[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Sept. 6 IRANimpending execution Execution of Kurdish Death-Row Prisoner More Likely, Prison Officer SaysFears for Ramin Hossein Panahi Grow Despite Torture and Due Process Violation Concerns The execution of a Kurdish death-row prisoner has become more likely, despite credible questions regarding violations of due process in his case, torture and other rights violations. An officer in Rajaee Shahr Prison in Karaj, west of Tehran, has told the prisoner Ramin Hossein Panahi that disturbances in Kurdish-populated regions have increased the chance that he would be executed. "The prison officer told Ramin that there's a great chance that his sentence would be carried out because prisoners are not kept in solitary confinement for a long time without a reason," Ramin's brother, Amjad Hossein Panahi, told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) on September 3, 2018. "When there are protests or armed confrontations in Kurdistan [Province] or other places, chances that death sentences would be carried out increases in order to intimidate and cause fright," Amjad added in an interview from exile in Germany. Since his death sentence was confirmed by Iran's Supreme Court in April 2018, Ramin Hossein Panahi's family and lawyers have issued several warnings about his imminent execution. The 22-year-old member of the outlawed Kurdish nationalist group, Komala, was shot and arrested in an IRGC ambush in Sanandaj, capital of Kurdistan Province, in June 2017. Ramin has insisted he did not draw a weapon and therefore the death penalty issued against him is without foundation. He has been convicted on the charge of "corruption on earth" and sentenced to death under Articles 286, 287 and 279 of Iran's Islamic Penal Code. On August 27 attorneys Maziar Tataei, Hossein Ahmadiniaz and Osman Mozayyan said their client had sewn his lips as a protest for the following reasons: "Being denied his legal rights, such as access to medical treatment outside prison as prescribed by health authorities in Sanandaj Central Prison." "Illegally cutting off telephone contacts with his family and lawyers and preventing visitation." "Being denied the same rights and services as other prisoners." "Illegal and unjust verdicts that must be reviewed within legal frameworks." The UN's special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions cited concerns that Panahi was denied access to a lawyer, a fair trial, and that he was mistreated and tortured in detention. (source: iranhumanrights.org) SOUTH SUDAN: South Sudan soliders due for verdict could get the death penalty The verdict and sentencing for 11 South Sudan soldiers accused of gang raping foreign aid workers and murdering a local journalist during the country's 5-year civil war will be announced Thursday and could include the death penalty. An investigation by the Associated Press in 2016 revealed that dozens of soldiers broke into the Terrain Hotel in Juba where they killed a local journalist, raped international aid workers and assaulted others while U.N. peacekeepers nearby did not respond to pleas for help. The verdict, which is expected to be attended by foreigners and diplomats, will take place in a military court 8 months after the trial ended. If convicted of rape, soldiers could face up to 14 years in prison and if convicted of murder they could be sentenced to death. All the defendants have pleaded not guilty. A 12th soldier was charged but he died from sickness in detention earlier this year while standing trial. Both the prosecution and the defendants will have 15 days to appeal the verdict, said the army. The trial, which began in May last year, is widely seen as a test of South Sudan's ability to hold its soldiers to account. The army is hoping the trial will act as a deterrent to other soldiers while sending a message to the civilian population that anyone who commits a crime will be punished, army spokesman Col. Domic Chol Santo, told AP. "This is important because the army has been accused of a great deal of rape, sexual harassment and all forms of violations and it's not part of our doctrine," said Santo. Manager of the Terrain Hotel, Mike Woodward, has been closely involved with the case and says he's happy with the due process and is looking forward to the verdict. "Every single soldier on trial has been identified by at least one if not multiple victims or witnesses. As with any normal legal process we hope that we will be compensated for our losses, that the criminals be punished and that an example is set to discourage others from committing similar crimes in the future," said Woodward. "I've been waiting for this moment for 2 years, where I've felt so alone during this time," one of the rape survivors told AP, which does not use the names of victims of sexual assault. She was the only survivor who came back to South Sudan to testify
