February 8
SRI LANKA:
Sri Lanka President Confirms Death Penalty For Drug Convicts
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena had declared war on drug traffickers
in the country, as he insisted on imposing a death penalty on convicted drug
traffickers within the next 2 months.
The President addressing the local media vowed to free the country from the
drug menace by 2020.
Sirisena informed the parliament on Wednesday that he was determined to impose
capital punishment by hanging the convicted drug criminals as part of his
anti-narcotics drive.
Sri Lanka’s Justice Minister Thalatha Atukorale informed the parliament on
Tuesday that her ministry had complied with the president’s request to restart
capital punishment.
Atukorale added that 5 names of drug convicts had been sent to the president
between Oct. 12 and the end of January.
However, Sirisena was yet to sign the warrants and fix the execution dates.
Although capital punishment is a legal penalty in Sri Lanka, there have been no
executions carried out since 1976.
(source: concisenews.com)
********************
A vacancy announced for the post of the executioner
The Department of Prisons states that applications for the post of executioner
will be called from next Monday (February 11). Applications will be accepted
until the 25th.
The Department of Prisons stressed this decision is set in motion in order to
support the strong stance taken by President Maithripala Sirisena in imposing
capital punishment on infamous drug peddlers.
Additionally, the Department of Prisons has announced that necessary steps have
been taken to acquire all equipment required for the functioning of the gallows
following the request from the Ministry of Justice and Prison Reforms.
The list of prisoners related to narcotics on death row was handed over to the
Presidential Secretariat on January 25. The Ministry of Justice and Prison
Reforms stated that the list was handed over consequent to the recommendation
of the Attorney General. According to the list, 17 detainees have been
sentenced to death.
(source: newsfirst.lk)
INDIA:
Man gets death penalty for sexually assaulting, killing 6-year-old girl
The Gwalior Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Wednesday confirmed the
death penalty awarded to a man for the rape and subsequent murder of a 6 year
old girl child.
The verdict came following an appeal by the accused Jeetendra Kushwaha,
challenging the order of the Additional Sessions Judge, Archana Singh who had
earlier convicted and sentenced him to death for the rape and murder of the
little child.
Agreeing with the Sessions Court’s verdict the High Court said that the case
comes under the category of the rarest of rare cases and that the enormity of
the heinous crime of the man had shocked the conscience of the society.
The HC further observed that such people are a menace to society and as such do
not deserve any mercy.
According to the prosecution, on June 20, 2018, a 6 year old girl child had
gone missing from a marriage function at the Community Hall situated behind the
Ayurvedic College. Her parents and relatives frantically searched for her
before informing the police. During search operations the mutilated body of a
girl was found in the bushes near the Ayurvedic College.
The subsequent post mortem report pointed towards rape before the murder.
The CCTV footage that was installed at one of the houses in the locality helped
the police to catch the culprit, Jeetendra Kushwaha within 24 hours.
According to the police, the culprit was living illegally in the college
premises.
Taking serious view of the matter, Gwalior SP, Navneet Bhasin formed a special
team and directed the officials to complete the investigation as quickly as
possible and file charges.
It took only 36 days for the Sessions Court to hear the case and pronounce the
verdict. Now, with the High Court rejecting the appeal, the convict and his
family are planning to approach the Supreme Court for clemency.
(source: dailypioneer.com)
*******************
Court Awarded Death Penalty to a 29-Year-Old Man for Killing his Girl Friend in
Imphal
In what is being hailed as one of the fastest-ever trial in the history of
Manipur, a court has awarded death penalty to a 29-year-old man for the murder
of his 26 year-old-girl in Imphal East in August last year.
The convict, Yumkhaibam Rohit, will be hanged till death, the court pronounced.
Hearing the case of the victim, Pukhrihongbam Memi Chanu, who went missing on
August 14 last year and was found murdered on August 17 the same year, the
court of district and sessions judge in Senapati completed the trial in 20 days
from the starting of proceedings on Jan 17 this year.
On Monday, the court had convicted 4 persons in connection with the abduction
and murder case, after hearing 28 prosecution witnesses. Apart from Rohit, the
court also sentenced his accomplice Md Farish Shah, 18, to life imprisonment.
