[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----FLA., N.C., S. DAK., VA.
Nov. 26 FLORIDA: Judge to determine killer's competencyIf the man who strangled Carla Larson is not stable, he could be sent to a hospital instead of death row. 4 years ago, John Huggins was sentenced to death for the 1997 murder of an Orlando woman whose nude body was found in the woods near Walt Disney World. On Monday, Orange-Osceola Chief Circuit Judge Belvin Perry -- who ordered Huggins to death row -- will decide if the man convicted of killing 30-year-old Carla Larson is competent to help appeal his death sentence. If Huggins is found incompetent, he will be removed from death row and could be sent to a state mental hospital or to another prison for treatment. Or he could be treated at Union Correctional Institution in Raiford, where he is serving his sentence. If his competency is restored, he will return to death row and proceed with appeals. It's unusual for an inmate to be found incompetent, taken off death row and never executed, said Richard Dieter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. His case can't move forward if he's incompetent, Dieter said, adding that the state does not execute inmates who are incompetent. Larson's mother, Phyllis Thomas of Pompano Beach, and husband, Jim Larson of Orlando, plan to be in the courtroom. Her father, Mert, who attended the trials, died last winter. I don't believe this is happening nine years later, Thomas said. You get so disappointed because they come up with these things now and you rehash it. This is the first time competency has come up in Huggins' case, according to Eric Pinkard, his Tampa-based attorney, who said he became concerned when he had trouble communicating with his client. 3 court-appointed doctors are expected to issue reports Monday that say Huggins, 44, a father of 3, is incompetent, which means he can't rationally consult with his attorney and doesn't understand what is happening in the legal process. Huggins is among 375 men on death row sentenced to die by lethal injection. It's unclear how many death-row inmates have been found incompetent, treated and returned to death row. As of last week, only one death-row inmate was housed in a state mental hospital and another was in the mental-health unit at the Lake Correctional Institution in Lake County, according to the Department of Corrections. Whether Huggins is found competent or not, Perry could decide Monday to move forward with some limited legal matters. On June 10, 1997, Carla Larson, an engineer, left a construction site at the Coronado Springs Resort and Convention Center and went to a nearby Publix, where she bought grapes and pita bread. Two days later, her body was found wrapped in a blue beach towel and partially buried in dirt. Someone had strangled her and taken her Ford Explorer. Huggins, who had taken his family to Disney and was staying at a motel near the Publix where Larson was last seen, was charged with her killing in August 1997. Murder had touched the Larson family 7 years earlier in Gainesville. Carla Larson's sister-in-law, Sonja Larson, was among 5 college students who were murdered by Danny Rolling. Rolling was executed last month. Jim Larson, Carla's husband, was there. No date has been set for Huggins' execution. At his first trial in 1999 in Jacksonville, Huggins was convicted and sentenced to death. Perry overturned the verdict after he learned the prosecution did not turn over a taped statement by a witness to defense attorneys. In 2002, a second murder trial took place in Tampa. A jury found Huggins guilty of first-degree murder, carjacking, kidnapping and petty theft. Huggins -- who fired his attorney, Orange-Osceola Public Defender Bob Wesley, hours before the verdict -- represented himself in the sentencing phase. For the 2nd time, Perry sentenced him to die. That was the last time Carla Larson's mother saw Huggins. She'll face him again Monday. It hurts all over again, she said. (source: Orlando Sentinel) NORTH CAROLINA: Take another lookToo many questions unanswered as LeGrande faces execution There's little doubt that Guy LeGrande is loony. His actions while representing himself in his murder trial demonstrated it. Whether his mental condition should prevent his execution Friday is but one of the questions the state must answer before his date with the executioner. A court hearing scheduled Monday in Stanly County is the first step in that process. The process should involve Gov. Mike Easley as well as the judicial system, for at issue is not only Mr. LeGrande's fate but also North Carolina's commitment to justice. Mr. LeGrande, who is black, was sentenced to death in 1996 for the 1993 murder of Ellen Munford in Stanly County. Authorities said Tommy Munford, who is white, plotted to kill his wife for insurance money and got Mr. LeGrande to do the job. Tommy Munford was allowed to plead guilty to 2nd-degree murder in exchange
