[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
April 26 INDIA: India's Criminal Justice System Cannot Be Trusted With the Death PenaltyIndian criminal justice system is plagued with an antiquated and untrained structure, and reinforced with laws that are over 2-centuries old. The Central government recently announced the promulgation of an ordinance on sexual assaults to act as a temporary fix until laws can be amended. The ordinance prescribes the death penalty for those guilty of raping children under the age of 12. It has further asked for fast-tracking sexual assault investigations - to be completed within 2 months, the trial within 2 months thereafter and any appeals disposed of 6 months thereafter. This is incredibly ambitious, at best, or foolishly naive, at worst. Sexual assault is a horrific experience for the victim. Society may choose to categorise some as worse than others and attach a death sentence to them accordingly, but we cannot compare experiences. It is for the authorities to diligently, impartially and scientifically investigate the crime. How any of these criteria is met in India is a mystery. Investigation IPS officers cannot investigate crimes, investigating officers (IO) are from the state cadres (on average, an IO has 450 cases at any given time) and none - I repeat, none - are formally or systematically trained to be specialist investigators in any type of crime. IPS officers receive disjointed training, including being sent abroad for courses, but none are trained in specific crimes. As a result, there are no specialist departments. Not for terrorism, not for robbery, not for rape. Numerous attempts at completely overhauling our policing apparatus and rewriting the colonial-era CrPC and IPC have failed. Police impartiality, as cold as it may seem, is key to any investigation. The impartiality must be holistic - to the victim, their own command structures and political interference. Cressida Dick, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service (Scotland Yard) in London, recently reminded their sexual offences investigators to maintain professionalism and impartiality after a number of high-profile prosecutions failed when the prosecution's case was shredded in court by the defence, which found loopholes in the victims' statements and evidence - what we know in India as a 'false case'. National Criminal Records Bureau data from 2015 show that 95% of perpetrators in rape cases are known to their victims; if the yoke of death penalty was hung around a member of the victim's family, would India's notoriously conservative society support a victim, with death looming on the horizon for one of their own? Running parallel to the police investigation should be the forensic investigation - which, quite often, can throw up evidence that is both irrefutable and contrary to statements collected by the police. No prosecution can stand a chance of being successful if both sets of evidence don't line up. Once again, our police authorities fall far below international standards - almost all police departments completely lack forensic evidence collection officers and processing facilities. The Human DNA Profiling Bill, passed by the UPA-II, has stalled and failed. In 2014, Delhi police allowed 1,500 DNA samples to expire - leading to prosecutorial failures. Prosecution The next step in the process is launching a prosecution. In an ideal scenario, a highly-trained specialist prosecutor will work alongside an investigation team, ensuring high standards, adherence to the law and sufficient evidence collection to seek a conviction. Prosecutors need to know how to translate the straightforward criminal laws into a courtroom environment which goes by previous rulings, precedents and open to being demolished by the defence, let alone numerous avenues of appeal, each of which can hinge on a technicality. What is the Indian outlook? No specialist public prosecutors (even though, ironically, their designation is 'special public prosecutor'). In light of the recent fugitive economic offenders, or the Jyoti Singh gangrape case, or even the frequent political scams, it is surprising that India has not yet felt the need for cadres of specialist public prosecutors. Our public prosecutors remain beyond the purview of even the public - they do not answer to anybody. If, for example, they answered to the local district magistrate (IAS) or superintendent of police (IPS), some degree of partnership may exist, ensuring a close working relationship - leading to stronger and more successful prosecutions. Here, however, senior lawyers are randomly appointed and work at their own discretion, with the bill being picked up by the public. Juxtaposed with the US system, where prosecutors are elected by the public and therefore easily accountable and just as easily disposed of - or legendary success stories, such as 'Mob buster' Rudy Giuliani, who became the mayor of New York
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
April 26 LEBANON: Beirut judge calls for death penalty for man who murdered ex-wife Beirut's First Investigative Judge Ghassan Oueidat issued an indictment Wednesday for a man who allegedly killed his ex-wife, fled to Syria, and later came back and handed himself in, the state-run National News Agency reported. Ouiedat issued the indictment for the murder of Nada Bahlawan, "at the hands of her ex-husband," NNA said. Bahlawan, born in 1975, was shot and killed on Jan. 22 on the street in Beirut's Ras al-Nabeh by a man identified by eyewitnesses and via CCTV as her husband, Fadi Ghazi Askar, born in 1967, a security source told The Daily Star at the time. In his decision, Oueidat called for the death penalty for Askar, on the grounds that he committed a felony under Article 549 of the Penal Code, as well as an offense under Article 73 of the Weapons Act for the transfer of an unauthorized hunting gun. The NNA report revealed new details about the crime, saying the defendant fled the scene after committing it, leaving his car parked at the roadside in Baabda's Falougha, with the murder weapon inside. He then took a series of buses to Syria, where he stayed for some time, before returning in February to hand himself in to Lebanon's General Security, NNA reported. (source: The Daily Star) SAUDI ARABIA: Executions for Drug CrimesCrown Prince Signals Possible Limit on Non-Murder Executions Saudi Arabia has executed 48 people since the beginning of 2018, 1/2 of them for nonviolent drug crimes, Human Rights Watch said today. Many more people convicted of drug crimes remain on death row following convictions by Saudi Arabia's notoriously unfair criminal justice system. Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman said in an interview with Time magazine on April 5, that the Saudi authorities have a plan to decrease the number of executions, but that they would not limit executions to people convicted of murder. Nearly all executions in Saudi Arabia that are not for murder are for non-violent drug crimes. The prince said the country would consider changing the penalty from death to life in prison in some cases, but not in murder cases. It's bad enough that Saudi Arabia executes so many people, but many of them have not committed a violent crime," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "Any plan to limit drug executions needs to include improvements to a justice system that doesn't provide for fair trials." Saudi Arabia has carried out nearly 600 executions since the beginning of 2014, over 200 of them in drug cases. The vast majority of the remainder were for murder, but other offenses included rape, incest, terrorism, and "sorcery." In Saudi Arabia, death sentences for murder are usually based on the Islamic law principle qisas, or eye-for-an-eye retributive punishment, while judges hand down death sentences for drugs at their own discretion (the Islamic law principle ta'zir). Judges rely on a 1987 fatwa by the country's Council of Senior Religious Scholars prescribing the death penalty for any "drug smuggler" who brings drugs into the country, as well as provisions of the 2005 Law on Combatting Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, which prescribes the death penalty for drug smuggling. The law allows for mitigated sentences in limited circumstances. International standards, including the Arab Charter on Human Rights, ratified by Saudi Arabia, require countries that retain the death penalty to use it only for the "most serious crimes," and in exceptional circumstances. In 2012, the United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions stated that where used, the death penalty should be limited to cases in which a person is intentionally killed and not used to punish drug-related offenses. Human Rights Watch has documented numerous cases in which Saudi courts sentenced defendants to death following unfair trials. In one such case, a Saudi court sentenced a Jordanian man, Waleed al-Saqqar, to death in December 2014 for smuggling drugs across the Saudi border from Jordan in his truck. The judgment following al-Saqqar's trial reveals that the trial lasted only 1 day, and a source with direct knowledge of the case told Human Rights Watch that the entire trial lasted about 5 minutes. The source said that a judge asked al-Saqqar to confirm his identity and state whether the truck belonged to him, then issued the death sentence. Al-Saqqar did not have a defense lawyer. The source said that the judge did not allow al-Saqqar a chance to explain the circumstances, which he viewed as a mitigating factor. The source said that in April 2013 al-Saqqar met a Saudi man at the Jordanian Free Zone near Zarqa city who offered to pay him 300,000 Saudi Riyals (US$80,000) to smuggle several bags of agricultural hormones to Saudi Arabia. The Saudi man said that his workers were
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
April 25 ALGERIA: Death penalty for alleged Mossad spy sentenced in Algeria 7 individuals accused of spying on behalf of the Mossad, Israel's secret spy agency, were sentenced on Monday by a criminal court in Algeria, with 1 of the accused given the death penalty, local media reported on Tuesday. The leader of the squad, a man of Lebanese descent with Liberian citizenship, was charged with seeking "to harm the security of Algeria" and was given the death penalty. The other 6 members of group, who were said to be of African origin, were given 10 year jail sentences and each fined 20 million Algerian dinar. According to Jerusalem Post citing local Algerian media, they were charged with espionage "possession and dissemination of documents that glorified terrorism," and undermining state security. The defendants reportedly pleaded not guilty to their charges. Algeria's Interior Minister Noureddine Bedoui said the exposure of the "international spy ring" working for Israel was clear proof that the Mossad and other foreign entities were trying to undermine the country's security and stability, Ynet reported. In January 2016, security services in Algeria announced they had exposed the aforementioned spy network and subsequently arrested at least 10 agents. Site of assassination of Dr Fadi al-Batash in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, April 21, 2018 The Algerian incident follows on from gunning down of a Palestinian and Hamas-affiliated engineer, Dr Fadi Mohammad al-Batash, 35, in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur last week. Hamas, and the Islamic Jihad terrorist group have claimed it to be an assassination carried out by the Mossad. Israel has dismissed claims that the country's spy agency was behind Batash's killing, suggesting instead that his killing was a "settling of accounts" between sparring terrorist factions. Hamas has previously accused the Mossad of assassinating another one of its drone experts -- Mohamed Zouari -- in Tunisia in 2016. The Mossad is believed to have assassinated Palestinian militants and scientists in the past, but rarely confirms such operations. Back in November of last year, Lebanese authorities arrested and raided the home of prominent writer and actor Ziad Itani on charges of "collaborating and communicating with the Israeli enemy." He was detained and eventually confessed to having been "tasked to monitor a group of high-level political figures" and their associates. However, in February of this year, he was released as authorities claimed the the "confession" was extracted under duress and that the security apparatus had received the wrong information. Muslim countries have in the past accused its locals and foreigners of acting as agents on behalf of the Jewish State. (source: i24news.tv) UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Blood money spares 5 Indians death penalty in UAEThey are now back home after group fight victim's family pardons them and benefactor arranges part of blood money 5 Indians, who were spared death penalty for murdering a compatriot in a group fight, are now back home after the victim's family accepted the blood money and pardoned them. The unmarried youths had a reunion with their families - 2 of them after 9 years - after they served about 6 1/2 years in jail following the murder of Virendra Chauhan. Dharmendra, Harwinder Singh, Ranjit Ram, Dalwinder Singh and Sucha Singh had been sentenced to death after they were convicted of killing Chauhan during a brawl between 2 groups of bootleggers in Sharjah in November 2011. "I wanted them to feel guilty for indulging in the fight and work hard to repay their families. So, I gave them only the amount that their families were falling short of." - S.P. Singh Oberoi | Indian hotelier who helped the convicts Their release became possible after their appeal to be spared death was taken up by Indian hotelier S.P. Singh Oberoi, who is known for rescuing many from death penalty by paying blood money to the victims' families. Speaking to Gulf News from India, Oberoi said he took up the case of the youngsters as he was convinced that it was not an intentional murder and their families would suffer if their capital punishment was executed. He said he wasn't justifying the convicts and wanted them also to serve the jail sentence the court would order. The court reduced their sentence to 3 1/2 years in jail after Oberoi managed to convince Chauhan's family to pardon them. "I went to his house with some family members of these boys to seek their pardon by accepting the blood money." A total of Rs2.1 million (Dh116,245) was paid in blood money to Chauhan's wife and 6 children, of which Rs1.3 million was raised by the convicts' families, he said. "I wanted them to feel guilty for indulging in the fight and work hard to repay their families. So, I gave them only the amount that their families were falling short of." Since
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
April 24 IRANexecutions 4 Prisoners Executed in Northwestern Iran 4 prisoners were executed at Urmia Central Prison on murder charges. According to a close source, on the morning of Monday, April 23, 4 prisoners were executed at Urmia Central Prison. The prisoners, who were sentenced to death on murder charges, were identified as Tayyeb Sheikhnejad Moukeri from ward 4-3, Qader Mohammad Hassan from the mental ward, Yadollah Samadi from ward 10, and Eslam Rashidi from ward 2-1. The execution of these prisoners has not been announced by the state-run media so far. According to Iran Human Rights annual report on the death penalty, 240 of the 517 execution sentences in 2017 were implemented due to murder charges. There is a lack of a classification of murder by degree in Iran which results in issuing a death sentence for any kind of murder regardless of intensity and intent. (source: Iran Human Rights) ** Prisoner Known as "the Fake Postman" Scheduled to Be Executed At least 1 prisoner, named Seyyed Iman Hosseini Moqaddam, was transferred to solitary confinement. The prisoner, who was referred to as "the fake postman," was sentenced to death on the charge of rape. However, the prisoner and his family believe that there is a political and economic reason for this charge. According to a close source, on the morning of Sunday, April 22, at least one prisoner, named Seyyed Iman Hosseini Moqaddam, was transferred to the solitary confinement. The prisoner, who was referred to by the media as "the fake postman," was sentenced to death on the charge of corruption on earth. Last November, the official media reported that Hosseini Moqaddam's execution sentence was approved. After the verdict was accepted, the prisoner publically denied the accusations. The prisoner's lawyer, Esmayil Ashkbus, told IHR, "I have no information regarding this. I'm going to the court to see what the matter is." It should be noted that Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, a close ally of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Chief of Staff from 2009 to 2013, was in a gathering held by the prisoner's family in front of the Judiciary on November 27, 2017. The video of this gathering has been published by IHR. An informed source said that about 6 prisoners have been transferred to solitary confinement, but IHR has not been able to verify this news. Execution sentences are usually implemented on Wednesdays at Rajai Shahr Prison. * 12 Prisoners at Imminent Danger of Execution At least 12 death row prisoners have been transferred to solitary confinement in Rajai Shahr prison of Karaj in preparation for execution. It is believed that their sentence will be implemented on Wednesday, May 5. Iran Human Rights (IHR) warns against a new wave of execution in Iran. IHR's spokesperson Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said:" Iranian authorities use the death penalty to spread fear and counteract the growing movement of civil disobedience in Iran". According to reports by IHR at least 15 people have been executed during the last 5 days. Close sources have reported that at least 12 death row prisoners were transferred to solitary confinement in the Rajaishahr prison during Sunday and Monday, the 2nd and 3rd of May. Among these people, an Afghan prisoner, Amir Khalili, was transferred from Ghezelhasar Prison and another prisoner, Amir Ahmadi, from KhorinPrison of Varamin (near Tehran). Other names given to IHR include Jawad Sohrabi, Iman Hosseini Moghaddam, Ali Masoumi, Ahmad Fateh-Ahmadi, Amrullah Ajdar, Mohammad Reza Kharratha, all of whom from Rajaishahr Prison. Except for Iman Hossein Moghaddam, who was sentenced to death on charges of corruption on earth due to sexual assault, a charge which he has denied, the death sentences for the remaining prisoners were issued on charges of murder. As the executions in the Rajaishahr prison are carried out mostly on Wednesdays, there is a danger that the prisoners' death sentences will be carried out on Wednesday, April 25. (source for both: Iran Human Rights) VIETNAM: Vietnam arrests Lao drug smuggler Vietnam's border guards have recently detained a 62-year-old Lao man for smuggling and transporting 40 kg of methamphetamine, 120,000 pills of lab-made drugs and 2 cakes of heroin totaling some 885,000 U.S. dollars. The man was detained at a Vietnam-Laos border area late last week, when he was preparing to transfer the drugs to a Vietnamese drug dealer, according to border guards of Vietnam's northern Son La province on Monday. Increasingly bigger amounts of methamphetamine are being smuggled into Vietnam, because such kind of drug is being made in bigger volumes in the Golden Triangle at the borders of Laos, Thailand and Myanmar at lower prices, according to local border guards and police forces. Selling prices of methamphetamine at the Golden Triangle currently stand
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
April 23 INDIA: Amid belligerent demands for capital punishment for rapists, on Sunday the President signed an ordinance that introduces the death penalty for those convicted of raping girls below the age of 12. But this clamour for introducing the most stringent punishment has conveniently sidestepped the more cogent criticism of the systemic failures in addressing increasing sexual violence against women and children. For those looking at it from the point of view of rape survivors and their bitter experiences with the criminal justice system, capital punishment for rape is the easiest and most convenient demand to raise, yet the most harmful one also for rape survivors. The women's movement has laid emphasis on the need for the person raped to survive the assault, and in turn be enabled to book the perpetrators. There are numerous instances of the perpetrators killing their victims, so stringent anti-rape laws are perceived not to be deterrents but measures that further instigate rapists to attack the victims. In fact, the assumption that the severity of law is an adequate deterrent to crime being committed is a highly contested one, given that brutal rapes in India have not decreased despite enforcement of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013 - a piece of legislation which prescribes the death penalty and life imprisonment for sexual assaults that result in death or the victim being reduced to a persistent vegetative state. Patriarchal undercurrent Women's movements across the world have consistently criticised knee-jerk, populist "solutions" to curbing sexual violence that in a highly patriarchal vein overemphasise the sexual aspect of the assault and reinforce the stigma attached to rape. Such "solutions" are seen as undermining the need to address the essential question of the rehabilitation of rape survivors, as well as the question of the complicit role played by state agencies in denying justice to survivors. This critique of capital punishment for rape stems from a concrete assessment of shoddy police investigations, low conviction rates, the overall tendency of hesitation within the judiciary in awarding severe punishment, and the capacity of stringent anti-rape legislation to enhance the propensity of rapists to murder their victims. The epidemic proportions that child rapes and sexual assaults on women are taking in India necessitates discussion on the entire process: from the initial moment complaints reach police stations to the moment of conviction, but more often, acquittal of sexual offenders. It is well known that right from the moment the criminal justice system is supposed to kick in, there is unwarranted delay by the police in filing missing person complaints and registering written complaints of sexual assault survivors. The reason for such police inaction is a debate within itself, but often enough, such inaction is connected to prevailing biases of class, caste, religion and gender. What is important to note is that a delay in police investigation amounts to an obstruction of justice since it allows the perpetrators to destroy crucial evidence and cover their tracks by influencing witnesses, and, sometimes, even the survivor. The huge difficulty rape survivors face in police stations and hospitals where medical examinations are carried out is another pertinent issue which is continually sidestepped. Such harassment tends to come under the spotlight only in extreme cases, such as the one where a child, after being sexually assaulted and left bleeding, was kept waiting for hours at a civil hospital in Gurugram in March this year. Further, insensitive methods of police investigation, tardy filing of charge sheets, delayed forensic reports, insensitive counselling, uneven disbursement of compensation to rape survivors, aggressive cross-examination of the survivor and her witnesses by defence lawyers, inadequate witness protection, and cumbersome court proceedings have together disempowered rape complainants. No amount of retributive justice can enable rape survivors, especially children who grapple with understanding their experience of hurt, to move on in life if the day-to-day pursuit of justice is an uphill and disempowering process in itself. Low conviction rate Instead of harping on the quantum and severity of punishment, we have to highlight the issue of a low conviction rate for rape. The dismal conviction rate for rape in India is a consequence of complicity of state agencies. It is precisely this which contributes to the culpability of rapists and nurtures the growing impunity with which sexual crimes are committed. This is a reality well captured in National Crime Records Bureau data that show high figures of repeat sexual offenders. What will work For the wheels of justice to start turning, it is essential to recognise that the crisis lies in the precise manner in which the existing
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
April 22 SAUDI ARABIA: Number of Beheadings in Saudi Arabia Rises by 70% Amid mounting criticism of Saudi Arabia over its human rights record, a new report by a nonprofit organization shows that the number of beheadings in the kingdom during the 1st quarter of 2018 rose by over 70 % compared to the same period last year. In its latest report published Saturday, the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights (ESOHR) said executions by the Saudi government in the 1st quarter of 2018 increased by 72% compared to the corresponding period last year. According to the report, a number of foreign nationals also face capital punishment in Saudi Arabia. The report came against a backdrop of widespread criticism of the kingdom over its terrible human rights record, including the censorship of free speech, indiscriminate incarceration of citizens with no due process, or the lack of basic freedoms for women and girls. Although the Riyadh government does not disclose any official statistics for people on death row, ESOHR has confirmed that 42 people are facing imminent execution, including 8 people who were minors at the time of the offence. The report has also decried the Saudi regime's move to execute people for alleged offenses that do not even cross the serious crimes threshold defined by the international law, noting that the convicts have simply attended peaceful demonstrations, exercised freedom of speech, or practiced their religious rites. Since 2008, Saudi Arabia has rejected all requests for visits by special independent rapporteurs of the United Nations, who are concerned about the kingdom's human rights violation, the report added. In March 2017, Michel Forst, a UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights, expressed serious concerns about the situation of human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia. Also in a report in September 2017, the UN Secretary General deplored Saudi Arabia for practicing intimidating acts such as travel bans, freezes on assets of people, and the use of torture against individuals or groups that collaborate with the UN institutions or programs. Figures show that 146 people were decapitated in Saudi Arabia in 2017, of whom 56 were foreigners. Only in 1 day in July 2017, Saudi Arabia killed 4 people charged with attending demonstrations. (source: ifpnews.com) IRANexecutions 8 Prisoners Including 2 Afghans Executed in Iran 8 prisoners most of whom were charged with murder were secretly executed at Rajai Shahr Prison. According to a close source, on the morning of Wednesday, April 18, 8 prisoners most of whom were charged with murder were executed at Rajai Shahr Prison. 1 of the prisoners were identified as Akbar Eftekhari from ward 6, who had been in prison for 14 years on murder charges. 5 other prisoners were transferred to the solitary confinement from different wards of the same prison. The 2 other prisoners were Afghans transferred to Rajai Shahr Prison from Ghezel Hesar Prison in order to be executed. An informed source told IHR, "Unusually strict security measures were taken for these executions to keep them secret." According to Iran Human Rights annual report on the death penalty, 240 of the 517 execution sentences in 2017 were implemented due to murder charges. There is a lack of a classification of murder by degree in Iran which results in issuing a death sentence for any kind of murder regardless of intensity and intent. (source: Iran Human Rights) INDIA: India approves death penalty for child rapists after 8-year-old murdered Offenders who rape girls under 12 may now be subject to the death penalty in India, according to an ordinance passed by India's cabinet Saturday after a nationwide furor over the rape and murder of an 8-year-old girl. In an emergency meeting, India's cabinet approved an amendment to the law protecting children from sexual offences that will set the minimum penalty for the gang rape of a child under 12 to life imprisonment or death, and the minimum for the rape of a child to 20 years up to a maximum sentence of life or death. It also doubled, to 20 years, the minimum punishment for the rape of a child under 16. The new ordinance also calls for rape cases to be investigated in 2 months and trials to be concluded in the same span, as well as for new forensic labs and fast-track courts to be added. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been under fire for his response to the crisis sparked by the arrest earlier this month of 8 suspects in the January rape and murder of an 8-year-old girl in the northern state of Jammu and Kashmir. With a Muslim victim and alleged Hindu assailants, the case rapidly became polarized, and 2 legislators from Modi's political party were ultimately forced to step down after they attended a rally in support of the accused. Around the same time, a legislator from Modi's party was arrested
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
April 21 INDIA: Death penalty for rapists of children below 12 years The Centre on Saturday approved the ordinance to award death sentence to the rapists of children below the age of 12. Following a meeting of the Union Cabinet here, the government cleared the amendment in the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. In the wake of the gang-rape and murder of an 8-year-old girl in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district, Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi had earlier expressed her ministry's intention to amend the POCSO to make provision for death penalty in such cases. Soon after, the Centre submitted its report while responding to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava in the Supreme Court, seeking maximum sentence of death penalty to those offenders involved in the rape and brutal murder of children between the age group of 0 to 12. (source: aninews.in) PAKISTAN: Supreme Court fixes hearing on plea of mentally-ill convicted The Supreme Court fixed the review petition of Imdad Ali, allegedly mentally-ill person challenging his death sentence, for hearing on April 21. The hearing of the case was fixed after Ali's wife Safia filed an appeal at the top court's human rights cell. The court summoned advocate general, prosecutor general and Ali's counsel on April 21 at the Supreme Court Lahore Registry. Mentally-ill Imdad Ali was sentenced to death in 2001 over a cleric's killing. The inmate's condition has continued to worsen over time. Ali has repeatedly been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, the petition read. In 2016, the Supreme Court had upheld death penalty for Ali, ruling that schizophrenia was "not a mental illness" but a "recoverable disease". (source: urdupoint.com) MYANMAR: President grants general amnesty for 8541 prisoners President Win Myint granted a general amnesty for 8541 prisoners including 36 prisoners of conscience and 51 foreign ones to mark Myanmar New Year day which falls on April 17. A total of 8490 prisoners were released on the presidential amnesty according to the notification No 17/2018 with the purpose of enabling the people to feel peace of mind and giving special attention to humanitarianism. The president released 51 foreign prisoners granting a general amnesty according to the notification No 18/2018 with the intention of marking Myanmar New Year day, paying special attention to foreign relations and respecting humanitarianism. The foreign prisoners were deported back to their native countries they had come from. Among the prisoners released on the presidential amnesty were 27 elderly persons of 80 years old and above, 25 elderly persons of 75 to 80 years old, 14 persons of ill health, 44 foreigners, 1462 persons of narcotic drug section 15, 3220 persons of narcotic drug section 16 (C), 1680 persons of narcotic drug section 15/16 (C), 141 persons of police disciplinary punishment, 36 prisoners of conscience, a female local prisoner and 2 Vietnamese prisoners, cited the writing from the Facebook of Zaw Htay, Director General of the State Counsellor Office. A total of 58 prisoners were released from Thayawady Prison, northern part of Bago Region. Three prisoners of conscience including Ye Baw Than Gyoung, who got four death sentences and life sentence, were also released. Three prisoners of conscience are Ye Baw Than Gyoung, Major Win Naing Kyaw and Kyaw Hlaing. "I can't believe that I am released. It is too early to say comments as I don't know how I stand," Ye Baw Than Gyoung said. Ye Baw Than Gyoung is the person who got 4 death sentences and life sentence. Major Win Naing Kyaw is the person who got a death sentence and jail term for 28 years. A total of 64 prisoners from Dawei Prison, Taninthayi Region were released on the presidential amnesty. There were 58 male prisoners and 6 female prisoners. "Dawei Prison released a total of 64 prisoners as they were granted an amnesty. Before releasing the prisoners, the departmental officials gave advice to them. K 1000 was provided to each prisoner. I was not authorized to say which prisoner got what punishment," said the responsible person of Dawei Prison. Pakokku Prison released a total of 22 prisoners as they were granted an amnesty. Similarly, Meiktila Prison released 64 prisoners, Myitkyina Prison, 470 prisoners, Paungte Prison, 15 prisoners, Monywa Prison, 41 prisoners, Pathein Prison, 47 prisoners, Katha Prison, 107 prisoners, Hpa-an Prison, 156 prisoners, Thayet Prison, 44 prisoners, Lashio Prison, 162 prisoners, Orebo Prison, 460 prisoners, Sittwe Prison, 87 prisoners, Myeik Prison, 293 prisoners, Hinthada Prison, 23 prisoners, and Buthidaung Prison, 58 prisoners including 23 Bangladeshis. (source: elevenmyanmar.com) IRAQ: Iraq gives death sentence to Islamic State 'judge' An Iraqi court has given the death
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
April 20 UNITED KINGDOM: Bishop Lang welcomes worldwide decline of death sentences and executions The lead Bishop for international affairs has welcomed the decline of the death penalty across the world and called on Catholics to help "make this the generation that ends capital punishment for good." Statistics released last week show that the number of recorded death sentences and executions fell in 2017, while the total number of countries to abolish the death penalty in law or practice rose to 142. More than 900 people were executed across 23 countries. Bishop Declan Lang responded: "Pope Francis reminded us last year that the death penalty is an inhumane measure and contrary to the Gospel. We are closer than ever to achieving global abolition and should redouble our efforts to make this the generation that ends capital punishment for good." Calling for action from the UK he stated: "I urge our government to use every opportunity including diplomacy, trade negotiations, and forthcoming discussions with our Commonwealth partners, to continue pushing for abolition of the death penalty wherever it still exits. I hope our Catholic community will also play its part through prayer and advocacy for those facing this ultimate attack on human dignity." (source: Independent Catholic News) IRELAND: 64 years ago today, Ireland executed a person for the last timeMichael Manning was the last person executed in Ireland. On April 20, 1954, Michael Manning, a 25-year-old man from Limerick, became the 29th and last person to be legally executed in Ireland. By 1964 the death penalty was abolished for all cases apart from the murder of police, diplomats, and prison officers. It was abolished by statute for the remaining offenses in 1990 and was expunged from the Constitution of Ireland by referendum in 2001. The Limerick man, the last man executed at the hands of the state, was found guilty of the rape and murder of Catherine Cooper (65) who worked at Barrington's Hospital, in the city. The crime took place in February 1953. He was found by police because he left a distinctive hat at the scene of the crime. He had been married just the year before the crime and his only child was born just weeks before his execution. Manning blamed his actions on "too much drink." The statement in police files describes Manning movements on the day of the crime, November 18, 1953. It lists the pubs that served him drink and recounts how he had been refused by the barmaid at the Munster Fair Tavern. His trial opened on February 15, 1954, and lasted only 3 days. The trial was widely attended and hundreds of people gathered outside the courthouse. The defense team had claimed insanity and claimed the charges should be dropped to manslaughter as Manning had not planned the attack ahead of time. However, the prosecution said that Manning had changed his routine to give himself more time to commit the crime. While there was a history of mental health issues in his family the judge sided with the prosecution and told the jury to discard the argument, as he claimed the fact that Manning has shoved clods of grass into the victim's mouth to stop her screaming showed he was aware of the crime he was committing. After just 3 hours of deliberation, he was sentenced to death despite the fact that the victim's family had petitioned to court to show him mercy. When he was found guilty he is said to have "paled visibly." Manning was the 1st person to be condemned to death since 1948. The Limerick man wrote a letter to the Government begging for a reprieve. He wrote: "I ask the Minister for Justice to show his mercy upon me as it is so near to Easter and Good Friday and it is our Holy Mother's year. I am not afraid to die as I am fully prepared to go before my God, but it is on behalf of my wife as she is so young and so near the birth of our baby. "Instead of 1 life being taken there could be 3 as it would be a big shock to my wife if the execution will be carried out on the date mentioned [April 20]. So I would be grateful to you if you showed your mercy toward my wife and me." After Mass and Holy Communion on Sunday before his execution, Manning played handball with other inmates. They noted that he seemed completely normal. A fellow inmate of Manning's recalled later, "Friends of mine who worked with me, I was serving my time at the time, went up to visit him on the Sunday before he was hanged. And they went to mass and holy communion together and they played a game of handball that day. He couldn't have been more normal." He was then taken from his cell at Mountjoy prison and hanged by Alert Pierrepoint. The hang house remains today in the grounds of Mountjoy. The execution was carried out by Albert Pierrepoint, who had traveled from Britain where he was 1 of 3 Senior Executioners. Pierrepoint executed at least 400 people in his career as a
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
April 19 MALAYSIA: Security personnel sentenced to death for trafficking in 1.4kg ganja A security personnel was sentenced to death by the High Court today for trafficking in1.4kg of ganja 4 years ago. Judicial Commissioner Datuk Ahmad Shahrir Mohd Salleh ruled that the defence had failed to raise a reasonable doubt in the prosecution's case. Wan Mazri Pak Wan Teh, 40, was found guilty of committing the offence at a house at Kampung Sulup, Teluk Kumbar about 1.30am on May 11, 2014. He was detained inside a room in the house and police recovered the drugs, a weighing scale and also a small plastic bag. He was charged under Section 39B of Dangerous Drugs Act for trafficking dangerous drugs, which carries a mandatory death sentence upon conviction. Deputy Public Prosecutor Lim Cheah Yit prosecuted while lawyer Maanveer Singh Dhillon represented the accused. After the sentence was read out Maanveer urged the court to sentence his client to lifetime imprisonment instead of the death penalty. He said that according to the amended Dangerous Drugs Act, the court had the discretion to sentence the accused to lifetime imprisonment, if four requirements were met. "Out of the 4, my client had fulfilled 2. Firstly, there was no proof that my client was buying and selling drugs at the time of the arrest, and secondly, he has assisted an enforcement agency in disrupting drug trafficking activities," he said. Ahmad Shahrir however upheld his decision. The accused looked calm when the sentence was read out before he was escorted out of the court by the police. His father was present to hear the court's decision. Outside the courtroom, Maanveer said he would appeal against the decision. (source: nst.com.my) INDIA: Farooq Abdullah wants capital punishment in Kathua-like casesThe NC president said India and Pakistan should eradicate terrorism in J through dialogues. Former chief minister of Jammu & Kashmir and National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday said his party would bring a law to award capital punishment in Kathua like cases, if it came back to power in the state. Abdullah was in Amritsar to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple. Commenting on the Kathua rape case, Abdullah said, "It is painful that an 8-year-old girl was brutally gang-raped and killed." "On one side, we respect women, treat girl child as a goddess and kiss their feet, but on the other side such incidents bring shame to us. Kathua like rapes are happening all over India just because our government fails to make any stringent law against rapists. We attained independence from foreign powers, but the country is still victimised by such crimes." Abdullah's comments came in the wake of the Kathua rape case, in which an 8-year-old nomadic girl was allegedly abducted, drugged, gangraped, tortured and killed. (source: Hindustan Times) * Unnao effect: UP to write to Centre seeking death penalty for rapists The Uttar Pradesh government will ask the Centre to amend existing laws to ensure death penalty to rapists, Chief Minister Adityanath said Wednesday. "It is necessary that rapists get strict punishment. We are going to send a letter to the Centre to make necessary amendments to award capital punishment to rapists," Adityanath said according to a release issued here. The comments, made in a meeting called to review law and order, come in the backdrop of a massive outrage over Unnao and Kathua cases. A BJP MLA, Kuldeep Singh Sengar, stands accused of rape in Unnao in UP while a minor was allegedly killed after being raped in Kathua in J Adityanath said the state government had a zero-tolerance policy against crimes. "From beat constable to the SP - all should be made accountable and answerable. The senior officials should keep an eye and ensure immediate action against those found guilty of laxity," he said. The chief minister emphasised that crime against women should be checked and 1090 women power line should be strengthened and the 'anti-Romeo squads' should also be associated with them. "The police should also do foot patrolling and establish dialogue with people. Those having dubious past should not be made SHOs," he said. (source: tribuneindia.com) BERMUDA: Death penalty needed for drug dealers Dear Sir, There are 2 situations that need to be urgently addressed in Bermuda today. The punishment for selling drugs should be the death penalty. Selling is selling death, the sooner we wake up to the reality of what that sentence will achieve, the fewer lives will be lost. The 2nd vitally important law that must be passed by legislation is a fine so great that nobody would dare to drink and drive: the loss of the car! The car can be redeemed and sold for charity. I realise that we are not a dictatorship so these sentences will be hard to introduce, but as God in his wisdom gave us a
