[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----woprldwide----TRIN., MALAY., INDIA, IRAN, PHILIP.
March 25 TRINIDAD: Hanging 'barbaric', says Archbishop Harris Roman Catholic Archbishop Joseph Harris said the root of crime must be addressed instead of pushing for criminals to be hanged. Harris was speaking during a Facebook live session on Wednesday. Harris said he recalled when Dole Chadee and 8 others were hanged, there was a 'pall' hanging over the country. "When Dole Chadee and his gang were hanged, there was a pall hanging over Trinidad and Tobago for various days." "There were a lot of people writing saying how awful it felt and how barbaric it felt to have 9 people hanged in 2 days. It wasn't something that brightened the soul of our people. And truly, it had no lasting effect." "When we admit and want to reinstate hanging, we put ourselves in the company of a bunch of nations I don't want to be associated with." "I don't know if the people calling for capital punishment are reflecting on that." "I think it reflects the will of a group of people who are rather loud-mouthed." "It will not help. If the causes of crime and violence are not attended to, crime and violence will continue." "Hanging will not stop drugs coming into the country. Hanging will not stop people fighting for turf, and so the murders will continue." "You ask yourself, who brings in the drugs? Who brings in the guns? It's not the poor boys from Laventille and Sealots, they don't have the money to do that." Government has enlisted the advice and help of former attorney general Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj in order to enforce hanging once again. Following a decision by the Privy Council in Pratt v Morgan (1993), it was deemed unconstitutional to carry out death sentences for prisoners who spend more than 5 years on death row. As the appeals process tends to take more than 5 years, this precedent limits the application of the death penalty in Trinidad and Tobago. The Archbishop, who turned 75 on Sunday, also announced his resignation, which is in keeping with canon law. According to the 1983 Code of Canon Law and the 1990 Code of Canons, most bishops must submit resignations at the age of 75 and, once the Pope accepts, the bishop automatically ceases to hold any fixed-term office held on a national level. The resignation was submitted to Pope Francis who will decide whether or not to accept his resignation. Harris said however that he remains willing to serve. (source: looptt.com) MALAYSIA: Move to allow judges discretion in mandatory death cases The Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 is to be amended to enable judges to use their discretion in meting out sentences, the Dewan Rakyat was told. This means judges would not have to impose the mandatory death sentence for certain cases under the Act, as is the case now. The Star quoted Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Azalina Othman Said as saying: "The Cabinet has agreed to an amendment to Section 39(B) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 to include an additional clause to provide discretionary powers to the courts when sentencing, apart from the mandatory death penalty, for drug trafficking." The Sun daily quoted her as saying: "This is especially for cases where it is more reasonable for the offender to be given a jail sentence but the existing provisions do not allow for the judge to mete out punishment other than the death sentence." Azalina said this in winding up the debate on the motion of thanks on the Royal Address. According to The Sun daily, Azalina, the de facto law minister, said the Cabinet had come to the decision after a comprehensive study on the death penalty was tabled by Attorney-General Apandi Ali during the Cabinet meeting on March 1. Azalina said the relevant ministry and agencies would prepare a Cabinet ministers memorandum together with a recommendation to amend the Act for the consideration and approval of the Cabinet. To a question from Gobind Singh Deo (DAP-Puchong) if a moratorium could be placed on pending cases, Azalina said it was too soon to say as the matter was still at an early stage. Azalina said according to Prison Department statistics, there were almost 800 prisoners on death row for drug trafficking offences. ** Malaysian Bar: Halt all executions now The Malaysian Bar has called on the government to declare a moratorium on all pending executions. This follows a decision by the Cabinet to amend Section 39(B) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 to include an additional clause providing discretionary powers to the courts in sentencing drug traffickers. Malaysian Bar president George Varughese said studies had shown that there was no conclusive evidence of the death penalty having deterrent value, particularly in respect to drug offences. "It is prudent and just that the decision regarding whether to impose the death penalty be left to the discretion of the judge," he said in a statement today. He said in
