[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
May 24 SAUDI ARABIAmass executions Saudi Arabia Announces Mass Execution Of 37 Men The Saudi Arabia government recently announced the mass execution of 37 men on 23 April. According to the Human Rights Watch (HRW), 33 of the men were Shia Muslims, the maligned minority Muslim community within Saudi Arabia. One of the executed Sunni men received the most horrific punishment under Islamic Law 8- beheading and a public exhibition of the beheaded corpse. This is the largest single execution since January 2016 and brings Saudi Arabia’s execution rate to 100 for this year alone, HRW reports. Global actors have condemned and shamed Saudi Arabia’s actions. The United States government commission on religious freedom asked its government take action against Saudi, which is a close ally to the U.S., Al Jazeera reports. Further, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet condemned the mass execution, calling it “shocking” and “abhorrent.” She also stated that Saudi Arabia ignored multiple warnings from rights officials about unfair trials amid allegations of forced confessions through torture. Michael Page, the HRW deputy Middle East director, commented that “Saudi courts are largely devoid of any due process.” Shockingly three of the suspects killed were minors at the time of arrest, causing many to call for prohibition of the death penalty for minors, HRW reports. According to Amnesty International, the youngest was Abdulkareem al-Hawaj who was charged with partaking in violent protests when he was just 16. Following his death sentence, the United Nations pressured Saudi Arabia to reconsider, to no avail. The use of the death penalty has long been a contentious issue in many regions worldwide. Saudi Arabia’s casual use of the death penalty reflects a lack of motivation in improving the country’s poor human rights record. It is an especially extreme punishment given the apparent lack of due process in the criminal legal system. According to Mr. Page, authorities often characterize those executed as “terrorists and dangerous criminals.” In reality, the men convicted accused authorities of forcing confessions through torture for a range of crimes, including protesting, espionage and terrorism. Some men claimed their confessions were written by the same people who tortured them, and others claimed to have evidence of this torture, CNN writes. What’s worse is the secrecy around the trials, as the U.K. Foreign Office was denied access when they sought trial details, The Guardian reports. Mr. Page commented that the death penalty should never be the answer, yet Saudi Arabia has shown little interest in addressing human rights concerns. Perhaps the U.S. could have a larger role to play, but President Trump has remained silent on this issue. Unfortunately, it seems unlikely the US will undermine Saudi’s actions, as they risk jeopardizing this important relationship. President Trump has promised to maintain a close relationship with Saudi, which makes notable purchases of U.S. weapons while providing oil exports and sharing hostility towards Iran- a significant rival of the U.S.. However, the U.S. must realize that the actions of its allies reflect on their government as well. They are sending the message – intentionally or not – that they condone such practices by continuing to engage amicably with Saudi Arabia as if 37 men were not killed unjustly. The British Government censured the massacre, and Labour MPs have demanded that the country be banned from hosting the G20 summit next year. Hopefully such actions are taken so that the Saudi government realizes that these atrocities will not be ignored. As for the U.S., it seems unlikely they will publicly criticize their ally, considering Trump continued talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman despite global uproar over the death of Jamal Khashoggi late last year. (source: theowp.org) BRUNEI: Brunei's sultan returns Oxford degree after gay sex death penalty backlash Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah has returned an honorary degree awarded by Britain’s Oxford University after a global backlash led by celebrities including George Clooney and Elton John for proposing the death penalty for gay sex and adultery. Nearly 120,000 people had signed a petition by April calling on Oxford University to rescind the honorary law degree awarded in 1993 to the sultan, the world’s second-longest reigning monarch and prime minister of the oil-rich country. Oxford University said the sultan had decided to hand back the honorary degree on May 6, while it was reviewing its decision to award it. News of the decision was made public on Thursday. “As part of the review process, the university wrote to notify the sultan on 26 April 2019, asking for his views by 7 June 2019,” the university said in an emailed statement to the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “Through a letter dated