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Nov. 25 PAKISTAN: British awaiting response from Pakistan on extradition treaty Political and economic relation between Pakistan and United Kingdom would strengthen in future, said British High Commissioner Mark Lyall Grant. According to the Pakistani newspaper, The News, during his recent visit to Pakistan, Prime Minister Tony Blair had announced to double Pakistan's development aid, which would pave way for further strengthening of relation between the two countries, he said. Mark Lyall Grant arrived in Pakistan in May 2003 as British high commissioner. He will complete its tenure this year. He said the foreign direct investment from Britain is going strong day by day. There are now 100 British multinationals operating in Pakistan. Grant said, We welcome the Pakistan government's announcement that the upcoming election would be free fair and transparent. Britain will continue its support to Pakistan's efforts to strengthen its democratic institutions, he said. Regarding to extradition treaty with Pakistan he said, We are waiting for Pakistan's reply on changing the death penalty for persons extradited as the United Kingdom has abolished the death penalty. Once Pakistan accepts this demand, an agreement would be inked, he said. He said Pakistan has sought some extradition from the United Kingdom but there is no treaty between the two countries so it could not be materialized. (source: Islamic Republic News Agency) VIETNAM: Briton sentenced to death in Vietnam drugs trial A Vietnamese court on Saturday sentenced a British national accused of drugs charges to death and gave a female accomplice a life term. Le Manh Luong, 46, who is of Vietnamese origin, was charged with leading a gang accused of smuggling 339 kilograms (745 pounds) of heroin into Vietnam from neighbouring Laos. Tran Thi Hien, 47, a woman who also holds a British passport, was given a life term. Prosecutors had asked for the sentences at a hearing in Quang Binh, central Vietnam. The two were on trial with six accomplices, including two Laotians, in what is believed to be the biggest drug trafficking case ever heard in this central province, 500 kilometers (300 miles) south of Hanoi. 3 other defendants were given death sentences while the rest were given jail terms ranging from 13 months to 23 years. At least 59 people have been sentenced to death in Vietnam in 2006, according to information compiled from state media. The punishment has been carried out 25 times this year. Communist Vietnam, which has some of the toughest drug laws in the world, imposes the death penalty on anyone caught with more than 600 grams of heroin or 20 kilograms of opium. Foreigners, however, are rarely executed. Only one Westerner has been put to death here for drug trafficking since 1975 -- Nguyen Thi Hiep, a Canadian of Vietnamese origin, who was executed by firing squad in April 2000. Vietnam has in the recent past spared the lives of several Australian nationals sentenced to death on drugs charges. (source: Khaleej Times) JAPAN: Death sentence to stand in '95 murders, robbery The Supreme Court rejected an appeal Friday by a South Korean man sentenced to hang for killing 2 people and robbing 1 of them in 1995 in Aichi and Fukuoka prefectures, a move that finalizes his penalty. Presiding Justice Ryoji Nakagawa upheld lower court sentences on Pak Il Gwang, 59, who exercised his right to remain silent during the police investigation and pleaded not guilty in the trial. Nakagawa concluded that Pak murdered a woman he previously had a relationship with because he got angry with her marrying another man, and stabbed a taxi driver to death because of a lack of money when he was on the run. There is no room for leniency in his motivation and the crimes, conducted in less than 20 days, were well-planned and cruel. The next of kin are hoping for a harsh punishment and the death penalty cannot be avoided, Nakagawa said at the top court's No. 2 petty bench. The finalization of Pak's death sentence will bring the total number of inmates on death row in Japan to 97. Pak's defense counsel argued the DNA analysis of bloodstains on the victims' clothes as well as those found at the crime scenes that linked Pak to the murders was not reliable. Pak was convicted of stabbing to death Harumi Fujiwara, 41, at a bar in Nagoya on Jan. 12, 1995, and then killing a 59-year-old driver of a taxi he took in Fukuoka on Jan. 28, 1995, when he was on the run. He also robbed the cabby of several thousand yen. The Fukuoka District Court sentenced him to death, and the Fukuoka High Court upheld the verdict. Extradition sought Japan will seek the extradition of a South Korean man who is in custody in connection with the strangling of a woman in Tokyo 2 1/2 years ago, police sources said. Kim Sang Ho, 47, was placed in custody in South Korea in late September on suspicion of killing Mitsuyo Fujihara, 69, a hotel employee, in her residence,
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS., N.C., USA, N.Y., ARK., MISS.
