[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Jan. 18 BAHRAIN: Victims of horrific human rights abuses, not criminals - the stories of 3 men executed by firing squad on Sunday On Sunday 15th January, 3 men were executed by firing squad in Bahrain. Their names were Ali Al-Singace, Abbas Al-Samea and Sami Mushaima. The UN Special Rapporteur, Dr Agnes Callamard, called their executions "extrajudicial killings". Ali, Abbas and Sami were the first prisoners to be put to death by the Bahraini authorities since 2010. Ali al-Singace Ali was just 21 when executed. He had been harassed and tortured by Bahrain's police since he was 15, because of his family's links to political opposition. The police wanted Ali to work as an informant. He refused. When Ali was 18, a bomb exploded killing several policemen. Ali was sentenced to death without even appearing before a court and then arrested a year later. He was tortured and electrocuted into making a false confession. His torture was never investigated. The day before his execution, Ali's family came to visit him in prison. The guards refused to say if he was about to be executed, and Ali asked his family to arrange for him to resit school exams he had missed. Abbas Al-Samea Abbas was a school teacher, and was just 27 when executed. He was targeted because of his family's links to political opposition. He was sentenced to death despite presenting the court with an alibi letter from the school where he taught. Abbas required hospital treatment after police tortured him during his interrogation, including electric shocks to his genitals and suspending him from the ceiling. He was later tortured again by guards in prison. Although UK prison inspectors helped plan inspections of both the police station and prison just months after Abbas was abused there, his torture allegations were ignored. Another UK-trained torture watchdog in Bahrain dismissed his complaint about ill-treatment without even arranging for a doctor to examine him for signs of torture. The day before his execution, Abbas' family came to visit him in prison. The guards refused to say if he was about to be executed. Sami Mushaima Sami was targeted because of his family's links to political opposition. During his police interrogation, he was beaten, tortured with electric shocks and sexually assaulted. He was illiterate, but was forced to sign a confession that he could not read. He was 42 years old when he was executed. Although UK prison inspectors helped plan inspections of the police station just months after Sami was abused there, his torture allegations were ignored. The day before his execution, Sami's family came to visit him in prison. The guards refused to say if he was about to be executed. (source: reprieve.org.uk) PHILIPPINES: 1 more bill reimposing death penalty filed in Senate A new measure that seeks to reimpose death penalty on persons involved in the illegal drug trade has been filed in the Senate on Wednesday. Under Senate Bill No. 1294, Sen. Sherwin "Win" Gatchalian seeks to amend Section 11 of RA 9165 to impose capital punishment on persons convicted of possession, sale, distribution, importation, and manufacture drugs. These include marijuana (10,000 grams or more), shabu (1,000 grams or more), opium, morphine, heroine, cocaine, cocaine hydrochloride, marijuana resin, marijuana resin oil, ecstasy, and LSD, and other drugs as determined by the Dangerous Drugs Board (200 grams or more). The measure also seeks to increase fines and penalties imposed for offenses under RA 9165 involving smaller quantities of drugs. Gatchalian, an ally of Pres. Rodrigo Duterte, said that his bill was his commitment to the Duterte administration's intensified campaign against illegal drugs. The neophyte senator, who was also 3-time mayor of Valenzuela City, said that he and Pres. Duterte were both "mayors at heart" and had "the same perspective" in terms of solutions to eliminate drug trafficking. "As local chief executives, we have both seen firsthand the kind of damage the illegal drug trade can do to entire communities if drug lords and king pins are allowed to continue their despicable operations with impunity," Gatchalian said. "Passage of this law will stop the illegal drug trade in its tracks and make sure that these despicable people will pay the ultimate price for their crimes against the Filipino people," he added. Aside from Gatchalian, Sen. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson, has previously filed a measure to revive death penalty. Some other senators who have openly expressed being in favor of the reinstatement of death penalty include Senate President Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, Senate Majority Leader Vicente "Tito" Sotto III, and Senator Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao. Pimentel, however, said that the passage of the death penalty bill will not come easy in the Senate as in the House of Representatives where it expected to face less opposition.
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----PENN., VA., S.C., NEB., COLO., MONT.