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
April 18 IRAQ4 new death sentences against women Iraqi court sentences 4 foreign women to death for joining IS An Iraqi court on Tuesday sentenced 4 foreign women to death and 3 to life in prison for joining the extremist militant group Islamic State (IS), the Iraqi judiciary said. The Iraqi Central Criminal Court issued verdicts of death penalty for "3 Azerbaijani women and a Kyrgyz woman for being members of IS group," the Supreme Judicial Council said in a statement. The court also "sentenced a French woman and 2 Russian women to life imprisonment for joining IS group," the statement said. The Iraqi judiciary frequently sentenced women of foreign nationals to death and imprisonment for joining IS militants, including 16 Turkish women, sentenced to death on Feb. 25. After the Iraqi forces defeated IS in Iraq in 2017, hundreds of IS loyalists were killed or captured, while many others are still at large in hideouts in Iraq or abroad. Tuesday verdicts came a day after the Iraqi Ministry of Justice said it had executed 13 Iraqi prisoners, 11 of them over charges of terrorism, despite international calls to end the death penalty. The increase of executions in Iraq has sparked calls to stop capital punishment by the UN mission in Iraq, European Union and some international human rights groups, which have criticized the lack of transparency in Iraqi courts. Death penalty in Iraq was suspended on June 10, 2003, but was reinstated from Aug. 8, 2004. (source: xinhuanet.com) ** Iraq reportedly sentences Kyrgyzstani woman to death for ties to ISIS The Central Criminal Court of Iraq sentenced 7 foreign women, members of the ISIS terrorist organization, including a native of Kyrgyzstan, to life imprisonment and death penalty, RIA Novosti reported with reference to the Iraqi Al Sumaria TV channel. A French woman and 2 Russian women were sentenced to life in prison for links to the ISIS. According to the broadcaster, 3 women from Azerbaijan and 1 from Kyrgyzstan were handed a death penalty. (source: akipress.com) More than 300 sentenced to death in Iraq for IS links Iraqi courts have sentenced to death a total of more than 300 people, including dozens of foreigners, for belonging to the Islamic State group, judicial sources said Wednesday. The suspects are being tried by 2 courts, 1 near the former jihadist stronghold of Mosul in northern Iraq and another in Baghdad which is dealing notably with foreigners and women. Since January in the capital, 97 foreign nationals have been condemned to death and 185 to life in prison, according to a judicial source. Most of the women sentenced were from Turkey and republics of the former Soviet Union. In January, an Iraqi court condemned a German woman to death after finding her guilty of belonging to IS while on Tuesday a French woman was sentenced to life in prison. At the court In Tel Keif near Mosul, 212 people have been sentenced to death, 150 to life in prison and 341 to other jails terms, Supreme Judicial Council spokesman Abdel Sattar Bayraqdar said in a statement. "It has been proven that they carried out criminal actions at public hearings conducted in accordance with the law during which the convicts' rights were guaranteed," he said. Iraq declared victory in December against IS -- also known as ISIS -- which at one point controlled 1/3 of the country. On Monday the justice ministry said 11 people convicted of terrorism-related charges had been executed in Iraq, which according to New York-based Human Rights Watch is the world's number 4 executioner. "These executions follow rushed trials of ISIS suspects which are riddled with due process violations, including convictions based solely on confessions which are sometimes extracted by torture," said HRW senior Iraq researcher Belkis Wille. "Iraq's mishandling of the ISIS trials not only denies victims real justice, but also risks sending innocent Iraqis to their deaths." (source: al-monitor.com) PAKISTAN: Death penalty awarded in murder case in Faisalabad A court in Faisalabad awarded death penalty to a man convicted in a murder case of Thikriwala police station. After observing evidences and witnesses, Additional Session Judge Azfar Sultan Abrar awarded capital punishment to accused Javaid Iqbal under section 302-B of pakistan Penal Code (PPC). According to prosecution, accused Javaid Iqbal had shot dead his neighbour on a minor dispute in 2011. The convict was directed to pay Rs.4 lakh as compensation to legal heirs of the deceased. (source: UrduPoint Network) INDIA: 1993 blasts death-row convict Tahir Merchant dead M. Tahir Merchant, alias Tahir Takla, 1 of the convicts in the March 1993 Mumbai serial blasts who was sentenced to death, died of a heart attack here on Wednesday, a police officer said. Merchant, who was lodged in the
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
April 17 UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Appeal court upholds death penalty of boy's killerAbu Dhabi appellate court convicts boy's uncle of raping and killing him; case will now go to apex court The Abu Dhabi Criminal Court of Appeal on Tuesday upheld the death sentence awarded to a Pakistani man who raped and killed his 11-year-old nephew in the emirate. Earlier, the Criminal Court of First Instance had awarded death sentence to the man. The body of the boy was found on the rooftop of his building on May 31, 2017, a day after he went missing. The appellate court also ordered the convict to pay the blood money of Dh200,000 to the family. The convict, who was termed by the Public Prosecution as "a wild beast", was identified as Mohsen Bilal, 34, from Pakistan. The Presiding Judge of the Court of Appeal, in his judgement, said, "Mohsen Bilal was found guilty on counts of raping and killing and the court awards him the death penalty and a blood money [payment] of Dh200,000." "The accused was found guilty on all counts - of wearing an abaya [to disguise his identity], driving a car without a number plate and raping and strangling the boy with a rope," the judge said. The boy's father, Russian mother and grandfather were present in the court. They expressed their satisfaction at the appeal court's ruling. Speaking to Gulf News after the judgement, the boy's father, Dr Majid Janjua, said, "We are satisfied with the ruling against the criminal. This is what we were expecting. The accused has been changing his statements but nothing worked. He lied on all counts," the father said. They hoped that a similar judgement would be handed out when the case reaches the apex court. The boy, Azan Majid Janjua, went missing on May 30 last year after he left home to go to the mosque for Asr prayers. The Court of First Instance found the man guilty in November 2017 on the charges of rape and murder and sentenced him to death and the payment of Dh200,000 in blood money. According to records, witnesses said they saw the boy leaving the mosque but he never reached home. His body was found the next morning on the rooftop of the building by some AC technicians repairing a malfunctioning unit. "His body was half-naked and a copy of the Quran was lying beside him," Dr Janjua had told the police. The mother, who used to visit her son in Abu Dhabi, was in the city when the tragedy occurred. On August 8, the 1st trial of the case began at the Abu Dhabi Criminal Court where the accused denied the charges of raping and killing the boy. As the case progressed, the defence lawyer appointed by the court claimed that his client was mentally and psychologically unfit at the time of the crime. But medical examination reports presented to the court proved him to be mentally and psychologically fit. The accused blamed the Public Prosecution of fabricating evidence against him, but the CCTV footage and forensic evidence proved his involvement in the crime. Azan was Dr Janjua's 1st son born to his 1st wife whom he had met while studying medicine in Russia. Azan, who was also a Russian national, lived with his mother in Russia for sometime. As part of a mutual agreement between his parents, Azan started living with his father around 2 1/2 years before his death. (source: Gulf News) ___ A service courtesy of Washburn University School of Law www.washburnlaw.edu DeathPenalty mailing list DeathPenalty@lists.washlaw.edu http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/listinfo/deathpenalty Unsubscribe: http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/options/deathpenalty
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
April 16 PAKISTAN: PHC admits appeals in Mashal lynching case The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday admitted for hearing appeals challenging the verdict of an anti-terrorism court in Mashal Khan lynching case. A 2-judge bench of the high court issued notices to all parties involved in the case on appeals filed by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, Mashal’s father and the convicts who were awarded jail terms by the trial court. The bench, comprising Justice Qalandar Ali Khan and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, directed the appellants whose conviction have temporarily been suspended to be in attendance at the next hearing. Mashal, 23, a student at Abdul Wali Khan University (AWKU) in Mardan, was beaten and shot to death on April 13 last year by an unruly mob instigated by rumours that he had committed blasphemy by posting sacrilegious content online. The high court circuit bench in Abbottabad earlier had suspended the conviction of 25 suspects in the case On February 07, the ATC sentenced the prime suspect to death while five others to 25 years’ imprisonment in the case. ATC Judge Fazal-i-Subhan Khan acquitted 26 suspects and awarded three years of jail term to 25 other accused in the case. Convict Imran, who has been awarded capital punishment, was found guilty of firing shots at the victim student from his pistol, which led to his death. He had also confessed to the crime before the court. Nearly 50 prosecution witnesses testified against the suspects during the course of the hearing conducted inside Haripur Central Jail. The prosecution charged 61 people in the case, while 57 of them were arrested and produced before the court for trial. (source: arynews.tv) INDIA: Federal law for death to rapists unlikely despite Kathua gangrape case The gangrape and murder of 8-year-old Kathua girl has shook the nation's conscience once again. Drawing parallels with the Nirbhaya gangrape case of December 2012, chorus for awarding death penalty for the rapists has grown in the recent days in the country. Cutting across party lines, politicians have demanded that the rapists, particularly of minors below 12 years, should be handed out capital punishment. Both leaders at the national level and in the states have joined chorus to press for their demand. NATIONAL LEADERS Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi has asked her department to work on a proposal to amend the Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The move is aimed at including the provision of death penalty for the rape of a minor below 12 years of age. The present POCSO Act does not have any provision for capital punishment. The maximum sentence at present is life imprisonment for penetrative sexual assault. Actor-turned-politician Hema Malini reiterated the views expressed by Maneka Gandhi. The BJP MP from Mathura in Uttar Pradesh demanded that rapists of children below 12 years must be "hanged to death". STATE GOVERNMENTS Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti last week said her government would soon introduce a new law to make death penalty mandatory for those who rape minors. Mehbooba Mufti's decision holds significance because Kathua falls in the Jammu region. Not just Mehbooba Mufti but her PDP's arch rival National Conference president Farooq Abdullah has also demanded convening of a special session of the state Assembly to bring in a bill to award capital punishment to the rapists of minors. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also said his government would amend the law for awarding death to the rapists of minor girls. Kejriwal assured bringing law in the next Assembly session. He also said the AAP government in Delhi would also set up fast-track courts to complete trial of the cases of crime against women in 6 months. Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chairperson Swati Maliwal is sitting on an indefinite hunger strike for the past 4 days to protest the Kathua gangrape case and alleged rape by BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in Unnao. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Maliwal demanded that child rapists should be given capital punishment within 6 months of committing the crime. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS At least 3 states have passed bills seeking death penalty for those convicted of raping girls under 12 years of age. Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led Madhya Pradesh was the 1st state to legislate a bill in December 2017 which would send convicts of such rapes to the gallows. Last month, ML Khattar government in Haryana and Vasundhara Raje government in Rajasthan too passed similar bills. Coincidentally, all the three states are ruled by the BJP. Moreover, the bills in all these 3 states were passed unanimously. The 3 states have made amendments to the Indian Penal Code (IPC). DEVELOPMENTS SINCE 1998 The demand for securing capital punishment to rape convicts is almost 19 years old. The
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
April 16 INDIA: Kashmir bar association seeks death penalty for accused, calls for transferring Kathua case to High Court Qayoom said atmosphere is not “conducive” in Kathua for holding trial in the case. Saying death sentence should be awarded to the guilty by court in Kathua minor rape and murder case, Jammu and Kashmir Bar Association President Mian Qayoom on Monday said “High Court should transfer case to itself”. Qayoom said atmosphere is not “conducive” in Kathua for holding trial in the case. “We are not in favor of transferring case. Our demand is that the atmosphere at Kathua is not conducive for holding fair trial of the case. So, High Court has a wing in Jammu, we have a wing in Srinagar. This case should be transferred to HC itself ... They should nominate a judge for this purpose and that judge should be given exclusive task of trail of this case as quickly as possible”. Demanding harsh punishment for the guilty in the case, Qayoom said quantum of punishment in the case should not be less than “death”. Qayoom also said that Bar is ready to provide legal assistance to the victim’s family. “If somebody approaches us, we will see how we can help them legally. Till today nobody has approached us. But if they come to us and say we need some kind of legal assistance, we are here; we can provide legal assistance to them,” he said. (source: greaterkashmir.com) EGYPT: Court upholds death sentences against 4 over forming terrorist cell The Court of Cassation has rejected Sunday appeals by 4 defendants against death sentences in the case known as “Awsim Terrorist Cell.” The court also rejected appeals against sentences of 15 years imprisonment against 14 other defendants, and upheld life imprisonment (25 years) for other defendants in absentia. In February, Cairo Criminal Court sentenced 4 defendants to death and 12 others to life imprisonment in the “Awsim Cell” case. The defendants in the “Awsim Cell” case are accused of forming terrorist cells to incite chaos, attack public and private facilities and target security and army personnel. They are also charged with attempted arson and placing fake explosive devices outside the Awsim Town Council and the local electricity company, as well as detonating an explosive device outside the home of Judge Fathy Bayoumi while he was inside. On Saturday, Egypt’s Court of Cassation upheld a life imprisonment sentence against former Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie over charges of inciting violence in the “Rabaa Operation Room” case. Earlier this month, the Court of Cassation accepted on Tuesday the appeals against sentences imposed on 5 defendants in the case publicly known as the “Warraq [terrorist] Cell” case, ordering the retrial of the defendants before another criminal court. The defendants had faced various sentences, including the death penalty, life imprisonment and five years in prison. (source: Egypt Today) SOUTH SUDAN: South Sudan: One of just two executing states in sub-Saharan Africa in 2017 South Sudan is 1 of just 2 countries in sub-Saharan Africa known to have carried out executions in 2017, going against a clear trend by other countries in the region to move forward towards abolishing the death penalty, Amnesty International’s Global Report on Death Sentences and Executions 2017 revealed. South Sudan carried out 4 executions in 2017, 2 of those who were put to death having been juveniles at the time of the commission of the crime, in flagrant violation of international law. The other country that executed people in sub-Saharan Africa is Somalia, which carried out 24 executions in the same period. “With governments in the region continuing to take steps to reduce and repeal the death penalty well into 2018, the isolation of the remaining executing countries could not be starker. Now that 20 countries in sub-Saharan Africa have abolished the death penalty for all crimes, it is high time that the rest follow their lead and consign this abhorrent punishment to the history books,” said Amnesty International’s Secretary General Salil Shetty. South Sudan continues to hand down death sentences and execute people. In February 2018, 2 men were sentenced to death - James Gadet, former SPLM-IO Spokesperson, and South African William Endley, a former advisor to rebel leader, Riek Machar. Amnesty International calls on the South Sudan Government to immediately establish an official moratorium on executions, and quash the convictions of Gadet and Endley and grant them a new trial that meets international fair trial standards. Background Amnesty International’s Global Report on Death Sentences and Executions 2017 finds that sub-Saharan Africa is a ‘beacon of hope’, having made positive steps towards abolishing the death penalty. (source: Amnesty International) IRAN: Iran Supreme Court Upholds Death Sentence For Kurdish
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
April 15 NIGERIA: Amnesty International urges Nigerian govt to issue moratorium against executions Amnesty International advises Lagos govt against executing death row inmates Amnesty International has called on the Nigerian government to issue a legally binding official moratorium against executions as a first step towards the abolition of the death penalty in the country. It said this will be in line with global trends. The country director of the civic group, Osai Ojigho, said this during a launch of Amnesty International Global Report titled “Death sentences and Executions 2017” in Abuja on Thursday. According to her, Nigeria cannot afford to be left behind and must show a great commitment for protecting lives and ensuring that the criminal justice system is fair. She said there is need for reforming the judiciary in order to strengthen the system. “Nigeria imposed the highest number of death sentences in the sub-Saharan Africa region in 2017,” she said, with 621 people sentenced to death. She said Amnesty International believes that these death penalties are retrogressive, unjustifiable as there is no evidence to suggest the death penalty deters crime more effectively than other punishment “In our reports, it is obvious that executions are reducing and death sentences with death penalty is also reducing but the reverse is the case in few countries in the world and unfortunately Nigeria is among those countries with increasing rate in death sentences and the potential for death penalty is still a risk many people face in the country.” She said it is essential for the federal government to invest in security agencies on the use of technology in the prevention of crime thereby limiting people going through the justice system that is weak, which can be described as discriminatory against the poor and the vulnerable. Similarly, Damian Ugwu, a researcher with the group said 2285 people were on death row as at December 31, 2017 which includes four foreign nationals. According to him, Nigeria recorded no known executions in 2017 as compared to 2016 where it executed three death row inmates, although, 621 people were sentenced to death in 2017 compared to 527 in 2016. Mr Ugwu said death penalty is discriminatory and often used against the most vulnerable in society which includes the poor, ethnic and religious minorities and people with mental disabilities. “Some government use it to silence their opponents. Where justice system are flawed and unfair trials rife, the risk of executing an innocent person is ever present and when death penalty is carried out, it is final. Mistakes that are made cannot be unmade. An innocent person may be released from prison for a crime they did not commit, but an execution can never be reversed,” he said. But a legal practitioner, Olayinka Ogunmodimu, who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday evening, said death penalty should not be totally abolished. “Once someone is found guilty of a capital offence, the governor should not have the discretion of choosing whether or not to sign. Death penalty should not be abolished. Once a life has been taken, the punishment can only reduce from death sentence to life imprisonment,” Mr Ogunmodimu said. “By Nigerian law, the death penalty will serve as justice for someone who has taken the life of another but the disadvantage is that most governors refuse to sign death warrants by the reason of values, culture and beliefs as they prefer the inmates to die a natural death.” He said Nigeria lacks effective legal system that can quickly dispense justice without considering factors like favouritism, power among others while noting that the judiciary system needs to be strengthened. “A crime can be prosecuted in Nigeria for 20 years but (that) cannot happen in a developed country. The only case in Nigeria’s legal system in which you can know the starting and finishing is election petition and it is because the law have said that it must start and finish within 180 days,” he said. “It is a matter of here and there, when you look at event around you, one might have to agree with existing laws in which death penalty is part of the punishment but Amnesty International is right to say that in most cases, most people at the back end of the law are always victims of the law. Let us look at the case of Offa, will we say death penalty is not an option if the offenders were captured?” Ola Adeosun, a legal practitioner and political analyst said Mr Adeosun said the law should be reviewed that the manner of offence should be put into consideration before pronouncing death penalty. “Someone who robbed with a toy gun, blade and knife if arrested, prosecuted and found guilty will be sentence to death, for me it is too harsh. The manner of the offence should be put into consideration but there are some people who are serial murderers and since there are no
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
April 14 PAKISTAN: Amnesty slams Pakistan military courts over death penalties Amnesty International has slammed Pakistan's military courts for violating UN principles and international fair trial standards in imposing death sentences. Amnesty International's report -- Death Sentences and Executions 2017 - released here on Thursday, expressed concern that Pakistan's military courts "were run by military officers subordinate to the military chain of command - and who had no formal legal training - in breach of the UN Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary". "The charges against the defendants were not made public and those convicted did not have the right to appeal to civilian courts," it said. The report said that Pakistani military courts also sentenced civilians to death and added that its special courts "whose proceedings did not meet international fair trial standards imposed death sentences". Pakistan's Field General Court Martial (FGCM) in April 2017 sentenced Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav to death on charges of espionage and sabotage. India has denied that Jadhav worked for Indian intelligence agencies or that he has worked in Pakistan. The Amnesty report did not specifically mention Jadhav. "People continued to be sentenced to death or executed for crimes that did not involve intentional killing and therefore did not meet the threshold of 'most serious crimes', as prescribed by Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political rights," the report said. Amnesty said that Pakistan carried out more than 60 executions in 2017, imposed over 200 death sentences and there were more than 7,000 people on death row. During 2016, Pakistan executed at least 87 people and imposed more than 360 death sentences, according to the report. Briefing reporters, Amnesty International Senior Director for Law and Policy Tawanda Mutasah said that death penalties have dropped steeply since a peak in 2015 when 326 people were executed. (source: Khaleej Times) NIGERIA: Nigeria’s death sentences highest in sub-Saharan Africa Nigeria imposed the highest number of death sentences in the sub-Saharan Africa region in 2017 with 621 people put to death, Amnesty International has said. The country bucked the trend seen elsewhere in the region, as Sub-Saharan Africa made great strides in the global fight to abolish the death penalty with a significant decrease in death sentences being imposed. Guinea became the 20th state in sub-Saharan Africa to abolish the death penalty for all crimes, while Kenya abolished the mandatory death penalty for murder. Burkina Faso and Chad also took steps to repeal this punishment with new or proposed laws. “The progress in sub-Saharan Africa reinforced its position as a beacon of hope for abolition. The leadership of countries in this region gives fresh hope that the abolition of the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment is within reach. Unfortunately, some states in Nigeria continue to expand the scope of death sentences,” said Amnesty International’s Secretary General Salil Shetty in the organisation’s 2017 global review of the death penalty. There are a total of 2,285 people on death row in Nigeria, which is also the highest in the region, though no executions were carried out in 2017. Death sentences in the country have spiked massively over the past two years. In 2015, 171 death sentences were handed down, while in 2016 there were 527. Amnesty International recorded a drop in the number of executing countries across Sub-Saharan Africa, from five in 2016 to two in 2017, with only South Sudan and Somalia known to have carried out executions. However, with reports that Botswana and Sudan resumed executions in 2018, the organisation highlighted that this must not overshadow the positive steps being taken by other countries across the region. Elsewhere in Africa, The Gambia signed an international treaty committing the country not to carry out executions and moving to abolish the death penalty. The Gambian President Adama Barrow established an official moratorium (temporary ban) on executions in February 2018. Developments across Sub-Saharan Africa in 2017 exemplified the positive trend recorded globally, with Amnesty International’s research pointing to a further decrease in the global use of the death penalty in 2017. Amnesty International recorded at least 993 executions in 23 countries in 2017, down by 4% from 2016 (1,032 executions) and 39% from 2015 (when the organisation reported 1,634 executions, the highest number since 1989). At least 2,591 death sentences in 53 countries were recorded in 2017, a significant decrease from the record-high of 3,117 recorded in 2016. These figures do not include the thousands of death sentences and executions that Amnesty International believes were imposed and implemented in China, where figures remain
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
April 13 GLOBAL: Global executions on the decline, says Amnesty InternationalAmnesty International's latest annual report has found fewer executions were carried around the world out in 2017 than the year prior. The number of people sentenced to death went down as well. Last year Amnesty International recorded 923 executions worldwide. Although that number is still high, it is 4 % less than in 2016, when the human rights organization registered 100 more. 4 % fewer executions - is it a global trend? Amnesty International capital punishment expert Oluwatosin Popoola warns there are caveats. The decrease had to do, above all, with the fact that the three countries that carry out the most death penalties worldwide executed fewer people in 2017: Iran, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Iran carried out 11 % fewer executions, according to Amnesty, while Pakistan put 31 % fewer people to death. Numbers and caveats The reasons behind the declines in those countries are varied. "In Iran, for instance, the drop can be traced to judicial reforms for dealing with drug-related crime," Popoola told DW. He says it is more difficult to explain the reductions when it comes to Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The only thing that is clear is that "executions [in 2017] have decreased after recent peaks." Amnesty also recorded a 20 % drop in Egypt. Still, the organization warns those numbers do not tell the whole story: They are based on the minimum number, that is, those that could be confirmed beyond doubt. The true number of people executed last year is believed to be higher. In all, 23 countries around the world executed individuals in 2017. Not included: China The findings also highlights a massive blind spot. Amnesty opens its report by stating that executions in China, the country that puts the most citizens to death globally, are not included in its figures. "The true scale of death penalties carried out remains unknown since data is classified secret," the report explains. "The number of 993 worldwide executions does not include the thousands of people likely executed in China." Excluding China, Amnesty says that 84 % of all executions documented worldwide were carried out in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Pakistan. The exact number of people executed every year in China remains unknown Popoola says authorities in Iraq "continue to resort to the death penalty as a tool of retribution in response to public outrage after attacks claimed by armed groups, including the group calling itself the Islamic State. Mass executions were carried out on several occasions during the year, with dozens of men being executed in September." A number of countries actually resumed executions in 2017: Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan. Positive developments in sub-Saharan Africa One bright spot Amnesty points to in its report is sub-Saharan Africa. Guinea, for instance, abolished the death penalty. And Gambia called a moratorium, promising that the next step would be abolition. Popoola says the region is currently a "hub" for the drop in executions. Globally, countries are carrying out fewer executions. In 2016 more than 3,100 people were put to death, in 2017 that number dropped to 2,600. However, Amnesty did register almost 22,000 cases of prisoners on death row around the world. Death penalty not a deterrent Amnesty prefaced its report with a quote from United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres: "The death penalty does little to serve victims or deter crime." Experts say the death penalty is not a deterrent when it comes to crime According to Popoola, there is no credible evidence to suggest that capital punishment is a stronger deterrent than other sentences: "For example in Canada, the homicide rate in 2016 was almost half that in 1976, when the death penalty was abolished there." Abolition 'within reach' Popoola says efforts must now be concentrated on working towards abolishing the death penalty in those countries that still practice it, and he has concrete proposals for doing so. Such countries, he says, "can immediately establish an official moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty. They could commute, without delay, all death sentences" and "remove prisoners from death row," putting them into normal prison settings instead. He adds that those countries could also "immediately remove from their laws any death penalty provisions, which are in breach of international human rights law." Overall, Amnesty says the 2017 statistics provide a ray of hope: "These important developments confirm that the world has reached a turning point and that the abolition of this utterly gruesome, inhumane and degrading punishment is within reach." (source: Deutsche Welle) * The Death Penalty in 2017: Facts and Figures Amnesty International recorded at least 993 executions in 23 countries in
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
April 13 TUNISIA: Amnesty: Tunisia not doing enough to abolish death penalty Tunisia has failed to take steps to abolish its law on the death penalty, Amnesty International said in its latest report. Since the early 1990s, no death sentences have been carried out in Tunisia but the death penalty still exists in the country. At the end of last year, 77 people were on death row in Tunisian prisons and 25 Tunisian courts handed down death sentences in connection with national security crimes, an increase from 44 in 2016. According to a poll by the 3C Studies Institute, 70 per cent of Tunisians are in favour of the death penalty. Moreover, the new anti-terrorism law, passed in July 2015, has maintained the death penalty despite calls to abolish it. Since independence, Tunisia has completed 135 executions. Amnesty also deplored the fact that the measure of death sentences in Algeria has not been properly recorded due to authorities not making official data public. Amnesty recorded 27 death sentences in Algeria last year, less than the 50 recorded in 2016. In Morocco and the Western Sahara, 15 death sentences were handed out in 2017, compared to at least 6 in 2016. According to the NGO, the use of the death penalty in the Middle East and North Africa region decreased slightly in 2017 and the number of executions recorded decreased by 1 %, from 856 executions in 2016 to 847 in 2017. Iran, Saudi Arabia and Iraq carried out the largest number of executions in the region and account for 92 % of recorded executions in the MENA region. However Egypt was guilty of handing out the most convictions in the region during 2017. Of the 619 convictions of capital punishment recorded by the group, 402 were from Egypt – an increase of about 70 % compared to 2016. By the end of 2017, 106 countries abolished the death penalty in their legislation. (source: Middle East Monitor) BAHAMAS: Crown Seeks Death Penalty In Exuma Shooting Death Case THE CROWN is seeking the death penalty for 1 of 2 men convicted of the shooting death of a man in his Family Island home during the process of an armed robbery four years ago. Prosecutor Al-Leecia Delancy submitted to Justice Carolita Bethel yesterday that Giordano Rolle Jr "should be made to suffer death" for murdering Dwayne Finnekan in Exuma in February 2014. Ms Delancy said his accomplice, Demetri Rolle should receive 25 years for manslaughter, and that both men should each get 25 years for robbing Finnekan at gunpoint on that date. The prosecutor submitted that while Demetri Rolle didn't actually shoot the deceased, he played a "significant role" in the incident by being present when it occurred, and also being armed with a shotgun which he used to hold up the only other person who could have assisted the deceased before he was killed. And concerning the armed robbery charge for which both men were convicted, Ms Delancy noted the "utterly unnecessary," "senseless" and "heinous" manner in which the offence was executed. The submissions came during a hearing for counsel to make submissions and/or recommendations on sentencing for both men concerning the armed robbery and subsequent shooting death of Finnekan on February 18, 2014. On March 10, 2017, following a trial by jury over the crimes in question, Giordano Rolle was convicted of murder and armed robbery, while Demetri Rolle was convicted of manslaughter and armed robbery. According to previous reports, on the date in question, Finniken, also known as Dwayne Nixon, was at home with another man when two men armed with firearms entered the residence. The 2 convicts, while armed with a handgun and a shotgun, subsequently robbed Finnekan of cash, a gold necklace and a hand chain. One of the men shot the victim, resulting in his death, before they fled on foot. The 23 year old was pronounced dead at the scene by the island's local doctor. According to Ms Delancey, Finniken was lying face down on the bed when he was shot in the back. The one person who was in a position to assist him in any way was being held at gunpoint by Demetri Rolle in the front room. In his record of interview, Demetri Rolle said: "We went there because American sent us there…to take the drugs and money…" When asked if it was he who shot and killed Finnekan, aka "Yardy," and not Giordano Rolle or another individual, Demetri Rolle said: "It was Gio, sir, not me." Yesterday afternoon, David Cash, attorney for Giordano Rolle, submitted that the crime in question does not fall under the category of "worst of the worst" as mandated by the Privy Council, having regard to all of the circumstances of the case. Murder Mr Cash further submitted that while the court has the jurisdiction to sentence someone to death, it is "the duty of the court" to make a determination whether or not the murder in question can be considered to be the "worst of the worst," and if it
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
April 12 GUINEA: "How I brought people together and called for Guinea to abolish the death penalty" Souleymane Sow, 43, is a man with a mission. He has been volunteering with Amnesty International since he was a student. Inspired to make a difference, he returned to Guinea, set up a local group of Amnesty International volunteers and got to work. Their aim? To promote the importance of human rights, educate people on these issues and abolish the death penalty. Along with 34 NGOs, they finally achieved their goal last year. I've always been against the death penalty. So many people were killed during the 1st regime - just because of their politics. Seeing people who'd lost their parents made me want to take the fight for abolition further. When I returned to Guinea, I formed a group of volunteers and we started educating people about human rights. Elections took place in 2015 and a new programme was launched, focusing on renewing all our laws in parliament. I knew this was a key opportunity to speak out. I contacted Amnesty International's regional office in Dakar, to see how we could lobby against the death penalty. Once they were on board, we issued a statement about the changes we wanted to see. Momentum was building and 34 other NGOs decided to join our mission to abolish the death penalty in Guinea. One by one, we arranged meetings with ministers and other deputies, explaining why this awful practice had to be abolished. I provided all the information they needed and we had open, honest discussions. As the campaign ramped up, we made our voices heard. We distributed campaign materials, such as stickers and T-Shirts, calling for an end to the death penalty. I was invited to the Ministry of Justice to discuss the issue further, putting across my argument, with the aim of changing their mindset - it was so important to talk to people and explain why the death penalty needed to be abolished. We listened to their ideas and questioned their reasoning, providing examples and arguments about why the death penalty didn't have a place in today's society. My colleagues and I lobbied against the death penalty every day for 5 months. In 2016, Guinea's National Assembly voted in favour of a new criminal code which removed the death sentence from the list of applicable penalties. Last year, they did the same in the military court, too. It was such an incredible achievement - and it showed the importance of people power. It was the 1st time so many NGOs had come together to campaign on an issue. People said they were happy with our work and they could see that change is possible. Most of all, it inspired us to continue campaigning. There's still a lot of work to do in Guinea, but having seen the impact we can have, I know much more good can be achieved. (source: Amnesty International) KENYA: Abolish death penalty, Amnesty International urges Kenya Amnesty International on Thursday praised Kenya for limits it has placed on use of the death penalty but urged it to join the 20 African countries that have abolished capital punishment altogether. "Kenya has taken some progressive steps toward abolition," said Oluwatosin Popoola, Amnesty's lead advocate for eliminating the death penalty. RULING "But Kenya still has a way to go in reaching true abolition," Mr Popoola added in an interview. His comments coincided with release of an Amnesty report on the status of the death penalty worldwide. It hails sub-Saharan Africa as a "beacon of hope" in the global effort to end state-sponsored executions. The report highlights the Kenyan Supreme Court ruling last December that found mandatory imposition of the death penalty to be unconstitutional. But the court did not strike down the death penalty itself. As a result, capital punishment remains lawful even though judges are no longer required to order it in cases of murder and armed robbery. Kenya also has not executed any death-row inmates since 1987. (source: nation.co.ke) NIGERIA: How Dane Killed Nigerian Wife Alizee, Poisoned Daughter, Police Tell Court Fresh facts have emerged on how rising Nigerian singer, Zainab Alizee, and her 3-year-old daughter, Petra, were murdered allegedly by her Danish husband, Peter Nielsen, at their Banana Island residence, Ikoyi, Lagos, on Thursday. Effiong Asuquo, a chief superintendent of police, told a Yaba Chief Magistrates' Court, Lagos on Wednesday that the accused hit his wife's head on the wall several times leading to her death and then proceeded to poison his daughter. Mr. Asuquo, a prosecutor, alleged that the accused killed Zainab and her daughter in the house. Mr Nielsen allegedly committed the offences on Wednesday at his residence at Block 4, Flat 17, Bella Vista Tower, Banana Island, Ikoyi. "The accused who was always at loggerheads with his wife had hit her head on the wall several times leading to her death; he also