Nov. 24 TEXAS: Graves' lawyers say gag order is unfairSince defense objects, judge's issuance of one is called unusual Attorneys for former death-row inmate Anthony Graves say a gag order will prevent him from receiving a fair retrial, given the history of prosecutorial misconduct in the case. Graves neither seeks nor wants the court to enter a gag order in this matter and feels that the entry of a gag order will actually cause him to receive a lesser fair trial rather than a more fair trial, his attorneys say in a court document. Neither prosecutors nor defense attorneys could comment because of an oral gag order issued in September by Burleson County District Court Judge Reva Towslee-Corbett. Attorneys experienced in First Amendment law say that it is unusual for a judge to impose a gag order in the face of opposition by the defense. It's not unheard-of, but more often than not, the defense would be supporting or seeking one, said Dallas attorney Paul Watler, former president of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas. The defense normally has the most to gain from a gag order, said Austin attorney David Donaldson. In most cases they want to have a gag order because they want the prosecution not to talk about all the bad things the client did, Donaldson said. But Graves' attorneys are expected to vigorously oppose the imposition of a written version of the gag order at a hearing Towslee-Corbett has scheduled for Thursday. Graves is being retried because the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in March threw out his 1994 capital murder conviction for the slaying of a grandmother and 5 children in Somerville. Other evidence Journalism students at St. Thomas University in Houston, part of the University of Houston's Innocence network, say they have evidence that proves Graves is innocent. His attorneys Jeff Blackburn and David Mullin, of Amarillo, and Nicole Casarez, of Houston say they are working for free because they think they are defending an innocent man. The appeals court issued a blistering opinion accusing Burleson County prosecutors of misconduct, including the failure to disclose statements that could have aided Graves. The defense wants an open trial to prevent further misconduct, the court filing says. Graves has 12 years of life in prison to show for what happens when the integrity of the criminal justice system fails and rightfully has reason to distrust the criminal justice system, his attorneys wrote. Moreover, the public as a whole has a legitimate interest in the integrity of the Burleson County Criminal justice system as well especially in a case involving a retrial, the document says. Several Burleson County courtroom officers in the retrial are linked to the 1994 trial. Graves' attorneys have even subpoenaed the current prosecutors, Assistant District Attorney Joan Scroggins, who was part of the 1994 prosecution team, and District Attorney Renee Mueller. Mueller was an assistant district attorney in 1994 but was not part of the prosecution team. Towslee-Corbett is the daughter of the judge who presided over the 1994 trial, District Judge Harold Towslee. First Amendment attorneys agree with the judge, as she writes in her proposed gag order, that the prosecution as well as the defense are entitled to a fair trial. Burden on judge A fair trial for the prosecution means a jury that has not been influenced by publicity about the case, Watler said. Really, that's the whole ball of wax, Watler said. But Austin attorney Joel White said the proposed order is flawed because it fails to outline a reason for the gag order other than stating that there has been pretrial publicity. Gag orders don't typically stand up unless a judge dots her i's and crosses her t's, White said. He said the judge must show that a gag order is the last resort and that other measures won't work, such as a change of venue, intensely questioning prospective jurors or sequestering the jury. It cannot simply be presumed that because of pretrial publicity there is any risk, Watler said. Donaldson thinks Graves should put his faith in the system. I don't buy the idea that they have a right to pretrial publicity, Donaldson said. Our whole system is based on the idea that trial judges do listen to appellate judges. (source: Houston Chronicle) NEW YORK: Ex-death row inmate will speak to students Former death row inmate Gary Beeman will speak to criminal-justice students at Niagara University on Monday in Room 405/406 of St. Vincent's Hall. The public is invited to attend his lecture, which will be presented to a graduate school class that meets from 4:20 to 7 p.m. Now living in Niagara Falls, Beeman spent 3 years on death row at Southern Ohio Correctional Facility after being wrongfully accused of aggravated murder in 1976. Serving as his own attorney, Beeman eventually won his freedom after another person confessed that he had framed Beeman. Active in the movement