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----N.C., FLA., LA.. OHIO, ILL., NEB., S.DAK., CALIF., USA
May 24 NORTH CAROLINA: NC man once on death row sees conviction overturned -- 4 decades later A North Carolina man who once was on death row and then served more than 40 years in prison for a shopkeeper's slaying in a failed robbery attempt was headed home Thursday. Attorney Theresa Newman, co-director of the Duke Wrongful Convictions Clinic, said 81-year-old Charles Ray Finch was released Thursday from Greene Correctional Institution. He was picked up by relatives and the clinic's other co-director, attorney Jim Coleman, who were taking him to Wilson, Newman said. Video from WRAL-TV showed Finch, dressed all in white and wearing sunglasses, leaving the prison in a wheelchair. U.S. District Court Judge Terrence Boyle had ordered Finch's release earlier Thursday. In January, an appeals court ruled that evidence casts doubt on Finch's murder conviction. Newman said Finch's conviction was overturned and that prosecutors have 30 days to decide whether to retry him. The Wilson Times reports that Finch's daughter, Kay Jones Bailey, said after the hearing Thursday that she "knew the miracle was going to happen just didn't know when. It's been worth the wait. It's been worth the fight." In 1976, Finch was sentenced to die, according to the Death Penalty Information Center . The state Supreme Court reduced his sentence to life in prison after the U.S. Supreme Court that the state's death penalty law unconstitutional. In an interview earlier this week, Finch told WNCN that he forgives the person who identified him as the killer "because he didn't know what he was doing." That person had said the killer was wearing a three-quarter length jacket. Finch said a detective had him wear a coat in the police lineup - and Finch was the only one wearing a coat in that lineup. "When I was picked up, they didn't question me or nothing. The put me there in a lineup. Straight in a lineup. And they put me in a lineup with a black leather coat on," Finch said. Coleman told WNCN that a highlight of the evidentiary hearing came "when we were able to expose that he had lied about the lineup and he had dressed Ray in a coat, and he was the only one wearing a coat in the lineup." The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal ruled in January that it was unlikely that jurors would have convicted Finch if they had known about flaws in a police lineup and questions about key witness testimony. The three-judge panel returned the case to federal district court for a fresh look at innocence claims that the lower court previously dismissed because of technical reasons including timeliness. The unanimous opinion said Finch succeeded in "demonstrating that the totality of the evidence, both old and new, would likely fail to convince any reasonable juror of his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt." Finch, who maintained his innocence, was convicted of 1st-degree murder in the death of Richard Holloman, who was shot inside his country store on Feb. 13, 1976. Finch's case was the first case handled by the Duke clinic. (source: The Associated Press) FLORIDAexecution Serial killer who murdered 10 women in Florida executed by lethal injection A serial killer who terrorized Florida with a murderous spree that claimed 10 women in 1984 was put to death Thursday, his execution witnessed by a woman who survived one of his attacks and aided in his capture. Bobby Joe Long, 65, was pronounced dead at 6:55 p.m. Thursday following a lethal injection at Florida State Prison. Long had no last words, simply closing his eyes as the procedure began, witnesses said. The killer terrified the Tampa Bay area for eight months in 1984 as women began showing up dead, their bodies often left in gruesome poses. Most were strangled, some had their throats slit, and others were bludgeoned. Law enforcement had few clues until the case of Lisa Noland, who survived one of Long's attacks. She witnessed Thursday's execution from the front row. Just 17 in 1984, Noland was abducted by Long outside a church that year. He raped her but ultimately let her go free. She left evidence of his crimes on the scene and gave police details leading to his capture. Long confessed to the crimes, receiving 28 life sentences and one death sentence for the murder of 22-year-old Michelle Simms. Noland positioned herself in the witness room where she hoped Long would see her. "I wanted to look him in the eye. I wanted to be the 1st person he saw. Unfortunately, he didn't open his eyes," she said. "It was comforting to know this was actually happening." She said she began to cry after she left the room once it was over. “The peace that came over me is a remarkable feeling,” she said. DeSantis and the death penalty. Why Florida’s Catholic governor supports it. Another witness wore a polo shirt with a photo of one victim on the front and the words "Gone But Not Forgotten." On the back were photos of all 1