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
April 12 PAKISTAN: 'President rejected 513 mercy petitions in 5 years' Pakistan is among the 5 most prolific executioners in the world with 487 executions in the last 3 years, while the president has rejected 513 mercy petitions in the last 5 years, a report launched on Wednesday has found. The report, No Mercy: A Report on Clemency for Death Row Prisoners in Pakistan, was launched by Justice Project Pakistan. It said that the government has executed nearly 500 people since lifting the moratorium on the death penalty in 2014. And although the president possesses the constitutional authority under Article 45 to pardon death row defendants, in practice in such petitions have been consistently denied since December 2014, operating under a blanket policy for cases with strong evidence of humanitarian abuse and violations. The report quoted the Ministry of Interior as stating that the president's office had rejected 513 mercy petitions by condemned prisoners - 444 of which were from the first 15 months after the resumption of executions in December 2014. The interior ministry has also informally confirmed that the government has a de facto policy to summarily reject all mercy pleas. The report includes case studies of death row prisoner Abdul Basit, Imdad Ali, juvenile offender Mohammad Iqbal and Zulfiqar Ali, a Pakistani citizen on death row in Indonesia. The cases illustrate the systemic problems of Pakistan's criminal justice system. The report argues that given the procedure failings, individuals on death row should be given a fair chance to obtain clemency and introduce new and potentially exculpatory evidence. Speaking at the launch of the report, Nusrat Bibi, the mother of the paralysed death row prisoner Abdul Basit whose mercy petition is pending, broke into tears and asked the president: "How can you hang a man who cannot even stand?" She said her son was sentenced to death in 2009, and contracted tubercular meningitis at the Faisalabad Central Jail due to its unhygienic conditions. "Due to the failure of jail authorities to provide him treatment, his condition deteriorated and after remaining unconscious for one week, he wasshifted to DHQ hospital. Despite spending 13 months there, he became paralyzed from the waist down," she said. A mercy petition filed for Basit in 2013 was rejected in 2015 without any written reason for the rejection. Relatives of other death row prisoners were also present at the launch, and appealed to high-ups to examine mercy petitions in humanitarian grounds. Commissioner from the National Commission on Human Rights (NCHR) Chaudhry Shafique said at the event that Pakistan's clemency process was deficient and improvements should be made to align it with the country’s constitutional and international human rights obligations. "The president's power of mercy is critical for ensuring justice under Pakistan's criminal justice system," he added. (source: dawn.com) CHINA: China remains world's top executioner, Iran next, says Amnesty report China has remained the worlds top executioner amid a decline in global executions, Amnesty International's annual report on capital punishment said on Thursday. Amnesty International recorded at least 993 executions in 23 countries in 2017, down by 4 % from 2016 (1,032 executions) and 39 % from 2015 when the London-based organisation reported 1,634 executions, the highest number since 1989. Besides China, 84 % of all reported executions took place in just 4 countries -- Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Pakistan. Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) resumed executions in 2017, the report said. Executions noticeably fell in Belarus (by 50 %) and Egypt (20 %). However, it increased in Palestine from 3 in 2016 to 6 in 2017; in Singapore from 4 to 8; and in Somalia from 14 to 24. In 2017, Guinea and Mongolia abolished the death penalty in law for all crimes. While Kenya abolished the mandatory death penalty for murder, Burkina Faso and Chad also took steps to repeal this punishment with new or proposed laws. "The progress in sub-Saharan Africa reinforced its position as a beacon of hope for abolition... It is high time that the rest of the world follows their lead and consigns this abhorrent punishment to the history books," said Amnesty's Secretary General Salil Shetty. The report also showed Amnesty International recorded commutations or pardons of death sentences in 21 countries including India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the US. The organisation recorded at least 2,591 death sentences in 53 countries in 2017, a significant decrease from the record-high of 3,117 recorded in 2016. At least 21,919 people were known to be on death row at the end of 2017. (source: ibtimes.sg) JAPAN: Amnesty accuses Japan of breaching int'l rules on death penalty Amnesty International accused the Japanese government of flouting
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
April 11 EGYPT: Egypt military court refers 36 defendants to Mufti for death penalty A military court has referred 36 defendants accused of taking part in deadly church bombings to Egypt's top religious authority for consideration of the death penalty, state television reported on Tuesday. The defendants are suspected of involvement in bombings that hit 3 Coptic churches - 1 at Cairo's Coptic Cathedral in December 2016 that killed at least 25, and 2 that hit churches in Alexandria and Tanta on the same day in April 2017 and killed more than 45 people. Islamic State claimed responsibility for all 3 attacks. Egypt requires that courts refer cases to the Grand Mufti for consideration of the death penalty ahead of a final verdict although his decision is non-binding. The court is expected to issue a verdict on May 15 and 11 of the 36 are being tried in absentia, a lawyer involved in the case told Reuters. Public prosecutor Nabil Sadek said previously that some of the suspects held leadership positions in Islamic State and formed cells in Cairo and the southern province of Qena to carry out the church attacks. Some of the defendants are also accused of carrying out an attack on a checkpoint in Egypt's Western Desert that killed at least eight policemen in 2017. Egypt is facing a more than three-year-old insurgency led by Islamic State that intensified after general-turned-president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi led the military in overthrowing Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in 2013 after mass protests against his rule. (source: Reuters) PAKISTAN: PHC overturns death sentence in double murder The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has set aside death penalty awarded to a convict by a subordinate court in a double murder case in Hangu district. A division bench comprising Justice Qalandar Ali Khan and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim accepted an appeal filed by the convict, Muhammad Zaman. It observed that prosecution could not prove its case against the appellant and acquitted him. During arguments, Sahibzada Asadullah, counsel for the appellant, submitted that the district court had acquitted 2 co-accused including Muhammad Hussain and Maiser Ali in the double murder case, while awarded death sentence on 2 counts to the appellant in 2008. He pointed out before the bench that there was no eyewitness to the case and 2nd 3 persons were charged and only the appellant was sentenced. The same treatment should have been meted out to the appellant. (source: thenews.com.pk) ___ A service courtesy of Washburn University School of Law www.washburnlaw.edu DeathPenalty mailing list DeathPenalty@lists.washlaw.edu http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/listinfo/deathpenalty Unsubscribe: http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/options/deathpenalty
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
April 9 PAKISTAN: Mashal lynching: Court orders transfer of appeals to Peshawar The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Monday ordered transfer of appeals challenging the anti-terrorism court's verdict in Mashal Khan lynching case from its regional bench in Abbottabad to the principal seat in the provincial capital. This order came on a petition filed by the provincial government seeking transfer of the appeals from Abbottabad to Peshawar for hearing at the high court's principal seat. The provincial government and parties involved in the case had earlier filed appeals in PHC, challenging the verdict of the ATC in the case. Mashal, 23, a student at Abdul Wali Khan University (AWKU) in Mardan, was beaten and shot to death on April 13 last year by an unruly mob instigated by rumours that he had committed blasphemy by posting sacrilegious content online. The high court circuit bench in Abbottabad earlier had suspended the conviction of 25 suspects in the case On February 7, the ATC sentenced the prime suspect to death while 5 others to 25 years' imprisonment in the case. ATC Judge Fazal-i-Subhan Khan acquitted 26 suspects and awarded 3 years of jail term to 25 other accused in the case. Convict Imran, who has been awarded capital punishment, was found guilty of firing shots at the victim student from his pistol, which led to his death. He had also confessed to the crime before the court. Nearly 50 prosecution witnesses testified against the suspects during the course of the hearing conducted inside Haripur Central Jail. The prosecution charged 61 people in the case, while 57 of them were arrested and produced before the court for trial. (source: arynews.tv) ___ A service courtesy of Washburn University School of Law www.washburnlaw.edu DeathPenalty mailing list DeathPenalty@lists.washlaw.edu http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/listinfo/deathpenalty Unsubscribe: http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/options/deathpenalty
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
April 8 BANGLADESH: Absconding man gets death penalty for labour leader Aminul murder 1 person has been sentenced to death in connection with the murder of garment workers' leader Aminul Islam. The convict Mustafizur Rahman, 23, from Kadirpara Purbapara in Magura's Sreepur upazila, was a garment worker and worked as a police source. Tangail Special Judge Wahiduzzaman Sikdar gave the verdict in absentia around 11am on Sunday. Mustafizur has been missing since the murder. Aminul Islam, from Gazipur's Kaliakair upazila, was a popular labour rights activist based in Ashulia. He was an organizer for Bangladesh Center for Workers Solidarity (BCWS) and the president of the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation. After going missing on April 4, 2012, his mutilated body was found 2 days later in Ghatail. The body was initially booked as unidentified and after an autopsy, he was buried at Tangail Central Graveyard. Police published ads in the newspaper seeking information on the man. Aminul's brother Rafiqul identified him from the ads and had his body reburied in the home village. Ghatail police filed a murder case against persons unknown, and after an investigation, pressed charges against Mustafiz as the only accused. Aminul had reported several threats before he went missing, according to the Human Rights Watch. Public Prosecutor Multan Uddin of the Tangail Special and Sessions Judge Court said this was a sensational murder case. "The murdered Aminul Islam was an activist for the rights of Ashulia workers. He was killed to prevent his activism," he said. The lawyer said 25 people had deposed as witnesses in this case. "Justice has been served," he said. However, state-appointed counsel for Mustafiz, Golam Mostafa Miah, said the case had not proved the guilt of the convict. "The court has convicted him wrongly and I hope that the verdict will be overturned in the higher court," he said. (source: Dhaka Tribune) IRAQ: Death sentences raise questions about Iraqi justiceProblems of torture, illegal detention and extrajudicial killings have been passed down from one administration to another. The mention of the notorious Abu Ghraib prison brings up searing memories that critics say mirror the moral bankruptcy and convulsive violence exercised by local governments and interventionists in Iraq. Comparing today's context of torture, critics add, to the decrepit and lurid acts that US troops performed on Iraqi inmates renders Abu Ghraib a breeze. 4 months following the Iraqi government's victory announcement against the Islamic State (ISIS), prison cells and hovels are filling fast with suspected ISIS fighters, sympathisers and alleged operatives whose fast-track death sentences 1 month ahead of elections are raising eyebrows. Human rights organisations accuse Iraq of conducting sham trials and accepting forced confessions as evidence to demonstrate guilt in Iraqi courts. Damning evidence reported by the Associated Press in the form of spreadsheets that catalogue the names of almost 28,000 terror suspects was used to calculate stupefying numbers of inmates held on terror charges. The running total, AP concluded, stands at 19,000 - almost 1/2 of whom (8,861) were arrested in 2013. Those assigned the death sentence number about 3,000. The intelligence arm of Iraq's Interior Ministry was mentioned for detaining 11,000 suspects. The depth of Iran's reach into ministerial ranks, however, casts doubt on the ministry's judicial autonomy and its foremost priority - hunting down "suspected" elements belonging to the former Saddam regime. At the highest levels of power, fast-tracked death sentences, enhanced interrogation and outright barbarity in the form of torture have been condoned as policies necessary to rid Iraq from terrorism. In 2007, British officers mistakenly stormed the office of an Iraqi government intelligence agency, uncovering 30 prisoners that, contrary to tip-offs, were not al-Qaeda operatives and whose bodies bore fresh markings of torture. As a leading pro-death penalty proponent, former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki expressed great outrage about the actions of the British government but no remorse over the dirty secret Britain's raid revealed. AP's findings, therefore, force a re-examination of Iraq's legal proceedings and court verdicts, among other problems, to smash the wall of silence keeping international criticism of Iraq's procedural posture in handling political prisoners at bay. Death sentences act as an expression of power, especially when built around the normative judgments of presiding judges, agents or secret informants whose identities the government claims to protect. Among the tallest barriers in the way of reform is the government's zero-tolerance strategy of officials who oppose death sentences. Coercive strategies by a coalition of cross-party MPs in
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
April 7 SOUTH AFRICA: 'Never again,' Mabuza pledges at commemoration of Mahlangu's hanging The death penalty will "never ever happen again" in South Africa. Deputy President David Mabuza made this vow minutes after he emerged from the formerly notorious Pretoria Central Prison. Scores of political activists from the PAC and ANC were executed at the prison gallows between 1961 and 1989 before a moratorium on the death penalty was declared by former president FW de Klerk. Mabuzu was among those attending the annual memorial service for Solomon Mahlangu, an uMkhonto weSizwe operative who was hanged at the prison 39 years ago, on Friday. He made the pledge moments after he and several cabinet members arrived at the prison's "death factory", now known as Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre, to acquaint themselves with the brutal manner in which the apartheid regime executed political prisoners and common law offenders alike. The government delegation and ANC senior officials such as the party's secretary-general Ace Magashule and treasurer-general Paul Mashatile were retracing Mahlangu's last steps before his execution. But before he was put to death, Mahlangu had the opportunity to declare: "My blood will nourish the tree that will bear the fruits of freedom. Tell my people that I love them. They must continue the Struggle." As Mabuza and his entourage, including the Mahlangu Royal Family, left the so-called death factory, the deputy president vowed it would never happen again. In paying tribute to Mahlangu, Mabuza said he and ANC veteran and Struggle icon Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, who passed away on Monday, represented the "embodiment of the country's liberation Struggle. "They played their different roles. We are encouraged by their deeds and action to continue the journey to freedom," Mabuza told the special memorial service. He said Mahlangu was killed because the authorities wanted to preserve apartheid. "We salute all those who were hanged there. They propelled the country to our new dispensation. We must not go back. "We must never again give people authority to terminate life." Mabuza said the sacrifices made by Mahlangu and Madikizela-Mandela showed that the "revolution was not free". In an apparent plea to ANC members, who were split during the party's elective conference last year, Mabuza urged them to rise above petty squabbles and to focus on the gains of freedom. "We must fight racism, sexism and inequality, which is pervasive in the country." (source: The Saturay Star) MALAWI: Mutharika considering death penalty for albino killers President Peter Mutharika might be the 2nd Malawian president to assent to death penalty, especially for those that are convicted of killing people with albinism. In a statement released by the State House, Mutharika has expressed shock that there are continued attacks on people with albinism. The statement has come following the murder of Mcdonald Masambuka in Mangochi by people who include a Police Officer. According to the statement which has been signed by the Presidential Spokesperson Mgeme Kalirani, Mutharika has vowed to deal with all those who will be fingered by the investigation into the death of Masambuka. Further to that, Mutharika has called on all stakeholders to assist the government in assessing interventions that were previously used to curtail the violence targeting people with albinism. On implementing the death sentence to deter would-be offenders, Mutharika has called for a dialogue on the issue. He has refused to certainly dismiss the prospect of hanging people convicted of killing people with albinism. "President Mutharika is aware that there are some stakeholders who feel passionately that implementing the death penalty on individuals sentenced to death could go a long way as a deterrent to would-be offenders from attacking persons with albinism. On the other hand, the President is also aware of the international community's stand against the death penalty. These 2 view points are on opposite extreme end of each other;hence the need for dialogue and a national consensus," reads the statement. (source: malawi24.com) VIETNAM: Vietnam arrests 2 Lao drug traffickers Vietnamese border guards have detained 2 Lao young men who transported 5 cakes of heroin and nearly 27,000 pills of lab-made drugs for sale in Vietnam. The duo aged 19 and 25 were detained on Thursday when they were transporting the drugs, one handgun and five bullets, the border guard force of Vietnam's northern Thanh Hoa province said on Friday. The detainees confessed that they transported the drugs from Laos to Vietnam for sale. According to Vietnamese law, those convicted of smuggling over 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kilograms of methamphetamine are punishable by death. Making or trading 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal drugs
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
April 6 MALAWI: Mutharika calls for dialogue on death penalty implementation: President urges Malawi police to go deeper in probing albino killers President Peter Mutharika has called for a "honest national dialogue" if the country should resume capital punishment in response to murder rate so that people found guilty of killing especially persons with albinism be slapped with death penalty. Mutharika says will not allow criminals to reverse the gains made in efforts to protect persons with albinims Mutharika said this in a statement issued by Presidential Press Secretary Mgeme Kalilani and made available to Nyasa Times on Thursday. There have been fevered calls for country to lift the moratorium on executions following the resurfacing of gruesome attacks on persons with albinism. Kalilani said the Malawi leader is asking for an "honest national dialogue" on whether the country should start implementing the death penalty or not on individuals sentenced to death for murder. "President Mutharika is aware that there are some stakeholders who feel passionately that implementing the death penalty on individuals sentenced to death could go a long way as a deterrent to would-be offenders from attacking persons with albinism," said Kalilani in a statement. "On the other hand, the President is also aware of the international community's stand against the death penalty," he said. He said: "These 2 view points are on opposite extreme end of each other; hence the need for dialogue and a national consensus." Malawi's law allow the death penalty for people convicted of murder. However, despite the law providing for a death sentence, it has not been applicable since 2004 when Bakili Muluzi was in power after dictatorship of Malawi Congress Party (MCP). Other presidents after Muluzi including the incumbent has not assented to execution because of human rights concerns with the United Nations campaigning for removal of such laws from the books. The hangman's job has been vacant in Malawi since 1994 but applications could be invited if death sentence could be rmeted to perpetrators of crimes against people with albinism or murderers. Mutharika's call for dialogue on death penalty follows the recent killing of Macdonald Masambuka, a young man with albinism in Machinga District, whose body was found on April 1, 2018 weeks after he was reported missing in early March. The abduction and killing of Masambuka brings to 4 the number of attacks against persons with albinism in 2018. State House said Mutharika is assuring all Malawians that the abduction and murder of Masambuka and similar unresolved cases will be "thoroughly investigated" with the speed they deserve and that all those implicated will be prosecuted "vigorously." The President has expressed "great shock" and "sadness' about the news of re-emergence of attacks on persons with albinism in some parts of the country. "This depressing development is happening at a time government had made tremendous progress in efforts to stop such barbarous acts,: reads the statement from State House. The body of Masambuka, 22, who came from Nakawa Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Nkoola in Machinga, was found last Sunday buried within the district. Police traced his body following confessions from suspects who had been arrested in connection with the crime. 7 suspects, reportedly including a police officer and six civilians, have been arrested for the killing. The President has commended the professional Police officers that have this far worked day and night to establish what had befallen the late Masambuka since his disappearance. Mutharika further encourages law enforcers to "dig deep" in investigating the killing of Masambuka and bring the alleged perpetrators to justice, saying no one implicated should be spared regardless of their social status. "The President will not allow criminals in our communities to reverse the gains made in the efforts to protect persons with albinism. President Mutharika's Government remains seriously committed to protecting the human rights for all its citizens with special emphasis on vulnerable groups such as persons with albinism," reads the statement. The President is calling for concerted effort from all stakeholders to understand what weaknesses in the earlier interventions have led to the re-emergence of the attacks on person with albinism, get to the root of the problem and collectively defeat it. State House said Malawi government appreciates the support it has thus far been receiving from the international development partners, traditional leaders, the Judiciary and the clergy in protecting the lives and rights of people with albinism and holding rights' violators accountable. (source: Nyasa Times) IRAN: Hundreds Put To Death In Iran Last Year Hundreds of people were executed in Iran last year, including some who were
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
April 5 VIETNAM: 6 activists could face death penalty in Vietnam A court in Hanoi on Thursday opened the trial of 6 activists accused of attempting to overthrow the government as communist authorities stepped up their crackdown on dissent. Prominent human rights lawyer Nguyen Van Dai and five others are accused of affiliating with a pro-democracy group called the Brotherhood for Democracy, which prosecutors say works with foreign and domestic organizations to oppose the state, change the political system and eventually overthrow the government. The 6 face the death penalty if convicted. "The defendants have taken advantage of the fight for 'democracy, human rights, civil society' to conceal the ... purpose of 'the Brotherhood for Democracy,' the official Vietnam News Agency quoted the indictment as saying. Prosecutors determined that Dai was the mastermind behind the group, directly building its platform, recruiting new members and seeking finance from foreign organisations and individuals, which totalled more than $80,000, it said. International human rights groups have called for their release. "Vietnam is one of Southeast Asia's most prolific jailers of peaceful activists -- a shameful title no one should aspire to," James Gomez, Amnesty International's director of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said in statement. He said that 97 prisoners of conscience "that we are aware of in the country are all brave women and men who have been robbed of their freedom for nothing but promoting human rights." Human Rights Watch put the number of people jailed for violating national security laws at 119. Hanoi says there are no political prisoners in Vietnam and only law breakers are put behind bars. Speaking to reporters in Hanoi last week, US Ambassador Danial Kritenbrink said human rights remains a key priority for the United States in its relations with Vietnam. "Although there has been some progress in recent years, the trend over the past 24 months of increased arrests, convictions and harsh sentences of activists is deeply troubling," he said. Dai, a co-founder of the group, and another member were arrested in December 2015, initially accused of spreading anti-government propaganda while 4 other members were detained last July. Dai and 4 others had previously been jailed for violating national security laws. In 2007, Dai was sentenced to 5 years in prison for spreading propaganda against the government but got his jail term reduced to 4 years on appeals. His lawyer's license was revoked. Foreign press and diplomats are barred from the trial, which is expected to last 2 days. (source: Bangkok Post) BANGLADESH: Bangladesh seeks death penalty for methamphetamine traffickers Bangladesh wants to punish methamphetamine traffickers with the death penalty, officials said Thursday, as authorities confront the growing popularity of the dangerous and addictive drug. The proposal to crackdown on the spread of methamphetamine, known locally as "yaba", comes after Bangladesh seized more than 40 million pills of the narcotic in 2017 -- double the previous year. Authorities want to elevate yaba to a Class A banned substance, meaning traffickers would face the death penalty instead of life behind bars. "We'll raise the punishment for yaba trafficking. In the new law the maximum punishment will be (the) death sentence," Jamaluddin Ahmed, the head of Bangladesh's narcotics control department, told AFP. Bangladesh law enforcement say the drugs are smuggled across the porous border from Myanmar. Ahmed said traffickers had been more active since August, when Rohingya refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar began pouring into Bangladesh. Gangs had been using the Rohingya as mules and hiding drugs in fishing boats used to ferry the persecuted Muslims to safety. "Recently there has been such a huge inflow of yaba from Myanmar that it has become increasingly difficult for us to control it. As a result, its use has also increased," Ahmed said. Raids of fishing boats have uncovered huge hauls of the drug. Authorities said last week that 9 million yaba tablets were seized in less than 3 months as the refugee influx reached its peak. Nearly 2 million pills were discovered in a single haul. Towfique Uddin Ahmed, a director at the narcotics control department, said authorities estimate $600 million worth of yaba could be sold on Bangladesh's streets this year. One senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said "drastic action" like the violent crackdown on drug users and dealers in the Philippines could be needed to stamp out the drug. "Some (traffickers) should be put in the crosshairs. We have come to that point," he said. (source: Daily Mail) *** 3 get death penalty for 2011 rape, murder of teenaged girl in Chittagong A Chittagong court has sentenced t3 men to death for raping and
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
April 4 IRAN: Juvenile Offender, Mohammad Kalhor, in Imminent Danger of Execution Mohammad Kalhor's Lawyer, Mohammad Aqakhani, declared that his client who is sentenced to death for murdering his teacher at the age of 15, might be executed soon. According to a close source, Mohammad Kalhor is a student from Boroujerd city who stabbed his 43-year-old physics teacher, Mohsen Khashkhashi, on November 22, 2014, when he was 15. Mohammad Kalhor's lawyer, Mohammad Aqakhani, told IHR that the Head of the Judiciary approves the verdict and the case is sent to the Sentence Implementation Branch; therefore, Mohammad might be executed soon. According to the forensic report which was delivered in January 2016, Mohammad Kalhor was mentally immature at the time of the crime. However, Branch 1 of the Criminal Court of Lorestan sentenced him to death. The verdict was rejected by the Supreme Court and was processed again in a parallel court in Lorestan. The second court also sentenced him to death in January 2017 which was approved by the Supreme Court. Mohammad Kalhor's lawyer confirmed that his client was only 15 at the time of the crime and said, "Mr. Boroujerdi, Head of the National Security Commission and Boroujerd's representative, wrote a letter to the Supreme Court and asked for special attention to this case. Consequently, the Supreme Court approved Mohammad's verdict." Mohammad Aqakhani continued, "We asked for a retrial for the 3rd time, but the Supreme Court hasn't replied to our request yet. Since our request has been denied twice before, the sentence might be implemented anytime which worries us." He concluded, "We are worried about Mohammad's condition. He shouldn't be held at adults' prison. Besides, he needs to see a doctor and a psychiatrist." It should be noted that Mohammad Kalhor was transferred from Lorestan's Correctional Center to Boroujerd Central Prison in February 2018 because he is 18 years old now and his case was sent to the Sentence Implementation Branch around the same time. It is worth mentioning that the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Iran has signed, clearly bans execution and life imprisonment of juveniles. In 2017, at least 5 juvenile offenders were executed in Iran. Furthermore, at least 3 juvenile offenders were executed in January 2018 in Iran. (source: Iran Human Rights) Latest Report Finds Human Rights in Iran Are Abysmal The Iran Human Rights Monitor has released its report into the state of human rights in Iran during March 2018 and, as always, it makes for unpleasant reading, with many instances of executions, arbitrary murders, torture, corporal punishment, abuse of political prisoners, and lack of a just legal system. Here, we will provide a summary of the key topics raised in the report, but for more information, please visit the site itself. As always, these numbers cited here are believed to be lower than the actual number of people who have been executed/killed/punished by the Regime, due to the Regime's attempts to hide their abuses. Executions There were 12 registered executions in March, with two unnamed men executed in public. This included some people who were suffering from mental illness and some who may have been children when the crime was committed. Here are the names of the 10 that Iran HRM could identify: 1. Hamid Imani 2. Masoud Vakili 3. Keyvan Rashkhar 4. Ramin Razavi 5. Mehdi Sarabi 6. Ayoub Babakhani 7. Ehsan Yaqubi 8. Javad Golniat 9. Mohammad Rostami 10. Rahim Salimi There are a further 86 inmates currently on death row in the notorious Gohardasht Prison. Arbitrary murders On March 26, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) opened fire and killed Ibrahim Soleimani, a porter and father of 5. Deaths in custody In March, 3 prisoners in Iran were tortured to death and 2 more died because the authorities refused to allow them urgent medical care. The 3 tortured include: -- Ghobad Azimi, who was killed under torture just 2 days after he was detained by the Javanroud Intelligence Agency, but his family were told that he committed suicide. This is a favoured tactic by the Regime to cover up their wrongdoing. -- Mohammad Raji, a member of the Dervish Gonabadi community, who was arrested during a protest against the Regime's abuses against members of his faith. -- Ali Savari, whose body shows signs of torture, was tortured to death by a notorious prison guard in Sheiban Prison, called Hamidian. The HRM report only named one of the prisoners who died through a lack of medical attention. He was Vahid Safarzehi who reportedly swallowed a razor blade and could have been save if he'd been seen by a doctor. Inhuman treatment and cruel punishments The report cited 2 instances of public flogging in Bushehr and Sirjan in early March, but the victims are unnamed. Arrests At least 2,100 people were arrested in March, with
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
April 3 NIGERIA: Hate speech and its death penalty palava!One local champion representing one local area of Niger State has opened wide his mouth and talked of opening up another barbaric chapter in the story of our nationhood. Adolph Hitler did it. Idi Amin did it. Sadam Hussein did it The Nigerian senate has once again shot itself on the foot. This time with a dangerous AK-47 assault rifle. This time, there is no whodunit. We know who fired the shot. He is a fully paid up and pampered member of the so-called hallowed chamber. He is a member of the most cantankerous, selfish, unpatriotic, arrogant, crotch-grabbing, navel gazing, money-minded and power-drunk set of humanity we mistakingly call senators in Nigeria. That theatre of gnomish clowns has once again floated a dangerous, reckless and demented idea that will fit the dustbin nicely. The ongoing acts of classic hubristic overreach of our senators is becoming symptomatic of a deep political imbecility. One local champion representing one local area of Niger State has opened wide his mouth and talked of opening up another barbaric chapter in the story of our nationhood. Adolph Hitler did it. Idi Amin did it. Sadam Hussein did it. Rather than enact laws and contribute meaningfully to the life of the powerless poor in our country, this senator is unashamedly asking for a death penalty for the chattering classes who daily legitimize their internal anger through open freedom of yabis, critical articles, righteous rebuke, name calling, expose, naming and shaming, passionate grandstanding and hard talk. Senator Sabi Abdullahi, a card carrying member of the All Progressives Congress, is the dark conjurer who wants to hang a person like me for abusing wayward politicians. Olorun oni fun e she. Senator Sabi, who sabi nothing, is here reinforcing the widely held belief of most Nigerians that our senators are zombies and money-guzzling snakes, who, at the drop of a hat, will always and helplessly fall victims of political infamy. His groundless, vexatious and scandalous bill proposes that it is an offence when: "A person who uses, publishes, presents, produces, plays, provides, distributes and visual, which is threatening, abusive or insulting or involves the use of threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour." Of course anybody can tell that Senator Sabi, who is possessed by uncivil zeal in his desire to sponsor a bill for the creation of an Independent National Commission for Hate Speeches, is projecting a part of his ghoulish desire to a larger Nigerian screen. With almost comical stridency, this man wants death by hanging for anybody who, through hate speech, causes the death of another person. Help me!!! Politics must bring its brain back in Nigeria!!! It is not hard to see through Sabi???'s brain wave that the twin evil of fantastic allowances and humungous salary thrills the soul of this senator than putting his energies into making laws that will alleviate the abject penury and dark despair of millions of Nigeria. What's going on here? In our search for the light, our senators have consistently return us to darkness. In our search for sanity, our senators have consistently return us to stupendous insanity. In our search for solutions to the hydra-headed challenges buffeting Nigeria, our senators have been compounding our problems with deadly hubris of arrogance and lawlessness. The daily insecurity, panic and emptiness of our hope as Nigerians do not challenge his faculties. What thrills him is the mass beheading of Nigerians who, in casual yabis, call South Westerners ngbati..ngbati or the South Easterners ajokuta mamumi or the Northerners mala. Sabi must be told today that Nigerians are hugely accommodating people. We have been living happily with centuries of judgmental bigotry, clannish intolerance and tribal grandstanding without any disastrous destruction to our co-existence. Without any call for the strong man to commence head chopping on a genocidal scale as desired by Senator Abdullahi. Here we have to remind Senator Too Know that the Nigerian constitution guarantees the right of every Nigerian to freedom of speech and expression. Section 39(1) of the 1999 Constitution states: "Every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information without interference." Also we have global provisions for freedom of expression and human right charters of all kinds to which Nigeria is a signatory. Article XIX of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." Further, Article IX of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights provides: "Every
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
April 2 MONGOLIA: Mongolia wants to reintroduce capital punishment President of Mongolia Khaltmaa Battulga intends to initiate draft amendments to the Criminal Code of Mongolia reinstating the capital punishment, Montsame state news agency reported. The President seeks to introduce death sentence for crimes against children and submit the bill to the Parliament during its spring session, which convenes this week. "298 cases of child sexual abuse were registered last year alone. The victims' age is between 2-7. Appalling child molestation cases have shocked the society, which is now demanding more action from the Government," G.Uyanga, Civil Society and Human Rights Advisor to the President, said at a press conference. Last November, President Battulga sent an official letter to the Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs proposing to reinstate capital punishment. According to the Advisor, the Ministry hasn't formally responded to the letter. "However, it was reported last week that a conclusion had been made by a working group in charge, led by Deputy Minister of Justice and Home Affairs B.Enkhbayar, that it wasn't possible to restore capital punishment," she said. Mongolia put moratorium on capital punishment in 2012. The Parliament of Mongolia adopted a revision to the Criminal Code in 2015, which came to effect on July 1, 2017. Capital punishment was formally removed in the revised Criminal Code. The Law of Mongolia on Legislation states that the public can add their suggestions to a draft bill for the time period of one month. "The public survey begins today. I am sure many people will take active part in the process," said G.Uyanga. R.Bulgamaa, Non-staff Advisor of Legal Policy to the President, emphasized that the President's proposal doesn't imply full restoration of capital punishment in Mongolia, and that only child abusers would be subject to death penalty. Before 2010, death penalty was given for 6 offenses in Mongolia. Advisor G.Uyanga reminded of a fact that Mongolia abolished death penalty in 1953, but had to restore it after 10 months in response to increased incidence of crimes. Thousands of Mongolians protested in front of parliament in Ulaanbaatar on Saturday to demand more action to prevent child abuse, after the widely-reported rape of a male infant shocked the country, Reuters reported. After the reported rape earlier this month in Dornogobi province in Mongolia's southeast, a group of concerned mothers created a Facebook group announcing the Saturday protest last week, and it quickly reached more than 400,000 members. (source: AKI Press) PAKISTAN: COAS endorses death sentence of two terrorists involved in Amjad Sabri's murder Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Monday confirmed the death sentence for the terrorists involved in the murder of famed Qawwal Amjad Fareed Sabri, said a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Monday. The army chief confirmed capital punishment for 10 "hardcore terrorists" and imprisonment to 5 others. The convicts were involved in heinous offences related to terrorism, resulting in the death of at least 62 people including 5 children, 11 police officials and 46 Frontier Constabulary or armed forces personnel, according to the press release. Members of a proscribed organization, Muhammad Ishaq and Muhammad, confessed to their involvement in the killing of Sabri and attacks on Law Enforcement Agencies resulting in the martyrdom of 17 officials. They were also found in possession of fire-arms and explosives. Fearing for life, Sabri's family to leave Pakistan One of the attackers, Muhammad Arish Khan, has been convicted for the attack on the Pearl Continental Hotel in Peshawar that killed 4 civilians. Muhammad Rafique and Habibur Rehman, also members of a proscribed organization, were awarded death sentenced for separate lethal attacks on LEA officials. All 3 confessed the offence before a judicial magistrate of a trial court. Muhammad Fayyaz, Ismail Shah, Fazal Muhammad, Ali and Habibullah were all given capital punishment for attacks on armed forces and personnel of LEAs. Renowned Qawwal Amjad Sabri shot dead Acclaimed Sufi singer and qawwali maestro Sabri was shot dead by motorcycle-borne gunmen in a central Karachi neighbourhood on June 22, 2016, triggering an outpouring of grief nationwide. The 45-year-old was travelling from his home to a television studio for an iftar transmission, when a motorcycle pulled up alongside his white coloured Honda Civic and the 2 riders opened fire, according to police. (source: tribune.com.pk) *** Brit facing the noose in Pakistan after 2kg of heroin 'found in his shoes'Assif Khan, 37, was arrested at Benazir Bhutto International Airport in Islamabad amid claims he had the drug stashed in his shoe A Brit could face the death penalty after allegedly trying to