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Nov. 24 BOTSWANA: They must hang - Nasha She was debating the State of the Nation Address by President Festus Mogae. Although she did not mention any names, Nasha said it is unfair for some people to be paid for speaking for the rights of murderers, under the guise of Ditshwanelo, while they forget about the rights of the dead. The rights of the dead are the same as those of the living, she said. Nasha said that many people have lost lives to merciless criminals. She, however, appreciated that the judicial system did not sentence to death any person who kills by mistake. She stated that any person who commits a premeditated murder should not be forgiven, citing the Molepolole murder in which the man confessed to the High Court in Lobatse on how they executed the woman and removed her private parts for ritual purposes. The court has since sentenced the man to death. Nasha emphasised that Botswana made theright decision to maintain the death penalty and that some countries in the region regret abolishing it. The death penalty should be implemented irrespective of gender, Nasha said. She said that Botswana should not be pressurised by any organisation to abolish the death penalty. We can't make laws in order to please the international community or whoever, she said. Nasha defended President Mogae's silent diplomacy on Zimbabwe saying that shouting at President Robert Mugabe would not achieve any positive results. She cited the Lesotho conflict in 1998 in which Botswana Defence Force (BDF) soldiers and their South African counterparts calmed the situation. She said that she travelled with Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation to Lesotho knowing that they could be shot and killed. We held closed door meetings with conflicting parties and the situation was brought under control, Nasha said. The minister said that media in Botswana is doing their job professionally except for a few individuals who do not abide by the ethics. She said that it would not be fair to paint all media houses with the same brush. (source: Mmegi, Botswana) SLOVAKIA/RUSSIA: Slovak police detain 2 Chechen terrorists Slovak police have arrested 2 alleged Chechen terrorists suspected of an attack in which 2 Russian officers were killed in Grozny 5 years ago, local media reported on Friday. Anzor Shadidovich Chentiev, 23, and Ali Nuridinovich Ibragimov, 29, have been prosecuted in Russia for banditry and attack on military officers. In 2001 they and their accomplices killed 2 members of the Interior Ministry staff in Grozny. They probably operated as part of a criminal gang, the report said. The 2 alleged terrorists, wanted under an international arrest warrant, entered Slovakia illegally across its eastern border. The Russian General Prosecutor's Office has asked Slovakia to extradite the 2, who allegedly face death penalty in Russia. Ibragimov was arrested in April...and the regional court in Kosice, east Slovakia, ordered that he be taken into custody, Judita Gulbisova from the Kosice Regional Prosecutor's Office is quoted as saying. Chentiev originally applied for asylum in Slovakia and was placed in a refugee center, but the court later remanded him in custody as well. (source: Xinhua News)
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Nov. 23 VIETNAM: WTO Entry - Reprieve for Vietnamese Banker? Vietnam's recent softening toward economic offences, brought about by its new trade status, could bring relief to traders facing the death penalty for making bad financial transactions. In August, 5 traders were arrested following a foreign exchange dispute between Dutch bank ABN-Amro and the state-owned Incombank. One trader, Nguyen Thi Quynh Van, a former deputy head of trade finance at a branch of one of the largest state-owned banks, Industrial and Commercial Bank of Vietnam (Incombank), may face the death sentence for losing more than 5 million US dollars in speculative currency trades. The case created international embarrassment for Vietnam at a time when the country is polishing its image as a new member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Hanoi hosted the APEC 2006 summit last week in a bid to launch the country onto the front stage of economic development. By solving the ABN-Amro issue in a fair way, Vietnam would send a clear message to the world business community that the country is willing to follow international rules and will give up its practice of criminalising economic wrong-doings, lawyer Nguyen Van Anh of Van Anh and Associates told IPS in an interview. To ease relations with the United States ahead of the APEC summit, Vietnam in September released without trial U.S. citizen Do Thanh Cong, 47, accused