2 others — Rehana (50) and Farjina (23) — were sent to prison for 3 years and 6
months, respectively. The court, however, acquitted another accused,
Leishangthem Nungchanba alias Ramesh (35).
On February 2, the court had concluded that the victim died after she was hit,
strangled and had her mouth and nose muffled by Rohit and Khan in the evening
of August 14 last year.
Chanu had reportedly gone to meet key accused Rohit after the 2 had befriended
just a month ago on Facebook. According to police investigations, Rohit used a
fake social media account by the name of Romesh Singh and befriended the
victim.
The police recovered the victim’s body in a gunny bag at Iril river on August
17 last year. On January 15, police filed the charge sheet after completion of
investigations and on the next day, the police framed the charges. Hearing into
the case began on January 17.
(source: northeasttoday.in)
YEMEN----executions
SENT TO HELL--Paedos executed with AK-47 for raping and murdering boy, 12, in
Yemen as children watch on; Yemen is one of the few countries in the world
where capital punishment is legal
2 paedophiles have been executed with AK-47s in front of a bloodthirsty crowd
for raping and murdering a 12-year-old boy in Yemen.
Yemen is one of the few countries in the world where capital punishment is
legal, and even children were in attendance to watch the gruesome event.
Refat, 28, and Khaled, 31, were condemned for the abduction, rape, and murder
of a young boy who was snatched after playing next to the house of one of the
men.
The pair reportedly dragged him into their home and raped him.
When sentencing the pair, The Daily Star reported that the judge said: “After
the rape, they could not silence the cries of the child who begged for help,
one of them grabbed a knife and cracked his neck.”
All capital punishment sentences must be ratified by the President of Yemen,
and usually involve a firing squad.
Offences are usually violent acts such as murder, rape and terrorism, but the
death penalty can also be used for acts contrary to Sharia Law, such as
adultery and blasphemy.
3 other men were previously shot dead and hung from cranes for a similarly
crime involving a young boy.
Another paedophile who raped a 4-year-old girl was also shot and then hung on
display.
Human Rights Watch director Sarah Leah Whitson condemned the sentencing in
Yemen.
She said: “Public execution is an even more grotesque violation of human
rights, particularly in a country where the ability of the accused to obtain
adequate legal representation and the coverage of the process is highly
limited.”
(source: thesun.co.uk)
EGYPT----executions
Rights group: Egypt executes 3 Islamists tortured to confess----Human Rights
Watch: Egypt executes 3 Muslim Brotherhood members tortured and beaten to
extract confessions
An international rights group on Friday said Egypt executed 3 Muslim
Brotherhood members sentenced to death following torture and beatings to
extract confessions.
Human Rights Watch said in a statement the families of the men were notified of
their hanging on Thursday and asked to come to the morgue to pick up the
bodies.
The 3 were convicted last year for the 2014 killing of a judge's son in the
Nile Delta town of Mansoura. HRW said a letter from one of the men was
reportedly smuggled out of prison, describing torture and beatings.
Michael Page, deputy director at the New York-based group, says Egypt
"committed a glaring injustice by executing three men who apparently gave
'confessions' extracted through electric shock and other torture."
Later Friday, the Interior Ministry confirmed the execution, saying prison
authorities carried out a final court order after the defendants' appeal was
turned down.
Since the 2013 ouster of Egypt's freely elected but divisive Islamist President
Mohammed Morsi, who hailed from the Brotherhood, authorities have waged an
extensive crackdown on Islamists, arresting and detaining thousands and
levelling harsh sentences against them.
The Brotherhood has been banned and declared a terrorist group. Some militant
groups, such as a faction known as Hasm, have also been linked to the
Brotherhood and have targeted Egyptian police and army officers in the years
following Morsi's ouster.
Many Islamists who fled persecution in Egypt have found refuge in Turkey,
Qatar, and Britain, where they have run satellite TV and radio stations.
HRW's statement came after Turkey this week launched an investigation into
eight police officers over the deportation of a wanted Islamist and Egyptian
national back to Egypt, where he could face death penalty.
The young man escaped Egypt after he was sentenced to death in absentia last
year, and arrived in Turkey on Jan. 16 where was detained and deported two days
later, despite requesting political asylum. He was convicted along with others
for the 2015 assassination of Egypt's chief prosecutor.
He is likely to face a new trial in Egypt over the same accusations.
(source: Associated Press)
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