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
April 1 NIGERIA: Court sentences traditional ruler to death by hangingThe traditional ruler was found guilty of the conspiracy to commit murder, the substantial offence of murder and conspiracy to commit attempted murder. One of the highest ranking chiefs of Uvwie Kingdom in Delta State, Chief Newton Agbofodo, has been sentenced to death by hanging. The Delta State High Court in Asaba sentenced Agbofodoh, who is the community head of Ekpan, Uvwie Council Area of Delta State, after he was found guilty of all four count charges preferred against him, including murder. The traditional leader was arrested on June 17, 2016, and was later arraigned in court. Charges brought against him were conspiracy to commit murder, the substantial offence of murder, conspiracy to commit attempted murder and an attempted murder. In October 2012, Agbofodo was said to have been involved in the killing of one Edigbe Ikpesa and several others within Ekpan and its environs. He was also implicated in the Delta Mall robbery and vicious destruction in January 2016. 54 soldiers get death penalty Capital punishment, with methods of execution ranging from hanging to shooting, is a legal penalty in Nigeria. In 2017, Amnesty International called on the Nigerian government to stop the planned execution of some inmates on death row in Lagos State but the government rejected the call, pointing that the death penalty is expressly authorized by section 33 of the Constitution of Nigeria. On December 17, 2014, 54 Nigerian soldiers were found guilty of conspiracy to commit mutiny and they were sentenced to death by firing squad at a trial held secretly by a military tribunal. (source: pulse.ng) KUWAIT: Kuwait sentences Filipina maid's killers to death in absentia A Lebanese-Syrian couple have been sentenced to capital punishment for the murder of a Filipina maid. The Criminal Court convicted Lebanese Nader Issam Assaf and his Syrian wife Mona Hassoun in absentia and sentenced them to death by hanging. The couple were indicted for killing 29-year-old Joanna Demafelis and dumping her body in a freezer for up to a year and a half before being discovered in their rented flat on the 6th of February 2018. The husband, 40, fled Kuwait on the 7th of November 2016 along with his wife to Lebanon where they stayed for a short period before escaping to Syria. Lebanese Attorney General Rahif Ramadhan questioned the husband, who was deported from Syria following an Interpol notice, and asked for the death penalty for the killer of Demafelis. His Syrian wife Mona Hassoun, who is convicted of the crime, has since been detained in her country Syria. Demafelis's death sparked outrage in the Philippines and a ban on Filipinos traveling to work in Kuwait. (source: gdnonline.com) INDIA: SC seeks reply of 10 states on rights violation of death row convicts The DGPs (Prisons) have been also asked to reply on the issue of solitary confinement, legal representation, visitation rights of prisoners' families and psychiatric consultation of death row convicts. A bench of Justices M B Lokur and Deepak Gupta asked DGP (prisons) of ten states to reply to the letter of Amicus Curiae advocate Gaurav Agarwal, who has raised the issue of alleged violation of prison manual and human rights of death row prisoners. "We would require the Director General (Prisons) to respond to the communication sent by amicus curiae since it concerns human rights of prisoners who are in custody and who have been awarded death sentence," the bench said. The ten states include Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Punjab, Delhi, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Assam and Bihar. The bench sought the replies of DGP (Prisons) by May 8. Agarwal has written a letter to officials of ten states after Dr. Anup Surendranath, an assistant professor at National Law University at Delhi moved the apex court with an interlocutory application seeking intervention on the alleged violation of rights of prisoners. He had raised various concerns about violation of certain provisions of State prison manuals and human rights of prisoners especially, those have been awarded death penalty. As a follow up to Dr. Surendranath's application, Agarwal wrote to DGP (Prisons) of 10 states on March 13, seeking their responses on issues concerned. The apex court had voiced concern on the issue of overcrowding of prisons across the country, saying prisoners have human rights and they can't be kept like animals. It had termed the situation as "extremely unfortunate" and said it is was "complete lack of commitment" on part of state government and union territories towards human rights of prisoners. The top court is hearing a matter relating to inhuman conditions prevailing in 1,382 prisons across the country. The apex court had on February 21 asked the National Legal Services Authority
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
March 31 BAHRAIN: Torture investigator orders new Bahrain death penalty hearing Acting on recommendations from UK-trained torture investigators, Bahrain's Attorney General has requested that the country's highest court reconsider the death sentences handed to 2 men convicted on the basis of forced confessions obtained through torture. Mohamed Ramadhan and Husain Moosa were sentenced in December 2014 for supposed involvement in a bombing that killed a police officer in Bahrain. The country's Special Investigations Unit (SIU), a UK-trained body set up to investigate allegations of misconduct and torture, recommended the case was referred to the Court of Cassation after new medical evidence emerged. The Attorney General of Bahrain, Dr Ali bin Fadhl Al-Buainain, said in a statement posted on social media on 28 March 2018 that the cases were being referred "in accordance with the requirements of justice." This comes at a time when there are other facing imminent execution, Including Maher Abbas who has had his death sentence confirmed despite Bahrain's highest court accepting that he was convicted on the basis of a confession obtained through torture. Reprieve and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) are now calling for: the SIU to make public its findings and the details of its investigation into Mohamed and Husain's torture allegations all imminent executions to be stayed pending SIU investigations into all further torture allegations the UK and EU to commit to trial monitoring for any new trials Maya Foa, Director of Reprieve, said: "This belated recognition that Mohamed and Husain's trial was unfair is welcome but it comes after they have already suffered torture, including being stripped naked, beaten with iron rods and having their families threatened with rape. Bahrain must now go further and allow the Special Investigation Unit to review all death penalty cases where there were allegations of torture. This must include the case of Maher Abbas, who is facing imminent execution despite concerns expressed by Bahrain's highest court that he was coerced into confessing." Sayed Alwadaei, Director of Advocacy at BIRD, said: "Mohamed and Husain should never have faced a death sentence. It is important that the full findings of this investigation are shared with their lawyers immediately so we can know the truth of the abuse they suffered. Any retrial must meet international standards and in the meantime both men should be released and allowed to return to their families after more than 3 years of imprisonment and abuse." (source: ekklesia.co.uk) SOUTH SUDAN: Appeal could save SA man from death penalty in South Sudan A month after William Endley was sentenced to death, his family are hoping an appeal will save him from the gallows. The ex-South African National Defence Force (SANDF) colonel was sentenced to hang in a South Sudanese court on February 23. He was charged with espionage and conspiring to overthrow the government. But in the days following his sentencing, Endley has filed an appeal. The appeal, according to Charmaine Quinn, Endley's sister, means that the South Sudanese courts can't set an execution date. Endley was also sentenced to 9 years in jail. "The appeal deals with the fact that he had an unfair trial, that there was no formal evidence and that he should have been released according to the December Peace Accord," explains Quinn, who lives in Cape Town. During his trial, none of his defence witnesses appeared in court. But following his court appearance, Endley's prison conditions have improved. He has now been moved to the Juba Central Prison. He was previously held in the notorious headquarters of the South Sudanese National Security Service, which is known as the Blue House. "He is allowed more phone calls now," says Quinn. "He is positive but I can hear that it is taking its toll on him." Endley's family have also written letters to President Cyril Ramaphosa and Lindiwe Sisulu, the minister who heads the Department of International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco). "We're just hoping and praying that we get some light at the end of the tunnel," says Quinn. The family are also hoping that Dirco is trying to secure his release through behind-the-scenes negotiations, though they are not aware of these. Dirco did not respond to the Saturday Star this week. Quinn explained that it is now easier for embassy staff to visit her brother, now that he is in the Juba Central Prison. The family are also able to send him R2000 a month, for food and medicines. "What does concern me is that he is kept in chains." Endley became a defence contractor after he left the SANDF and was hired by former rebel leader Riek Machar as an adviser. He was tasked with helping integrate the rebel forces into the national army, in accordance with a peace agreement. But this agreement
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
March 30 ZIMBABWE: Veritas calls for abolition of death penalty Legislative watchdog, Veritas, has called for the enactment of a legislation to abolish the death penalty, adding it was not only cruel, but futile for the courts to continue sending people to the gallows. The calls follow a recent Presidential clemency order that commuted the death sentence for jailed prisoners to life imprisonment, meaning inmates sentenced to death before March 10, 2008 no longer face execution. They will serve life imprisonment instead. Veritas welcomed the clemency order as a step towards abolishing the death penalty, before calling for legislation scrapping provisions for a death sentence. "The Clemency Order is welcome step, albeit a small one, towards abolition of the death penalty. No executions have been carried out in Zimbabwe since 2005, so there is an effective moratorium on the death penalty which is likely to continue for as long as the President, known to favour abolition, remains in office," Veritas argued. "In view of this, it seems not only cruel, but futile for the courts to continue sentencing people to death. Section 48 of the Constitution allows a law to provide for the death penalty, it does not say the law must do so. "Hence abolition would not entail amending the Constitution, just a simple Act of Parliament removing references to the death penalty from the Criminal Law Code and the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act. Veritas has written to His Excellency the President, asking him to enact legislation abolishing the death penalty." The country last carried out execution in 2005 before the last hangman retired. It is not clear when a hangman, following the invitation for applications and subsequent overwhelming interest in the job, will be hired. President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been against capital punishment after having escaped the hangman's noose during Zimbabwe's liberation war, though his predecessor Robert Mugabe favoured lifting the moratorium on executions, arguing he was shocked by the number of murders in the country. (source: newsday.co.zw) THAILAND: Krabi 6 moved to bigger prison The 6 people sentenced to death on Wednesday for the grisly murder of eight family members, including a 2-year-old girl, in Krabi's Ao Luk district on July 10 last year, were Thursday transferred to Nakhon Si Thammarat central prison. The 6 facing capital punishment for premeditated murder are Surikfat Bannopwongsakul, 41; Khomsan Wiangnon; Abdullo Dolo, 30; Arun Thongkham, 29; Prachak Bunthoi, 36; and Thanachai Chamnong, 41, according to the ruling by the Krabi Provincial Court. 2 other defendants were given jail sentences for their involvement in the case. The 6 were taken from the Krabi provincial prison at 5am and arrived at tthe central prison of neighbouring Nakhon Si Thammarat at 7am, which left a number of Surikfat's relatives who turned up at Krabi's prison yesterday morning disappointed to learn that he had already been taken to Nakhon Si Thammarat, said a source in Krabi. Surikfat appeared tense when he arrived in Nakhon Si Thammarat and was led, along with the other 5 convicts, into maximum security Zone 6 of the prison, said a source in Nakhon Si Thammarat. The 6 will be detained at this prison temporarily until an appeal is submitted on their behalf against the court's ruling, adding they had to be moved from Krabi's prison because that prison is authorised to detain only convicts serving a sentence of no more than 15 years. On July 10, the 6 defendants, dressed in camouflage outfits, broke into the victims' home. The family members were detained and locked in separate rooms. The assailants then forced Worayut Sanglang, head of the household, to sign over ownership of 1 of his cars to the gang and pay them some cash, according to the ruling. When he refused the invaders began shooting the victims. Worayut was the last person to be killed. (source: Bangkok Post) PAKISTAN: Al-Qaeda terrorist sentenced to death for double murder An anti-terrorism court (ATC) awarded on Thursday the death sentence to an Al-Qaeda militant for murdering a garment factory manager and his driver in Nazimabad 3 years ago. Muhammad Hashim was handed down the capital punishment for killing garment factory manager Karim Hashwani and his driver in February 2015. The court also sentenced the convict to 14 years' imprisonment for possessing illegal arms and attempting a murder. He was also slapped with fines totalling Rs310,000. Police said that during the interrogation, Hashim had admitted to killing 9 people, including police officials in Shahrah-e-Noor Jahan, Baghdadi and Ferozabad. The police further claimed Hashim was a member of the Abdullah Omar Khorasani group of Al-Qaeda and had come to Karachi from the Charsadda city on the directives of a man, named Ikram, who had told him to kill Hashwani.
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
March 29 ZIMBABWE: Group Blasts 'Cruel' Judges Over Death Sentences A leading watchdog on parliamentary and judicial issues has scorned "cruel" local judges who continue to pass death sentences while ignoring signs that the government is keen on totally abandoning capital punishment. In one of its regular bulletins on parliament and the courts, Veritas Zimbabwe said Tuesday the country has upheld a moratorium on the death penalty since 2005 and passing a death sentence was not in sync with the mood of the day. Veritas welcomed President Emmerson Mnangagwa's recent decision to place death row inmates on life imprisonment this past week. The President also pardoned 3,000 prisoners. "The Clemency Order is welcome step, albeit a small one, towards abolition of the death penalty," said Veritas. "No executions have been carried out in Zimbabwe since 2005, so there is an effective moratorium on the death penalty which is likely to continue for as long as the President, known to favour abolition, remains in office. "In view of this it seems not only cruel but futile for the courts to continue sentencing people to death." The group added, "Section 48 of the Constitution allows a law to provide for the death penalty; it does not say the law must do so. "Hence abolition would not entail amending the Constitution, just a simple Act of Parliament removing references to the death penalty from the Criminal Law Code and the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act." Veritas has led the campaign for the abolishment of the death penalty in Zimbabwe. It has also written to the President asking him to enact legislation abolishing capital punishment. The group has also drafted a Bill which it presented to the Justice Minister to abolish the penalty and has also sponsored petitions for government to commute death sentences to life imprisonment. (source: allafrica.com) EGYPT: Urgent Action Update: Court Upholds Death Sentences of 2 Men (Egypt: UA 91.16) On 26 March, the Supreme Military Court of Appeals upheld the death sentences of 2 men, Ahmed Amin Ghazali and Abdul Basir Abdul Rauf. The 2 men are at imminent risk of execution unless President Abdelfatah al-Sisi decides within 14 days of the sentence date to pardon or mitigate the sentence. TAKE ACTION Write a letter, send an email, call, fax or tweet: Calling the Egyptian authorities to quash the death sentences against the 2 men; Calling on the Egyptian authorities to retry all those convicted in the case before an ordinary, civilian court, without recourse to the death penalty, and in proceedings that respect international fair trial standards and exclude "confessions" and other evidence obtained through torture and other ill-treatment; Urging them to establish an official moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty. Contact these 2 officials by 9 May, 2018: Defence Minister Colonel General Sedqi Sobhi Ministry of Defence Cairo, Arab Republic of Egypt E: m...@afmic.gov.eg, m...@afmic.gov.eg Salutation: Your Excellency Ambassador Yasser Reda, Embassy of Egypt 3521 International Ct NW Washington DC 20008 Phone: 202 895 5400 Fax: 202 244 4319 -OR- 202 244 5131 Email: emba...@egyptembassy.net Contact Form: https://goo.gl/q5EN69 Salutation: Dear Ambassador (source: Amnesty International USA) INDONESIA: Man to hang for killing ex-girlfriend The High Court here sentenced a man to death by hanging this morning after he was found guilty of killing his ex-girlfriend 2 years ago. The sentence was handed down by Judicial Commissioner, Dr Alwi Wahab after the prosecutor had successfully proven a prima-facie case against the accused. Nasir Ramli, 30, from Lorong 5F-2a, Tudan Desaras, here was charged according to Section 302 of the Penal Code which carry a death penalty if found guilty. Based on the charge, the accused had committed the murder of Norfisa Othman, 25 with intent. The crime was committed between 11pm on June 5 and 1am on June 6, 2016, at Permyjaya here. Post-mortem report revealed that the victim died due to severe injury on the head and her skull was cracked, believed to be hit using a hard and blunt object. After committing the crime, the accused fled and was only arrested by the police in Kuching 3 months later. (source: Borneo Post) THAILAND: 6 men sentenced to death in southern Thailand's massacre case 6 males were on Wednesday sentenced to death on charges of perpetrating last year's massacre in southern Thailand, police said. Krabi Provincial Court ruled Surikfat Bannopwongsakul, 41, and 5 accomplices guilty of manslaughtering eight people, including children, at the house of the victims in Ao Luk district of Krabi province, about 780 km south of Bangkok, last July and delivered them the death penalty. Surikfat and his men in camouflage clothing cold-bloodedly killed village headman Worayut Sanglang
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
March 28 SAUDI ARABIA: UN experts urge Saudi regime to halt execution of 15 Shia Muslims for alleged charges UN experts showed their concern over the imminent execution threat of the Shia detainee Abbas Al Hassan after allegedly being charged of spying for Iran, financing terrorism and spreading the Shia faith. The UN experts also called upon the Saudi regime to annul the death penalty. 7 United Nations rapporteurs issued a statement and called upon Saudi Arabia to halt executions that threaten the lives of Shia Muslims Abbas Hassan and others individuals accused of alleged espionage for Iran in Saudi Arabia. The 7 UN rapporteurs who participated in issuing the statement are: the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions (Ms. Agnes Callamard), the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel treatment (Mr. Nils Melzer), the Special Rapporteur on promotion and protecting of human rights while countering terrorism (Mrs. Fionnuala D. Ni Aolain), the Special Rapporteur on independence of judges and lawyers (Mr. Diego Garcia - Sayan), the current Chair- Rapporteur of the working Group on Arbitrary Detention (Mr. Jose Antonio Guevara Bermude), the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief (Mr. Ahmed Shaheed), the Special Rapporteur on the right to health (Mr. DainiusPuras) The rapporteurs called upon Saudi Arabia to halt the execution of others 14 individuals who also wrongly accused of spying for Iran. The statement declared that the Specialized Criminal Court has sentenced Abbas AlHassan and other 14 prisoners to death in December 2016, and confirmed the verdict in July & December 2017. Furthermore, the rapporteurs noted that the case is currently in the Presidency of State Security and waiting for the King's ratification. The rapporteurs expressed their concern over the individuals from being subjected to torture during their investigation to obtain confessions, and the death sentences were based on evidences that extracted under torture. The statement also noted the concern of the experts about the physical safety and mental health of the individuals, after being torture and the subsequent deprivation of adequate medical care by prison authorities. In addition, the rapporteurs pointed out that the 15 individuals were held in incommunicado for up to three months, and their lawyers were denied access to the evidence and did not have enough time to prepare an adequate defense. They also indicated that the death sentences were unrelated to the "most serious crimes" which contradicts the international law in concerning crimes on which the death sentences are based. Moreover, the rapporteurs confirmed that the individuals should be retried under the conditions of fair trial and judicial guarantees. The rapporteurs also called upon the Saudi government to impose moratorium on capital punishment and consider its full abolition. (source: AhlulBayt News Agency) PAKISTAN: She's Standing Up for Pakistani Prisoners Sentenced to DieBecause even the worst criminals deserve someone in their corner. In a country where 491 executions have taken place since December 2014, when the death penalty moratorium was lifted in response to the Army Public School terrorist attack in Peshawar, one organization, the Justice Project Pakistan (JPP), offers hope for the country's 8,200 prisoners on death row. Sarah Belal, a 39-year-old human-rights lawyer, founded JPP in 2009 to try to change Pakistan's standing as the world's "5th most prolific executioner," after China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. As executive director, she leads a small team providing free legal assistance to underprivileged prisoners battling mental illness, victims of police brutality or the war on terror and Pakistani migrant workers incarcerated overseas. On a Friday afternoon during prayer break, Belal, who received the inaugural Franco-German Prize for Human Rights and the Rule of Law in 2016, greets me at the JPP's headquarters in a picturesque neighborhood in Lahore. Dressed in a sleeveless summer blouse and pants, she has a pixie haircut that complements her petite frame. Belal, born to a family steeped in business and academics, studied law at Oxford University and then branched out into human-rights work after completing a postgraduate program in 2007. "[I knew] death penalty work was never going to be happy work," she says plainly. "I think you have to have something that connects you to the cause; otherwise you can't really do it - why would you?" For her, that connection was Dr. Zulfiqar Ali Khan, an employee of the Pakistan Navy convicted in 1998 for killing two men - allegedly in self-defense. After reading an urgent letter of appeal from Khan in a local English newspaper in 2009, Belal worked the channels until she was put in touch with Khan's brother. But the young lawyer had just graduated and the case was exceedingly complex;
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
March 27 GREAT BRITAIN: A brief history of capital punishment in BritainBetween the late 17th and early 19th century, Britain's 'Bloody Code' made more than 200 crimes - many of them trivial - punishable by death. Writing for History Extra, criminologist and historian Lizzie Seal considers the various ways in which capital punishment has been enforced throughout British history and investigates the timeline to its abolition in 1965 British forms of punishment From as early as the Anglo-Saxon era, right up to 1965 when the death penalty was abolished, the main form of capital punishment in Britain was hanging. Initially, this involved placing a noose around the neck of the condemned and suspending them from the branch of a tree. Ladders and carts were used to hang people from wooden gallows, which entailed death by asphyxiation. In the late 13th century the act of hanging morphed into the highly ritualised practice of 'drawing, hanging and quartering' - the severest punishment reserved for those who had committed treason. In this process, 'drawing' referred to the dragging of the condemned to the place of execution. After they were hanged, their body was punished further by disembowelling, beheading, burning and 'quartering' - cutting off the limbs. The perpetrator's head and limbs were often publicly displayed following the execution. Later, the 'New Drop' gallows - first used at London's Newgate Prison in 1783 - could accommodate two or three prisoners at a time and were constructed on platforms with trapdoors through which the condemned fell. The innovation of the 'long drop' [a method of hanging which considered the weight of the condemned, the length of the drop and the placement of the knot] in the later 19th century caused death by breaking the condemned's neck, which was deemed quicker and less painful than strangling. Burning at the stake was another form of capital punishment, used in England from the 11th century for heresy and the 13th century for treason. It was also used specifically for women convicted of petty treason (the charge given for the murder of her husband or employer). Though hanging replaced burning as the method of capital punishment for treason in 1790, the burning of those suspected of witchcraft was practiced in Scotland until the 18th century. For other - perhaps luckier - souls and for those of noble birth who were condemned to die, execution by beheading (which was considered the least brutal method of execution) was used until the 18th century. Death by firing squad was also used as form of execution by the military. The 'Bloody Code' Britain's 'Bloody Code' was the name given to the legal system between the late-17th and early-19th century which made more than 200 offences - many of them petty - punishable by death. Statutes introduced between 1688 and 1815 covered primarily property offences, such as pickpocketing, cutting down trees and shoplifting. Nevertheless, despite the 'mushrooming' of capital crimes, fewer people were actually executed in the 18th century than during the preceding 2 centuries. This paradox can be explained by the specificity of the capital statutes, which meant it was often possible to convict people of lesser crimes. For example, theft of goods above a certain value carried the death penalty, so the jury could circumvent this by underestimating the value of said goods. Certain regions with more autonomy, including Scotland, Wales and Cornwall, were particularly reluctant to implement the Bloody Code and, by the 1830s, executions for crimes other than murder had become extremely rare. Vocal critics of the Bloody Code included early 19th-century MP Sir Samuel Romilly, who worked for its reform. A barrister by profession, he was appointed solicitor general [a senior law officer of the crown] and entered the House of Commons in 1806. He succeeded in repealing the death penalty for some minor crimes and in ending the use of disembowelling convicted criminals while alive. Later, liberal MP William Ewart brought bills which abolished hanging in chains (in 1834) and ended capital punishment for cattle stealing and other minor offences (in 1837). In the 1840s, prominent figures including writers Charles Dickens and William Makepeace Thackeray highlighted what they believed to be the brutalising effects of public hanging. Far from encouraging solemnity, hangings were entertaining spectacles that whipped up the crowd's passions, they argued - and the presence of the crowd was a potential source of unruliness. Dickens attended the executions of Maria and Frederick Manning at Horsemonger Lane Gaol, south London, in 1849. The pair had been convicted of the murder of a customs official named Patrick O'Connor, whom they had killed and buried under the kitchen floorboards at their London home. Their case was nicknamed by the press: "the Bermondsey Horror". Dickens later
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
March 26 SAUDI ARABIA: Abdullah al-Zaher Spends Another Birthday on Death Row in Saudi Arabia Abdullah Hasan al-Zaher turns 22 today - his 7th birthday spent in prison, and his 4th birthday spent on death row after he was arrested in 2012 because of his participation in a peaceful protest. Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) and the European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights (ESOHR) call on the government of Saudi Arabia to immediately release Abdullah, drop all charges against him, and institute a moratorium on the use of the death penalty with a view towards abolition. Abdullah al-Zaher was only 15 years old when he was arrested by Saudi police on 3 March 2012 for his participation in a peaceful protest. Saudi authorities did not present a warrant. During his arrest, Saudi police shot at Abdullah before beating him in the street with their weapons. He was eventually taken to the General Directorate of Investigation in Dammam, where Saudi authorities held him incommunicado and solitary detention for 3 months. During his detention, Saudi police tortured Abdullah by beating him all over his body with an iron wire. They then forced him to sign a confession without allowing him to read it. Authorities held Abdullah in pre-trial detention for nearly 2 years during which time authorities severely restricted his access to his lawyer. He was eventually brought before a judge prior to his trial, but only so that the court could provide him with the list of charges against him. Abdullah's lawyer was not present at the time. Throughout Abdullah's trial, his lawyer was unable to access the evidence against him. On 21 October 2014, Saudi Arabia's Specialized Criminal Court (SCC) sentenced Abdullah to death. He was 18 at the time of his sentencing, and is currently at risk of being executed at any time, although Saudi Arabia is a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), Article 37 of which calls on State Parties to ensure that "No child shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment" and also that no child shall be sentenced to capital punishment. "Abdullah al-Zaher was just a child when he was arrested and tortured into confessing to crimes he did not commit. Saudi Arabia is ignoring its obligations under the CRC to refrain from using torture or capital punishment against children - solely to punish a minor for reportedly participating in a peaceful protest," says Husain Abdulla, Executive Director of ADHRB. "This birthday marks yet another year Abdullah has been unlawfully detained and at risk of imminent execution. The international community must step up and hold Saudi Arabia accountable to its international treaty commitments and call for Abdullah al-Zaher's immediate release." Abdullah must not be allowed to spend another year in prison awaiting an unjust death sentence. ADHRB and ESOHR call on Saudi Arabia to immediately release him and to drop all charges against him, we further call on Saudi Arabia to respect and uphold its international obligations, including those outlined I the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and to institute a moratorium on capital punishment with a view towards its abolition. (source: Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain) PAKISTAN: Acquitting The Mob Where the court had made strides in setting a much needed precedent for the Kot Radha Kishan blasphemy case by sentencing 5 men to death for their involvement and further imprisoning 8 in 2014, the recent mob acquittal evokes a conflicting reaction. Where they have ascribed to the judicious establishment of the burden of proof, the question of how to hold all those involved in such a heinous crime accountable, presents an area of ambivalence as many involved in mob crimes are acquitted by the grace of insufficient evidence and an inability to prove intent. Cases involving mob lynching are mostly seen through a communal lens and are relative to specific minorities and castes, which become an issue of public order and is in direct conflict to tenants of law. Where the argument stands that societies evince frequent incidents of mob violence as a by-product of a lethargic and ambivalent justice system, in Pakistan the majority of the mob violence in embedded in faith-based intolerance and blasphemy accusations. Since the promulgation of the blasphemy laws mandating the death penalty for the accused, the edict has been translated as a state-sanctioned public sentencing, ordained by Islam. However, justice dispensed in the realm of the public, like public executions and floggings are customs that predate Islam, and have served to desensitise society to violence and morph into concepts of vigilante justice detached from institutionalised law. Similarly, where the Zia era played a huge role in legitimising the atrociously misguided concept of
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
March 25 SIERRA LEONE: Inside Sierra Leone's maximum security prison for womenThe Freetown Female Correctional Centre houses about 90 women and their children. The number of female prisoners in Sierra Leone has doubled in the last 3 years. There are only 2 separate detention facilities for female prisoners in the country. The largest separate detention facility is the Freetown Female Correctional Centre which holds around 90 female prisoners and their children. Women on death row or those who are serving life imprisonment sentences are also held at the facility. Sierra Leone still retains the death penalty for murder, treason and armed robbery. However, the majority of female prisoners are arrested for minor, petty offences such as theft, loitering, disorderly behaviour or debt. These laws are vague, poorly defined and disproportionately impact the poor. Many women spend excessive time in prison waiting for their trial to be heard or serving sentences simply because they cannot afford to pay the alternative fine. AdvocAid Sierra Leone is the only holistic organisation working to provide access to justice, education and empowerment for women and girls in conflict with the law in Sierra Leone. AdvocAid has freed 4 women on death row through appeals or pardons and provided free legal advice to over 4,000 women since 2006. (source: aljazeera.com) ZIMBABWE: Commuting death sentences is highly appreciated In response to the decision by President Emmerson Mnangagwa to commute the death sentences of prisoners who have been on death row for more than 10 years, Amnesty International's Deputy Regional Director for Southern Africa, Muleya Mwananyanda, said: "President Emmerson Mnangagwa's has taken a very progressive step in deciding to spare the prisoners from the hangman's noose. His action is commendable, but he must build on this positive momentum by ensuring Zimbabwe abolishing the death penalty completely. "Countries around the world, including in sub-Saharan Africa, are moving away from using the death penalty. There is no credible evidence that the death penalty has a greater deterrent effect on crime than imprisonment. We call on President Mnangagwa to move swiftly to establish an official moratorium on executions as a 1st step towards abolishing this cruel and inhuman punishment altogether." Background President Mnangagwa has invoked the provisions of section 112 of the constitution of Zimbabwe to commute to life imprisonment the death sentences of prisoners on death row for more than 10 years. Zimbabwe has not carried out any executions since 2005. (source: newsghana.com.gh) ___ A service courtesy of Washburn University School of Law www.washburnlaw.edu DeathPenalty mailing list DeathPenalty@lists.washlaw.edu http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/listinfo/deathpenalty Unsubscribe: http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/options/deathpenalty
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
March 24 LEBANON: 'Barbie doll' plane bomb terrorists could face death sentences in Lebanon 2 Australian citizens in custody in Sydney are among 5 men facing the death penalty in Lebanon for their part in a planned airplane bombing last year. Senior Lebanon military court judge Alaa Khatib has recommended the 5 men face death by firing squad for their part in the alleged terror plot, The Australian reports. The attack would have seen the plotters detonate bombs hidden in a Barbie doll and a meat grinder on an Etihad flight from Sydney to Abu Dhabi on July 15 last year, killing 400 passengers and crew. Amer Khayat, who is a dual dual Australian-Lebanese citizen, is the only 1 of the 5 in jail in Lebanon and would be the 1st to face the firing squad. The others, including the 2 men in custody in Sydney, will be trialled in absentia. Lebanese authorities detained Sydney man Khayat last July after learning he had visited Tripoli multiple times to get married, only to get divorced a short time after. During questioning Khayat allegedly revealed his attempt to smuggle explosives aboard the flight. The plan was thwarted after hand luggage containing the devices was found to be overweight at check-in and left at the counter. The bag is believed to have contained a self-timed bomb, hidden inside a doll. That bomb upon detonation would have detonated another bomb hidden inside the grinder, stored in a 2nd carry-on bag. Lebanese authorities notified Australian authorities of their findings, prompting a series of raids across Sydney late in July. Amer's brothers Khaled and Mahmout were subsequently arrested and charged with 2 counts of planning a terrorist attack. A 3rd brother Tareq, an ISIS commander, is in hiding in Syria. The 5th accused - a relative of the Khayats based in Sydney - was investigated by police, but no evidence was found to support suspicions he took part in the plot. All 5 men stand accused by Lebanese authorities of participating in terrorist activities, being part of a terrorist group and scheming to commit mass murder. (source: 9news.com.au) SAUDI ARABIA: 5 Indonesians on Saudi's death row because of 'magic' 5 Indonesian migrant workers are facing the death penalty in Saudi Arabia after they were found guilty of practicing what Saudi authorities consider magic and sorcery. "Most of them were convicted because they had jimat (traditional amulets) with them," said the Foreign Ministry's Indonesian citizen protection director, Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, recently. Many migrant workers leave Indonesia carrying a jimat as a good luck charm. Jimat came in many different forms: from a hair bundle put into a tiny bag to a Quran verse kept in a wallet, Lalu said. Many Muslims in Indonesia are unorthodox and do not consider jimat to be problematic. However, he said, Saudi authorities found such practices to be shirk (worshiping anyone or anything other than the Almighty God). In Saudi Arabia, this can result in capital punishment. "Nonetheless, the regulation is not based on the Quran. Therefore, we usually manage to acquire clemency from the Saudi government," Iqbal said. Indonesian officials usually find it harder to get clemency for those found guilty of a murder case. "They could only be freed from the execution charge with clemency given by the victims' family," Iqbal said. Between 2011 and 2018, 102 Indonesians faced death row in Saudi Arabia. 3 were executed, 79 were freed from the execution, and 20 are still in the legal process for clemency. Of the 20, 5 were charged with practicing magic. A total of 583 Indonesian citizens have faced the death penalty abroad. (source: The Jakarta Post) BELARUS: Belarus Sticks to Death Penalty Over Europe's DispleasureMore than 400 convicts have been put to death since 1990, rights activists say. Last October the Belarusian authorities executed a man for the murder of his 9-year-old daughter and 17-year-old son, although the public and the man's family knew nothing of it. Not until this month did the news come out, when the man's mother notified a campaigner against the death penalty, Andrey Poluda, TUT.by reported. Europe's major transnational organizations denounced the latest execution. "Once again we stand firm against any death sentence imposed by the Belarusian judiciary and any executions carried out in that country," Yves Cruchten, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe's general rapporteur on the abolition of the death penalty, and Andrea Rigoni, PACE rapporteur on the situation in Belarus, said in an 8 March statement. Cruchten and Rigoni once again called upon the government to place a moratorium on executions. Belarus has remained outside the Council of Europe, Europe's chief human rights watchdog, largely over the organization's opposition to capital punishment. The European Union also condemned any use of
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide----JAP., INDON., TAIW., ZIMBAB., BANG., PAKIS.
