[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
July 11 LEBANON: Judge seeks death penalty for Eid, 4 others Military Investigative Judge Riad Abu Ghaida requested the death penalty Friday for the fugitive Rifaat Eid, head of the Arab Democratic Party's politburo, and 5 fighters from Jabal Mohsen, Tripoli. Judicial sources declined the name the other 4 suspects, all of whom are in custody, but added that 3 are considered militia leaders. The 5 stand accused of killing, participating in clashes with Jabal Mohsen's rival neighborhood, Bab al-Tabbaneh, terrorist acts, terrorizing the public, and destroying public and private property. Eid has been missing since earlier this year and is rumored to have fled the country through Syria after authorities sought to investigate links between the ADP and the bombing of 2 Tripoli mosques. News of the indictment follows on the heels of protests from local residents in the largely-Alawite Jabal Mohsen and the predominantly-Sunni Bab al-Tabbaneh, both of whom claim to have been unfairly targeted by a government crackdown on fighters in the northern city. Several prisoners from Bab al-Tabbaneh, including an influential militia leader, have been transferred to hospital after launching hunger strikes. Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh have engaged in around 20 rounds of fighting linked to the war in Syria, where the ADP enjoys strong ties with the regime. (source: The Daily Star) THAILAND: UN expert rebuffs death penalty callsSays it is not a deterrent and children must be taught about boundaries relationship education is key to reducing sexual harassment and rape because capital punishment will not end the problem, United Nations Population Fund representative for Thailand Caspar Peek said. The recent tragedy of a 13-year-old girl being raped and murdered on an overnight train to Bangkok sparked mass outrage on social media, with people calling for capital punishment against sex offenders. The UNFPA representative, however, said the UN opposed the use of capital punishment because it goes against human rights, particularly the right to life. "Even if a person does heinous crimes, they still have the right to life," Peek said. He said life imprisonment might prove to be the better prosecution. He said the death penalty did not deter rape and murder because offenders did not consider this before committing the crime. This meant the cycle would continue unless other preventative measures were imposed such as changing the social perspective. "The real issue is why does a young man think that it is okay to rape a girl. Why do boys in school think it is okay [to do such things]?" he said. One of the reasons why this tragedy has received as much attention, apart from the victim's age, is the fact that the tragedy has become "visible" as rape victims often do not come forward due to shame. "The shame is put on the girl automatically and she carries it with her," Peek said. "Not only has she been a victim emotionally, physically. On top of that she has to feel ashamed. It's a terrible thing you are doing to girls and women in society here." In order to solve the problem of pervasive gender violence, Peek suggests it is necessary to educate young children about relationships - the boundaries to what is okay and what is not. An increase in relationship education between boys and girls, and not just sex education, should be implemented so it is constantly reiterated. "Schools must be clear." Peek said. "If you do this consistently, you create a generation of young people who will say, 'Yeah, they told me so many times. Okay I get it'." He said gender sensitivity should also be reiterated within society through family members. Peek said there are various ways in which society can make girls and women feel safe. An increase in female authority figures such as teachers and policemen would increase the number of advocates for change so these issues were not swept under the carpet. Awareness was an issue and people must continue to speak out for the "sake of this girl" and "for the sake of the half a million women in Thailand who have been victims to sexual harassment". (source: The Nation) CHINA/UGANDA: Children executed for no crime "I am in the last court. If you don't hear from me again, know that I am dead, Be firm. I love you so much." Those were the last words Mariam heard from her husband, Andrew, 39 years, on June 23 2014. He has left behind a daughter 16 years and a widow to fend for themselves now that he is gone. 2 Ugandans Omar Ddamulira and Andrew Ngobi - were executed in China's Guandong Province on May 21, 2014 and on June 24, 2014 respectively. Both young men were part of 23 other Ugandans convicted of drug trafficking related offences and sentenced to death in China. I watched on Ugandan TV news, and I saw Andrew's daughter aged 16 years cry and she said that the last time she talked to him, he promise
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----OHIO, ARK., MO., ARIZ., WASH.
