here to oppose any person or party, here with
all humility to place before electors, the aspirations of citizens."
The former West Bengal governor said there is a people's faith in politics has
diminished and collapsed. "I would like to see a revival of that," he said.
(source: Hindustan Times)
CHINA/UGANDA:
Govt Clarifies On Ugandans On Death Row in China
The ministry of foreign affairs has dismissed allegations on social media that
over 23 Ugandans accused of drug trafficking are to be hanged in China.
In a statement released today, the ministry brands as false, the message being
circulated on different social media platforms with names of the victims.
"This is to inform the general public that the list that is in circulation is
one of Ugandans who were sentenced to death a number of years ago but were
granted a 2-year reprieve by the Chinese courts, which was later reduced from
deaths to life imprisonment and further to a fixed term," the statement reads
in part.
The ministry says it understands the Chinese government has not scheduled any
executions of Ugandan prisoners lately and that the 2 governments carryout
bilateral discussions on bilateral pending cases.
"The information that is circulating regarding the alleged executions is
therefore false and we request that out of respect for each other, as well as
the families of those concerned, individuals should exercise restraint and
sensitivity when making a decision to circulate unsubstantiated information,"
the statement continues.
Margeret Kafeero, the ministry's acting Head of Public Diplomacy, told The
Observer today that whereas Ugandans are arrested all over the world for
offences among which is drug trafficking, this particular communication was to
address only the issue of China following the "false alarm and not because
there is any sort of crisis".
She notes that all governments are engaged in situations like this but emphasis
has been on China because of the death penalty issue which has caused an
outcry.
"We as a government do not encourage our citizens to break the laws and are not
advocating for them to be above the laws of their host countries. Our appeal is
for clemency not for impunity," Kafeero said.
(source: allafrica.com)
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