March 23 JAPANfilm review: The Third Murder: One of the most polarising films of the yearReview: Many are left cold by the strange marriage of brutality and wistfulness Film Title: The Third Murder Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda Starring: Masaharu Fukuyama, Suzu Hirose, Shinnosuke Mitsushima, Mikako Ichikawa, Izumi Matsuoka, Yuki Saito, Kotaro Yoshida, Isao Hashizume, Koji Yakusho Genre: Crime Running Time: 125 min An enigmatic tangle of anti-death penalty campaigning, murder-mystery, and legal procedure, the 12th feature from prolific Japanese director, Kore-eda Hirokazu, is a departure from the tenderly observed family dramas (Like Father, Like Son; Our Little Sister; After the Storm) that have made him a perennial favourite at the Cannes Film Festival. Shigemori (Fukuyama Masaharu), a rather jaded state defender, is assigned an apparently open-and-shut case. Misumi (Koji Yakusho) who has already spent 30 years in prison for a murder committed in the 1980s, has allegedly killed his factory-owner boss, burned the corpse and stolen the victim's wallet. Shigemori is tasked with pleading the court down from the death penalty to a life sentence, but the lawyer soon realises there is more to the case than meets the eye. There is no material evidence linking the accused with the crime, beyond Misumi's own confession. His vague account is inconsistent with the crime scene and, more confusingly, varies wildly from one telling to another. He even sells a story to a supermarket tabloid claiming that the victim's wife had offered to pay out from her husband's life insurance. The victim's mysterious teenage daughter (Suzu Hirose) adds to the confusion. What is going on here? Are these fanciful embellishments and contradictions symptoms of a broader psychosis? Or might he be covering for someone? The Third Murder has, unexpectedly, become one of the most polarising films of the year. Many critics have not warmed to the film's strange marriage of brutality and Kore-eda's wistful milieu. Look closer, and despite the curveball content, the film teases out relationships just as carefully and patiently as the director's earlier, gentler films. It's killing as Yasujiro Ozu or Mikio Naruse might have had it. Detailed conversations about the Japanese legal system and capital punishment - rather conveniently, Shigemori's father is the retired judge who heard Misumi's original case decades ago - are genuinely fascinating. The slow-burning and sometimes surreal interrogation room interviews and the director's canny use of doubles, reflections, red-herrings, and Rashomon-effect makes for a nervy, if softly-spoken courtroom drama. A jagged turn by veteran actor Koji Yakusho (Tampopo, Shall We Dance?) keeps the viewer and Masaharu Fukuyama (a most effective foil) guessing until the final credits. (source: Irish Times) INDONESIA: Man arrested with IDR1.05 billion worth of meth in Bali, death penalty on the table An alleged drug courier has been arrested in Bali with IDR1.05 billion (US$76k) worth of meth. Gilimanuk Regional Police say they arrested East Java man Arif, alias Jatmiko Harif on Wednesday with the drugs, securing 708 grams. Jimbaran Police Chief Comr. Priyanto Priyo Hutomo said the 29-year-old's arrest was triggered by a routine vehicle inspection for people entering Bali via the Port of Gilimanuk. Police found a "suspicious package" aboard a bus on its way from Central Java, so they tailed the bus, which led them to the supermarket, Hardys in Tabanan. That's when Arif showed up on motorbike to pick up the package. "When receiving the package, the perpetrator was arrested by Gilimanuk Police Criminal Investigation Unit officers," Hutomo said on Thursday, as quoted by Merdeka. A later search of Arif's rented room at a boardinghouse in South Denpasar yielded the rest of the IDR1.05 billion meth not found in the package. Arif is being charged with violating Article 114 paragraph 2 of Law no. 35 of 2009 on Narcotics, with the threat of capital punishment or life imprisonment, or at least a minimum sentence of 6 years if found guilty, in addition to Article 112 paragraph 2 which carries a max penalty of life and a minimum sentence of 5 years, according to Hutomo. (source: coconuts.co) TAIWAN: EU praises Taiwan's human rights agenda but urges abolition of death penaltyThe 1st Taiwan-EU meeting about human rights was held Thursday in Taipei Taiwan and the European Union (EU) held a meeting about human rights Thursday in Taipei, during which the EU officials reiterated the union's concern over the practice of the death penalty in Taiwan as "an inhumane form of punishment." The Human Rights Consultations were the first such meetings where European delegates joined Taiwanese officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and Taiwan's civic groups to exchange ideas about human rights
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
March 22 JAPAN: Death penalty for ex-caregiver for killing elderly A court in Japan has sentenced a former care worker to death for killing 3 elderly residents at a nursing home in Kawasaki, near Tokyo. Yokohama District Court on Thursday found 25-year-old Hayato Imai guilty of murdering the 3 victims by pushing them from the balconies of their rooms. Prosecutors had sought the death penalty in the trial. The 3 residents all died in 2014. They were an 87-year-old man and 2 women, aged 86 and 96. The judges in the trial ruled that the victims would have been physically incapable of climbing over the balcony railings by themselves. They ruled out the possibility that the deaths were suicides or accidents. The ruling also rejected the possibility that other staff members had committed the crimes. The judges added that Imai's confession during police interrogation, in which he admitted to killing the 3 people, was credible. Imai's lawyer had maintained that he was not guilty, pointing out the lack of objective evidence, and arguing that the deaths could have been suicides or accidents. The lawyer also claimed that Imai's confession was coerced, and has filed an appeal against the ruling to a higher court. (source: nhk.or.jp) BANGLADESH: HC bench assigned to hear appeals in 10-truck arms haul case Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain has recently assigned a High Court bench to hear and dispose of the death reference and appeals in sensational 10-truck arms haul case in which 14 people, including former ministers were sentenced to death. The bench of Justice Bhabani Prasad Singha and Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam may fix a date on Sunday for starting hearing on the death reference and appeals, court sources said. If a lower court sentences any person to death in a case, its judgment is examined by the HC through hearing arguments for confirmation of the death sentence. The case documents and judgment reaches as death reference to the HC from the lower court in 7 days after the latter delivers the verdict. 12 death-row convicts out of total 14 in the 10 truck-arms haul case have filed separate appeals with the HC challenging the trial court verdict against them. In the appeals, they prayed to the HC to acquit them of the charges, according to the sources. On January 30, 2014, the Chittagong Metropolitan Special Tribunal-1 handed down the death penalty to 14 people, former minister and Jamaat-e-Islami Amir Motiur Rahman Nizami and former BNP state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar for smuggling 10 truckloads of firearms in 2004. The 14 convicts were also given life term imprisonment in another case filed for possessing illegal firearms. Nizami was executed on May 11, 2016 after the Supreme Court upheld his death penalty for committing crimes against humanity during the country???s Liberation War in 1971. Meanwhile, another HC bench of Justice Jahangir Hossain Selim and Justice Md Jahangir Hossain is set on Sunday to start hearing the death reference and appeals in another sensational case filed for attempting to assassinate Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina by planting a bomb weighing 76kg in Gopalganj's Kotalipara in July 2000. A Dhaka court on August 20 last year sentenced 10 leaders and activists of Harkatul Jihad al-Islami to death, 1 to life imprisonment and 3 to 14 years' imprisonment in the case. 7 of the convicts have filed separate appeals with the HC challenging the trial court verdict on them, court sources said. (source: The Daily Star) ZIMBABWE: Zimbabwe President ED Mnangagwa Releases Thousands From Prison ED Mnangagwa is commuting death sentences for some prisoners and releasing thousands of people from prison, including most women and everyone under age 18. President Emmerson Mnangagwa's announcement Wednesday is an effort to ease overcrowded prisons. He has said he is against the death penalty because he once survived hanging when the southern African nation was still colonial Rhodesia. Nearly 100 people are on death row in the country of 13 million. Those on it for at least a decade are having their sentences commuted to life in prison. Zimbabwe's last execution was in 2005, partly because no one was willing to be the hangman. All women except those serving life sentences are being freed. Also freed are prisoners who are disabled or terminally ill and those sentenced to life before Feb. 28, 1998. About 3,000 prisoners are expected to benefit, said prison deputy commissioner-general Alford Mashango Dube. He said the current prison population is about 20,000 and capacity is 17,000. Zimbabwe's former leader Robert Mugabe in November said he was considering resuming executions. But weeks later Mnangagwa took power with the military's assistance after factional fighting within the ruling party. (source: pazimbabwe.com) INDONESIA/SAUDI ARABIA: 20 Indonesians on Saudi
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
March 21 IRAN: Iran's Abuse of the Death Penalty Remains Largely Unchanged On Monday, the Associated Press reported upon the death sentence that had been handed down for a member of the Sufi religious minority who was responsible for the deaths of 3 policemen during a large protest demonstration last month. Mohammad Salas claimed he had not intended to ram into the policemen with the bus that he was driving, but was instead trying to flee from the clashes between protesters and security forces. The demonstrations turned violent after members of the Sufi order known as Gonabadi dervishes assembled in response to speculation that their leader Nour Ali Tabandeh was slated for arrest as part of the government's crackdown on political activists in the wake of nationwide protests in December and January. By some accounts, security forces did attempt to gain access to Tabandeh's home but were blocked by the masses of dervishes. In addition to the 3 deaths attributed to Salas, 2 members of the basij civilian militia were killed in a separate stabbing incident. 300 dervishes were arrested in the midst of the clashes. Despite Salas denying that he willfully killed the 3 police officers, there appears to be no dispute about whether he was behind the wheel of the bus that also injured 30 others. He now has 20 days to appeal the verdict, but if the death sentence stands it will be among the minority of death sentences in Iran that arguably rise to the level of the "most serious crimes" for which the death penalty is deemed acceptable under international human rights conventions. But Iran, consistently the nation with the world's highest rate of executions per capita, has frequently thumbed its nose at some conventions, even those codified in documents to which Iran is a signatory. By executing non-violent drug offenders and certain types of political prisoners, the Iranian regime has rejected the international limits regarding the severity of capital crimes. Additionally, Iran is among the small handful of countries that continues to execute juvenile offenders in defiance of the United Nations' absolute prohibition on the practice. In its recent annual report on the death penalty in the Islamic Republic, the website Iran Human Rights noted that at least 5 juvenile offenders were executed in the year 2017. Each incident spurred international outcry and letter-writing campaigns by human rights organizations, yet Iran's commitment to the practice appears to only be intensifying. Three more juvenile offenders have already been put to death since the start of 2018. On the other hand, Iran Human Right called attention to the possibility that domestic and international pressure are proving effective in the case of death penalties for non-violent drug offenders. Last year, the Iranian parliament passed legislation which lightened the minimum sentences for certain crimes in that category. This led to speculation that death sentences could be commuted for thousands of prisoners, although it also raised questions as to whether Iranian courts would fully implement the changes. Data on this subject appears inconsistent so far. The report by Iran Human Rights finds that 65 fewer drug offenders were executed in 2017 than in 2016. This represents a reduction of about 22 %. However, few drug-related death sentences have actually been commuted and there were reports last year which indicated that the execution dates had been moved up for some of the people who might have been spared by the legal change, especially Sunnis and members of other minority groups. Additionally, Iran Human Rights notes that the judiciary seems to have compensated for the reduction of drug-related executions by carrying out more hangings of persons convicted of murder. Overall, at least 517 inmates were executed in 2017, and this is comparable to the figures for the previous year. Naturally, those figures do not account for extrajudicial killings or executions that the government managed to conceal from the public. Of the 517 known executions during the past year, 406 of them were not officially announced. Extrajudicial killings may prove to be an even more serious issue than before, once statistics for the current year begin to be tabulated. Violent crackdowns on perceived threats to the clerical regime are a familiar phenomenon, but the recent targeting of environmental activists indicate that these may have further expanded in scope. Several such individuals were arrested last month and one of them, the Iranian-Canadian Professor Kavous Seyed-Emami, died suspiciously while in police custody. Prison officials attempted to claim that Seyed-Emami had confessed to spying for Western governments and then committed suicide, but their subsequent efforts to silence his family and prevent an independent autopsy suggest that there has been a cover-up. That conclusion is made
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
March 20 INDONESIA: Duo escape gallows but get 20 years, 10 lashes The Federal Court yesterday set aside the death sentence imposed on 2 27-year-old men for drug trafficking and amended the charge against them to 1 of drug possession. The 5-member bench chaired by Chief Justice of Malaysia Tun Raus Sharif, who sat with Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Wira Datuk Seri Ahmad Hj Maarop and Justices Tan Sri Datuk Zainun Ali, Tan Sri Dato' Sri Azahar Mohamed and Tan Sri Dato' Wira Aziah Ali, allowed the appeal by Eswaran Susop and Jaswant Singh Ranjit Singh. They unanimously set aside the appellants' conviction on the original charge under Section 39B (1) (a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act (DDA) 1952, which carries the capital punishment, and replaced it with a charge under Section 12 (2), punishable under Section 39A (2), both of the same Act, which carries an imprisonment for life or not less than 5 years and whipping of not less than 10 strokes. Accordingly, both accused persons were sentenced to 20 years??? jail plus 10 strokes of the cane each for possession of syabu. The duo, who were arrested for possession of 770.9 grams and 780.2 grams of syabu respectively at the arrival hall of Terminal Two, LCCT in Tanjung Aru on March 18, 2012, were ordered to serve their jail terms from the date of their arrest on March 18, 2012. When asked by the court for their mitigation plea, Johor Bahru-based counsel Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, representing Eswaran, urged court to impose a jail sentence counting from the date of their arrest on the grounds that both accused were still very young. In reply, the prosecution asked for a jail term of more than 20 years to be imposed on both appellants as the weight of the drugs was very high. On October 22, 2013, the High Court here had sentenced the appellants, who were jointly tried, to death by hanging after finding them guilty as charged for drugs trafficking. On July 18, 2016, the duo lost their appeal bid when the Court of Appeal affirmed the decision of the High Court. In his submission, counsel Hisyam Teh raised the issue that the convictions cannot be sustained as they were based on approximation on weight of the drugs. He argued that there was a slight amendment made when the lower court delivered its decision with the addition the word 'about' in the respective charges, as the trial judge was not satisfied with the evidence of PW2, who was a chemist. Consequently, the appellants were called upon to enter their defence. The counsel said, as a consequence, both appellants were convicted for trafficking in the 'about' weight of the drugs. Counsel went on to point out that this was a serious misdirection as there was ambiguity as to the amount of drugs and the DDA is a piece of penal statute for which there is no room for ambiguities and uncertainties. Counsels Dato' Jagjit Singh Bant Singh, Ram Singh and Kimberly Yee were also counsels representing the appellants. Meanwhile, the same court affirmed the death sentences of two men and a woman convicted of drug trafficking. The appeals by Tan Boon Kwang, 36, Muhammad Rizal Kamarudin, 37 and Lan Yi Ling, 28, to have their convictions set aside were dismissed by the panel. On June 3, 2015, Tan, who hails from Penang, was found guilty by the High Court for trafficking in 1,609 grams of cocaine at the Crime Investigation Department at Terminal Two of the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) on October 26, 2013. Muhammad Rizal was found guilty by the lower court on August 15, 2014 for trafficking in 2,850.60 grams of syabu at the Customs Passengers Examination of International Unit at the arrival hall of the KKIA on December 18, 2012. As for Lan, who is from China, the High Court here had on November 30, 2015 found her guilty of trafficking in 336 grams of syabu at the arrival hall of the KKIA on August 17, 2014. Tan and Lan had their appeals against the High Court decision dismissed on September 19, 2016 while Muhammad Rizal's appeal was also dismissed on September 20, 2016, all the Court of Appeal here. Ram Singh represented Tan and Lan while Muhammad Rizal was defended by counsel Farazwin Haxdy. (source: Borneo Post) JAPAN: Japan marks anniversary of sarin attacks as execution speculation grows Tuesday marked the 23rd anniversary of a deadly sarin attack on the Tokyo subway system, as speculation grows that members of the cult behind it could soon be executed. At Kasumigaseki Station, one of the targets of the attack, subway staff gathered at 8 a.m., around the same time the events occurred on March 20, 1995, to observe a moment of silence and offer flowers. Toyohiko Otomo, the 57-year-old chief of the station, and Shizue Takahashi, 71, who lost her husband, Kazumasa, an assistant stationmaster, were among those who offered flowers at the station. "We will work together to make further efforts to ensure the safety
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
March 19 SAUDI ARABIAexecution Saudi Arabia beheads Indonesian worker despite Jokowi's pleas for clemency Saudi Arabia has beheaded an Indonesian migrant worker for murder despite President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's repeated pleas that the man be granted clemency. M. Zaini Misrin from Bangkalan, East Java, was executed on Sunday, according to Migrant Care, an Indonesian organization focusing on the welfare of Indonesian migrant workers. Zaini, who worked as a driver, was sentenced to death on Nov. 17, 2008, after being found guilty of murdering his employer, Abdullah bin Umar Munammad Al Sindy. He was arrested on Jul. 13, 2004. Migrant Care suspected that the 53-year-old Bangkalan resident had been forced to confess to the murder. The group further claimed that Zaini did not receive legal assistance during his trial and was only accompanied by a translator believed to be complicit in forcing him to confess to the crime he claimed he did not commit. "Saudi Arabia also did not notify Indonesia [about the execution] either through the consulate general in Jeddah or the Foreign Ministry," the group said in a statement released on Monday. The Indonesian Foreign Ministry confirmed the execution and Migrant Care's claim that it was not notified by Riyadh beforehand about Zaini's beheading. President Jokowi has requested that Zaini and other Indonesians on death row in Saudi Arabia be granted clemency on at least 3 occasions: During his visit to Riyadh in September 2015, during King Salman's visit to Jakarta in March 2017 and through a letter sent to the Islamic kingdom in November 2017. The Indonesian Consulate General in Jeddah had also requested that Zaini's case be reviewed and a reinvestigation was conducted between 2011 and 2014, according to Migrant Care. The legal efforts, however, failed to overturn his conviction. (sdource: The Jakarta Post) JAPAN: 1995 Aum sarin attack on Tokyo subway still haunts, leaving questions unanswered Hitoshi Jin describes his younger brother spending the booming 1980s "cult surfing," exploring what new religions had to offer to fill the gaping spiritual void left by a childhood scarred by an abusive father. Like others seeking refuge from the rampant materialism of the era, he appeared to find a form of salvation in the Buddhist-Hindu influenced teachings espoused in what was then a yoga-training circle run by a long-haired, bearded former acupuncturist called Shoko Asahara. Jin, a Buddhist priest, recalls his brother showing him a periodical published by the group claiming its guru could levitate. He brushed it aside as nonsense. "I should have listened to him more carefully," he said. Jin's brother was found dead at the age of 27 in an apparent suicide from inert gas asphyxiation. Among the pile of occult books and magazines found in his room were those written by Asahara, who the following year orchestrated the worst terrorist attack in modern Japanese history. It's unclear to what extent Jin's brother was involved in Aum Shinrikyo, the doomsday cult responsible for staging the March 20, 1995, sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system that left 13 dead and injured around 6,300 people. During the final years of his troubled life, Jin's brother had experimented with various prescription drugs and other substances to induce an altered state of consciousness - to "see Buddha." Members of the cult would later testify that Aum resorted to numerous tactics to instill its doctrine in its ranks, including the use of LSD and other hallucinogens. But for Jin, 57, one thing is certain. "Despite being a man of religion, I couldn't save my brother," he said. Jin is among those whose lives have been confounded by the cult that burst onto the national stage 23 years ago, with an act of terror that crippled postwar Japan's long-held sense of security and left policymakers, media, academics and counterterrorism agencies scrambling to make sense of the new dangers posed by religious extremism. The series of crimes committed by the group, which culminated in the toxic nerve gas attack during the morning rush hour, also launched an unprecedentedly long and complicated judicial process that finally wrapped up this January, paving the way for the execution of Asahara - whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto - and 12 other disciples on death row. Speculation is rife that they could be hanged before the Heisei Era draws to an end with the abdication of Emperor Akihito in April 2019. For those who were involved with the cult, however, an enigma remains. Asahara visits Orie Miyama in her dreams. Not often, only occasionally, and usually during stretches when she hasn't been thinking about the cult she joined in 1986. Miyama, a pseudonym she uses to protect her privacy when speaking to the media, was a graphic designer when she discovered the cult through one of Asahara's books. She was
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide----THAI., JAP., INDIA
March 18 THAILAND: Johor-born 'Mr T' could face death penalty in Thai court A Johor-born man, famously known by the Malaysian media as "Mr T" or the "Malaysian Iceman", could be staring at the death penalty over his alleged role in an attempt to smuggle 282kg of crystal methamphetamine into Malaysia 2 years ago. Tan Hun Seong and 3 of his accomplices have been formally charged in Thai court under the country's Act on Measures for the Suppression of Offenders Relating to Narcotics 1991 and Narcotics Act 1979 which, besides the death penalty, also provide life imprisonment upon conviction. According to court documents obtained by Bernama, the grey-haired "Mr T", who is in his mid-60, a 69-year old Taiwanese man known as "Jimmy" and 2 Thai women would be making an appearance at the Bangkok Criminal Court for their trial beginning May. The arrest of Tan by a group of heavily armed police officers at the busy Hatyai Airport in April last year received wide media coverage in Thailand and Malaysia. (source: thestar.com.my) JAPAN: Japan cult spinoffs persist 2 decades after deadly sarin attack More than 2 decades after Japan's Aum Shinrikyo cult plunged Tokyo into terror by releasing a nerve agent on rush-hour subway trains, its spinoffs continue to attract new followers. Cult head Shoko Asahara is on death row, along with 12 of his disciples, for crimes including the subway attack, which killed 13 people and injured thousands. He was arrested in 1995 in the wake of the sarin attack, but the Aum cult survived the crackdown, renaming itself Aleph and drawing new recruits into its fold. Aleph officially renounced ties to Asahara in 2000, but the doomsday guru retains significant influence, according to Japan's Public Security Intelligence Agency. "It (Aleph) is a group that firmly instructs its followers to see Asahara as the supreme being," an agency investigator told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. "If someone says 'guru Asahara wants to bring down Japan', there would be followers who would act. The group poses such a potential danger," he said. Raids on Aleph facilities have found recordings of his teachings as well as a device used by the Aum cult known as a "Perfect Salvation Initiation", a type of headgear that emits weak electric currents which members believe connects them to Asahara's brainwaves. Aleph and other splinter groups, which deny links to Asahara despite the claims of authorities, have 1,650 members in Japan and hundreds more in Russia, according to the Public Security Intelligence Agency. It says the groups attract around 100 new followers annually via yoga classes, fortune-telling and other activities that do not mention the cult's name, often targeting young people who do not remember the 1995 subway attack. "Young female followers go to 'training' places with their children... We are worried there is an increasing number of children who have been inculcated by the Aum since they were very young," the investigator said. Horrendous ordeals Asahara and his wife Tomoko had 4 daughters and 2 sons, and most of the family remains within the cult. 1 daughter who left in 2006, aged 16, has described horrifying ordeals during her childhood, including being forced to eat food with ceramic shards in it and being left in the cold in little clothing. "It was an environment unthinkable in modern-day Japan. I was afraid I would be killed if I rebelled, so I felt tense, as if I were on a battleground, for 16 years," she said in a statement last year. "I strongly hope no more children will grow up in the Aum's successor groups." In early March, on Asahara's 63rd birthday, investigators were keeping their usual close eye on the headquarters of an Aum splinter group in a quiet Tokyo residential area. "We are not marking the day in any way," said Akitoshi Hirosue, deputy head of the Hikarinowa (The Circle of Rainbow Light) group. "We actually think Asahara should be executed," he told AFP at the group's headquarters. Hikarinowa split from Aleph in 2007 under the leadership of flamboyant former Aum spokesman Fumihiro Joyu, and now has around 100-150 members. "As long as the death penalty is not implemented against him, Asahara is the 'saviour exempt from execution' and helps Aleph win more followers," Joyu recently said in arguing for the death of his former guru. Aleph training halls are closed to media and the group did not respond to enquiries by AFP. A new 'guru'? Taro Takimoto, a lawyer who has helped relatives of cultists for decades, supports capital punishment for Asahara but not the 12 other members on death row, who he says only acted as "limbs" of the guru. He fears the 12 members will "become martyrs" if executed, only boosting cult recruitment. Seven of those on death row were moved to different prison facilities in recent days, prompting speculation that they could
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
This webpage will next be updated on March 18 *** IRAN: Faith Healer's Death Sentence Replaced By 5-Year Prison After almost 8 years of legal battle, the outspoken faith healer Mohammad Ali Taheri has been sentenced to 5 years. Taheri, charged with "corruption on Earth", was twice condemned to death by primary Revolutionary Courts. One of Taheri's attorneys, Ahmad Khosravi told Radio Farda's Mahtab Vahidi Rad, today, "The death verdict against my client has been replaced by a 5-year prison term. The new verdict was delivered to Mr. Taheri on Saturday, March 3. The Islamic Republic's Supreme Court had already rejected the death sentence against the faith healer, calling it "incompatible with the country's current penal code". Taheri was initially arrested in 2010 but later released after spending 67 days in solitary confinement. He was rearrested in 2011, reportedly held in solitary confinement, and convicted on several charges, including acting against Iran's national security, blasphemy, and touching the wrists of female patients, which is said to be forbidden in Islam. Taheri, 61, established an organization called Erfan-e Halqeh, or Circle of Mysticism, in 2001, where he used to practice Iranian supplementary medicine, faith healing, and scientology. The outspoken "faith healer" was initially allowed to freely preach and teach in public. His classes and healing sessions were attended by hundreds of people from all walks of life, including government officials and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps' top commanders. Several of his books were also published with permission from the Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry. The Islamic Republic;s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei then stepped in, warning against what he called "false mysticism that might lure people away from Islam." Khamenei's allies had already labeled the Circle of Mysticism a "deviant sect" while saying Taheri had amassed an illicit fortune through his teachings. Taheri and his followers have repeatedly dismissed these allegations as baseless. Condemning Taheri to death triggered a widespread negative response all over the world. The U.S. State Department on September 1, 2017 announced that the charges of founding a religious cult and "corruption on earth" violate Tehran's obligations to respect and ensure freedom of expression and religion. The statement added that the death penalty should be used only for the most serious of crimes. "We call on the Iranian government to take whatever steps necessary to reverse Taheri's conviction and death sentence," it added. Amnesty International has also insisted that Taheri is a prisoner of conscience and condemned Iran's use of capital punishment "for vaguely worded or overly broad offenses, or acts that should not be criminalized at all." Tehran dismissed such criticism as part of an effort from the West to heap political pressure on the Islamic Republic. But now the death sentence has been reduced to a 5-year term, if the case takes no other twists and turns. (source: radiofarda.com) UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Court Sentences Best friend, Wife to Death Over Murdering Man in Dubai The wife was also sentenced to death for aiding and abetting the crime. A man who set his lover's husband on fire after running him over with his car, was sentenced to death on Tuesday. The Court of First Instance found the 33-year-old from the Comoros Islands guilty of a premeditated murder charge and also passed down the capital punishment to his lover, 23-year-old Comoros Islands passport holder, on the charge of aiding and abetting him in the murder crime. Public Prosecution records show the main defendant was having an affair with his friend's wife and together had planned to get rid of the husband. The court referred the duo to the Court of Misdemeanors on charges of illicit sex and consuming alcohol without a licence. On October 14, 2016, the wife intentionally started a heated argument with her husband, following which his friend (her lover) offered to reconcile them. That night, the first accused lured the victim out for a little talk about the latter's marital problems. Shortly thereafter, he picked him up in his car, tied up his feet and hands, punched then struck his head with a concrete block outside his car. According to the record, the defendant was constantly updating his lover that her husband was still alive. He put the victim inside the car again, banged his head against the car's door, then set him on fire. The victim's 86-year-old father said he did not hear from his son throughout the day of the incident. "My son and his wife had been married for four years. They had 2 children. She first told me he went to the beach, then that he was not answering his phone." The Dubai Police Operation Room was alerted after 11:00pm on October 14, 2016, by two guards about a body had
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
March 7 BELARUS: Rights Group Says Belarus Executed Convicted Killer Last October A Minsk-based human rights group says that more than 4 months ago Belarusian authorities executed a man who had been convicted of killing his own children. The Vyasna (Spring) human rights center quoted the mother of the convicted man, Kiryl Kazachok, as saying that she was only informed in recent days that he was executed in October. Amnesty International in January had mentioned Kazachok's case in a statement urging Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka to abolish capital punishment. Kazachok was sentenced to death in December 2016 after a court in the southeastern city of Homel found him guilty of killing his 17-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter in order to punish his wife for wanting a divorce. The court found that Kazachok was drunk when he carried out the killings. Kazachok refused to appeal the sentence. Belarus is the only country in Europe that carries out the death penalty. The European Union and rights groups have for years been urging Belarus to declare a moratorium on the death penalty. Activists say there are currently 5 convicted murderers on death row in Belarus. In January, 2 men who initially were handed life sentences on murder charges were sentenced to death after a retrial in Minsk. The EU sharply criticized Belarus at the time and repeated its call for Lukashenka's government to the abolish the death penalty. According to rights organizations, more than 400 people have been sentenced to death in Belarus since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. (source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) GAMBIA: Why Gambia's progress should spur abolition of the death penalty in Africa Not so long ago, abolition of the death penalty in Gambia seemed like a pipe dream. In August 2012, under the regime of former President Yahya Jammeh, 9 prisoners were executed in 1 night. Not even their families or lawyers were notified beforehand, while the UN described the killings as "arbitrary". Yet last month, on the 53rd anniversary of the country's independence on 18 February, President Adama Barrow announced an official moratorium on executions as a step towards abolition of the death penalty. Belatedly but resolutely, Gambia is moving away from this cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. Almost 1/2 of the 18 countries in West Africa have now abolished the death penalty . But not all countries are progressing on the death penalty, unfortunately some are taking steps backwards. In 2016, Sierra Leone's Minister of Internal Affairs publicly ordered the gallows to be cleaned and affirmed his support of the death penalty, despite the former Attorney General making a commitment before the United Nations in 2014 that Sierra Leone would abolish the death penalty. In 2017, a government white paper rejected the Constitutional Review Commission's recommendation to abolish the death penalty. Cases such as this highlight the need for a push for abolition of the death penalty in Africa. The reasons for abolition are many. For one, there is no credible evidence to prove that the death penalty deters crime. Professor Jeffrey Fagan in a UN publication, published in 2015, stated: "Whether the offense is murder, a drug related crime or terrorism, the scientific evidence for deterrence is unreliable, inconclusive and, in many instances, simply wrong." The death penalty is also often discriminatory and used disproportionately against the poor and minorities. Often those executed are not only those who committed the worst crimes, but those who are too poor to hire skilled lawyers to defend themselves, or those who face particularly harsh prosecutors or judges. Amnesty International interviewed 107 death row prisoners out of 148 in Ghana between 2016 and 2017. Although 3/4 of prisoners had a lawyer at their trial, appointed by the underfunded Ghana Legal Aid Scheme, several prisoners said that their lawyers did not attend all the hearings and they did not have enough time to talk to them. A number said their lawyers asked for payment. "My lawyer says he cannot work if he does not have money," one man told me. According to the Ghana Prison Service, only 12 death row prisoners have appealed since 2006. Half of these appeals had been successful. However, most on death row did not know about their right to appeal or how to get legal aid, and less than 1/4 of death row inmates had been able to appeal their cases. A woman told me a private lawyer asked for 60 million cedi (more than US$12,000) to file an appeal. Another said his appeal had stalled when his lawyer asked for more money. The death penalty is irreversible and does not leave any possibility for rehabilitation of the offender. No criminal justice system is capable of deciding fairly, consistently and infallibly who should live or die. The risk of executing the innocent can
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