July 11 OHIO: Ohio Asks Judge to Dismiss Death Penalty Lawsuit The state is asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the family of a condemned inmate who repeatedly gasped and snorted during his January execution. The lawsuit alleges executed prisoner Dennis McGuire endured needless pain and suffering during his 26-minute execution on Jan. 16. The state argued in a court filing Tuesday that the lawsuit was improperly filed since McGuire's son isn't arguing any violations of his own constitutional rights. The state also says the lawsuit failed to list specific acts that members of the execution team committed that amounted to constitutional violations. The Department of Rehabilitation and Correction has denied McGuire suffered but has also changed its policy to boost the dosages of execution drugs used in the future. (source: Associated Press) *** Condemned Ohio Killer's Death Sentence Upheld A divided Ohio Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence of a man who fatally stabbed his girlfriend's business partner in an argument over a forged check. The court's 4-3 ruling Thursday rejected claims by condemned killer Gregory Osie that he didn't deserve to die for killing David Williams in southwest Ohio's Butler County in 2009. Writing for the majority, Justice Sharon Kennedy backed prosecutors' arguments that Osie feared Williams might press charges over money missing from Williams' business. At issue was the portion of Ohio law allowing the death penalty for killings committed to eliminate witnesses. 3 justices said the evidence wasn't strong enough that the 52-year-old Osie killed Williams to silence him. Osie's attorney says she expects to ask the court to reconsider its decision. (source: WOSU) ARKANSAS: Prison inmate sentenced to death in 2012 slaying After deliberating just 30 minutes Thursday, a Lincoln County jury sentenced a prison inmate already serving a sentence of life without parole to death in the slaying of another inmate. Robert Holland, now 45, was convicted of capital murder in the Dec. 2, 2012, death of Matthew Scheile, 22, in a cell in the east building at Cummins Prison. Prosecuting Attorney S. Kyle Hunter said Friday that because the death of Scheile was "so premeditated," the state decided to give the jury the option of imposing the death penalty, which they did. According to the State Police investigation, Holland, who was convicted of capital murder in Union County in 1991, was housed in a 2-man cell at the prison and had previously refused to accept a cellmate, which resulted in disciplinary actions. Holland finally agreed to allow another person in the cell with him, and Scheile was killed about 12 hours after he was put in the cell with Holland. Hunter said Holland waited until Scheile was asleep before making a noose out of a bed sheet and strangling Scheile, and when Holland was questioned, he admitted the crime. Hunter said jury selection, which began Tuesday, took two days before a jury of 7 women and 5 men were seated, and the trial itself was completed in 1 day. The jury took about 20 minutes to find Holland guilty of capital murder. Hunter said the death penalty was the 1st that has been imposed in the 11th West Judicial District since Kenneth Williams was sentenced to death in the 1999 death of Cecil Boren outside Cummins Prison after Williams had escaped from prison. Williams is still on death row. "The legislature is going to have to fix the execution procedures before anybody is executed," Hunter said. Hunter and Chief Deputy Prosecutor Wayne Juneau represented the state, while John Cone and Rebekah Kennedy of the Public Defender's Office represented Holland. Circuit Judge Rob Wyatt Jr. presided at the trial. (source: Pine Bluff Commercial) MISSOURI: No matter the crime, it is not for us to take a life Daily we are confronted by the shocking news of violence in our society - murders, rape, gun violence in schools, domestic violence in our homes, aborting of unborn babies, war, genocide, human trafficking and more. In all of our churches we hear sermons on living out our faith, aligning our actions with our values and beliefs. It disturbs me that for all our talk about the sanctity of life, from conception to natural death, we continue to support the state's right to kill people in our name. Missouri has executed 7 individuals in the past 9 months and is preparing to execute another, John Middleton, on July 16. Beyond the fact that the death penalty is carried out in an arbitrary manner, it is expensive, risky and irreversible if we later discover the person's innocence. My deep compassion for victims and their loved ones notwithstanding, it is not for us to take a life, no matter the crime, the guilt, or the pain involved. Taking another person's life diminishes us as a people. There may be good reasons that a person shou
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, CONN., N.C., GA., FLA.