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----N.C., FLA., USA
Sept. 6 NORTH CAROLINA: Conover man charged with murder may face the death penalty Scott Anthony Putnam, the Conover man charged with a July murder, will appear in Catawba County Superior Court this week for a Rule 24 hearing to learn whether or not he faces the death penalty. Court documents say Putnam, 37, shot and killed 24-year-old Anthony Killian and wounded Killian's mother Roxanne Killian at their home on Curlee Drive on July 24. Killian died on the scene. Putnam was arrested at his home on Naked Creek Road on July 25. Warrants, obtained by the Hickory Daily Record in August, reveal Putnam said during his post-arrest interview there was an incident between him and the Killians, which is the reason he committed the crime. Documents, obtained from the Catawba County Sheriff's Office through a Freedom of Information Act request, reveal the sheriff's office received an incident report filed by someone at the Putnam residence on July 2, 2018. The incident is listed as a sexual offense. The incident report says the offense originally took place in 2013. The only information provided on the suspected offender is they are a 24-year-old white male. The status of the investigation says it was closed/cleared due to refusal to cooperate. However, the Putnams and Killians did have an altercation in 2013. Court records reveal Putnam faced a misdemeanor assault with a deadly weapon charge in 2013, but the charge was dismissed. The witness listed on the charge is Donald Killian, Anthony Killian's father. According to the July warrants, Putnam attempted to shoot Donald Killian on July 24, 2018 but he was out of bullets. Despite witness statements and a possible post-arrest confession in the warrants, Putnam is innocent until proven guilty. Putnam remains in the Catawba County Jail without a bond. He is charged with 1 count of felony murder, 1 felony count of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflict serious injury and 1 felony count of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill. If the district attorney plans to seek the death penalty against Putnam, it will be up to a jury to convict him of 1st-degree murder and to determine whether or not he should be sentenced to death. (source: Hickory Record) *** Rockingham County prosecutor to seek death penalty against Rontae Hayes For the 1st time since 1999, the Rockingham County District Attorney's Office will prosecute a capital murder case. Assistant District Attorney Stephanie Reese stated during a pre-trial conference on Tuesday in Rockingham County Superior Court that she intends to seek the death penalty against a man charged with killing 2 and injuring several others during an overnight crime spree in the summer of 2016. Rontae Devore Hayes, 38, of 4704 Fewell Road in Greensboro, faces 18 felony charges in Rockingham County - including 2 counts of murder, 2 counts of attempted 1st-degree murder, 2 counts of 1st-degree kidnapping, 3 counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, violent habitual felon, 1st-degree burglary and 1st-degree arson. According to police, Hayes began a 12-hour crime spree at approximately 9 p.m. on Saturday, June 11, 2016, after showing up unexpectedly at a backyard barbecue taking place in the 100 block of Madison Street in Reidsville. Witnesses said Hayes allegedly shot Leroy Angelo Blackwell in the leg, shattered a beer bottle over the head of Craig Lee, and drove over Gregory Tyrone Blackwell in the process of stealing Blackwell's car. 10 minutes later, authorities with the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office responded to a different scene, approximately 7 miles away at a residence on Knowles Road, where 49-year-old Kavin Allen Galloway was found with a gunshot wound. They also located the vehicle stolen from Blackwell - ablaze and just 2 houses away from the new crime scene. Hours later, at approximately 1:30 a.m. Sunday, firefighters found the bodies of Mike Land and Gilbert Breeze dead inside a burning house on Grooms Road. An older woman, also at the residence, was also located by police officers with wounds to her head and areas of her face. Later, when being transported to a local hospital, the woman told paramedics that she had been raped. An hour after the Grooms Road incident, deputies were dispatched to 121 Jack Trail in Reidsville, where a homeowner spotted Hayes peeping from outside a window, wearing only in his underwear. The incident was caught on the resident's security system. In the following hours, the sheriff's office issued public text alerts to local residents warning them of their search for an armed and dangerous suspect and to keep their doors locked. With the help of nearly 50 officers from local and state agencies, Hayes was eventually captured at approximately 9 a.m. near Busick and Grooms Road. Officers were able to connect the