March 6 IRAQ: Iraq orders execution of foreign women for IS involvement Iraq is issuing death penalty and life sentences against foreign women found guilty of involvement with the Islamic State - and hundreds await trials. Iraq has detained hundreds of foreign women allegedly affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) and has sentenced 17 Turkish women to death by hanging. Women from other countries, including France and Germany, also have received death sentences and Baghdad is now facing pressure from those countries to instead extradite the women to their home nations. Humanitarian officials estimate Iraq is holding about 1,700 foreign women and children. Many of the women are accused of being affiliated by marriage to IS fighters or of providing aid. Trials began after military operations ended and the country declared itself liberated from IS on Dec. 9. Just last week, 16 Turkish women were sentenced to die. Others have been sentenced to life in prison. All of their sentences can be appealed. France has on more than one occasion expressed its position against the trials. On Jan. 30, French Justice Minister Nicole Belloubet threatened to intervene in cases of its nationals, though she didn't specify what type of intervention. Belloubet's comment came after the Iraqi judiciary on Jan. 22 sentenced to death a German national of Moroccan origin for allegedly having joined IS. Iraq has no universal law or convention providing for extradition. It does have bilateral extradition treaties with specific countries, but those treaties have yet to be put into action and don't cover terrorism-related crimes. Human rights organizations, including the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights and the French Human Rights League, are pressuring the Iraqi government to extradite French suspects to face trials in France, citing a fear of "unfair trials" in Iraq. "We are trying to retrieve our nationals to prosecute them in Paris," a French human rights official told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. "The Iraqi government is incapable of ensuring them fair trials; we do not expect it to do so. 3 French women will be facing trial [soon], and we fear they will be sentenced" before France can reach a satisfactory solution with the Iraqi government. "We are against the death penalty," the official said. The Iraqi penal code says people accused of committing crimes in Iraq must be tried there. However, once the prisoners have been tried, their countries can have them extradited to serve their sentences in their home countries. But not everyone in France would welcome their return. France wants to ensure that its citizens receive fair trials, but its judicial system is already overburdened. Some in the government also object to imprisoning jihadis in French jails for fear they will incite other prisoners. While it may be that there is less resistance to having female rather than male Islamic militants returned to France, the country has made its stance on jihadis clear in the past. Hisham al-Hashimi, a researcher on extremist groups, told Al-Monitor, "There are 509 women of European nationalities who face trials in Iraq, including 300 Turks." He added, "Iraq will not extradite these women ... before they are tried, [but] Baghdad wants them to serve their [prison] sentences in their countries. Iraq is trying to communicate with these countries, but it seems that the European countries and Turkey do not want these women back." In a surprise move, Iraq handed over to Moscow 27 children and 4 Russian women alleged to be IS members whom Iraqi authorities claimed had been "brainwashed" or tricked into joining IS. Back in Russia, these women are to face charges of illegally entering Iraq. Iraq appears to be speeding up trial proceedings against the foreign women, perhaps because it doesn't want to yield to foreign demands against the death penalty. And the government doesn't want to create a public uproar by showing leniency in some of the trials, or risk a political crisis with parties supporting Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who has said that people who commit crimes in Iraq will be tried in Iraq. The women who have been sentenced may appeal their judgments before the Iraqi Court of Cassation. And it could be that international political pressure, particularly from European countries, may still lead Iraq to extradite women believed to have been merely affiliated with IS rather than directly involved in terrorist acts. (source: Mustafa Saadoun is an Iraqi journalist covering human rights and also the founder and director of the Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights. He formerly worked as a reporter for the Iraqi Council of Representativesal-monitor.com) PAKISTAN: LHC summons Zainab rape and murder case record on convict's appeal: report A Lahore High Court (LHC) division bench on Monday summoned the case record
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
March 5 MEXICO: Why were 16 Irish men hanged in Mexico in 1847?The 'San Patricios' serving in the US army experienced racism, and opted to desert to the Mexicans Just after dawn on September 10th, 1847, the residents of San Angel, a village on the outskirts of Mexico City, awoke to the sound of carts rattling into the Plaza de San Jacinto. The carts contained a group of ragged-looking prisoners and their guards, blue-uniformed members of the United States army. The villagers silently watched one of the carts draw up alongside the gallows, which had been specially constructed in the centre of the plaza. The gallows consisted of a 40-foot-long beam, from which hung 16 nooses. The prisoners were then transferred onto 8 mule-driven carts, which were waiting beneath the gallows, and their heads placed in the nooses. Having been given the nod by one of the US army officers overseeing proceedings, 5 Catholic priests, who had been waiting by the door of the church, climbed onto the carts and began hearing the prisoners' confessions, and administering the last rites. Once the priests were finished, the order was given to the Mexican muleteers to drive the carts forward, and the prisoners fell to earth. The lucky ones died quickly. One of the prisoners, Captain Patrick Dalton, was not so fortunate, slowly choking to death. The 16 men who died that day were members of the Batallon de San Patricio - the St Patrick's Battalion - or, in short, the San Patricios, an artillery unit of the Mexican army, which saw action in the Mexican-American War (1846-48). The unit comprised volunteers from different countries, but, as the name would suggest, the majority were Irish. And in the eyes of the US army, they were deserters and traitors. During the 1840s, the US army began recruiting the Irish immigrants who were arriving at American ports in their tens of thousands. The arrival of the Irish coincided with the rise of the nativist movement, whose anti-Catholicism extended into the upper echelons of the army. Many of the Irishmen serving in the US army during the war experienced racism and anti-Catholic prejudice, and opted to desert to the Mexicans. They were led by Captain John Riley, from Clifden in Co Galway. Riley had served as a private in the US army before deserting to the Mexicans. In April 1846, he organised an artillery unit, comprised of Irishmen, the nucleus of the San Patricios. By the summer, there were 200 soldiers in the battalion, organised into 2 companies. The majority of the artillerymen were Irish, but there were also Mexicans of recent European descent and other European-born volunteers, mostly Germans. Nevertheless, Riley forged a discernibly Irish identity for the battalion. Its flag was made of green silk, with an image of St Patrick embroidered in silver on one side, and a harp and shamrock on the other. Legendary status Under Riley's command, the San Patricios became an effective artillery unit. On February 23rd 1847, they acquitted themselves well at the Battle of Buena Vista against the superior guns of the US army. But it was at the Battle of Churubusco, on August 20th 1847, that the battalion acquired its legendary status in Mexico. Ordered to protect the retreating Mexican army, the San Patricios, holed up in a convent by the River Churubusco, bravely attempted to defend the road to Mexico City. The following month, the US army marched into the Mexican capital, effectively bringing the war to an end. The San Patricios who had not died at Churubusco were court-martialled as deserters. 2 days after the execution at San Angel, Colonel William Harney oversaw the hanging of another 30 San Patricios on a hill close to the Mexican village of Mixcoac. Those who escaped the death penalty were branded on the cheek, with a "D", in order to identify them as deserters. They included Riley who grew his whiskers to hide the scars. Riley was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in the Mexican army after the war, and was given command of the reformed battalion after the war. However, in July 1848, the government suspected the battalion of being involved in a planned rebellion. Riley was arrested and the unit was disbanded. In 1850, he was discharged with the rank of major on disability pay. In the US, the San Patricios have, until more recently, been treated by historians of the Mexican-American War with little sympathy. It was Michael Hogan's The Irish Soldiers of Mexico, published in Guadalajara in 1997, which placed their story in the context of racial and religious prejudice in the US army, and emphasised the San Patricios' distinctively Irish - and, just as importantly, Catholic - identity. In Mexico, the role played by the San Patricios in the Mexican-American war has long been acknowledged with a sense of gratitude. A plaque and a bust of John Riley marks the site of the executions in the Plaza San Jacinto, which
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
March 3 IRAN: Teenager At The Verge of Execution A teenager who has committed murder is at the verge of execution, his lawyer has warned. "My client was 15 when the murder happened," Kalhori's attorney, Hassan Aghakhani, told New York based Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI). "According to the medical examiner's opinion, his action was not based on reason or logic and he was lacking mental development," he added. "His adviser in the juvenile reform center also says that he didn't have the mental ability to understand his action." "The case of Mohammad Kalhori is extremely concerning because Iran has yet again issued a death sentence to a person who was convicted as a juvenile in violation of international and UN standards," said Hadi Ghaemi, CHRI's executive director, "It also highlights the Iranian Judiciary's lack of independence." Mohammad Kalhori stabbed his physics teacher, Mohsen Khashkhasi in the classroom on November 22, 2014. The primary court sentenced Kalhori to 7 years and paying blood money to the victim's family. "But the victim's family appealed the decision [in September 2016] and Branch 31 of the Supreme Court struck down the ruling and ordered a new trial, which resulted in a death sentence against my client without regard to Article 91 of the Islamic Penal Code," Aghakhani affirmed. Article 91 of Iran's Islamic Penal Code stipulate that "If adolescents under 18 do not realize the nature of the crime committed or its prohibition, or if there is uncertainty about their full mental development, according to their age" they can be spared the death penalty. The teenagers lawyer believes that his client is falling victim to the intervention from outside the court. "We lodged an appeal and made 2 requests [in June and October 2017] for a judicial review by Branch 33 of the Supreme Court presided by Judge Mohammad Niazi," Aghaghani affirmed, adding, "But [Judge Niazi] believes in retribution. When it was time to consider our appeal, unfortunately there was a letter from a deputy education minister and 2 letters from Alaeddin Boroujerdi, who is the member of Parliament from Boroujerd [the city where the murder was committed] and chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for National Security and Foreign Policy, requesting that the judge to look after the victim, not the murderer." Furthermore, Aghhakhani told CHRI, "When it was determined that my client did not have sufficient mental development, we did not expect the political and security officials to get involved. This kid could have been saved if the law followed a normal course, without the court being influenced by the political climate, but unfortunately they interfered in this case." In February 2018, the UN rights chief urged Iran to halt executions of juveniles on death row. "The execution of juvenile offenders is unequivocally prohibited under international law, regardless of the circumstances and nature of the crime committed," the UN high commissioner for human rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, said in a news release on February 16. According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), in January 2018, 3 people - 2 males and 1 female - were executed in Iran for crimes they committed when they were 15 or 16 years old. A 4th juvenile offender, who was believed to be on the point of being executed on February 14, has reportedly received a temporary reprieve of 2 months. The UN rights chief also noted that several other juvenile offenders are also believed to be in danger of imminent execution, with a total of some 80 such individuals reported to be currently on death row in Iran, after being sentenced to death for crimes they committed when they were under 18. "Iran should immediately comply with explicit international norms and standards regarding the rights of children and halt the death sentence against Mohammad Kalhori and all juvenile defendants," said Ghaemi. (source: radiofarda.com) BANGLADESH: 4 Rohingya Sentenced to Death for Deadly 2016 Attack in Rakhine 4 Rohingya involved in an attack on a police outpost in northern Rakhine State in October 2016 were sentenced to death on Friday by a special court in the state's Maungdaw District. The 4 were among 30 people found guilty of involvement in an attack on Nga Khura Police outpost in northern Maungdaw Township on Oct. 9, 2016 that killed 2 security officials. The other 26 convicts earned prison sentences ranging from 10 to 20 years. Another 15 suspects were released, according to Deputy District Judge U Nyo Lwin Oo. "The court sentences the 4 to death for the crime of homicide," said the deputy judge, adding that the 45 people were initially charged under articles 303, 326, 33 and 34 of the Penal Code. Separately, another 34 Rohingya accused of involvement in the attack were sentenced to 18 years' imprisonment each on Wednesday. The deputy judge
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
March 2 BELGIUM: UN: Belgium mobilized again against death penalty Belgium will host next year (February 2019) the 7th world congress against the death penalty, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the UN adoption of a protocol aiming the abolition of the death penalty, announced Wednesday the Belgian minister of Foreign Affairs Didier Reynders at the tribune of the UN Council for human rights. Though this fight is general, Wednesday in Geneva, Belgium co-presided with the NGO "Together against death penalty" an event on the theme Africa, "the next abolitionist continent?" At the same time, the country is one of those which are urging Iran to commute the death sentence pronounced against VUB's guest Professor Ahmadreza Djalali, whom Teheran accuses of having collaborated with Israel in the assassination of 2 persons in charge of the Iranian nuclear program a few years ago. Mr. Reynders did not pronounce Mr. Djalali's name at the UN tribune. "It would have been counterproductive in that place, in relation to our bilateral efforts," he explained at the end of his speech. Being a candidate for a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council in 2019 and 2020, Belgium also said it was prepared to reinforce its financing of this jurisdiction, and of the High Commission (HCDH). In his address, Mr. Reynders gave indeed strong support to the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Prince Zeid Ra'ad Zeid Al-Hussein, in his denunciation of States' shortages. "This concerns, for example, the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the violent acts against peaceful worshipers and demonstrators, and the obstacles to fundamental freedom strongly challenge us," the head of Belgian diplomacy explained. The minister mentioned the DRC among other countries (Syria, Yemen, Burundi, Myanmar), where fundamental principles such as the protection of civilians in military conflicts, the sanctity of hospitals and schools, and access to humanitarian assistance are being "scoffed at on a large scale." (source: Oscar SchneiderThe Brussels Times) UNITED KINGDOM: Barrister who claimed she saved clients from death penalty disbarred A barrister who falsely claimed she had saved clients from the gallows and lied about her qualifications in order to obtain pupillage has been disbarred. According to a decision by the Bar Tribunals and Adjudication Service (BTAS) unregistered barrister Anisah Ahmed failed to act with honesty or integrity. Ahmed, who was called by Middle Temple in 2012, made the false claims while trying to secure pupillage at London's Staple Inn Chambers in 2013. Among her lies were that she had successfully argued in favour of claimants in unfair dismissal cases and had succeeded in having the death penalty put aside while representing prisoners in Malawi. No executions have been carried out in the southeast African state since 1992. She also forged 2 solicitors' signatures, which claimed to provide references for work carried out at 2 law firms. The tribunal does not dispute that she worked at the unnamed firms but notes that at one of the firms her tasks were 'mainly administrative'. Ahmed also said she had obtained a distinction in Legal Practice from Cardiff University, had written a dissertation on rights to die and been awarded a diploma in forensic medicine - none of which was true. According to the tribunal's findings Ahmed's applications for pupillage, made in 2013, included false references from a principal solicitor and assistant solicitor that was 'not authentic and forged'. The charges were brought by barristers' regulator the Bar Standards Board (BSB). Sara Jagger, director of professional conduct at the BSB, said: 'This finding serves as a reminder to barristers that dishonesty is not compatible with membership of the bar. The tribunal's decision to disbar Ahmed reflects the seriousness of her actions.' The tribunal's decision is open to appeal. (source: lawgazette.co.uk) NIGERIA: Hate Speech Death Penalty Bill: Huriwa Carpets National Assembly; * Condemns Dss's Arrest Of Abuja Journalist Tony Ezimakor: A prominent civil Rights organization- HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has accused the National Assembly of working hand -in -gloves with enemies of constitutional democracy bent on destroying civil rule and establishing a one-party dictatorship. The Rights group therefore has warned the National Assembly to stop using subterranean tactics of sponsoring tyrannical pieces of legislations that could strengthen the oppressive styles and the dictatorial tendencies that are manifesting themselves powerfully under the Presidency of Muhammadu Buhari who is still seeing himself as a military General who rules with iron fists. HURIWA lamented that enemies of constitutional democracy are now deeply entrenched in the National Assembly. Also, the Rights group has demanded the
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
March 1 UNITED KINGDOM/USA: Britain Presses U.S. to Avoid Death Penalty for ISIS Suspects The British government wants the Trump administration to provide assurances that American prosecutors will not seek the death penalty against 2 British Islamic State suspects who were recently captured in Syria - and is threatening to withhold important evidence about them as leverage, according to officials familiar with the deliberations. The British are also insisting that the United States promise to prosecute the 2 men in a civilian court, rather than taking them to the Guantanamo Bay wartime prison, the officials said. The 2 men, Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh, are believed to be half of a cell of 4 British jihadists called the Beatles, who played a central role in torturing and killing Western hostages, including several Americans. Mr. Kotey and Mr. Elsheikh were the last members of the group still at large until their recent capture in Syria by a Kurdish militia, which is holding them. Recently, the British defense secretary, Gavin Williamson, said his government did not want to take back the 2 men, who have been stripped of British citizenship, so the United States is expected to eventually take custody of them. But the Trump administration is holding off on doing so until it figures out how it will handle them, according to several American officials. While the American military has interrogated Mr. Kotey and Mr. Elsheikh for intelligence purposes, it has not yet read them Miranda warnings and re-interviewed them in hopes of eliciting confessions that could be used as courtroom evidence. Because the captors wore masks around hostages, some of whom survived, some courtroom evidence may consist of witnesses identifying at least one of the men by his voice, according to a former hostage and other people familiar with the F.B.I.'s long-running investigation. The British government has other information about the men's backgrounds, associations, radicalization, movements and activities that could significantly strengthen that case. An official at the British Embassy in Washington declined to specifically address questions about Mr. Kotey and Mr. Elsheikh and whether London was seeking restrictions in the case, but said that the British government was working closely with the United States to ensure that justice is served. "Where there is evidence that crimes have been committed, foreign fighters should be brought to justice in accordance with due legal process, regardless of their nationality," the official said. "We continue to work extremely closely with the U.S. government on this issue, sharing our views, as we do on a range of national security issues and in the context of our joint determination to tackle international terrorism and combat violent extremism." A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment. Britain has abolished the death penalty and, like many European countries, does not like the American policy of holding people indefinitely at Guantanamo. Its government negotiated with the Bush administration for the return of its citizens who had been taken there in the first few years of the prison operation. President Trump recently issued an executive order to keep the Guantanamo prison open, although his administration so far has taken no new detainees there. Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who is a proponent of using wartime detention for terrorism cases, has been pushing the administration to take Mr. Kotey and Mr. Elsheikh to Guantanamo. But Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, whom Mr. Trump has tasked with leading a policy review about what to do with newly captured terrorism suspects, does not want the military to take on the headache of holding the men in long-term detention and prosecuting them in the troubled military commissions system, the officials said. Mr. Mattis's reluctance, coupled with the British demands, means bringing Mr. Kotey and Mr. Elsheikh to American soil for civilian court prosecution is seen as far more likely. The Justice Department is now trying to decide whether the Southern District of New York or the Eastern District of Virginia would handle the prosecution, the officials said. Some prosecutors and F.B.I. agents in New York have argued that they should get the case because their area of operations includes Western Europe, and the suspects are Londoners. But their counterparts in Virginia and the F.B.I.'s Washington Field Office have already been handling most of the casework related to the killings of American hostages in Syria, according to an official familiar with the deliberations. In February 2016, for example, federal prosecutors in Virginia charged the wife of an Islamic State leader in the death of Kayla Mueller, an American, although the United States military transferred her to the Iraqi justice system. Ms. Mueller was kidnapped in August
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Feb. 28 PAKISTAN: Malayalam film's cast, crew sentenced to death under Pakistan's blasphemy laws In a shocking development, the entire cast including the 'wink girl' Priya Prakash Varrier and Muslim co-stars like Roshan Abdul Rahoof as well as the production team headed by Muslim director Omar Lulu have been sentenced to death under Pakistan's blasphemy laws. In proceedings held here in an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Lahore, everyone behind the said film was prosecuted by the state after country's spiritual leaders Molvi Khadim Peervi and Hakim Saeed jointly moved the court. The film in question featured a Malayalam folk song "Manikya Malayara Poovi' which the spiritual leaders said was extremely blasphemous. Unfortunately none of the defendants could stand trial because the greatest enemy of Islamic fort that is Pakistan refused to hand over the suspects to Pakistan. This is why the court held the trial-in-absentia. The defendants were given public defenders as lawyers but they refused to represent the defendants saying their conscience and love for Islam didn't allow them to represent blasphemers. "Alhumdulillah, justice has been served today," the special prosecutor said. "We have sent a strong message to the world that Pakistan is a fort of Islam and we can rule against anyone who commits blasphemy no matter where they are in the world." The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) special investigator said it's unfortunate the 'arch-enemy' of Islam, India didn't hand over the over 100-member cast and crew of the film. He added that he would have made the defendants sodomise their siblings and then each other during the investigation to prove how much he loved his faith. "Who cares if the world calls me a pervert with deeply repressed sexuality," he said. "This blasphemous world has come up with these new terminologies such as pervert and creep." The special investigator said he wasn't being a pervert for his own sake but for the sake of punishing the blasphemers. When this reporter asked them about the fact that the song in question was written and composed by the Muslims and that the Muslims of Indian state Kerala have been singing this for some 40 years, the spokesperson for all parties-led grand alliance against the film, Imam Khan said that they would move the parliament against this and after a grand debate the Muslims of Kerala would be declared non-Muslims. "There's no such thing as a progressive Muslim," he said. "If you want to be progressive, you should be an atheist". He added that for this reason the progressive Indian state Kerala would be declared non-Muslim by the house. When asked, the spokesperson of the grand alliance said since Pakistan is the fort of Islam, every Muslim in the world should take its rulings and decisions as binding. He said it would be unfortunate if India didn't implement the decisions of Pakistani parliament and it could trigger a nuclear war. Imam Khan insisted he is the real liberal person and the ones who have gone into hiding were fake liberals. He further said that Oru Adaar Love film is a grand conspiracy against Islam just like the PML-N led committee amending electoral reforms bill was going to change the anti-Ahmadiyya declaration to appease foreign masters. Meanwhile, Imam Khan's ally for the upcoming elections, Tavilul Qadri was seen chanting 'peace' on a French television network while later that evening, he was seen taking credit for the blasphemy laws of Pakistan in an interview to a Pakistani network. No liberal was available to comment. Dissident politician Chaudhry Jan-Nisar praised the trial and conviction of the blasphemers but disagreed on the implementation of the death penalty in absentia. He said the grand alliance's plan was detrimental to country's progress, adding that the country should only execute-in-absentia the convicts after taking United Nations (UN) in confidence. The execution of the convicted people will be carried out also in absentia on Eid day - the day the film is being released. "It will be a symbolic execution," the Attorney General said. "This will send a loud and clear message to the whole world". A Punjab Assembly lawmaker, meanwhile, submitted a resolution to carry the death penalty by stoning-in-absentia. A Senate Committee is also working on finding the possibility of publicly hanging-in-absentia the convicts. * if this wasn't utterly clear, it is a satirical piece (source: Farhan Janjua, The Daily Times) Doctor's killer awarded death sentence Additional Sessions Judge Shakeel Ahmed Sipra on Tuesday awarded death penalty to accused Amanullah of Mananwala in a murder case of Dr Mehmood Aleem, gynecologist and professor of the Allied Hospital. The court had also ordered the convict to paying compensation of Rupees 0.2 million to the bereaved family. The motive behind killing of Dr Mehmood was the divorce
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Feb. 27 YEMEN: Houthis Sentence Baha'i Man to DeathDrop Charges, End Persecution of Religious Minority Houthi authorities should drop all charges against a Baha'i man who was sentenced to death on January 2, 2018 because of his religious beliefs, Human Rights Watch said today. The Houthis should unconditionally release Hamed Kamal Haydara and the 6 other Baha'i men who appear to have been detained for practicing their faith. The Houthis should cease all persecution of the Baha'i religious minority in areas of Yemen under their control, Human Rights Watch said. The Specialized Criminal Court in Sanaa, Yemen, sentenced Hamed Kamal Haydara, detained since December 2013, to death on January 2, 2018, apparently on account of his religious beliefs and practice of the Baha'i faith. "Hamed Kamal Haydara's persecution and death sentence are emblematic of the Houthis' broader attack on the Baha'i community," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "Rather than continue these grave injustices, the Houthis should allow Haydara and other wrongfully held Baha'i men to return home to their loved ones." The Specialized Criminal Court in Sanaa, the capital, sentenced Haydara to death on unsubstantiated charges of communicating with Israel and related offenses. Between April and October 2017, the Houthis arrested 5 other members of the Baha'i community - Akram Ayash, Wael Al-Ariqi, Walid Ayyash, Badi'u'llah Sanai, and another man. Keyvan Qadari, an Iranian national who was born and has lived all his life in Yemen, has been detained since August 2016, the last of 5 dozen Baha'is arrested en masse on August 10, apparently on account of their religion. All seven remain in custody. Before the Houthis took over Sanaa in September 2014, Yemen's National Security Bureau arrested Haydara in December 2013 and held him in a detention center in Sanaa for nearly a year. Officers allegedly beat him and subjected Haydara to electric shock and other forms of torture and ill-treatment. He was held incommunicado for nine months before being transferred to Sanaa's Central Prison. On January 8, 2015, the Specialized Criminal Court prosecutor issued an indictment against Haydara. The authorities accused Haydara of unlawfully communicating with Israel, but most of the charges against him related to his practice of the Baha'i faith. Haydara's lawyer told Human Rights Watch that the only evidence the prosecution presented in court to demonstrate Haydara had communicated with Israel was messages sent to all members of the Baha'i faith from the Baha'i supreme governing institution. This institution is based in Haifa, Israel, and has been the Baha'i faith's administrative headquarters since 1868, when the city was under Ottoman rule. The court claimed Haydara had confessed, but the sentencing hearing did not clarify exactly to what and its significance in the judge's decision, his lawyer said. Family members told Human Rights Watch in 2015 that while in detention Haydara had been mistreated and forced to sign documents without being allowed to review them. During his trial, Haydara was prevented from attending a number of court hearings, including the January 2 session when his sentence was announced. The court found Haydara guilty of communicating with Israel and forging official documents, ordered the seizure of all his assets, and sentenced him to death, according to Mwatana, a leading Yemeni human rights organization that monitored the trial, examined court documents, and attended the sentencing hearing. A month after sentencing Haydara to death, and despite repeated requests, Houthi authorities had not provided Haydara or his lawyer with a copy of the judgment or other critical files the prosecution put forward, which they requested to prepare an appeal. Over the past 3 years, the Houthis have detained, forcibly disappeared, and abused scores of people, including perceived political opponents, students, journalists, activists, and members of the Baha'i community. While many people are held without charge or have been forcibly disappeared, others have been prosecuted in Sanaa-based criminal courts. The Houthis have frequently harassed and arbitrarily detained members of the Baha'i community, which the UN special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief described as a "persistent pattern of persecution." Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Mwatana have repeatedly called for Haydara's release and an end to the persecution of Yemen's Baha'i community. Human Rights Watch opposes the death penalty in all circumstances as an inherently cruel form of punishment. It is unique in its cruelty and finality, and it is inevitably and universally plagued with arbitrariness, prejudice, and error. 3 weeks after sentencing Haydara, the Specialized Criminal Court on January 30 sentenced a woman and 2 men to death for
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Feb. 25 IRAQ: Iraqi court sentences 15 Turkish women to death over joining IS group An Iraqi criminal court sentenced on Sunday 15 Turkish women to death on charges of joining the Islamic State (IS) group, judicial sources were quoted as saying. All the 15 Turkish women have admitted belonging to the IS group, AFP quoted the sources as saying. The court sentenced another Turkish woman to life in jail, the sources added. Last week, an Iraqi criminal court ordered deporting a French female jihadist to her country after serving a 7-year jail term. Melina Bougedir was arrested last year in Mosul city along with her 4 children, 3 of whom have already been repatriated to France, as she stood trial for entering Iraq illegally. Earlier this month, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in Baghdad that suspected jihadists should be tried in the countries where they committed their "crimes", while reiterating France's opposition to the death penalty. Britain has also taken a firm stance against repatriation, as has Belgium which denied a request by one of its nationals to be sent home from Iraq in exchange for cooperating with the authorities. Iraq in December declared victory against IS after a years-long battle to retake large swathes of territory the extremists had seized in 2014. Several hundred foreigners, both men and women, are thought to have been detained in Iraq for alleged links to IS. (source: iraqinews.com) ___ A service courtesy of Washburn University School of Law www.washburnlaw.edu DeathPenalty mailing list DeathPenalty@lists.washlaw.edu http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/listinfo/deathpenalty Unsubscribe: http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/options/deathpenalty
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Feb. 24 PHILIPPINES: Philippine Catholics protest drug killings, death penalty Around a thousand Catholics in the Philippines marched in Manila on Saturday to protest President Rodrigo Duterte's bloody war on drugs and his efforts to reinstate the death penalty. The protests come a day after students in the capital and provincial universities held demonstrations against Duterte, and a day before the 32nd anniversary of the "People Power" revolution that drove dictator Ferdinand Marcos into exile. Catholic devotees prayed the rosary and sang hymns as bishops and the Philippines' own cardinal read sermons against what they say are not "pro-life" policies in the government. The protesters carried banners and placards with the massage "Protect and Defend the Sanctity of Life and Marriage," "End Impunity" and "Stop the Killings." Despite criticism of the Philippine leader's bloody war on drugs campaign, Duterte remains wildly popular and a trusted public official in the Southeast Asian nation. The Social Weather Station's (SWS) latest quarterly poll shows Duterte's trust rating bounced back to "excellent" in December from "very high" 3 months before. Another survey by the privately-run pollster gave his government the best rating so far for a Philippine administration since surveys started in the 1980s. The Catholic Church protested the pending bills in Congress introducing divorce and re-imposing capital punishment. The majority of the Philippines' 105 million people are Catholic. Despite the popularity of the anti-drugs crackdown, some sectors of the church have become increasingly vocal on the drugs killings, with the church calling for justice and offering sanctuary to drug users. "The threat is still there. We still hear news of extrajudicial killings. And still the bill of the death penalty is in Congress," said Broderick Pabillo, Manila auxillary bishop. More than 4,000 suspected drug dealers have been killed since Duterte took office in June 2016. Police said the killings resulted from self-defence during raids and sting operations. (source: channelnewsasia.com) PAKISTAN: Man gets death penalty in double murder case A sessions court awarded death sentence on 2 counts to an accused for his involvement in a double murder case in Faisalabad. The judgment was announced by Additional District and Sessions Judge Azfar Sultan Abrar. The prosecution told the court that accused Rizwan, a resident of Chak Jhumra, had gunned down his father Iqbal and sister Sumera over a domestic dispute. The local police registered a case against the accused and presented the challan before the court. After hearing the arguments, the judge handed down death sentence to Rizwan along with a fine of Rs0.4 million which would be paid to the legal heirs of the deceased. Earlier, a court awarded death sentence to an accused for his involvement in a murder case in Sargodha. Additional District and Sessions Judge Irfan Ahmed Shaikh announced the verdict. Convict Ramzan and his accomplices Zaman and Yar had killed Shahid over a dispute in 2014. The local police registered a case against the accused and presented the challan before the court. After hearing the arguments, the judge handed down death sentence to Ramzan along with a fine of Rs0.53 million. (source: The Express Tribune) ___ A service courtesy of Washburn University School of Law www.washburnlaw.edu DeathPenalty mailing list DeathPenalty@lists.washlaw.edu http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/listinfo/deathpenalty Unsubscribe: http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/options/deathpenalty