of terrorism. Earlier this month, three more U.S. citizens, Thuong Nguyen Cuc' Foshee, 58, Linda Huynh Bich Lien, 51, and Le Van Phu Binh, 41 -- also arrested on terrorism charges -- were given light sentences and released after a 1-day trial. As a result, the country has been removed from the U.S. blacklist of nations that severely violate religious freedom, though it failed to receive the Permanent Normal Trade Relation (PNTR) status. Still, observers believe that the ABN-Amro case, too, would be settled soon. If decision-makers could release and deport some U.S. citizens convicted on terrorism charges, they could also solve that economic crime (the case of ABN-Amro and Incombank) in an amicable way, Anh told IPS. That may have been Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung's intention when he called for police transparency in handling the eight-month-long case in which ABN-Amro's Hanoi branch was charged of cheating Incombank. Incombank, Vietnam's 4th-largest bank by assets, filed a lawsuit in early August, seeking 5.4 million dollars from ABN-Amro for foreign exchange losses. Incombank said deals by their traders were speculative and made with an unauthorised Incombank trader. The Incombank trader was arrested for intentionally breaching state regulations, causing big losses to the state and could face the death penalty, while the branch director of ABN-Amro in Hanoi was barred from leaving the country. The indictments immediately incited diplomatic protests from the Netherlands, and prompted Dung to order police to quickly resolve it. Violations and guilty acts of all domestic and foreign individuals and organisations involved in the case must be brought to light in order to quickly bring the case to trial in line with the laws, Dung said in a statement quoted by the Communist Party newspaper Nhan Dan'. Nhan Dan also quoted Dung as saying that if those who committed crimes repaid the money, they could be exempt from prosecution. Lawyer Anh believes that statement offers the Dutch bank guidance on how to proceed. The ball is now in the hands of ABN-Amro. I believe with their long experience dealing business in Vietnam, the Dutch bank will know how to play it efficiently, Anh said. Dung also instructed the ministry of public security and the ministry of foreign affairs to take initiative in cooperation with diplomatic agencies to deal with related issues in terms of foreign relations based on the result of investigation. This is clear. The Prime Minister wants the brouhaha sparked by the affairs to be stopped so as to prevent any impact on the good investment environment that Vietnam is presenting to the world, Anh said. However, a spokesman for ABN-Amro told the press that the bank had neither been officially informed of Dung's order nor of his reported instructions to the two ministries and the State Bank of Vietnam to meet ABN-Amro representatives. We continue to believe that our actions were legal and valid and we have not committed any crime, the spokesman said. We would look forward to any discussions on the matter. The director of Police Investigation Agency (PIA), Lt. Gen. Pham Quy Ngo, told the local press that investigators have found that of the nearly 600 foreign exchange trades between Hai Phong Incombank and ABN Amro Hanoi, only 85 were declared legal. Ngo added investigators also found that ABN-Amro Hanoi's foreign exchange trades with another state-run bank, the Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development (Agribank), caused losses of nearly 300 billion VN dong (18.75 million dollars) to
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----CALIF.
Nov. 22 CALIFORNIA: Limited use of jail informants urgedState blue ribbon panel says the Legislature should enact laws requiring corroborating evidence if such testimony is offered. The state Legislature should limit the use of testimony by jailhouse informants in criminal trials, according to the latest report issued by a blue ribbon commission examining problems of wrongful convictions in California. The California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice said lawmakers should enact a statute barring convictions based on the testimony of an in-custody informant, unless the account is corroborated by independent evidence. Similar corroboration should also be required for jailhouse informant testimony presented in the penalty phase of a capital murder case, according to the 20-member commission, which is chaired by former California Atty. Gen. John Van de Kamp. The recommended controls, if adopted, would parallel current state law mandating corroboration if testimony by a defendant's accomplices is to be introduced. Jailhouse informants have been implicated in a number of wrongful convictions, including 46% of those reviewed in a study by professors at Northwestern