[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Feb. 1 NIGERIA: Order killing of death row inmates now, Judge tells Nigerian governors A judge has urged state governors to sign the death warrant of over 1,600 inmates on death sentence in order to decongest the prisons. The Chief Judge of Delta State, Marshal Umukoro, spoke on Wednesday in Ibadan during the 2017 Aquinas' Day colloquium of Dominican Institute. At the lecture titled "The Judiciary and Criminal Justice System: Odds and Ends," Mr. Umukoro said that recent statistics from the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, indicated that no fewer than 1,612 inmates are on death sentence in Nigeria prisons. The chief judge said that signing the death warrant would reduce prison congestion, and served as deterrent to others. Local and international organisations such have Amnesty international have repeatedly called for the abolition of the death penalty. Death penalty is however still legal in Nigeria where it can used to punish people convicted of crimes like murder and armed robbery. Last week, a court in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, sentenced a man to death for stealing a motorcycle, phone, and some money from a victim who he also inflected serious body injuries on. Before executions can be carried out, however, the death sentence but be approved by the state governor where the judgement was issued. Some state governors, however, use their prerogative to commute the death sentences to prison terms. On Wednesday, the Delta State chief judge also called for synergy between the police, prisons and the courts in order to boost justice administration. "Some criminal cases have been hanging without progress for over a year in some courts due to transfer of Investigative Police Officer (IPO) or as a result of IPO going on short course. "Some courts too do not cooperate with the police and the prison to expeditiously dispose of criminal cases. "This does not only lead to unnecessary waste of time, but also greatly affects the disposition of the accused person and the witnesses who look forward to seeing the end of the case," the chief judge said. Mr. Umukoro said that more fora should be organised from time to time with the aim of sensitising various relevant stakeholders in the criminal justice sector on the need for mutual co-operation. (source: premiumtimesng.com) PHILIPPINES: No death penalty debate with 3 'narco-congressmen' in House - Atienza Buhay Rep. Lito Atienza on Wednesday said he would block the plenary debates on the death penalty while the three alleged narcopoliticians are still in Congress. In a press conference by the minority bloc in the House of Representatives, the pro-life lawmaker said he would not be willing to debate on the floor with these three congressmen still in the halls of Congress. "You are entrusting [the] faith of [the] nation in Congress where 3 congressmen are suspected drug [lords]- I cannot, I will not," Atienza said. The proposed reimposition of capital punishment is set to be sponsored and debated on the floor Wednesday afternoon during session. House leaders Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and majority leader Rudy Farinas had revealed that 3 congressmen - 2 from Luzon, and 1 from Mindanao - are part of President Rodrigo Duterte's "narco-list" of suspected drug personalities. But the House leaders have refused to identify the narco-solons to give them an opportunity to clear their names. "Unless we clarify this issue, I believe we should not discuss the death penalty ... It would be the height of irresponsibility if we debate with three suspected drug lords," Atienza said. In a separate press conference, Speaker Alvarez said there is no relation between the narcolist and the moves to restore death penalty in Congress. "We're still validating the veracity of the list to be fair to the persons involved ... The narcolist has nothing to do with the death penalty bill," Alvarez said. The legislation restoring death penalty is seen to be a priority legislation in the House of Representatives. The bill seeks to impose death penalty on more than 20 heinous offenses, such as rape with homicide, kidnapping for ransom, and arson with death. Speaker Alvarez, Duterte's staunch ally in Congress, was among those who filed the bill seeking to reimpose the death penalty after former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo abolished capital punishment in 2006 for its failure to deter crime. Alvarez filed the bill pursuant to President Duterte's campaign promise of returning capital punishment against heinous criminals. Alvarez's bill sought to reimpose the death penalty for heinous crimes listed under Republic Act 7659, including murder, plunder, rape, kidnapping and serious illegal detention, sale, use and possession of illegal drugs, carnapping with homicide, among others. In the bill he co-authored, Alvarez said there is a need to reimpose the death
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, FLA., ARIZ.