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, VA., FLA., ARK., USA
March 25 TEXASimpending execution Hurst parents make video plea to Abbott to spare their son's murdererGlenn and Judy Cherry are pleading that Governor Greg Abbott save the life of Paul Storey, one of the men who killed their son and was condemned to death. What his jurors did not know after all the evidence was presented at his trial may have doomed death row inmate Paul Storey, according to a clemency petition filed Wednesday with the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. Storey, convicted in 2008 for the brutal execution-style murder of Jonas Cherry, is scheduled to die on April 12. Storey's lawyers, his family, and Cherry's parents are fighting to save Storey's life. Cherry begged for his life during the crime, which took place about 8:45 a.m. Oct. 16, 2006. Storey and Mark Porter stood over Cherry, who pleaded: "Please! I gave you what you want. Don't hurt me!" They refused and shot him twice in the head and twice in his legs. Cherry, who was approaching his 1st wedding anniversary, was pronounced dead at the scene. Storey and Porter were convicted of capital murder, but only Storey got the death penalty. Porter got life without parole after making a deal with the Tarrant County district attorney's office. If recent history is any guide, the chances that Storey's request for mercy will be granted are slim. The reality is at this stage of the proceedings a clemency petition is just about the only thing a defendant can ask for. Mike Ware, Paul Storey's attorney. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles has received 82 clemency applications in capital cases during the past 5 fiscal years and has recommended that none be granted. Neither Governor Rick Perry nor Greg Abbott have granted anyone clemency in a capital case during the past 5 fiscal years. Texas also tends not to commute sentences for those convicted of crime. Out of the 551 commutation applications received during the past 5 fiscal years the board has recommended that 4 be granted and Abbott and Perry have granted none. Perry and Abbott have not granted any emergency reprieves, conditional pardons, restorations of civil rights or pardons based on innocence during the past 5 years, despite the hundreds of applications received by the board during that same time period. The pardons board has recommended that only a few applications be considered during the past 5 fiscal years. Despite the daunting statistics, Storey's advocates say they have hope that mercy will be granted in his case. "Every case is unique and every case should be looked at that way," said Mike Ware, 1 of the attorneys representing Storey. "Hopefully we can persuade the board and the governor to look at this case as a unique case. The reality is at this stage of the proceedings a clemency petition is just about the only thing a defendant can ask for." Storey's attorneys argue in his clemency petition that almost no one associated with his case wanted him to be executed. The Tarrant County District Attorney's Office offered Storey a life sentence which he refused and Glenn and Judy Cherry, the victim's parents, have made a video and sent a letter to state and local officials asking that his life be spared. Storey's mother, Marilyn Shankle-Grant, said Storey told her that he would have had to admit to killing Cherry in order to be offered a life prison sentence and Storey maintained that he did not kill Cherry. "Paul said he did not shoot Cherry in the head," Shankle-Grant said. Misrepresentations According to the petition, the views of Cherry's parents were misrepresented by prosecutors during the original trial. The prosecution argued that all of Cherry's family and everyone who loved him believe that the death penalty is appropriate, the petition said. According to Storey's attorneys and advocates, that was not true then and that is not true now. "Judith and Glenn Cherry did not want death for Mr. Storey," the petition states. "Unknown to the jury and contrary to the state's argument, they stood with the family members who pleaded for the jury to spare Mr. Storey's life." Subsequent psychological testing also indicated that Storey was just barely functional intellectually. A juror, Sven Berger, who deliberated on Storey's case, signed affidavits stating that had he known that the parents of the victim did not want Storey to receive the death penalty or had he known about Storey's diminished intellectual capacity, he would not have voted for the death penalty. "I hope that everything works out for Paul," Berger said during an interview. "I felt kind of guilty. I still feel kind of guilty. The trial has never left my mind completely. And lately, I've thought about it a lot more." (source: star-telegram.com) *** 2 jurors seated in Colone capital murder trial, but selection could take another month Testimony is still a month away in the capital murder