Jan. 18 PENNSYLVANIA: Execution warrant signed for Poplawski, guilty of killing 3 police officers The secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections today signed a death warrant for the Stanton Heights man convicted of killing 3 Pittsburgh police officers nearly 8 years ago. Richard Poplawski, 30, was sentenced to death in June 2011 after a Dauphin County jury found him guilty of killing Officers Paul J. Sciullo II, Stephen J. Mayhle and Eric G. Kelly on April 4, 2009. The execution date of March 3, though, is just a formality. Poplawski still has a number of appellate avenues left before him, and next on the list should be a post-conviction relief act appeal before Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey A. Manning who presided over the trial. In addition, Gov. Tom Wolf, in January 2015, issued a moratorium on capital punishment in the state until recommendations from a bipartisan commission, formed 6 years ago to review the death penalty in Pennsylvania, can be reviewed and acted upon. A final draft of that report is now being circulated among commission members, and it is expected the report will be released in coming weeks, according to the staff at the office of Sen. Stewart Greenleaf, R-Montgomery. The state Supreme Court, in December 2015, said that the governor's actions were "constitutionally sound," and the moratorium remains in place. Poplawski lost his 1st appeal to the state Supreme Court in December 2015. His attorneys had argued that Judge Manning admitted evidence for the prosecution that was prejudicial against Poplawski, including his statements to police, racial epithets he made in a 911 call and his visits to white nationalist websites. Further, Poplawski's attorneys argued that there was prosecutorial misconduct because of emotional appeals made to the jury regarding the officers' deaths to their families. The Supreme Court disagreed. (source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) VIRGINIAexecution Executed: Ricky Gray put to death for murders of Harvey girls Ricky Javon Gray, 39, was sentenced to death for the 2006 murders of Harvey sisters Ruby, 4, and Stella, 9. Gray also killed the girls' parents and another Richmond family. Ricky Javon Gray was executed by injection Wednesday night for the slaying of 2 young Richmond sisters on New Year's Day 2006. Gray, 39, was pronounced dead at 9:42 p.m. at the Greensville Correctional Center. Asked if he had any final words, Gray said, "Nope," according to a prison spokeswoman. It appeared to take an inordinately long time - more than a half-hour - to place the IV lines and do other procedures behind a curtain that blocks the view of witnesses. At the conclusion of the execution, a physician came out from behind the curtain and listened to Gray's chest for a heartbeat. Gray was sentenced to die for the Jan. 1, 2006, slayings of Ruby Harvey, 4, and Stella Harvey, 9. He and accomplice Ray Dandridge, 39, also killed their parents, Bryan Harvey, 49, and Kathryn Harvey, 39, in their Woodland Heights home. A few days later, Gray and Dandridge killed Ashley Baskerville, 21; Baskerville's mother, Mary Tucker, 47; and stepfather, Percyell Tucker, 55, in their South Richmond home. Dandridge, Gray's nephew, was sentenced to life for those killings. The Harveys were tied up, their throats cut and beaten with a hammer. Their house was set on fire by the killers when they fled and the victims were initially discovered by firefighters. Ultimately, Gray was sentenced to death, leading to years of appeals. The Virginia Department of Corrections said that victim family members were expected to witness the execution. The state does not reveal the victim witnesses who view the proceedings through 1-way glass in a separate room from other witnesses. On Tuesday, Gov. Terry McAuliffe turned down a clemency request to commute Gray's death sentence to life without possibility of parole. Later on Tuesday, Gray's lawyers asked the U.S. Supreme Court for an emergency stay, which the justices denied on Wednesday evening. Outside Greensville Correctional Center on Wednesday evening, a half-dozen members of Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty gathered with about 20 of Gray's family members to hold a vigil as the man was executed. One women held a sign that said "Thou shall not kill." Several in the group said they object to the death penalty for religious and other reasons. They said there is no doubt that Gray killed the Harveys and Tucker-Baskerville families, but that no one else should die. Also outside the prison was Chuck Troutman, of Staunton, who held a sign in support of the Harvey family. Troutman said he had met Bryan Harvey, twice, and his wife Kathryn, once, while disc-jokeying at a local radio station in Harrisonburg. Bryan Harvey's band, House of Freaks, played for a function the station was hosting. Bryan played bass and s