Feb. 1 TEXASstay of impending execution Execution halted for man convicted in Corpus Christi stabbing death2 days before death row inmate John Ramirez was scheduled to be executed, a federal district court in Corpus Christi halted the execution. A federal district court in Corpus Christi halted the execution of Texas death row inmate John Ramirez on Tuesday, 2 days before he was set to die. Ramirez, 32, was convicted in 2009 in the stabbing death of Pablo Castro in Corpus Christi during a 2004 robbery. Castro was stabbed 29 times, and Ramirez wasn't arrested until more than 3 years later when he was found near the Mexican border, according to court documents. He was set for execution on Thursday. The stay comes after 2 motions were filed last week by federal death penalty attorney Greg Gardner, even though he had no previous experience in the case. The court granted the motions to stop the execution and grant Ramirez new counsel because, the motion claimed, Ramirez's previous attorney had failed to file a clemency petition. The state has appealed the court's decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which has the ability to overrule the lower court's decision before Thursday and reverse the stay. On July 19, 2004, Ramirez and 2 women, Angela Rodriguez and Christina Chavez, were driving around in a van looking for people to rob for drug money when they spotted Castro taking the trash out from the convenience store where he worked, according to an opinion by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Rodriguez and Ramirez approached Castro, and Ramirez slashed his throat and repeatedly stabbed him in his head, neck, shoulders and back, according to court records. Rodriguez went through his pockets and came back to the van with $1.25, according to Chavez's testimony. The 2 woman were found the night of the murder appearing high and drunk, records stated. Rodriguez is currently serving a life sentence for murder, and Chavez pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery and got a 25-year sentence, according to prison records. She became eligible for parole in January. Ramirez evaded arrest until Feb. 20, 2008, when he was found near the Texas-Mexico border. He was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death; he's been on death row for almost 8 years. In the recent motions filed Friday, Ramirez claimed his previous appellate attorney abandoned him by not filing a clemency petition, a motion commonly filed in capital cases to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles and the governor asking for a stay of execution or commutation to life in prison. About 3 weeks after receiving an execution date, Ramirez wrote his previous attorney, Michael Gross, saying he wanted Gross to remove himself from his case so he could seek new representation. Gross complied, and didn't file a clemency petition, but neither did anyone else. Attorney General Ken Paxton argued for Texas that Gross was simply following Ramirez's instructions, but the court ruled Gross was still responsible because he hadn't been replaced. After Ramirez's godmother called Gardner, he filed the motions. Paxton said the 2 lawyers were engaging in "gamesmanship," noting that both were involved in another death penalty case that was recently stayed. The court said a hearing did not suggest any such tactics. It is the 1st stay of execution in Texas this year, stopping what would have been the state's 3rd execution. Another execution is set for next Tuesday for Tilon Carter. *** Texas lawmakers aim to eliminate death penalty for convicts who didn't killAt least 2 Texas Democrats and one Republican are pushing to reform the death penalty under the law of parties, which holds those involved in a murder equally responsible, even if they weren't directly involved in the actual killing. Months after Jeff Wood narrowly and temporarily avoided execution for a murder he didn't commit, his case has motivated Texas lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to call for death penalty reform. Wood, 43, was convicted in the 1996 murder of Kriss Keeran, who was fatally shot by Wood's friend in a Kerrville convenience store. Wood was sitting in a truck when his friend, Daniel Reneau, went into the store to steal a safe and then pulled the trigger on Keeran, who worked there as a clerk. Even though Wood didn't kill Keeran, he was convicted of murder and given the death penalty under the Texas statute known as the "law of parties," which holds that those involved in a crime resulting in death are equally responsible, even if they weren't directly involved in the actual killing. He was scheduled to die last August, but, after a rally in front of Gov. Abbott's mansion and uproar from a group of lawmakers, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals stayed, or stopped, his execution six days before it happened, sending it back to the trial court to