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Feb. 23 SOUTH SUDANnew death sentence South Sudan court sentences former SANDF colonel to death A South Sudan court on Friday sentenced a South African ex-colonel to be executed by hanging, a Reuters witness said, after he was convicted of conspiracy and attempting to overthrow the government. Retired colonel William Endley (55) had been providing advice to former-vice-president-turned-rebel-leader Riek Machar, whose forces have been fighting a civil war since 2013. South Sudan, the world's newest country, has been embroiled since 2013 in a civil war between the SPLA-IO and government forces loyal to incumbent President Salva Kiir. Endley was arrested in August 2016 and first appeared in court on February 13. According to his defence which has argued against the charges, Endley was only performing his duties as a security contractor to help Machar's forces integrate into the South Sudanese Army prior to being arrested. His lawyer Gardit Abel Gar said that 6 witnesses had been served with a notification to testify, including a government minister. Dramatically none of the witnesses called by the defence appeared culminating in presiding judge Ladu Eriminio Sekwat to state that the defence case was closed. Endley also worked in Iraq as a private military contractor doing demining following his retirement from SANDF engineers. James Gatdet Dak, Machar's former spokesman, has also been sentenced to death for incitement and conspiracy against Kiir's government. South Sudan won independence from the north in 2011, however, in the subsequent civil war tens of thousands of people have been killed and 1/3 of the population displaced many of them to refugee camps in neighbouring Uganda - creating Africa's biggest refugee crisis.M The future is not looking promising either with recent talks on power sharing in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, stalling and ongoing clashes erupting despite a ceasefire signed in December. The ceasefire agreement was intended to revive a 2015 peace deal, which lasted less than a year before collapsing. (source: enca.com) EGYPTnew mass death sentences Egypt sentences 21 to death on 'terrorism' charges 21 Egyptians were given the death sentence Thursday by a Cairo court for bomb making, planning attacks and alleged membership to a "terrorist cell linked to the Islamic State group". 16 of the 21 sentenced to death were tried in absentia, Reuters reported. The court also charged 4 others with life sentences - capped at 25 years in Egypt - and another 3 with 15-year jail terms. Thursday's verdict can still be appealed within 60 days before the court of cassation, Egypt's highest appellate court. Earlier in the day, 6 suspected members of the Muslim Brotherhood were detained for 15 days, pending investigation over joining a "terrorist" group. The Muslim Brotherhood is outlawed in Egypt. The 6 were arrested on a farm allegedly belonging to Abdel-Monaem Abul Fetouh, a former presidential candidate now in jail. Egypt has been carrying out a wide-ranging crackdown on dissent since the 2013 military overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi, a leading Brotherhood figure. Hundreds of Islamists have received death sentences since then, with authorities carrying out dozens of executions. Earlier this month, the European Parliament called on Egypt to "halt all imminent executions" and condemned the government for its frequent use of the death penalty. (source: alaraby.co.uk) JAPAN: Urgent Action RISK OF EXECUTIONS AFTER FINAL SENTENCE CONFIRMED The execution of 13 members of Aum Shinrikyo could be carried out any moment following the completion of the trial for the final two other cult members who turned themselves in after 17 years on the run. Write a letter, send an email, call, fax or tweet: * Halt any planned executions and commute the death sentences of the 13 members of Aum Shinrikyo and all other prisoners, without delay; * Explain that you consider all executions to be a violation of the right to life but are not seeking to excuse violent crime or downplay the suffering caused; * Establish a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty and to encourage an informed national debate on the use of this punishment; * Pending that, end the secrecy that surrounds the use of the death penalty in Japan and provide the prisoners, their family and lawyers and the public with notification of any scheduled executions. Friendly reminder: If you send an email, please create your own instead of forwarding this one! Contact these 2 officials by 5 April, 2018: Minister of Justice Yoko Kamikawa 1-1-1 Kasumigaseki Chiyoda-ku Tokyo, Japan 100-8977 Ministry of Justice Fax: +81 3 3592 7008 / +81 3 3592 7393 Twitter: @MOJ_HOUMU Salutation: Dear Minister Ambassador Kenichiro Sasae, Embassy of Japan 2520 Massachusetts Ave. NW Washington, DC 20008
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Feb. 22 GAMBIA: Statement by the Human Rights Commissioner on suspension of the death penalty in the Gambia Dr. Barbel Kofler, Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid at the Federal Foreign Office, issued the following statement today (20 February) on the suspension of the death penalty in the Gambia: "I warmly welcome the decision by Gambian President Adama Barrow to suspend the use of the death penalty in his country as a first step towards abolition. The moratorium also sends a positive message by President Barrow as regards furthering reforms and fostering political change in the Gambia. The death penalty is an inhuman and cruel form of punishment. The German Government rejects the death penalty under all circumstances and will continue to work with its partners in the European Union to actively campaign for its worldwide abolition." (source: cnbcafrica.com) MALAYSIA: Father in Malaysia charged with murder of baby girl A young father in Malaysia was charged on Wednesday (Feb 21) with the murder of his 1 1/2-month-old baby girl last week. Muhamad Firdaus Saidon, 22, allegedly caused the death of his daughter, Nurul Ain Umairah Muhammad, at their house in Bukit Tengah at 10.45am last Thursday. Nurul is said to have died following suspected abuse, and a post-mortem revealed that she had a severe brain haemorrhage and multiple injuries on her body. The baby girl, who was born on Dec 30 last year, died while on the way to hospital, the Star Online reported, adding that she had bruises and abrasion marks all over her body and bite marks on her arms. There were also signs that her ribs and right arm had been fractured, and that her left hip also showed signs of recent fracture, said the report, adding that the baby's injuries were believed to have been caused by blunt objects. Her father, a lorry driver, merely nodded in understanding when the charge was read to him before magistrate Muhamad Anas Mahadzir. No plea was recorded. His 22-year-old wife, who had been arrested with him, has been released on police bond and will appear as a witness during the trial, the New Straits Times reported. The charge, under Section 302 of Malaysia's Penal Code, carries a mandatory death penalty upon conviction. The case will be heard again on Apr 19. Chemical and post-mortem reports will also be submitted then. (source: channelnewsasia.com) Elderly woman charged with murder of Indonesian maid, Adelina [NSTTV] A mother was charged at the magistrate's court here today for the murder of her Indonesian maid earlier this month. M.A.S. Ambika, 59, was charged with murdering Adelina Lisao, 26, while her daughter R. Jayavartiny, 32, was charged with employing an illegal foreigner. Both offences were allegedly committed at their house in Taman Kota Permai here between March last year and Feb 10 this year. Ambika nodded her head to indicate that she understood the charge but no plea was recorded from her. She was charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder which carries the mandatory death penalty upon conviction. Jayavartiny also nodded to indicate she understood the charge but uttered "tak mengaku" (not guilty) to the offence. She was charged under Section 55B(1) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 which carries a fine of between RM10,000 and RM50,000 or maximum 12 months imprisonment or both upon conviction. Ambika's 39-year-old son, initially arrested together with the accused, has been released on police bond and will appear as a witness during the trial. "Stop it. Enough. You all don't know the truth. You all don't know what really happen," Ambika told the press as she was led inside a police van after being charged in court. Ambika was in tears as she told press photographers to stop taking photos of her and her daughter. Jayavartiny, who had her face covered with her black t-shirt throughout, was overheard telling Ambika not to say anything further but the elderly woman went on and on. Earlier in court, counsel Muhaimin Hashim represented Jayavartiny while Deputy Public Prosecutor Hamzah Azhan prosecuted. Deputy Public Prosecutor Hamzah Azhan asked for bail to be set at RM20,000 with one surety. Jayavartiny's counsel, however, requested for a lower bail. He argued that she was only working as a salesgirl and needed to work to earn enough money to hire a lawyer for Ambika's court case. Magistrate Muhamad Anas Mahadzir set bail at RM15,000 with one surety and fixed April 19 for submission of chemistry, forensic and post-mortem reports. Ambika, clad in a Punjabi suit, was then charged with murdering Adelina at the same place at 4pm on Feb 10 this year. She too nodded her head to indicate that she understood the charge but no plea was recorded from her. Ambika was unrepresented. She was charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Feb. 21 EQUATORIAL GUINEA: Obiang Restores Death Penalty in Bid to Save Unpopular Regime The Central African Equatorial Guinea, under President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, is reviving the odious death penalty against 147 opposition activists accused of "rebellion, attacks on authority and public disorder". The activists include leaders of Citizens for Innovation (CI), many of whom were rounded up after a purported coup plot discovered near the country's border with Cameroon. Malabo's security minister accused citizens of Chad, Sudan and the Central African Republic of taking part in the attempted putsch but his version of events could not be confirmed. Activists said they were detained and tortured at "Guantanamo" - the name given to the central police station of the capital, Malabo. CI charged: "The prosecutor wants to hide or to silence the atrocities and the brutality of the crimes of torture ... we shall go to the international courts and the ICC (International Criminal Court) for crimes against humanity." UN envoy Francois Louceny Fall is reportedly being dispatched to confirm the claims made by the regime. President Obiang has ruled Equatorial Guinea for more than 3 decades, making him one of Africa's longest-serving leaders. Rights groups label his administration as one of the world's most corrupt. According to the U.S. State Department, in reports filed prior to the Trump administration, abuses by the Obiang regime have included: the limited ability of citizens to change their government; unlawful killings by security forces; government-sanctioned kidnappings; systematic torture of prisoners and detainees by security forces; arbitrary arrest and incommunicado detention. In 2017, President Obiang issued a temporary moratorium on capital punishment but according to the opposition Convergence for Social Democracy, some 8 death row prisoners were secretly executed by firing squad. The Obiang clan is also in the spotlight for a judgment against Teodorin Obiang, the vice-president and president's son, who was accused in a French court of embezzling $180 million of public funds to finance his jet-set lifestyle. Teodorin was tried in absentia and sentenced to a three-year suspended judgment for corruption. He was also given a suspended fine of $35 million for money laundering, corruption and abuse. His lawyer said he will take the case before the International Court of Justice in The Hague, the UN's top court, since, he claimed, Teodorin had immunity as a government official. The suspended sentences mean that Obiang will only face jail or have to pay the fine if he is found to have re-offended in France. (source: indepthnews.com) BOTSWANA: Execution of prisoner is an appalling step backwards In response to the hanging of 28-year-old Joseph Tselayarona for the 2010 murder of his girlfriend and 3-year-old son, Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International's Regional Director for Southern Africa, said: "Joseph's execution is a step back for Botswana and it shows the government's contempt for life. The death penalty is an abhorrent punishment and should never be used in any circumstances. "While many countries in the region are moving away from this cruel form of punishment, Botswana is regressing. "The death penalty has no place in the modern era. Instead of executing people, the government of Botswana should immediately establish an official moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing this cruel and inhuman punishment." Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception regardless of the nature of the crime, the characteristics of the offender, or the method used by the state to kill the prisoner. The death penalty is a violation of the right to life and the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. Amnesty International calls on Botswana to abolish the death penalty for all crimes as have 105 countries in the world. (source: Amnesty International) SOUTH KOREA: South Korea's 'Molar Daddy' gets death penalty for murdering teen girl A court in South Korea on Wednesday (Feb 21) meted out the death sentence to a man charged with killing a school friend of his daughter after sexually molesting her, Yonhap news agency reported. The Seoul Northern District Court handed down the gravest possible punishment on 36-year-old Lee Young Hak, more infamously known as "Molar Daddy". Lee had confessed to choking a 14-year-old girl to death in his home last September after committing lewd acts on her body while she was drugged. Prosecutors had demanded the death penalty. They also sentenced his daughter, whose identity was not revealed, to 4 years in prison for luring the friend to the house and helping her father dump her body, Yonhap said. But her sentence can be extended up to six years in case of an infraction during her 4-year imprisonment. The killing
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Feb. 20 MYANMAR: 'Death to rapists' campaign is a response to rampant victim-blaming Taxi driver Myo Zaw Oo is on trial in Yangon after confessing to the rape and murder of civil servant Shwe Yee Win on Jan. 20. Photo: Yangon Police The release last week of national statistics on sexual assault for 2017 has struck a nerve across Myanmar, adding to the fear and anger that many already felt in the wake of the brutal rape and murder of a young civil servant in Yangon late last month. The Myanmar government and its cheerleaders want victims and potential victims to take responsibility for the grim statistics. But women's rights groups know that this victim-blaming is both morally and practically flawed, and they are hitting back with demands for the death penalty for rapists. These demands are unlikely to be met, but they are already shifting the focus of assault-prevention policies from the victims to the perpetrators. According to the statistics released by the Ministry of Home Affairs, reported rape cases rose from 1,100 in 2016 to 1,405 in 2017. This includes a rise in rapes of adult women from 429 to 508 and in rapes of underage girls from 671 to 897. The announcement came on the heels of a case that has caught national attention, in which 26-year-old Food and Drug Administration staffer Shwe Yee Win was raped and murdered by a taxi driver on Jan. 20. Women's groups, including the Women's Protections Organization (also known as the Women's Safeguarding Team) staged a protest outside the courthouse where the suspect, taxi driver Myo Zaw Oo, was on trial on Feb. 8, calling for the death penalty for convicted rapists, including those who were convicted in the past. A similar protest was held in Madaya Township, Mandalay Region, on Feb. 18, after a local villager was charged with the rape and murder of a 2-year-old girl. The father of the victim called for rapists to be executed publicly. According to Hnin Yee Aye, a leader of theWomen's Protections Organization, the "Death to Rapists" campaign is motivated by a need for Myanmar society to recognize that rape occurs because laws have failed to deter perpetrators of sexual violence. Lenient sentences and amnesties for rapists have contributed to the rise of rapes in the country, she told the Myanmar Times. However, the Ministry of Home Affairs, which oversees the police force, included in its release of the rape statistics a directive to women to "wear suitable clothing in order not to tempt fate." On top of that, an opinion piece written by former diplomat Maung Thaung Win in today's Global New Light of Myanmar offers even more explicit victim-blaming. "Women in Myanmar must be attentive and careful in their every moment of activities," the former diplomat writes. "If the woman is going out on business matter at night time, a companion must be called in. The clothing must be decent and proper, not showy. Fashion clothing and trendy outfits showing too much of the body must be avoided as it could tend to invite criminals. Too much stylish outfits are not advisable to wear as the girls might be mistaken with the call girls or hookers." He also blames "Facebook culture" for rising rates of sexual assault, arguing that the "profuse enjoyment of phonographic [sic] video, sex literature, and sexual category photos...are the factors that push towards sex assaults." According to women's rights advocates, what the Ministry of Home Affairs and Maung Thaung Win fail to understand is that dressing a certain way to prevent rape and shielding young people from information about sex and sexuality have been the main tactics for preventing rape in Myanmar for generations, and they have failed miserably. Last year's statistics can be interpreted as proof of that failure. Even activists who do not support the death penalty for rapists are seizing this moment to speak out against victim-blaming and sexual repression. Daw Yin Myo Su, a Shan State-based educator and founder of Inle Heritage, told the Irrawaddy last week: "Can we truly admit to ourselves why such rapes happen? It is because of our culture, a culture of not talking about sexuality openly. We have been told since our teenage years that talking about sex is not polite and that we should not speak out...The mother won't talk to her daughter, and neither will the school. We were not taught in our teens about sexuality and reproductive health or how to deal with those feelings." "Death to Rapists" campaigners may not end up securing the death penalty for rapists, but they are already succeeding in calling attention to society's unwillingness to impart life-saving knowledge about sex and sexuality to girls and, more importantly, to the perpetrators of sexual violence. (source: coconuts.co) *** Petition backs death penalty for rape and murder Public signatures are being collected to support death sentence
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Feb. 17 EUROPEAN UNION/CARIBBEAN: EU join forces to end death penalty The European Union wants to see the death penalty abolished in Barbados and the rest of the Eastern Caribbean. It is therefore putting its money behind the work of civil society organisations in the region that are working towards this goal, as well as supporting those seeking to protect the human rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) communities. Head of the EU delegation to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Daniela Tramacere, said yesterday "the EU views capital punishment as inhumane, degrading and unnecessary" and had therefore made the universal abolition of the death penalty one of the two priorities in its external policy. Speaking during disbursement of EU Human Rights and Civil Society Grants to 6 civil society projects in the region, Tramacere said contrary to the belief held by some, there was no link between the EU's position on these human rights issues and a cut in EU aid. Rather, she said the EU was "putting our money where our mouths are" by allocating grants worth approximately 5 million euros, allocated for a 4-year cycle, "to help the region build resilient societies and protect values and principles". "The EU is a stable partner of Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean and will remain such" Tramacere stressed, adding: "we do not want to impose our model; it is up to your society to decide how you want to respect the universality of human rights." However, she contended there was no valid scientific evidence to support claims that the death penalty deterred crime more effectively than other punishments. "Neither can there be an economic argument that detention costs the state a lot," Tramacere contended. She also suggested that the possibility of miscarriage of justice by the "intentional killing of innocent persons by the state" ought to be a higher consideration in any argument regarding the death penalty. Tramacere noted Barbados and most of the countries of the Eastern Caribbean had not carried out executions in over 2 decades and observed that, in essence, a de facto moratorium on the death penalty already existed. "Why not just abolish the practice altogether?" Tramacere asked. (source: nationnews.com) SINGAPORE: Indian-origin man in Singapore gets death penalty for murder of fellow workerSaravanan Arimuram, 31, faces death penalty for the alleged murder of Sivakumar Perumal, 43, who suffered injuries to his face and chest on Thursday, and died later. An Indian-origin man in Singapore was on Saturday charged in a court with the murder of a fellow worker at a construction site, according to a media report. Saravanan Arimuram, 31, faces death penalty for the alleged murder of Sivakumar Perumal, 43, who suffered injuries to his face and chest on Thursday, and died later, The Straits Times reported. Arimuram allegedly got into a fight with Perumal, who was then driving a prime mover and he was a passenger. Apart from the 2, an 18-year-old man was also travelling on the prime mover which crashed along Jurong Town Hall Road in the Singapore's suburb industrial estate. The 3 men were taken to the National University Hospital, it said, citing a police statement. "Preliminary investigations revealed that the accident was believed to have occurred following a dispute between the deceased and the suspect," the report said quoting the police statement. According to the court papers, it was not clear that if Perumal's injuries were caused by the accident or they were inflicted before the crash. He was remanded to police custody and will be produced in the court on February 23. If convicted of murder, Perumal will face the death penalty, the report said. Arimuram, who was dressed in a bright yellow tank-top with the words "Yellow Ribbon Project", kept his eyes closed in the dock as the charge was read out to him. The Yellow Ribbon Project, started as a community initiative in Singapore in 2004, aims to create awareness about the need to give a 2nd chance to ex-offenders released from prison. (source: indianexpress.com) EQUATORIAL GUINEA: Did Equatorial Guinea request death penalty for opposition activists? The Equatorial Guinea prosecutor has reportedly requested the capital punishment for 147 main opposition activists. AFP reports that the trial of the activists started early last week in the high court of Mongomo, the stronghold of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. The prosecutor's death penalty request was tabled on Wednesday (February 14th). The activists were being tried for: "sedition, attack on authority and public disorder," according to their lawyer. "The prosecutor has demanded the death penalty against all opponents," lawyer Fabian Nsue told the AFP. The government which claim to have foiled an attempted coup in late December 2017, have yet to respond
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Feb. 15 EQUATORIAL GUINEA: 147 activists face death penalty in E Guinea: lawyer Equatorial Guinea's public prosecutor is seeking the death penalty in the trial of 147 opposition activists accused of "rebellion," their lawyer said on Wednesday. The activists, including senior officials of the main opposition party, the Citizens for Innovation (CI), were arrested following elections in November. "The prosecutor is requesting the death penalty against all the opponents," said lawyer Fabian Nsue. Earlier this month, the European Union condemned what it described as "a sharp decline" in human rights in Equatorial Guinea following the election and said trials should be fair and in line with international norms. President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who seized power in the oil-rich former Spanish colony in 1979, has repeatedly been accused of brutal repression as well as electoral fraud and corruption. The defendants are being tried at the High Court in the president's home town of Mongomo on charges of "rebellion, attacks against authority, public disorder and serious injury and damage," according to Nsue. Diplomatic sources confirmed the trial was taking place but authorities did not respond to an AFP request for comment. The CI said about 30 defendants could not stand up at the trial on Tuesday because they had been "tortured" while in detention at police headquarters in the capital Malabo, nicknamed "Guantanamo". The prosecutor "wants to hide or to silence the atrocities and the brutality of the crimes of torture... we shall go to the international courts and the ICC (International Criminal Court) for crimes against humanity," said CI in a statement. The CI warned that if nothing is done to help the 147 on trial then "all of them will die like Santiago Ebee Ela". Ela, a 41-year-old activist, died last month in Malabo's police headquarters after being tortured, the party says. Nguema has said his death was not due to ill-treatment and promised an investigation. The EU has also called for an inquiry. The ruling Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea maintained its grip on power in last November's vote, which was widely criticised by the opposition as fraudulent. The ruling party won 99 of the parliament's 100 seats, while CI won the remaining seat. On January 3, Malabo announced that security forces had foiled an attempted coup on December 24, after the arrest of about 30 foreign armed men just inside Cameroon at the junction with Gabonese and Equatorial Guinean territory. In the mid-1990s, Equatorial Guinea became one of sub-Saharan Africa's biggest oil producers. But little of the wealth has trickled down - about 2/3 of its 1.2 million people live below the poverty line. In 2015, Nguema announced a referendum would be held on the death penalty but the vote has never taken place. (source: news24.com) YEMEN: Huthi court sentences 3 to death after enforced disappearance and alleged torture A woman and 2 men were forcibly disappeared, ill-treated and given a patently unfair trial before being sentenced to death by a court in the Huthi-controlled Yemeni capital Sana'a for allegedly aiding an enemy country, Amnesty International's research has found. The organization said the case was the latest example of the Huthis using the judiciary to settle political scores amid the ongoing armed conflict with the Saudi Arabia-led coalition supporting the UN-recognized government of Yemen. On 30 January, the Huthi-aligned Specialized Criminal Court (SCC) in Sana'a, which handles 'terrorism' and 'state security' cases, sentenced Asmaa al-Omeissy, Saeed al-Ruwaished, and Ahmed Bawazeer to death. A 4th defendant, Asmaa's father Matir al-Omeissy, was handed a 15-year prison sentence after being convicted of an 'indecent act' charge related to the case. "As Yemen's armed conflict rages on, the grossly unfair trial of Asmaa al-Omeissy and the 3 other defendants is part of a wider pattern of the Huthis using the judiciary to settle political scores," said Rawya Rageh, Amnesty International's Senior Crisis Advisor. "The trial followed a catalogue of grave violations and crimes under international law, some of which may also amount to war crimes. "The defendants initially were subjected to enforced disappearance, cut off from the outside world, and secretly moved from one facility to the other. They were held in squalor in pre-trial detention for months, extorted for money, subjected to continuous humiliation and extreme physical abuse, and denied basic rights including legal counsel and family visits." 'A psychological war' and a 'hidden prison' 3 of the defendants had been visiting from the southern part of the country when they were arrested at a checkpoint in Sana'a in October 2016. Things took a turn for the worse after authorities started interrogating them over accusations that Asmaa al-Omeissy's husband is linked
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Feb. 14 AUSTRALIA: How the hanging of Queensland's doomed lovers changed our history A doomed love affair that ended with twin hangings and burials in unmarked graves charts the horrid, bloody story to end capital punishment in the British Commonwealth. The fatal relationship began on a farm near Mossman, in far north Queensland, where an Irish woman met a British Navy deserter and fell in love. Ellen Thomson was the only woman ever hanged in a Queensland prison, despite a last-minute confession from her lover, John Harrison, who on the night before their execution told authorities she had nothing to do with shooting her husband. In April 1887, Thomson was 41 and Harrison 25 when they were convicted of murdering the woman's second husband, 66-year-old William Thomson. They were both hanged 1 months later in Boggo Road Gaol at Dutton Park, in Brisbane's south, 35 years before Queensland led the nation in abolishing capital punishment. The 66-year-old owned a farm on the Mossman River and Ellen Thomson left her work as a washerwoman on the Cooktown goldfields to become his housekeeper, and eventually his wife in November 1880. Historian Chris Dawson said life was hard on Cooktown's goldfields for the young woman, who shifted from New South Wales to Queensland in search of the precious metal. The widowed then mother-of-5's 1st husband, William Wood, had died near Cooktown in the mid-1860s. "For her this was a chance to settle down with her family," Mr Dawson said. "...It seemed to have been a marriage of convenience for both of them. "She could look after him and she had a house - and she had a daughter (young Ellen) with him." But in 1886, Thomson's new man drove away the eldest children from her first marriage and was "frequently mean" to her, Mr Dawson said. Harrison was "on the run" after deserting the English Royal Navy, working on farms around Port Douglas and Mossman. "He obviously caught her eye and they had an affair," Mr Dawson said. William Thomson was shot dead on October 1886. By April 1887 the lovers were both tried and convicted of his murder and by May they were locked up at Boggo Road. Early in the morning of Monday June 13, 1887, Thomson was hanged at Boggo Road Gaol. The night before the hanging, Harrison confessed to shooting William Thomson and said Ellen had nothing to do with the shooting, to no avail. He was hanged immediately after his lover and both were buried in unmarked graves in the huge South Brisbane Cemetery, just down the road from the prison. The Brisbane Telegraph reported her final words: "Goodbye everybody. I forgive everybody. I never shot my husband. I never did anybody any harm. I will die like an injured angel." The death was an ugly sight. The rope had severed Ellen Thomson's jugular vein. "Blood trickling down her body and patterning in large drops on the hard cement floor. It increases in quantity and (soon) the whole floor is covered with a woman's blood," the newspaper reported. Mr Dawson said the horrible image of Thomson's death began a social push to end hangings. "There was a real feeling that hanging a woman was morally wrong, by the sensitivities of the time," he said. "It was a particularly barbaric thing to hang a woman." By 1899, a powerful community mood had grown to abolish capital punishment and by 1922 Queensland became the 1st place in the British Commonwealth to end the practice. Tracey Olivieri is the president of Friends of South Brisbane Cemetery, where the unmarked graves of the 42 prisoners executed at Boggo Road Gaol sit down by the Brisbane River. She said few people realised the sunshine state was the 1st colony to scrap capital punishment. "I think it's a great thing for Queensland," she said. "It really was the 1st place to stop executions. "A lot of people will probably think differently, but hanging back then was a horrid way to kill people." In May 2005, the Boggo Road Historical Society placed a plaque in Portion 6B to recognise the executed convicts. "So it doesn't mark a physical grave, but it marks the area - the portion - where the executed prisoners are buried," Ms Olivieri said. On the plaque you can read: "Ellen Thomson, Ireland" and directly below "John Harrison, England". (source: Sydney Morning Herald) MALAYSIA: Malaysia Set to Execute More People for Drug OffensesThe United Nations opposes the use of the death penalty for drug law violations,but too many countries won't listen. Last month, 6 people were sentenced to death for drug trafficking by a Malaysian court. 2 are Malaysian and the rest are Indian nationals - another country that maintains the death penalty for drug offenses. While Malaysia has taken steps to make the death penalty for certain drug offenses non-mandatory, slow implementation of the law and the retention of the death penalty means that many more will executed in the name
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Feb. 13 IRAN: Iran Executions: Another Juvenile Offender on Death Row Pouria Tabaei, who is sentenced to death on the charge of murdering his step-father, is scheduled to be executed at Rajai Shahr Prison. According to a close source, Pouria Tabaei who was only 16 at the time of committing the crime, is currently on the death row at Rajai Shahr Prison. He was born on July 17, 1992, and committed the crime on July 17, 2009. Neither Branch 113 of the Criminal Court of Tehran -which issued Tabaei's sentence, nor the Supreme Court, agreed to send the juvenile offender to the forensics to estimate his full mental development. The mental development estimation is possible under Article 91 of the Islamic Penal Code and can potentially save a juvenile offender's life. It should be noted that two other juvenile offenders, Ali Kazemi and Mahbubeh Mofidi, who were executed in the last month, were not sent to the forensics to establish their full mental development either. Iran has signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which bans the execution of juveniles. Moreover, based on Article 37 the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Iran has signed, execution and life imprisonment of juveniles is banned. Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the spokesperson for IHR, says, "It seems that Article 91 of the Islamic Penal Code regarding the prosecution of juvenile offenders, has not been successful at reducing the number of executions of juveniles and some of the courts' judges still issue sentences as they please. Iranian authorities must stop death sentence for juveniles unconditionally. (source: Iran Human Rights) THAILAND: Parting words to the condemned It is easier if death row inmates accept fate, says monk who counsels them 'No one is born evil or bad to the bone. There are just people making mistakes. I strongly believe that all people can change for the better, no matter who they are -- drug kingpins, notorious hitmen, thieves," says Phra Kru Srinonthawat, abbot of Wat Bang Phreak Tai, who has taught dharma to death row inmates for 27 years. Since 1991, the 53-year-old monk has been invited by the Department of Corrections to preach sermons and teach meditation to Buddhist inmates awaiting execution in Bang Kwang Central Prison. On many occasions, he was also the last man to provide spiritual support to prisoners in the final moments of their lives before they faced a firing squad or lethal injection. "Normally, death row convicts are happy when they see me. They would talk to me and ask questions about Buddhist doctrine because they all need someone to give them comfort and guidance. It's not easy to stay sane if you are waiting to be executed," the abbot said. Phra Kru Srinonthawat said what he usually suggests to inmates is to practice meditation as this can help them find calmness and reflect on their crimes and accept the law of karma. However, the atmosphere is quite different if the abbot shows up at prison at 4pm as it is a sign that the execution has already been scheduled and some inmates will not live to see tomorrow. (source: Bangkok Post) PAKISTAN: Fate of 5 death row prisoners hangs in the balance as nation bids farewell to Asma As the nation bid farewell to Asma Jahangir, hopes of many awaiting justice will be buried alongside the human rights lawyer. The human rights lawyer, known to stand by the underdogs and assuming cases free of cost, was the petitioner counsel in five cases challenging capital punishment handed out by military courts. The fate of whom now hangs in balance. Asma was a death penalty opponent on principle, she always raised voice for democracy and civilian supremacy. The review petitions filed by Asma were scheduled to be taken up by a three-judge bench headed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar on February 15. However, Advocate Chaudhry Akhtar Ali, who has been filing cases on her behalf in the Supreme Court for last 4 decades, has moved an application to the SC, requesting to adjourn the case the petitioners' counsel has passed away. Speaking to The Express Tribune, Akhtar revealed that Asma was arguing their case without charging fees. "She contested almost 1/2 of her cases without charging a single penny, but very few know this aspect of her career because she never wanted to publicise her efforts for needy and deserving clients." He added that the human rights champion had challenged military courts orders on different grounds. Unlike many others, Asma was unafraid of going against the tide of popular sentiment although she largely avoided 'traditional' high profile cases. According to Akhtar, Asma had filed dozens of missing persons cases in the recent past and did not charge anything for them. "We were under instruction that if the families of enforced disappearance victims cannot pay our (AOR) fees, then she will
