[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
April 11 BANGLADESH: HC upholds death penalty for 4 in Rajon murder case The High Court has maintained the maximum penalty a lower court had handed down to 4 men for clubbing 13-year-old Rajon to death in Sylhet. Justice Jahangir Hossain and Justice Md Jahangir Hossain's bench delivered the verdict on the convicts' appeal and death reference in the Samiul Alam Rajon murder case on Tuesday. Death sentences were upheld for prime accused Kamrul Islam, Moina, Tajuddin and Zakir. The court also maintained 7-year imprisonment for Kamrul's brothers - Ali Haider, Muhit Alam and Shamim Ahmed - and 1 year jail sentence for Dulal Ahmed and Aiyaz Ali. The life imprisonment sentence of Nur Ahmed, who had filmed the torture and killing of Rajon, was commuted to 6 months. Rajon's father Sheikh Azizur Rahman Alam said he was satisfied with the verdict. Rajon was tied to a pole and beaten to death on July 8, 2015 at Kumargaon bus station on the outskirts of Sylhet by several men who accused him of stealing a rickshaw van. They recorded the incident on a mobile phone and posted the gory footage on social media, triggering a massive outcry across Bangladesh. A Sylhet court sentenced Kamrul, Moina, Tajuddin and Zakir to death on November 8 that year and fined them Tk10,000 each. Nur was sentenced to life in prison and fined Tk10,000 for filming the video of the killing. Apart from them, Kamrul's brothers and Moina were given 7 years jail while Dulal, Aiyaz and Moina were given 1 year jail. Moina was sentenced thrice in the case. The death reference reached the High Court on November 10 last year. The court started appeals hearing on January 30 this year. Appeals hearing concluded on March 12. (source: Dhaka Tribune) VITENAM: 'Alarming' executions in Vietnam: Amnesty Secrecy around executions continues to plague some Southeast Asian countries, with newly released figures showing the "disturbing" use of the death penalty in Vietnam, Amnesty International says. At least 1032 people were executed worldwide in 2016, while at least 3117 were sentenced to death, according to Amnesty International's global report released on Tuesday. The figures, while alarming, are considerably less than the reality because they exclude the thousands of executions believed to have taken place in China. This secrecy continues to plague some countries in Southeast Asia. Like China, Amnesty says Vietnam continues to classify figures on the death penalty as state secrets. However, according to the report, new information obtained this year reveal executions have been carried out at a higher rate than previously understood. In February 2017, Vietnam media reported statistics by the ministry of public security showing 429 people had been executed between August 2013 and June 2016, at an average rate of 147 executions a year. "(This) placed Vietnam over a 3-year period as effectively the 3rd-biggest executioner in the world," Amnesty International's deputy director of global issues, James Lynch, told AAP, putting it behind China and Iran. The figures raise as many questions as they answer - with no context provided as to what people were executed for, when they took place or the details of their cases' legal proceedings. "Secrecy is a huge concern, not only Vietnam but also Malaysia ... when new information comes to light it is disturbing, the number of executions were higher again than people had expected. The size of death row was higher than expected," Mr Lynch said. "There needs to be a much more structured program of transparency about the imposition of the death penalty to allow for a more informed debate." Also of concern in the region were calls by the Philippines government to reintroduce the death penalty as a measure to tackle crime and threats to national security. It's a step backward for Southeast Asia, where the Philippines has been a key abolitionist. (source: The Weekly Times) INDONESIA: Scores sentenced to death in Indonesia in 2016 but proposed law offers hope More than 60 people were sentenced to death in Indonesia last year but proposed changes to the country's penal code could save the lives of future prisoners if they can demonstrate good behaviour. In a sign Indonesia is slowly edging away from capital punishment, the House of Representatives is poised to pass a revised criminal code, which, a lawmaker told Fairfax Media, would "give hope" to those facing execution. Indonesia's Law and Human Rights Minister, Yasonna Laoly, is optimistic the revised penal code will be passed mid-year. A clause would allow death sentences to be commuted to imprisonment if felons could show they had reformed. However, it will provide little succour to the more than 215 people currently facing the firing squad - including British grandmother Lindsay Sandiford - as laws in Indonesia are not applied retrospectively. The
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