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Jan. 18 IRANexecutions 4 Prisoners Hanged on Drug Charges 4 prisoners were reportedly hanged at Mashhad's Vakilabad Prison on drug related charges. According to the human rights news agency HRANA, the executions were carried out on the morning of Tuesday January 17. 1 of the prisoners has been identified as Ahmad Shekarabi, sentenced to death on the charge of possession and trafficking 5 kilograms of heroin. "Ahmad's first death sentence was quashed by the Supreme Court, but he was sentenced to death again by branch 8 of Mashhad's Revolutionary Court, presided by Judge Mazloom," a source close to Mr. Shekarabi's family tells Iran Human Rights. The source insists that Mr. Shekarabi was innocent. The source adds: Ahmad was a cab driver who had a customer whom he would pick up packages forn at various addresses. The last time Ahmad did so, he arrived at the pick up location and noticed his customer had been arrested. As soon as Ahmad had arrived, he was also arrested, even though he explained that he's just the cab driver. However, the customer denied this and claimed that Ahmad was aware that the packages contained drugs and was involved in the operation. The customer's testimony had many inconsistensies to the point that Ahmad was first exonerated, but branch 2 of the court sentenced him to death anyway. After the Supreme Court quashed his death sentence [pending a new trial], he was sentenced to death again, and this time the Supreme Court confirmed the death sentence. Iranian official sources, including the Judiciary and the media, have been silent about these executions. The names of the other 3 prisoners are not known at this time. *** Prisoner Hanged on Drug Charges A prisoner was reportedly hanged at Bandar Abbas Central Prison on drug related charges. According to close sources, the execution was carried out on the morning of Tuesday Janaury 17. The prisoner has been identified as Ramezan Yousef Heydari, 36 years old. Mr. Yousef Heydari was arrested on March 2, 2011 on the charges of possession and trafficking 900 grams of crystal meth and 2 kilograms and 200 grams of crack. He was sentenced to death on May 1, 2013 by the Bandar Abbas Revolutionary Court. "Ramezan drove a Saipa vehicle, and the day they arrested him, they discovered the drugs in the tire of his car - but the drugs weren't his. He never once confessed that the drugs were his," a source close to Mr. Yousef Heydari tells Iran Human Rights. Iranian official sources, including the Judiciary and the media, have not announced Mr. Yousef Heydari's execution. (source for both: Iran Human Rights) EGYPT: Urgent Action 6 MEN AT IMMINENT RISK OF EXECUTION 6 men submitted their final appeal to the Supreme Military Court in December 2016. The men were sentenced to death by a military court in May 2016, in a case marred by enforced disappearances and torture. If the court rejects their appeal, the men could be executed at any time. Write a letter, send an email, call, fax or tweet: * Calling on the Egyptian authorities to retry all those convicted in the case before an ordinary, civilian court, without recourse to the death penalty, and in proceedings that respect international fair trial standards and exclude "confessions" and other evidence obtained through torture and other ill-treatment; * Calling upon them to open an effective, independent and impartial investigation into the allegations of enforced disappearance, torture and other ill-treatment; * Urging them to establish an official moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty. Contact these 2 officials by 1 March, 2017: Important note: Please do not forward this Urgent Action email directly to these officials. Instead of forwarding this email that you have received, please open up a new email message in which to write your appeals to each official. This will help ensure that your emails are not rejected. Thank you for your deeply valued activism! Defence Minister Colonel General Sedqi Sobhi Ministry of Defence Cairo, Arab Republic of Egypt Fax: +202 2 414 4248 / +202 2 414 4247 Email: m...@afmic.gov.eg, m...@afmic.gov.eg Salutation: Your Excellency Ambassador Yasser Reda, Embassy of Egypt 3521 International Ct NW, Washington DC 20008 Fax: 202 244 4319 - OR- 202 244 5131 Phone: 202 895 5400 Email: ambassa...@egyptembassy.net Salutation: Dear Ambassador (source: Amnesty International USA) ___ A service courtesy of Washburn University School of Law www.washburnlaw.edu DeathPenalty mailing list DeathPenalty@lists.washlaw.edu http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/listinfo/deathpenalty Unsubscribe: http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/options/deathpenalty
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----PENN., VA., N.C., OHIO, KY., COLO.