July 11 TEXASnew death sentence Kenneth Wayne Thomas sentenced to death for murder of prominent attorney A Dallas jury deliberated only 35 minutes Friday before ordering the execution of Kenneth Wayne Thomas for the killing of lawyer and civil rights leader Fred Finch last year. Thomas, 25, who had a prior felony conviction, did not react visibly to the sentence, nor did he say anything when he was ushered out of the courtroom by bailiffs. Finch's wife, Mildred, also was stabbed to death last March 16 in their South Dallas home, which was ransacked and from which large amounts of clothes were stolen. Evidence indicated that the couple had been stabbed a total of more than 100 times. Thomas, whose fingerprints were found at the home, was arrested on March 18 at his home - a few blocks from the Finches' home - wearing an expensive watch that belonged to Finch. Thomas' trial marked the 1st time that a black defendant in Dallas County faced the death penalty for killing a black person. He was sentenced to death by an all-white jury. In his closing argument, prosecutor Norman Kinne urged the 4-man, 8-woman jury to avoid being lenient with Thomas because the crimes "didn't happen in my neighborhood.' "Is there a barrier that separates his neighborhood from yours?' Kinne said. "The day justice is replaced with mercy the streets of this city will flow with the blood of your family.' Many friends and associates of the Finches attended the 10-day trial. Vernon Edwards, Finch's stepbrother, said the steady support was "inspiring." Finch, 66, led successful legal fights to desegregate the Dallas public schools, the University of Texas at Arlington and Texas Woman's University in Denton. Mrs. Finch, 64, was a math professor at El Centro College. Although Thomas also had been charged in her slaying, he was being tried only for killing Finch. After the verdict, Kinne said a murder charge filed against Thomas' brother, Lonnie, 23, would be dropped because there was no evidence that he assisted in the crimes. Thomas' death sentence was delivered less than 3 weeks after David Martin Long was sentenced to die by a Dallas jury for killing 3 women in Lancaster last October. Jury selection for 4 other capital murder cases is scheduled to begin at separate times this year: in the slayings of a Carrollton convenience-store clerk; a Grand Prairie motel clerk; a University Park teen-ager who was killed on his 16th birthday during a burglary; and an elderly Oak Cliff couple who were killed in their home. The number of local death penalty cases reflects the increase in serious crime, Kinne said. (source: Dallas Morning News) * Texas killer could face death penalty The Texas man accused of slaughtering 6 members of his ex-wife's family, including 4 children, has been charged with murder amid revelations he had previously been arrested for domestic violence. Ronald Lee Haskell, 33, faces the death penalty for multiple counts of capital murder. The heavy-set blond man was in the custody of the Harris County Sheriff's Office following an hours-long stand-off with dozens of officers, including a SWAT team and hostage negotiators, late on Wednesday. No bond was set and Haskell is due to be arraigned on Friday. The motive behind the latest chapter in the epidemic of gun violence plaguing the US was not immediately known, but police suspect family troubles led to the bloodshed. Haskell forced his way into the home of his ex-wife's sister in Houston by dressing as a FedEx delivery man, according to police. He demanded to see his ex-wife, Melannie Haskell but she wasn't there so Haskell reportedly tied up the family's 5 children - 2 boys aged 4 and 13 and 3 girls aged 7, 9 and 15 - while waiting for their parents to return home. Once husband and wife Stephen Stay, 39, and Katie Stay, 33, returned, they were also tied up. Haskell then shot each member of the family in the back of the head execution-style. The 15-year-old teenager survived but was in critical condition. She managed to tell police where Haskell was headed, saying the gunman intended to kill her grandparents as well. Katie Stay's father, Roger Lyon, said the family was "shocked and devastated" by the tragedy. "Stephen and Katie Stay and their beautiful children were an amazing and resilient family. They lived to help others, both at church and in their neighbourhood. We love them beyond words," he said. "Cassidy Stay, 15, who survived the attack, is expected to make a full recovery. We are grateful for this miracle. "We are in awe of her bravery and courage in calling 911, an act that is likely to have saved all of our lives. She is our hero." A 20-minute police chase ensued, ending when officers cornered Haskell in a cul-de-sac. During the stand-off, the shooter sat in his vehicle surrounded by about 50 police with their guns drawn. There wer