April 11 IRANexecutions Execution of a Prisoner After Heart Attack In a heinous crime on April 5, 2017, a seriously ill prisoner was hanged in Esfahan prison. Houshang Servati was executed while 2 days earlier, after his transfer to solitary confinement, had suffered a heart attack. He had 5 children. The regime's henchmen keep persecuting and torturing prisoners to the last moments and their transfer to solitary confinement for the implementation of death sentence is accompanied by beating and insults. On April 4, another ill prisoner was executed after 4 years detention in Tabriz prison. Before his arrest, he was exempt from military service because of mental illness. In another development, on the morning of April 6, Gohardasht prison guards raided halls 30 and 35 of Ward 10 of the prison, insulted and humiliated prisoners and destructed their belongings, and took away their medications. (source: Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran) Prisoner Hanged on Rape Charges A prisoner was reportedly hanged at Kerman Central Prison onrape charges. A report by the press department of the Judiciary in the province of Kerman has identified the prisoner as "V.F.", 32 years of age. The date of the execution was not mentioned in the report. (source: iranhr.net) * Iran responsible for 2/3 of Middle East's executions in 2016: Amnesty International Amnesty International today said that Iran was the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region's leading executioner in 2016, putting at least 567 people to death. That number included at least 2 and as many as 7 children. Iran was followed in the rankings by Saudi Arabia - which executed at least 154 people - and Iraq, where at least 88 were executed. Worldwide, the organization said that China executed more people than all the other countries in the world put together, with "thousands" of death sentences handed out each year. China lists only 85 executions carried out between 2014 and 2016 in its state database, but Amnesty International found news reports of 931 individuals executed in that time. The organization said that figure still represents but a fraction of the total put to death. Excluding China, however, countries from MENA carry out 83% of global executions. "4 out of the world's top 6 executioners - Iran, Saudi Arabia and Iraq and Egypt - are from the MENA region and execution rates in these countries remain appallingly high." said James Lynch, Head of the Death Penalty team at Amnesty International. While the number of executions in the region was down 28% from 2015, the organization said that year had seen an unusually high number of executions. The number of people executed in Egypt doubled in 2016, from 22 to 44. The country is now ranked 6th worldwide for executions. "Many MENA states justify their use of the death penalty by claiming that they are acting to counter grave security threats, despite there being no evidence that the death penalty deters violent crime," Lynch added. The organization also said that death sentences in Iran, Saudi Arabia and Iran were often imposed after "grossly unfair" trials, many of which relied on "confessions" obtained through torture. (source: albawaba.com) JAPAN: Rights group renews criticism of death penalty in Japan Japan executed 3 people last year and imposed 3 new death sentences in what Amnesty International has also described as a secretive system. A global report on death sentences and executions for 2016 cited the executions last March of Yasutoshi Kamata, 75, and Junko Yoshida, 56, and the November execution of Kenichi Tajiri, 45. All 3 were hanged, with Yoshida the 1st woman to be executed in Japan since 2012. The figure was unchanged from 2015, when 3 prisoners were also hanged. In its report, Amnesty said Japan imposed 3 new death sentences in 2016 and 141 people remained on death row as of the end of the year. Of these, 129 had their death sentence finalized, it said. The human rights group also renewed its criticism of Japan's practice of executing people with mental or intellectual disabilities, while highlighting that the country and the U.S. were the only members of the Group of 7 developed nations to carry out executions. Amnesty said in November that "secretive executions can't hide the fact that Japan is on the wrong side of history when it comes to the death penalty." "Executions in Japan are shrouded in secrecy with prisoners typically given only a few hours' notice, but some may be given no warning at all. Their families, lawyers and the public are usually notified about the execution only after it has taken place," it said. Last October, the Japanese Federation of Bar Associations formally issued a declaration stating its opposition to the death penalty and calling for authorities to abolish the punishment by 2020 and
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----ARK., ILL., CALIF., USA