Jan. 18 PENNSYLVANIA: Prosecutor: Death penalty defendant took shelter, food and then killed Jeffrey Knoble was homeless and desperate, according to a prosecutor. He was running from police and had nowhere to go. Andrew "Beep" White felt sorry for him. And that was his undoing, according to Northampton County First Deputy District Attorney Terence Houck. White put the 27-year-old Riegelsville man up at the former Quality Inn in Easton on March 10, 2015. Early the next morning Knoble shot his 32-year-old benefactor. "'Beep' as he was known was a gentle, giving person," Houck said. "He wanted nothing more than to see his family and friends have a roof over their heads and food in their stomachs and on March 11, 2015, that was his crime. That's what he was judged for, that's what he was convicted of and that's what he was put to death for." Knoble faces the death penalty. The much-anticipated opening arguments in his trial came Wednesday after nearly 2 years of delays, complaints, outbursts and excuses from Knoble in court. His defense strategy remains unclear. Defense attorney Gavin Holihan deferred his opening statement until later in the trial, which is expected to last at least 2 weeks. Knoble called his former attorneys "corrupt" and used profanity previously in court. With Houck staring him down and pointing at him, Knoble didn't flinch Wednesday. About 40 friends, family members and supporters of White crowded the left side of the courtroom. A handful of court employees and an overflow of White supporters took up the right side. Houck said Knoble's 2-day crime spree started when he stole his then-girlfirend's rental car. Police found it abandoned in Williams Township with 4 bullet holes in the side. Knoble knew police were after him. So he called "Beep," Houck said. White was putting up a female friend and her child at his home. She refused to allow Knoble to join them, so White agreed to put Knoble up in the hotel. A surveillance camera at the Wawa across the street shows White bought Knoble a sandwich wrap so he would have something to eat. A surveillance camera at the hotel shows the last moments of White's life as he heads for his room, Houck said. "You'll see him so very full of life, oblivious of the fact that the person he is providing shelter to, the person he is feeding will be shortly ending his life," Houck told the jurors. Police would later find 2 videos on Knoble's cell phone that show a naked, bound White covered in blood. Houck said Knoble shot him in the head through a pillow to muffle the sound. On the video, Knoble says, "I do what I want." "Folks, they are 5 words that show intent to kill," Houck said. On March 11 Knoble left the hotel room wearing White's coat and holding White's phone. He called his mother, Lori Knoble, to get new clothes. She was horrified when he got in her car and, according to Houck, said, "We're safe. I killed him." She said she saw her son's video of White dead but wasn't sure whether it was a fake. When he allegedly told her "I'm going to shoot this out with the cops. I'm going to kill them. I'm going to kill the police," a hysterical Lori Knoble kicked him out of the car and called police. Jeffrey Knoble headed back to the hotel, where he stayed for three hours as police tried to make sense of Lori Knoble's tale. "She was beside herself. The police don't know what to think. Is this woman crazy?" Houck asked. Later, police tracked down Knoble at his mother's house in the 1200 block of Liberty Street, where a standoff occurred. They charged him with threatening police. White's house guest saw the report on the news and called police wondering whether White was in danger. Police went to the hotel room and that's when they found the body and realized there had been a killing, Houck said. "They get a room key, they go up, and there he is. Lying on the bed, a trail of blood from his head to the floor as he lay on the bed, naked," Houck said. "Now they know everything (Lori Knoble) said was true." The case was further solidified when police found the murder weapon in a false wall in Lori Knoble's attic, authorities said. White's coat and phone were also in her house. "You'll see the evidence. You'll see the ballistics," Houck told jurors. "I'm going to join you again at the end of this trial. I'm going to ask you to do what I wanted you to do from the first moment I met you. I'm going to ask you to return a verdict that his evidence screams for. Guilty." Houck turned, pointed at Knoble and glared at him. "Guilty. 1st-degree murder," he said. "You robbed this man. You terrorized police. You took this car without permission and you ruined it." (source: lehighvalleylive.com) VIRGINIAimpending execution Emergency stay request from Ricky Gray before U.S. Supreme Court The Virginia Attorney General's office is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reject
