[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
October 17 VIETNAM: Drug mule nabbed with 308 killos of tik faces death penalty in Vietnam Police in northern Vietnam have arrested a Laotian man caught with more than 300 kilograms of methamphetamine (commonly known as tik in South Africa) in one of the largest meth seizures ever recorded in the country, authorities announced on Tuesday. Police arrested Xeng Vang, 23, in Quang Binh province's Le Thuy district on Saturday, one day after he fled from a traffic stop after attempting to bribe the officers who pulled him over for speeding, police said in a statement. Upon inspecting the car, police found 308.6 kilograms of meth stored in 300 nylon bags. It was the largest drug bust recorded in Quang Binh province, with an estimated street price for the drugs in the millions of dollars. Although Xeng managed to escape into a forest along with 2 suspected Vietnamese accomplices, police tracked him down the next morning. He admitted to being paid 10 000 dollars to transport the drugs from Vietnam's Ha Tinh city to Da Nang. The other 2 suspects are still at large. In Vietnam, those caught smuggling at least 2.5 kilograms of methamphetamine face the death penalty. (source: iol.co.za) BANGLADESH: Journo Farhad, wife killing: HC commutes death penalty of 2 The High Court (HC) commuted the death sentence on Tuesday of 2 convicts to life imprisonment over the killing of journalist Farhad Khan and his wife Rahima Khatun in the city in 2011. An HC bench of Justices Md Ruhul Quddus and ASM Abdul Mobin passed the order after hearing petitions filed by the convicts and the death references. The death penalty was commuted for Nazimuzzaman Yon and his friend Raju Ahmed. Advocate Abdul Matin Khasru and Mansurul Haq Chowdhury stood for the convicts while Deputy Attorney General Moniruzzaman Rubel represented the state. Farhad Khan, 60, senior sub-editor of the Dainik Janata, and his wife Rahima Khatun were killed at their Nayapaltan residence in the city on January 28, 2011. His younger brother Abdus Samad Khan filed a case with Paltan Police Station accusing unknown persons. On October 10, 2012, the Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-3 sentenced Yon, Farhad's nephew, and Raju to death. Later, the convicts filed separate petitions with the High Court challenging the lower court order. (source: Dhaka Tribune) AUSTRALIA: Law Council backs Australia’s global death penalty abolition drive The Law Council of Australia is supporting the Australian government's newly unveiled framework to abolish the death penalty around the world. The "Strategy for the Abolition of the Death Penalty," launched by Senator Marise Payne, Australia's foreign minister, details practical steps that the country's ministers, parliamentarians, and diplomatic missions can follow to end death penalty worldwide. "Australia's Strategy for Abolition of the Death Penalty sends a powerful message that Australia is committed to advocating for the abolition of the death penalty beyond our borders," said Arthur Moses SC, Law Council president-elect. He said it is paramount that Australia steps up its opposition to the death penalty as the country is faced with the prospect of the execution of some of its citizens abroad. "This is particularly pressing in our own region where some of our neighbours and allies continue to shoot and hang people convicted of crimes," he said. "Senator Payne is correct when she says the death penalty is an affront to human dignity. If you believe this, then it is your responsibility to advocate forcefully on a global level and this is exactly what Australia is doing." He said that international progress is being made, with Malaysia saying last week that it will end the practice. "The Law Council will continue to strongly and consistently argue that no person, anywhere in the world, should ever be subjected to the death penalty. The death penalty is a breach of the most fundamental human right: the right to life," he said. "We are extremely pleased that the Australian government is taking a strong position we can all be proud of." (source: australasianlawyer.com.au) MALAYSIA: Unjust for death row prisoners to serve 30 years in jail, says MP It is ridiculous for death row prisoners to serve another 30 years following the government's move to abolish the death penalty, a backbencher said. Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh said these prisoners were already serving time in jail, for between five and 20 years, from the time they were arrested and convicted by the courts. "It is totally unjustified to order them to serve another 30 years in prison. This is akin to natural life imprisonment," he told FMT. Ramkarpal said this in response to the announcement by de facto law minister Liew Vui Keong in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday that death row inmates would serve 30 years' life imprisonment under the proposed abolition of