April 11 ARKANSAS: Lawsuit Seeks to Block Upcoming 7 Death Row Executions Testimony began Monday in federal court on a lawsuit seeking to block a series of 7 executions set to begin April 17. Judge Kristine Baker heard from several witnesses called by lawyers for the condemned inmates including a psychologist from North Carolina who has worked with the state's prison system. Dr. Jim Hilkey testified that he's witnessed 5 executions. He told the judge that prison employees who participate in the process are profoundly impacted. In legal filings, lawyers for the inmates have argued that the rushed schedule creates a risk that key steps will be overlooked. Hilkey called Arkansas' rapid execution protocol a "dangerous experiment." Lawyers representing the Arkansas Department of Correction pointed out that prison workers will have mandatory debriefings after executions that include a meeting with a mental health professional. Another witnesses was Carol Wright, a federal public defender in Ohio who has been involved with 19 death penalty cases. She testified about the large volume of work required of lawyers in capital cases. Inmate lawyers say the execution plans amount to a denial of the inmate's right to counsel because lawyers will have to divide their legal work between multiple cases. State lawyers countered by arguing that attorneys for the inmates have had more than 10 years to fight their client's death sentences. Testimony is scheduled to continue through Thursday. Lawyers for the inmates are asking judge Baker to stop the executions and allow their challenge to continue. (source: KARK news) ** Arkansas Executions: Damien Echols, Ex-Death Row Inmate, Will Speak for Condemned Damien Echols has nightmares about being back in Arkansas. As a member of the West Memphis 3, Echols spent nearly 2 decades on death row in Arkansas - accused of the 1993 murder of 3 8-year-old boys - but was later released due to new DNA evidence. But he is set to return on Friday in protest of the state government's decision to execute 7 men in 10 days because their execution drugs are expiring. The 2 nights he will spend in Arkansas will be his longest stay and only the 2nd time he has returned since his release in 2011. "Ever since the executions were announced, I've had tons and tons of people contacting me to, number 1, would I help in some way? Number 2, would I be willing to come back to Arkansas and speak out against this?" Echols told NBC News. "It takes a lot for me to go back to Arkansas," he added. "It's a place that holds nothing but horror and despair for me. This whole situation is horrific and fills me with despair to the point that I wake up at night trying to scream." Furonda Brasfield, executive director of the Arkansas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, has organized a protest on the steps of the state capitol building at 1:30 p.m. on Good Friday - 3 days before the state plans to execute 2 of the 7 condemned men. Echols - who rose to national consciousness in the early '90s because of an HBO documentary about the peculiarities that surrounded his case and caught the attention of celebrities like Eddie Vedder, Henry Rollings, Margaret Cho and Johnny Depp - will speak alongside faith leaders, local officials and a few noteworthy activists. The former death row inmate's gaze has returned to the state that attempted to kill him because he wants to shine a light on the men he lived alongside for a harrowing 18 years. He believes the historic pace of executions Arkansas has planned, what he calls "a conveyor belt of death," could be a tipping point in the way the death penalty is perceived in the United States and Arkansas, a state which broadly supports capital punishment. A 2014 poll conducted by Opinion Research Associates found that 83 % of Arkansans said that the perceived deterrence aspect of capital punishment was important to them and 67 % supported the death penalty. Echols, 42, doesn't quite understand the support, calling it willful ignorance, because he believes his case should have proven to Arkansans that innocent men can be put on death row. But Arkansas politicians tend to use death penalty as a tool to build support. Patrick Crane, the sergeant in charge of Arkansas's death row in 2007, said correctional officers are forced to deal with the emotional and psychological weight of death row while politicians win "tough-on-crime" points with their constituents. "I'm a Republican - I've never voted for a Democrat in my life - but these politicians in Little Rock are going to benefit on the backs of honorable men with families to feed who are poor and who have to fulfill their job," he said. Crane said he went to work on death row in support of the death penalty, but found the environment distasteful. It was Echols's case, as well as many inmates' clear mental illness that
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, DEL., N.C., S.C., FLA., LA., OHIO