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Jan. 18 BANGLADESH: Thakurgaon court awards death penalty to man for murdering father A man in Thakurgaon has been given death sentence after he was found guilty of murdering his father. In its verdict on Wednesday, the court of additional sessions judge convicted 30-year-old Mozaharul Islam in the 2010 killing. The court also slapped a Tk 10,000 fine on the convict. Quoting court documents, Prosecutor Abdul Hamid said IdrisAli died on Dec 13, 2010 after his son hit him with a spade following an argument. Ali's eldest son Ansarul started a police case accusing Mozaharul, after which police arrested him. The next day Mozaharul confessed to the killing in a court. (source: bdnews.24.com) NORTHERN IRELAND: Last man to be given death penalty clears court hurdle The last man to be handed the death penalty in Northern Ireland has cleared the 1st stage in a High Court battle over disclosure of inquest documents. Liam Holden, 62, was sentenced to hang for the killing of a British solider in west Belfast in 1972. The death penalty was then commuted to life in prison before a 40-year fight to clear his name resulted in his murder conviction being quashed in 2012. Mr Holden, who always maintained the military subjected him to water torture and death threats to extract a confession for the shooting of Private Frank Bell, is now claiming compensation for a miscarriage of justice. He has also issued civil proceedings against the Ministry of Defence and the Chief Constable.The widowed father-of-two's legal representatives were seeking access to all material held on the Private Bell inquest as part of their case. But before agreeing to disclose the file the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) wanted a binding undertaking that the documents would be kept in the strictest confidence. Mr Holden's lawyers mounted a bid to judicially review the decision, arguing that the undertaking requirement is unreasonable and unlawful. The information requested includes details on the trajectory of the shooting of the 18-year-old soldier while on foot patrol in Springfield Avenue. Ballistic evidence and the post-mortem report are also being sought. Although documentation was later disclosed to Mr Holden's solicitor following an application under the Freedom of Information Act, the court heard 3 categories of redactions remained in the revised file. Counsel for PRONI argued that the challenge had been rendered academic by last year's introduction of the Court Files Privileged Access Rules (Northern Ireland) giving Mr Holden all available information. Despite the 2016 rules, Mr Justice Treacy still decided to grant leave to seek a judicial review. He said it involves a similar undertaking requirement and held that others may be affected. The judge added: "The Freedom of Information Act continues in force, and it is in the public interest to see that redactions made to information supplied under that Act are properly made." The case will now proceed to a full hearing later this year. Mr Holden, who was not in court, had his murder conviction quashed by the Court of Appeal following a referral by the Criminal Cases Review Commission. The body set up to examine potential miscarriages of justice deemed the conviction unsafe after an investigative journalist supplied evidence to back claims that waterboarding torture techniques were used. A confidential dossier was also found to contain relevant material about military rules in 1972 for arresting and questioning a suspect, and a statement of evidence from a soldier. Appeal judges held that the non-disclosure impacted on the safety of Mr Holden's conviction and could have supported an application to exclude confession evidence. (source: newsletter.co.uk) PAKISTAN: No more love for hangingsA death penalty is a brutal form of punishment which has no space in modern age, and it should be opposed worldwide Anomalies in the criminal justice system of Pakistan are very common. The example of this could be the recent Supreme Court judgements where it had acquitted 2 convicts who had already been executed a couple of months agoor had ordered the release of persons who had spent long years on death row. These incidences have become routine matter now. How can one argue for keeping the death penalty in such a criminal justice system? To answer this question, we have to see that recently Pakistan chose to vote against the resolution of the general assembly of the United Nations that called for placing a universal moratorium on the death penalty across the world. The resolution had the backing of 117 member states; 41 opted for voting against it, and 31 abstained. From the recent voting trend, it appears that South Asian countries preferred to reject the universal moratorium resolution while some of the countries of this region such like Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Nepal chose to vote