University Law School, the report noted. Critics say it is all too easy for informants to gather information about their fellow inmates' charges and fabricate testimony to persuade prosecutors to offer them leniency on their cases. Of the 117 death penalty appeals pending in the state public defender's office, 17 featured testimony by in-custody informants and six included testimony by informants out on bail or otherwise in constructive custody. Consequently, the commission said confidence in the reliability of testimony of arrested or charged informant witnesses is a matter of continuing concern to ensure that the administration of justice in California is just, fair and accurate. In addition, the commission recommended that whenever feasible, express agreements in writing should describe the range of recommended rewards or benefits that might be afforded in exchange for trustful testimony by an arrested or charged informant. At a hearing in late September, John Spillane, the chief deputy district attorney in Los Angeles County, and Gigi Gordon, director of the Post Conviction Assistance Center in Los Angeles, said that the Los Angeles County district attorney's office had dramatically reduced its use of jailhouse informants in the wake of a massive scandal in the late 1980s. After informant Leslie Vernon White told reporters how easy it was to concoct testimony and get a break in his cases, a special grand jury was convened in Los Angeles and took testimony from 120 witnesses, including 6 self-professed jailhouse informants. The grand jury issued a report stating that the district attorney's office had failed to fulfill the ethical responsibilities required of a public prosecutor in its use of jailhouse informants. In the scandal's aftermath, the district attorney's office adopted policy guidelines to strictly control the use of jailhouse informants as witnesses, the commission report noted. The policy requires strong corroborative evidence, consisting of more than the informant's apparent familiarity with details of the crime thought to be known only to law enforcement. The office also maintains a central index of jailhouse informants who have offered to be or who have been used as witnesses, Spillane told the commission in September. Spillane said that no jailhouse informant testimony had been approved in Los Angeles County in the last 20 months, and on only 12 occasions in the last 4 years. However, the commission indicated in the report issued late Monday that the picture was far from clear in other parts of the state. Only nine of 58 district attorney's offices in the state responded to inquiries from the commission about their practices on jailhouse informants. I am shocked that years after the Los Angeles informant scandal demonstrated the problems with informant testimony, only nine district attorney offices in the state have written policies addressing the issue, Natasha Minsker, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California who testified at the September hearing, said Tuesday. Four other large counties Orange, San Bernardino, Santa Clara and Ventura have adopted written policies similar to Los Angeles', and all restrict use of jailhouse informants. But according to the report, only the Orange and Santa Clara county district attorneys offices have a policy that requires maintaining a central file of all data about informants. Other commission recommendations for district attorney's offices across the state include: Adopt a written policy requiring a supervisor's approval for using in-custody informant testimony. Maintain a central file preserving all records on in-custody informants. Record all interviews with in-custody informants. The commission's
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news---worldwide
Nov. 22 IRAN: Iran prosecutors seek death penalty for 7 vulgar CD sellers Tehrans public prosecutor's office is seeking the death penalty for 7 individuals accused of producing and distributing pornographic CDs which are banned in Islamic Iran. The judiciary is currently examining three dossiers in which several individuals have been accused of producing and distributing vulgar CDs, Judiciary spokesman Jamal Karimi-Rad told reporters on Tuesday. Karimi-Rad, who is also the country's Minister of Justice, said that 35 individuals had been arrested in relation to the cases and that the prosecutor's office is seeking the death penalty for seven of them. We hope to witness theses dossiers being dealt with as soon as possible so that those who try to spread corruption in society do not feel safe, he said. The government of ultra-Islamist President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has vowed to enforce the strict rules of Islam. Before taking office as president, 1 of Ahmadinejad's 1st decisions as mayor of Tehran was to