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, N.C., S.C., FLA., OHIO, CALIF., WASH., USA
October 17 TEXAS: Is the Death Penalty Worth It? It’s a Question More States Should Ask The Washington Supreme Court recently abolished the death penalty in that state, saying the practice was racially biased. That conclusion and the fact that the death penalty is extraordinarily expensive and does not do much to deter violent crime may help propel other states to abolish it. The ruling makes Washington the 20th state to halt the death penalty in recent years. Currently there are 2,800 convicted inmates on the death rows of the remaining 30 states with the death penalty. 3 states, California, Florida and Texas, have nearly 50 % of the death row population. Not only have more states been abolishing the death penalty in recent years, death sentences in the states that still have it have been declining. There were 300 death sentences imposed in 1995. In 2012, that dropped to 82. Last year, there were 39 death sentences. One reason is that states have been giving judges and juries options in the form of life without parole sentences. There aren't many ways to be tougher on crime than the ultimate punishment of death. The United States is not alone in the use of the death penalty, but we do belong to an ever-shrinking group of nations that have it. 2/3 of the world's countries have abolished the death penalty, including all of the nations of the European Union, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and every other major U.S. trading partner with the exception of China and Japan. The top 5 countries in terms of executions are China, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the United States. Interesting company we keep. Public support for the death penalty is related to political party. Nearly 75 % of Republicans, just over 50 % of independents and 45 % of Democrats support it. The support seems related to a belief that the death penalty is morally acceptable, a view expressed by 61 % of those polled. At the same time, there is concern about getting it right. Just under 40 % expressed confidence that the criminal justice system sentences to death those who are truly guilty. 3/4 believe that because mistakes are made, there should be a higher standard of proof in death penalty cases. The Innocence Project is the primary driver of exonerations in the U.S. It has been able to use DNA evidence to obtain exonerations of 18 death row inmates and 16 inmates convicted of capital felonies but not sentenced to death. There have been an additional 140 death row inmates who have been exonerated based on evidence other than DNA. The death penalty is also expensive. For example, capital cases in Texas cost about $2.5 million each. The death penalty costs about 10 times the cost of a comparable non-death penalty case. The excess cost to try, convict, sentence and execute an offender compared with the cost of life in prison without parole is about $8.5 billion for the inmates currently on death row in the United States. Is it worth it? Prosecutors charge capital offenses, prosecute them and argue for the death penalty under a presumption that the death penalty deters. The bottom line is that there is no scientific evidence that supports the assertion that the death penalty deters, a conclusion voiced by the National Research Council of the National Academies as recently as 2012. One can certainly appreciate that a victim's family and friends may desire retribution for a murder. An eye for an eye is well ingrained in Western philosophy and religion. But we must ask: At what cost? In light of the ever-present potential for error and bias, the absence of a deterrent effect and the extraordinary cost to prosecute, appeal and execute someone, we are left with the basic question: Is the death penalty worth it? It's a question more states ought to ask. (source: Commentary; William R. Kelly is a professor of sociology at the University of Texas and the author of four books on criminal justice reform Austin American-Statesman) NORTH CAROLINA: Another state ends the death penalty and it’s past time for NC to follow suit Last week, Washington became the 20th state to end the death penalty after its Supreme Court ruled that capital punishment is arbitrary and racially biased. If those are reasons to outlaw the death penalty, then it is surely time for the North Carolina death penalty to go. How much more proof can you ask for that the death penalty is racist and arbitrary in our state? More than 63 % of North Carolina's death 141 row prisoners are people of color, even though they make up less than 30 % of the state population. More than 2 dozen of the people on death row were sentenced to die by all-white juries. A comprehensive statistical study found that defendants who kill white victims are more likely to get the death penalty, and that across the state, African American citizens are systematically, and illegally, excluded from capital