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----PENN., VA., FLA., OHIO, NEB., WASH., USA
Jan. 18 PENNSYLVANIA: Jury seated for Easton death-penalty trial After more than a week of jury selection, the death-penalty trial of a Riegelsville man accused of murdering another man inside a downtown Easton hotel room will begin Wednesday morning with opening statements. It took the individual questioning of 130 potential jurors, but on Tuesday evening, Northampton County prosecutors and Jeffrey S. Knoble Jr.'s lead defense lawyer reached agreement on the last of the 12 jurors and 4 alternates who will preside over his fate. Knoble, 27, is accused of murdering a man nearly 2 years ago, then recording cellphone video of the corpse. With prosecutors seeking a death sentence, jury selection was a lengthy process, since would-be panelists had to be questioned 1-by-1 over their views of capital punishment and their ability to be impartial. Knoble is charged with homicide, robbery and firearms offenses in the March 11, 2015, shooting of Andrew "Beep" White, 32, of Easton at the former Quality Inn on South Third Street. Authorities have called White a good Samaritan who had rented a room for Knoble that night because he had no place to stay. Knoble was arrested the day of the shooting, after his mother called police after her son showed her a video of a dead man he claimed to have shot, according to prior testimony. Police later discovered White's body with a bullet wound at the hotel. Knoble's trial has been delayed several times. In the months leading up to it, he has often proved disruptive in court, with outbursts that included mocking White's family and swearing at Judge Emil Giordano. His court-appointed defense team, Gavin Holihan and Matthew Deschler, are the second set of lawyers Knoble has had. In September, his public defenders were permitted to withdraw from his case, after he repeatedly clashed with them. (source: The Morning Call) VIRGINIAimpending execution Virginia inmate facing execution argues against drug 'cocktail' A Virginia inmate set to be executed on Wednesday for murdering 2 young sisters during a 2006 killing spree has asked the Supreme Court for a stay, arguing that the 1st-ever use of compounded lethal drugs violates his constitutional rights. Ricky Gray, 39, is scheduled to die by lethal injection on Wednesday evening at the Greensville Correctional Center if the U.S. high court turns down his bid for a stay. Gray's lawyers filed an emergency petition with the Supreme Court on Tuesday, saying that the 3-drug combination could cause Gray unnecessary suffering and thereby violate constitutional guarantees against cruel and unusual punishment. The execution would mark the 1st time a U.S. state has used 2 of the drugs - midazolam and potassium chloride - provided by a compounding pharmacy, according to the court filing. Gray's lawyers argue that compounding pharmacies typically follow an informal recipe attempting to approximate the patented process approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Midazolam is an anesthetic and potassium chloride stops the heart. The 3rd drug in the so-called cocktail, rocuronium bromide, causes paralysis Gray's attorneys say that midazolam has already failed to render prisoners unconscious during executions in Alabama, Arizona, Ohio and Oklahoma. Pharmaceutical manufacturers have stopped making some drugs available for use in executions, and Virginia state law allows the vendor's identity to remain secret. Arizona last month reached a settlement with lawyers for death row inmates that would bar midazolam from use in executions. Gray was sentenced to die for the 2006 slayings of sisters Ruby Harvey, 4, and Stella Harvey, 9, in Richmond. He also killed their parents, Bryan Harvey, 49, and Kathryn Harvey, 39. His accomplice, Ray Dandridge, was sentenced to life. The pair also killed Ashley Baskerville, 21, who had been a lookout when Gray killed the Harveys as well as her mother, Mary Tucker, 47, and stepfather Percyell Tucker, 55. Gray has said he is willing to die by firing squad, which is not an option for executions in Virginia. If carried out, the execution will be second in the United States this year. The United States has executed 1,453 people since the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. (source: One America News Network) * Gray Execution: Last Stop, Supreme Court A Virginia inmate scheduled to be put to death this week for the slayings of two young girls has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to halt his execution. Ricky Gray filed an emergency appeal with the high court on Tuesday. Gray is scheduled to be executed Wednesday for the slayings of 9-year-old Stella Harvey and her 4-year-old sister Ruby. Gray was convicted of killing the girls and their parents at their home on New Year's Day 2006. Gray is challenging the state's plans to use lethal inje