separate men-only and women-only elevators in the city hall. (source: Iran Focus) INDIA: 14 prisoners waiting for gallows The Hindalaga Central Jail located 5 kilometers from Belgaum has 14 prisoners awaiting the gallows. Recently Umesh Reddy, a serial killer who was sentenced to capital punishment was sent to Hindalaga jail, said to be the most 'secured' jail in the state. The jail has Swami Shraddhananda who was sentenced to capital punishment in the Shakira murder case and four aides of Veerappan - Simon, Jnanaprakasham, Meesekar Madaiah and Bilavendra - sentenced to capital punishment in the Palar bomb blast case. Hindalaga jail can accommodate 24 condemned prisoners at a time. A prisoner on death row has to be kept in a solitary cell with round-the-clock vigil. At present, tube lights and a radio have been provided to each cell. Jail doctors check the health of condemned prisoners twice a day. Sources said that Hindalaga is considered a high security zone jail to lodge the condemned prisoners. Earlier, Parappan Agrahar jail near Bangalore was the secured jail but the authorities decided to shift the condemned prisoners to Hindalaga. Though a date was fixed to execute the prisoners in the Palar Bomb blast, the execution was postponed due to a stay order of the Supreme Court. Some of the prisoners have applied for mercy to the President of India. The jail authorities said that they are facing lot of tension following a large number of condemned prisoners being lodged at the jail. The Department is also facing a problem of shortage of staff. (source: Newindpress) RWANDA: 'Let's Abolish Death Penalty' Local Government and Social Affairs Minister, Protais Musoni , has appealed to the residents of Gisagara District to support the government's move to abolish death penalty. The minister was on Monday speaking from Ndola sector after a tree-planting exercise during which a total of 3,800 seedlings were planted. He said execution was not the best way to punish criminals, adding that other stringent measures that do not violate rights to live are more suitable. Over a month ago, the government started a nationwide mobilisation campaign aimed at wooing public support in its proposal to scrap the penalty. The penalty has not been effected since 1997 even as hundreds of convicted criminals wait on death row. Musoni also highlighted the importance of trees, calling for their conservation. The Mayor of Gigasara District, Leandre Karekezi, said that at least 380,000 trees would be planted in the district throughout this week. Meanwhile, State Minister for Water and Mineral Resources, Prof. Bikoro Munyanganizi, who joined residents of Ruhashya Sector, Huye District to plant trees on Cyarubare hill, emphasised on the need to preserve forests. (source: The New Times)
[Deathpenalty] death penalaty news----USA-----2 videos available
The Death Penalty: What People of Faith Should Know 35 minutes Produced by California People of Faith Working Against the Death Penalty This PowerPoint slide show is fully narrated with music, photos, statistics and graphs presenting the current debate on the key issues affecting the death penalty. There is a special section on religious perspectives. It is perfect for a group presentation followed by discussion. To Order: Name:___ Address:_ VERSION:[ ] ENGLISH [ ] SPANISH Cost: $5.00 (POSTAGE INCLUDED) _ Send Request to: Terry McCaffrey, 11154 La Paloma Drive, Cupertino. CA 95014 Make checks to: California People of Faith * * Don Cabana, Outside Parchman's gas chamber Photo Courtesy: tomroster.com INTERVIEW WITH AN EXECUTIONER A Documentary This documentary goes behind the scenes in a Mississippi Penitentiary during the last 14 days leading up to the execution of Edward Earl Johnson. The video describes the secretive, mysterious world of the execution process. Don Cabana, the executioner, recounts the chilling experience of the execution of Edward Earl Johnson, who maintained his innocence until the end with his final words - I want you to know exactly what you are doing when you execute me. I want you to remember every last detail, 'cause I am innocent. For Don Cabana, performing executions became a crisis of conscience as he reveals how he could not reconcile his Catholic faith with the dirty work of an executioner. This documentary makes powerful arguments against the death penalty which will prove to be invaluable to all activists working to abolish the death penalty. The video is also available in Spanish Entrevista Con un Verdugo. __ To Order: Name:___ Address:_ VERSION: [ ] VHS [ ] DVD[ ] ENGLISH [ ] SPANISH Cost: VHS VERSION $7.00. DVD VERSION; $5.00 (POSTAGE INCLUDED) Send Request to: Terry McCaffrey, 11154 La Paloma Drive, Cupertino. CA 95014 Make checks to: Terry McCaffrey
[Deathpenalty] Back From the Dead on CSPANs BOOK TV at 7:30 pm Sunday, Nov. 26th.