April 11 TEXAS: You don't have to be a bleeding heart to oppose the death penalty What should happen now to the convicted murderer Paul David Storey? Nothing. "Nothing" would mean leaving Storey to live out the rest of his days at his current address in prison. Late last week, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals halted Storey's execution, which had been scheduled to take place Wednesday. The court was motivated -- indirectly, at least -- by the pleas of the victim's parents, who do not want their son's killer put to death. As I said last week in writing about this case, we cannot allow victims or their survivors to assess punishment for the criminals who have wronged them. That would be too arbitrary, too inconsistent, too emotional. But there was wisdom in considering the statements made by Glenn and Judith Cherry of Fort Worth. Their adult son, Jonas, was killed during a 2006 holdup at the Tarrant County business he managed. Storey and an accomplice eventually confessed to the murder. The accomplice accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to life in prison. Story went to trial and was sentenced to death. "As a result of Jonas' death, we do not want to see another family having to suffer through losing a child and family member," said the statement the couple recently forwarded to state criminal justice authorities. The appellate court wants the trial court to determine whether jurors in Storey's 2008 trial, and subsequent appeals lawyers assigned to his case, were aware of the Cherrys' opposition to Storey's execution. Appeals lawyers for Storey claim Tarrant County prosecutors told jurors that it "went without saying" that the victim's family considered a death sentence appropriate. The case is further complicated by a juror, who now says he would not have sided with his fellow jury members in voting for death in the case had he known their sentiments. These are all challenging issues, complicated by emotion as much as by legal procedure and the passage of time. But the very central role that emotion plays in every death penalty case makes a dispassionate argument against executing capital offenders. I have no love for Paul David Storey, no sentimental indulgence for his grandiose jailhouse dreams of becoming a poet or novelist, no sympathetic ear for besotted activists who try to recast stone cold killers as tragic victims of a cruel system. Justice, by definition, needs to be guided by fact and by law, not by emotion. But when we move into the painfully conflicted territory of capital punishment, emotion is all we have -- on all sides. And as fervently as death penalty supporters deride its opponents as "bleeding hearts," they're operating on an emotional basis themselves. It's understandable that many of us might want to assess the most severe punishment imaginable on those who commit the most heinous and unforgivable crimes. But from a pure policy standpoint, the death penalty is expensive -- unavoidably so, given the constitutional guarantees to which inmates are entitled. It's also irreversible, unevenly assessed, and arbitrarily applied. Admitting as much does not make us suckers and rubes. It highlights the practical reality that society is as just as well protected by sentencing our worst criminals to life without the possibility of parole as it is by killing them. Should appeals lawyers be successful on Storey's behalf, he could be entitled to a new trial on punishment only. His guilt would remain unchanged. Prosecutors might conceivably save everyone a great deal of time, expense, and painful emotion by choosing not to retry this, and leave Storey where he is, where he belongs, where the grief this case has already caused can be contained: Permanent incarceration. The death penalty still enjoys considerable public popularity, which I understand. Nothing will cure a bleeding heart like sitting through a few murder trials -- the cruelty inflicted and the grief victims endure can harden even the most sympathetic onlookers. But capital punishment is too fraught with problems, too controversial, and in the end, too impractical to continue in widespread use. It is already dying a slow death of its own, as statistics chronicle its steady decline. You don't have to love Paul Storey, or think he has been somehow misunderstood, or view him as a victim, to see permanent incarceration as the best way for the state to handle him. You just have to be pragmatic. (source: Commentary; Jacquielynn Floyd, Dallas Morning News) ** Fort Worth Man on death row Loses Federal Appeal A federal appeals court has rejected an appeal from a Fort Worth man on Texas death row for a 2010 convenience store holdup that left 2 men dead. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday refused arguments from 41-year-old Kwame Rockwell that he had poor legal help at his Tarrant County trial when his