Dear Friends, Just wanted to let you know that the CSPAN Book TV interview on Back From the Dead will air at 6 am and 7:30 pm EASTERN standard time on SUNDAY. (Nov. 26th) I was interviewed while at the Texas Book Festival on Oct. 29th. Many thanks for everyone's continuing support. Love Joan Joan M. Cheever Author: Back From the Dead: One woman's search for the men who walked off America's death row (John Wiley Sons 2006)
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Nov. 26 PAKISTAN: 8,000 conservative Pakistanis protest changes to rape laws Thousands of activists of a religious coalition rallied Sunday in the southern Pakistan city of Karachi to condemn the government over amendments in the country's controversial Islamic rape laws. Pakistan's Parliament recently approved a bill to change the 1979 Hudood Ordinance, a law based on Islamic principles that requires rape victims to produce 4 witnesses to the crime. But the move has angered many conservative Muslims. We will not let Pakistan become secular, the supporters of a coalition of Islamic groups chanted. The change in the law was prompted by human rights activists, who demanded the ordinance be repealed, saying it failed to help victims of rape get justice and made prosecution of attackers difficult. The Parliament, dominated by Musharraf supporters, also passed legislation that would drop the death penalty for sex outside of marriage, an act still punishable with 5 years in prison or a fine of 10,000 rupees ($165). Under the new changes, judges would still have the authority to choose whether a rape case should be tried in a criminal court where the 4-witness rule would not apply or under the old Islamic laws. Last week, the Senate or upper house of Parliament approved the government amendments after the lower house or National Assembly had done so. Musharraf has yet to sign the legislation into law. Members of parliament from the Mutahida Majlis-e-Amal or United Action Forum, a grouping of 6 Islamic parties, have opposed the government measure, calling it as against Islam. Secular groups and Musharraf (are) changing the (Islamic) identity of Pakistan at America's behest, Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, a lawmaker from the alliance, said at Sunday's rally. The nation will not let this happen. We have started our movement against the government, he said, vowing to hold more protests. About 8,000 people were estimated to have turned up for the rally, said Mohammed Salim, a city police officer. (source: Associated Press)
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Nov. 27 INDONESIA/AUSTRALIA: Hard line needed on Bali 9: lawyers AUSTRALIA'S inconsistent attitude to capital punishment could undermine its attempts to save members of the Bali 9 from execution, legal experts warn. Less than a week before the 1st anniversary of drug trafficker Nguyen Tuong Van's hanging in Singapore, they said the Government needed to have a more hard-line strategy ready. You can't wait until you get an execution date and then scramble to try to develop the legal argument, said the Australian National University's Professor Don Rothwell. Australia should make the Indonesian Government aware that it would push to have the case referred to the International Court of Justice, he said. 6 of the 9 Australians convicted of drug trafficking are awaiting the firing squad. In September, the Indonesian Supreme Court rejected the appeals of 4 alleged couriers for lighter jail terms and ordered their execution. Alleged ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran also lost their appeals to have their sentences commuted. All have sought to have their sentences reviewed. Criminal barrister Robert Richter QC said pleas for clemency were weakened because the Government had failed to oppose capital punishment consistently. There's a complete sort of hypocrisy about this. We're saying, 'Fantastic, let's execute Saddam Hussein,' which weakens our moral authority in arguing about the Bali 9. A spokesman for Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said it was not appropriate to pre-empt exploration of avenues that might avert the executions. The defence lawyers have not exhausted all avenues of judicial review yet, he said. Our opposition to capital punishment is well known, we always seek clemency in the case of Australians facing the death penalty overseas and we will do that at the appropriate time. Melbourne University professor of Asian law Tim Lindsey said the Government had lost its leverage on the issue. You can't have it both ways if you support the death penalty for terrorists then you can't complain when it's applied to other offenders, he said. (source: The Age) THAILAND: Men who raped, killed tourist escape deathFrom correspondents in Bangkok 2 Thai fishermen convicted of raping and murdering a 21-year-old British tourist on New Year's Day have had their death sentences commuted to life imprisonment, their lawyer said today. Bualoy Kothisit, 23, and Wichai Sonkhaoyai, 24, were sentenced to death after a speedy trial in January, but they won a reprieve this month after an appeal. The court commuted their death sentences on the ground that they had voluntarily confessed their crime, lawyer Prompatchara Namuang said. But he said prosecutors could challenge the court's decision and bring the case to the Supreme Court by December 7. The 2 were found guilty of raping and killing Katherine Horton on the southern resort island of Samui on January 1, in a case that rocked Thailand's tourism industry as it was rebuilding from the 2004 tsunami. After drinking and watching pornography, the 2 men found Ms Horton walking down the beach alone as she talked to her mother in Britain on a cellphone. They raped her and beat her with a beach umbrella before dumping her body at sea. The victim's mother, Elizabeth, had called for the pair to spend the rest of their lives in jail, saying her daughter would not have believed capital punishment an appropriate sentence. International media attention had prompted then prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to call for the harshest possible punishment for the men, saying they had damaged Thailand's image and its tourism industry. Mr Thaksin was ousted in a bloodless coup on September 19. While Thailand bills itself as the Land of Smiles with sunny beaches, there are regular incidents of foreigners involved in sexual assaults, drug offences and sometimes rape or murder. (source: News.com.au)