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Feb. 13 BANGLADESH: 4 transport workers to die for rape and murder of law student RupaAnother sentenced to 7yrs imprisonment 4 transport workers were awarded death penalty in a case filed for raping and killing law student Rupa Khatun in a moving bus in Tangail. The death row convicts are bus driver Habibur and three helpers Shamim, Akram and Jahangir were present in the court when Abul Mansur Miah, acting judge of Tangail Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal delivered the verdict. The court in Tangail also sentenced the supervisor of the bus, Safar alias Gendu, to seven years rigorous imprisonment and fined Tk 1 lakh, our Tangail correspondent reports. The fine paid by Gendu has been directed to be handed over to Rupa's family. Rupa Khatun rape murder killer Meanwhile, Rupa's family expressed their satisfaction with the verdict, reports our correspondent. On August 25 last year, police recovered an unidentified body of a woman near Tangail-Mymensingh road in Tangail's Madhupur upazila. Following an autopsy, the body was buried at the Tangail central graveyard the next day. A murder case was filed with Madhupur Police Station the same day. Seeing the news in the media, Rupa's family members went to Madhupur Police Station on August 28 and identified her from photographs. The next day, law enforcers picked up five employees of the bus at Madhupur. The arrestees during interrogation admitted their involvement in the crime. All the convicts -- a driver, a supervisor and 3 bus helpers who were in jail -- were present in the court when the verdict was delivered by Abul Mansur Miah, acting judge of Tangail Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal. The court also gave directions to concerned authorities to seize the bus in which the incident occurred and hand over its ownership to Rupa's family after changing the name of the vehicle. The Senior Judicial Magistrate's Court in Tangail on August 29 and 30 recorded confessional statements of the arrestees and sent them to jail. Following a court order, police on August 31 exhumed Rupa's body. (source" The Daily Star) TAIWAN: Taiwan aiming to ultimately abolish death penalty: justice minister The Taiwan government is hoping to one day abolish capital punishment, but until then, death penalties must be carried out in accordance with the proper legal procedure, according to Justice Minister Chiu Tai-san. In an interview with CNA earlier this month, Chiu said President Tsai Ing-wen, like her predecessor Ma Ying-jeou, sees abolition of the death penalty in Taiwan as a long-term goal. However, extensive public discussion of the controversial issue would be required before that goal can be achieved and the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) has not set any timeframe for it, Chiu said. While human rights groups such as the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty have been calling for an end to capital punishment, it will take time to obtain public consensus on the issue, he said. In the meantime, capital punishment will continue to be carried out in Taiwan in accordance with the legal procedure, Chiu said. Although Taiwan has ratified two international conventions that are seen as legal foundations for ending the death penalty, they are not binding on that issue, he said. Chiu said that since he took office in May 2016 as minister of justice, the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office has not sent him any orders for the execution of death row prisoners, who now number 43. Explaining the legal procedure in Taiwan, he said if the death penalty is handed down in the lower courts, the case must go all the way to the Supreme Court. If the Supreme Court upholds the verdict, the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office then reviews the matter and decides if to carry out the sentence, after which an execution order is sent to the MOJ for the justice minister's signature, Chiu said. Even at that point, the MOJ has the right to assess the case and decide whether to sign the execution order, he added. The death penalty remains a controversial issue in Taiwan, years after its Legislature in 2009 ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights, the 2 conventions that Chiu referred to as the legal foundations for the abolition of capital punishment. Meanwhile, Chiu said his ministry is working to improve prison conditions in Taiwan by providing more beds so that inmates can each have 1. Currently, Taiwan's prison population is 62,000, while the number of prison beds is 23,000, which indicates that about 40,000 prisoners are sleeping on the floor. "Frankly, such conditions are inhumane," Chiu said. He said three new prisons are under construction, each with a capacity of 4,000 inmates, while existing facilities are being expanded. Chiu said he is also hoping to implement a prison
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Feb. 11 INDIA: Seminar on capital punishment held in Srinagar People from every nook and corner of the valley, hailing from different walks of life participated in a daylong seminar organized by Awami Ittihaad Party (AIP) in Srinagar on Saturday. Breaking all traditions the seminar was presided by a 90 year brave heart namely Sabaz Ali who had lost his 3 sons and is feeding nearly a dozen orphans. All the speakers mostly heirs of martyrs and victims of violence took the pledge that Kashmiris will never succumb to pressure tactics and use of brutal force by New Delhi as they are seeking resolution to Kashmir dispute through Right to self determination for the larger interests of people of the sub continent. Tears were rolling down from the eyes of the participants when dozens of the parents and others spoke how army and security agencies butchered their near and dear ones during last 30 years but New Delhi not only denied the justice but did everything to prove innocent unarmed civilians as terrorists. Justice Hasnain through his speech send in writing and was readout at the seminar said that death penalty once executed leaves no room for correction of error and undue mistrial. He said severe punishment like death penalty presupposes fair trial. Referring to Afzal Guru's and Maqbool Bhat's hangings Justice Masoodi said "In case of Mohammad Maqbool Bhat and Mohammad Afzal Guru the principles of fair trial are fair execution were never followed. In case of Maqbool Bhat the sentence was imposed in 1968 and executed in 1984 after 16 long years. The Supreme Court has time and again laid down that where for one or the other reason the execution of death penalty gets delayed, it should not be executed as the prisoner in the prison cell dies almost daily. While awaiting the execution and the long delays itself dehu???manizing even long pendency of the punishment and the death sentence should have been commuted. In case of Afzal Guru the execution of death sentence was hurried and though far behind in the queue the sentence was executed that too without information to his family. In both the cases it is highly doubtful whether adequate legal assistance was provided during the trial. None from the legal luminaries came forward to defend them and it was left to the trial court to appoint an amicus curie". Speaking on the occasion Er. Rasheed reiterated that Kashmiris are not enemies of India and they will be the biggest beneficiaries of peace between India and Pakistan. He said "Had hanging been a solution, no one would have dared to take up to arms after Maqbool Bhat's hanging and after Afzal Gurus hanging what happened in Kashmir is ample reason to conclude that death punishment should be abolished" . Er. Rasheed added that while Hurriyat represents sentiments and sacrifices of People of J, the need of the hour is that Hurriyat Leadership should earn well wishers for the movement and not count everyone on the other side. He said the fight is much much bigger as New Delhi is doing everything to divide Kashmiris, creating confusions and avoids a resolution. If Kashmiris are not united and lack a proper workable strategy, masses will just go on sacrificing and leaders will continue to wait for searching opportunities to propagate their agenda whatsoever". Er. Rasheed added that whatsoever valid questions Afal Guru's wife has raised from time to time we all need to introspect and find the answers. Er. Rasheed condemned behavior of the police and civil adminis???tration for cancelling the permission granted for holding seminar in Hotel Lala Rukh and said that party was informed at 11:00 PM in the night about the decision and the act was just yet one more evidence of frustration on part of the Govt. He thanked people from all walks of life for making their presence to the seminar and listening around 35 speakers during the day. Prominent lawyers, political activists and scholars explained in detail how was the capital punishment a disaster throughout the world and a barrier in establishing peace. (source: Kashmir Observer) IRAN: UN Rights Experts Urge Iran to Annul Death Sentence Against Ahmadreza Djalali United Nations human rights experts* have repeated their urgent call to Iran to annul the death sentence against Iranian academic Ahmadreza Djalali amid reports that his latest legal attempt to challenge the sentence has been rejected. "We urgently call on Iran to lift the death sentence imposed on Dr. Djalali, as the State has apparently not complied with its international obligations to give him a fair trial and the right to appeal," the experts said in a joint statement released in Geneva. "We are deeply disturbed by reports from Dr. Djalali's legal team that his application for judicial review of the death sentence has been dismissed by the Supreme Court, apparently without any review process or explanation. This
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Feb. 10 NIGERIA: 170 Imo indigenes on death row Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has disclosed that 170 indigenes of the state in prison custody are on death row. He added that he would put some factors into consideration, including the culture of the people of the state before knowing whether to sign the death penalty of the individual culprits or not. Okorocha gave the hint when the Attorney-General of the federation and Minister for Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami and the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Prison Decongestion, Justice U.I. Bello visited him at the Government House, Owerri with other members of the committee on Friday. He however, stated that he would carefully look at the cases of those concerned to know whether signing for their death would serve any good purpose. "170 Imo people have been condemned to death. We shall take a decision. Whoever takes life should be ready for the consequences, but we shall look at the issues especially from our cultural perspectives before taking action. Where forgiveness should be the case, we shall also know. It is going to be a holistic approach," the governor said. (source: punchng.com) INDIA: Calcutta HC acquits 2 death row convicts in youth murder case The Calcutta High Court today acquitted 2 death row inmates and commuted the capital sentence of 6 others to jail terms in connection with the murder of a youth in North 24 Parganas district in 2014. Rejecting the prosecutions plea to uphold the capital sentence, awarded by a trial court in 2016, a division bench comprising Justice Nadira Patherya and Justice D P Dey acquitted Suman Sarkar and Amal Barui. The bench also commuted the death sentence of Shyamal Karmakar to 30 years in prison and that of Ratan Samaddar, Tarak Das, Tapas Biswas, Somnath Sardar and Suman Das to life imprisonment. The court, however, upheld the lower courts decision to award 5-year prison term of 2 others, who were found guilty of harbouring the 8 accused in the case. A resident of Bamangachi in North 24 Parganas district, Sourav Chowdury (21), was abducted and murdered on July 5, 2014, after he protested against liquor consumption in public places. All 10 accused were arrested by the district police and tried before the Barasat Sessions Court in April 2016. The sessions court ordered death penalty for 8 of them and 5 years imprisonment for the other 2. The 10 convicts had moved appeals before the high court in 2016. Following extensive hearings in the case, the order was passed by the division bench today. (source: indiatoday.in) Afzal Guru's execution - a travesty of justiceThe more one studies it, the more the attack on the Indian parliament seems like an Indian false flag operation to justify punitive action against Pakistan 5 years ago, Muhammad Afzal Guru was executed in secrecy, without being allowed to meet his loved ones and buried quietly in Delhi's Tihar jail on February 9, 2013. Afzal Guru had been accused of aiding and abetting the December 13, 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament. Afzal Guru was born in Sopore in the Baramulla District of Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) in 1969. As a medical student at Jhelum Valley Medical College, Srinagar, Guru was motivated by a friend to join the Kashmir liberation jihad. He later surrendered to security forces and after graduation, took up a job with a pharmaceutical firm in New Delhi and became its area manager. On December 13, 2001, a deadly attack took place on the Indian Parliament building in New Delhi. 14 people were killed and at least 22 were injured. The 2 most incriminating pieces of evidence against Guru were a cellular phone and a laptop confiscated at the time of arrest. They were not sealed, as evidence is required to be In the ensuing aftermath, India blamed Pakistan for sponsoring the attack and amassed its troops on the Pakistani border in a belligerent manner. Swift deployment of its counter offensive ground, sea and air forces by Pakistan deterred the bellicose Indians from attacking. The two forces remained in an eyeball to eyeball position for 10 months. Even a tiny spark could have pushed the 2 nuclear armed nations into mutually assured destruction. India blinked first since the mobilisation was costing it more than it had anticipated and decided to withdraw. Indian police arrested Afzal Guru within 24 hours of the attack on the parliament, claiming that he was the mastermind of the assault. An Arabic Professor at New Delhi, SAR Gilani, Afzal's cousin Shaukat and his wife Afshan were also detained. The quartet was tried in a fast track court and despite flimsy proof, the verdict declared them guilty. Renowned human rights activist Arundhati Roy, in her opinion piece on the subject titled The hanging of Afzal Guru is a stain on India's democracy published in The Guardian on February 10, 2013, 2
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Feb. 9 JAMAICA: Government senator wants hanging resumed Government Senator Matthew Samuda is calling for the resumption of hanging amid Jamaica's rising homicide rate. He made the call during his contribution to the State of the Nation debate in the Senate this afternoon. Jamaica ended 2017 with more than 1616 murders. The murder tally has continued to spiral in 2018, resulting in Prime Minister declaring a state of public emergency in St James last month. Citing crime statistics, Samuda said it was clear criminals have no regard for life and were wantonly committing murders. He said a strong message should be sent to murderers. Although Jamaica has retained the death penalty, it is not being carried out since February 1988. This is because of the 1993 ruling by the United Kingdom-based Privy Council in the Pratt and Morgan case. The Privy Council ruled then that it was inhumane and degrading to hang an inmate who had been on death row for more than 5 years. With legal proceedings in such cases typically exhausting that time frame, it's almost impossible to have death sentences carried out in Jamaica. (source: Jamaica Gleaner) IRAN: Urgent Action: 21-Year Old Man Arrested at 16 at Risk of Execution (Iran: UA 28.18) A 21-year old Iranian man Abolfazl Naderi is at risk of execution in Arak's prison, Markazi province. Abolfazl Naderi was 16 years old at the time of his arrest and was sentenced to death after a grossly unfair trial, based on "confessions" which he claims were made under torture. TAKE ACTIONWrite a letter, send an email, call, fax or tweet: Halt any plans to execute Abolfazl Naderi and ensure that his conviction and sentence are quashed and he is granted a fair retrial in accordance with the principles of juvenile justice, without resort to the death penalty and excluding statements obtained through torture or other ill-treatment or without the presence of a lawyer; Conduct an impartial and transparent investigation into his allegations of torture and other ill-treatment and bring those responsible to justice in trials that meet international fair trial standards; Amend Article 91 of the 2013 Islamic Penal Code to completely abolish, without any discretion by the courts or other exceptions, the use of the death penalty for crimes committed by people below the age of 18, in line with Iran's obligations under international law; Establish an official moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty. Contact these 2 officials by 22 March, 2018: Deputy Secretary General of the High Council for Human Rights Kazem Gharib Abadi Esfandiar Boulevard Tehran, Iran H.E. Gholamali Khoshroo Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations 622 Third Avenue, 34th Floor New York, NY 10017 Phone: (212) 687-2020 -- Fax: (212) 867-7086 Email: i...@un.int Salutation: Dear Excellency (source: Amnesty International USA) SAUDI ARABIAexecutions Pakistani Met Death Penalty in Saudi Arabia On Thursday Saudi Press Agency published the statement of interior minister who confirmed the death penalty of four Pakistanis for their crime. These Pakistani included Liaqat Hussein son of Ishaq Hussein, Sajid Ali son of Asqar Ali, Muhammd Thaqib son of Muhammad Al- Warith Ali and Faisal Muneer son of Muneer Hussein. These men broke into a woman's house, raped both the mother and the son, stole jewellery and cash and later murdered the woman, said the interior minister of Saudi Arabia. These men confessed their crime then these guilty men were executed on Thursday. In the beginning of the year yet 20 men have been beheaded in Saudi. Saudi Arabia is the country where world's most people are beheaded for their crimes like drugs and human trafficking, rape and murder. Last year in July, a Pakistani was found guilty in human trafficking crime and executed in Saudi Arabia. Another Pakistani beheaded for drug trafficking and 5 Saudi citizens were also executed for the conviction of murder. Last year 141 people were beheaded with sword in public. (source: christiansinpakistan.com) *** Trial begins of 4 Saudis linked to Hezbollah terror cell The Special Criminal Court in Riyadh on Thursday began the trial of a terrorist cell of 4 Saudis linked to Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah movement. The court's 1st session revealed that 3 of the cell members coordinated with a wanted fugitive in Iran. They were convicted of joining a Hezbollah training camp to manufacture and deploy C4 and TNT explosives for use in the Kingdom. Their aim was to cause chaos, target security men, smuggle guns into Saudi Arabia, finance terrorism via an organized gang, and smuggle fugitives from the Kingdom to Iran by sea. The prosecutor called for the death penalty. Failing that, he demanded the most severe punishment (imprisonment and
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Feb. 8 INDIA: Karnataka to go the MP way? Considers death penalty for rapists of minor girls"From molestation to rape, there has been an increase in crimes against children," said Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy to TNM. The Madhya Pradesh cabinet in December 2017 unanimously passed a Bill to award the death penalty to those involved in the rape or gang-rape of girls below the age of 12. And now, the Karnataka government is mulling doing the same in the state. Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy discussed the issue in the Legislative Council on Tuesday. Speaking to TNM, he pointed out that there has been an increase in cases of rape under the POCSO Act in Karnataka over the past few years. "From molestation to rape, there has been an increase in crimes against children. The state government is considering taking serious action by awarding stringent punishment for the serious nature of child rape," he said. "When Madhya Pradesh passed the Act awarding death penalty to child rapists, I had written to the MP government and gotten a copy of the Act. We are going through the clauses. We are also waiting for a report on the MLC VS Ugrappa Committee, which was set up to probe the safety of women and children in our state. We have received an interim report and are waiting for the final one and also the committee's recommendations," he added. It is unclear if Karnataka's Bill will be limited to only the rapists of girl children, or will include boys and transgender kids, as well. While many would see this as a welcome deterrent against sexual crimes against children, experts have earlier pointed out to TNM that the proposal is flawed. For instance, Kushi Kushalappa of Enfold, an NGO working towards prevention of child sexual abuse, said that the assumption that only girls get raped was "a silly position in today's scenario". "We have to cover children who are transgender, boys, and girls equally. When we say only girls can be raped, the message that we continue to send out is that girls are more vulnerable. All children are equally vulnerable," she said. Bengaluru-based researcher Swagata Raha also pointed out that the Madhya Pradesh legislation ignored the fact that most abusers are known to the children. "Are we expecting that children will come forward and then disclose that the abuse has been perpetrated and then go ahead and testify against their fathers, uncles, brothers or neighbours? That's too much of a burden to put on a child," she had argued. It has also not been established through research if death penalty is really a deterrent for criminals. There is also the question of whether the death penalty would apply to minors who may commit the crime. (source: thenewsminute.com) PAKISTAN: Do public executions deter violent criminals? Last month, the Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice sent a bill to the Council of Islamic Ideology for review. The bill proposes an amendment in the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and seeks public execution of criminals charged with kidnapping a child below the age of 14. In the council's meeting, being held today, the amendment was expected to be placed at the top of the agenda. Article 14 of the Constitution promises that the "dignity of a man and, subject to law, the privacy of home, shall be inviolable." Therefore, a law authorising public killings violates this very spirit. The Supreme Court in its judgment reported in 1994, SCMR 1028, observed that public hangings even for the worst of criminals violate the right to human dignity as enshrined in Article 14, as well as the right to protection from torture articulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Islam, a charter produced by leading Muslim scholars in London in April, 1980. Article 7 of the charter declares that a state is not permitted to torture a criminal, especially a suspect: "God will inflict punishment on those who have inflicted torture in this world." Then there are past precedents. Last year, in the Dr Kumail Abbas Rizvi vs UOP case, the Supreme Court while discussing Article 14 of the Constitution stated: "The right to dignity was one of the cardinal principles of law and most valuable right, which had to be observed in every civilised society - human dignity, honour and respect was more important than physical comforts and necessities." In another case, Dr M Aslam Khaki vs. Federation of Pakistan, the court emphasised that the Quran "confers human dignity upon every person ... subject to law, the privacy of human being is also inviolable." There is also no empirical evidence to suggest that capital punishment can act as a deterrent against crime. Saudi Arabia is one of the few countries where brutal executions - by beheading, hanging and a firing squad - are a public spectacle. Between January and June 2014, 17 people were executed in Saudi Arabia. In contrast, between January and June
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Feb. 6 SOMALIA: Somali Military Court Sentences Al-Shabab Members for Role in Deadly Blast A military court in Mogadishu on Tuesday sentenced Al-Shabab member to a death penalty for Mogadishu truck bomb, the court chairman Hassan Nuur Shuute announced. The court also sentenced 2 men to prison, 1 life imprisonment, while w others were released due to lack of evidence. More than 500 people were killed in truck bomb blast in Mogadishu on October 14, 2017, which was the deadliest blast in Somalia. (source: allafrica.com) MALAYSIA: Gopi Kumar is 6th victim of minister's delay in bringing into force amended law Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture (Madpet) notes that despite the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act 2017 receiving royal assent on 27 December 2017, which effectively abolishes the mandatory death penalty for drug trafficking, the failure of the minister to what is necessary to bring the law into force has resulted in Malaysian judges still having no choice but to sentence convicted drug traffickers to death. "Since there is only one sentence provided for under Section 39B of the Act, the court hereby sentences all the accused to death," he [Judge Datuk Ghazali Cha] said. (theSun, 22 January 2018). Until the new Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act 2017 comes into force, judges continues to have no discretion but to sentence those convicted to death. The most recent victim was Malaysian lorry driver S Gopi Kumar, 33, who was sentenced to death (theSun, 24 January 2018). Earlier, on 17 January 2018, it was reported that five others, Malaysian A Sargunan, 42, and four Indian nationals (Sumesh Sudhakaran, Alex Aby Jacob Alexander, Renjith Raveendran and Sajith Sadanandan ) were convicted and sentenced to death by the Shah Alam High Court that day for drug trafficking under Section 39B (1)(a) Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 (The Star, 17 January 2018). As not all cases get reported by the media, there may be many others who have been sentenced to death, who otherwise might not have been if not for this ministerial delay. A perusal of the Malaysian official e-Federal Gazette website on 25 January 2018 shows that the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act 2017, which received royal assent on 27 December 2017, has still not come into force. In comparison, other laws that received royal assent on the same day like the Income Tax (Amendment) Act 2017 came into force on 30 December 2017. Even some laws that received royal assent later on 29 December 2018, like the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (Amendment) Act 2018, have already come into force since 11 January 2018. When the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act 2017 comes into force, it will finally abolish the mandatory death penalty for drug trafficking, which has existed since 1983. Judges, will then have the discretion to impose a sentence for drug trafficking other than the death penalty, ie imprisonment with whipping of not less than 15 strokes, for the offence of drug trafficking. Section 3(2) of the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act 2017 states: (2) Any proceedings against any person who has been charged, whether or not trial has commenced or has been completed, and has not been convicted under section 39b of the principal Act by a competent Court before the appointed date, shall on the appointed date be dealt with by the competent Court and be continued under the provisions of the principal Act as amended by this Act. This means that any person even already on trial for drug trafficking (section 39B), so long as they have not yet been convicted, can still enjoy the benefits of the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act 2017. But until the minister does what is necessary to ensure this law comes into force, judges will continue to have no discretion but to impose the mandatory death penalty on those convicted before the new law applies. The new law, sadly, does not provide any remedy to those already convicted or for the 800 or more currently on death row after having been convicted for drug trafficking. Hence, as of today, Gopi Kumar and possibly 5 or more who have already been convicted by the High Court before the new law comes into force are victims of a great injustice and may be hanged to death. As it stands now, under even the new law, after conviction and being sentenced to death by the High Court, the Appellate Courts also will not have the capacity to change the death sentence to imprisonment, unless they choose to acquit them of drug trafficking or possibly elect to convict them for for a lower offence that does not carry the mandatory death penalty. In light of the inadequacies of the new upcoming drug law, Malaysia must table another new law that will result in the commuting of the sentence of all those currently on death row after having been convicted of drug trafficking - and even other offences that carry the mandatory death penalty. This will be
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Feb. 5 BOTSWANA: Rising murder cases scornful of death penalty Cases of murder in Botswana are escalating despite the intervention of law mechanisms in the form of the death penalty. Botswana is the only country in Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) that still upholds and practices the death penalty as other member states have either abolished the exercise in law or in practice. Indications suggest that the executions are in practice bearing no fruits as citizens continue to kill each other for various reasons - including trivial ones. Statistics turned up by WeekendPost indicate that murder has been escalating since 2015 through to 2016 and recently 2017. According to the Botswana Police Service Annual Report for the year 2016, a total number of 278 murder cases were recorded in 2015. In 2016 the number escalated to a whooping 305 murder cases registered. Police records further indicate that during 2017 a total number of 70 murder cases were recorded from January to March, 81 from March to June and 51 from June to September summing to 202. The recorded cases from September to December were however not immediately availed to this publication upon request. It is also still unclear how many cases have gone un-recorded between the years or in cases of when the victims have gone missing without a trace. Botswana Police Assistant Public Relations Officer (PRO) Jayson Chabota stated to this publication in an interview on Wednesday that "during the festive season police operations that ran from 18th December 2017 to 3rd January 2018, recorded a total of 22 murder cases". According to Chabota, this shows a glaring increase as compared to 20 cases registered during the same period in 2016. When asked on the reasons for these growing murder cases, the Police mouthpiece pointed out that "most murder cases were as a result of killings related to love affairs and misunderstandings that erupted at drinking places." A highly regarded lecturer of Social Work at the University of Botswana (UB) Kgomotso Jongman hinted that death penalty is not a deterrent all. "We have reached a state of hopelessness where nothing matters. Death penalty is supposed to be a deterrent but when people got nothing to lose it's not a deterrent anymore," he said. Take an example of a 19 year old in Mogoditshane who was on bail owing to murder, he went on and killed another person again, he highlighted while adding that "he knows he is going to be killed anyway". Jongman's sentiments were also shared by Keletso Tshekiso; a reputable Counselor serving as the Publicity Secretary of the Botswana Counseling Association who was firm that capital punishment is proving to be counterproductive. She explained that "in punishment, the stimulus propelling the undesired behavior decreases the likelihood of repetition of that behavior in future. So you can't punish a dead person because they won't feel anything. In short you are just eliminating that individual. It may not be considered as punishment by another person until they too face death sentence. So to many, 'capital punishment is just an angry law' which eliminates the murderers (perpetrators) and not murder (action)." In addition, the professional Counselor noted that there are quite a number of reasons while people kill, like social influences, issues of power relations, cognitive and intellectual impairment and added that the reasons keep on increasing. Some human rights renowned local attorneys such as Uyapo Ndadi of Ndadi Law Firm, Tshiamo Rantao of Rantao Kewagamang Attorneys and Martin Dingake of Dingake Law Partners continues to call for the abolishment of the capital punishment. When sharing his legal thoughts to WeekendPost on Thursday, Ndadi said: "I do not know what plays in the mind of a murderer, but I doubt if a murderer thinks of the consequences at the time. He continued: "the proponents of capital punishment argue that it serves as a deterrent, does it? NO!!!" On the other hand, he stated that he knows that it is wrong and barbaric to kill, and to him it doesn't matter under what circumstances, unless of course it is in self defence. "It doesn't matter to me whether the killing is as a result of death penalty or crime, it is wrong. The argument that a punishment must fit the crime committed holds true but not to the extent of repeating the crime," he pointed out. "That is why we do not rape people who rape, steal from those who steal, beat up those who beat others (even their spouses and partners) for we know it is wrong to do so. But why do we find it okay to kill?" he asked. The esteemed human rights attorney highlighted that he is aware that the Court of Appeal has declared death penalty in Botswana to be constitutional. "I have a problem with that because any person has a right to life and dignity. The right to life must be preserved by government as well. No one should be
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Feb. 4 IRAN: Refugees protest Iran capital punishment at UNCHR in Erbil In an act of solidarity, Iranian refugees gathered in front of UNHCR headquarters in the Kurdistan Region's capital of Erbil on Saturday to condemn capital punishments handed out by the Islamic Republic's courts. The demonstrators read a joint statement "to protest against the execution rule for political activists: Ramin Hossein Panahi, Hidayat Abdullah Pur, and others facing capital punishment by the Islamic Republic of Iran." Panahi was sentenced to death on the charge of membership in Komala after being captured amid skirmishes with Iranian security forces near Sanandaj. Komala is a Kurdish political party that resumed an armed struggle against the forces of the Islamic Republic in 2017. "We have gathered here today to condemn death sentence for political prisoners in Iran and Kurdistan and show support to all political prisoners in Iranian prisons," the statement added. Hidayat Abdullah Pur was arrested in 2016 and then an Iranian court handed down death penalty on charges of working with a Kurdish group. "In the end, we call on the UNHCR and all the other institutions advocating for human rights, artists, and freedom lovers of the southern Kurdistan to take practical steps to revoke the death sentences..." stated the protesters outside of the UN's Refugee Agency offices, using a different term for the Kurdistan Region. Amnesty International has called justice in Iran "exceptionally cruel." Ali Kazemi, 22, was hanged on January 30 after being convicted of murder when he was 15-years-old. "By carrying out this unlawful execution, Iran is effectively declaring that it wishes to maintain the country's shameful status as one of the world's leading executers of those who were children at the time of their crime," said Magdalena Mughrabi, Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director said. On Friday, Mughrabi warned of "grave concerns about the grim reality for those defending human rights in Iran today..." (source: rudaw.net) ___ A service courtesy of Washburn University School of Law www.washburnlaw.edu DeathPenalty mailing list DeathPenalty@lists.washlaw.edu http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/listinfo/deathpenalty Unsubscribe: http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/options/deathpenalty
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Feb. 3 JAPAN: Gallows finally loom for Japan's killer cult leadersAum Shinrikyo's leader is at last facing capital punishment, but the motive for the 1995 gas attack on Tokyo's subway remains obscure Kazumasu Takahashi, an assistant stationmaster on the Chiyoda subway line in central Tokyo, was on duty when the 8:10am train pulled in on Monday morning, March 20, 1995. Many of the passengers were civil servants working in the government ministries in the Kasumigaseki district close by Tokyo's Imperial Palace. Before the doors shut, Takahashi noticed that some liquid had spilled on to the train floor. He mopped it up and waved the train on. Then he keeled over on the platform and died. Within minutes thousands of commuters were staggering out of the subway exits gasping for air, coughing, rubbing their eyes or foaming at the mouth. It was sarin nerve gas. Urban terrorists had planted it at five widely scattered locations along 3 central city subway lines in the world's 1st - and so far, only - use of a weapon of mass destruction delivered in a lunchbox. 12 died in the attack; 5,000 were injured. More than 2 decades later, some survivors are still bedridden with little or no prospect of recovery. Suspicion quickly fell on a cult called Aum Shinrikyo (Supreme Truth). For a while, the menacing portrait of its hirsute guru Chizuo Matsumoto alias Shoko Asahara was as common as portraits of Osama bin Laden. Police arrested dozens of members, including Asahara. Only now, 23 years later, does it appear that the "guru" and his lieutenants will have to pay the ultimate price. The wheels of justice have moved slowly. Asahara, along with another 12 cult leaders, was sentenced to death in 2006 after a trial that lasted more then 8 years. By way of comparison, the Oklahoma City bombing in the US took place in the same week as the Tokyo nerve-gas attack. However, the perpetrator of that atrocity, Timothy McVeigh, was swiftly convicted and executed. He has been dead for 16 years. The Aum trials were unprecedented in Japan's judicial history in terms of their sheer number (190 indictments) and the extraordinary length of the deliberations. Japan's Supreme Court finally cleared the path to the gallows when it upheld the life sentence for one Katsuya Takahashi, an Aum cultist who had been on the lam for 16 years. Under Japanese law, a person cannot be executed while courts are considering an accomplice, on the theory that he or she might be needed to testify. Asahara has never tried to explain or justify his actions, or express any remorse for the victims. When he was found guilty of mass murder, he accepted his sentence without a word. He has never made an apology or admitted guilt Amid this legal firestorm, one might think that the vast number of trials (Asahara alone made 257 court appearances) would have shed light on the cult's motives for its murderous attack on the Tokyo subway system. Yet aside from 1 brief statement at the beginning of his trial to the effect that he had ordered his associates not to poison the system, Asahara clammed up. He never addressed the core issues; never tried to explain or justify his actions, nor express any remorse for the victims. When he was found guilty of mass murder, he accepted his sentence without a word. He has never made an apology or admitted guilt. It not clear how the Justice Ministry will handle the 13 executions. If it follows current procedure, Asahara will not know his execution is to take place until the morning guards show up to escort him to the gallows chamber. The general public will learn of the execution with a terse announcement after the deed is done. Public opinion polls show that the Japanese public approves of capital punishment by very large margins. But much of that is because the government takes pains to keep executions as low-key as possible - no vigils outside the prison, no dramatic calls to the state governor for clemency. That an obscure doomsday cult with no known track record of international terrorism was able to manufacture sarin gas in quantities large enough, theoretically, to kill millions so easily, and to spray it indiscriminately in the middle of the world???s largest city, is a timely - and terrifying - reminder of what terrorists can do with chemical weapons. It is also worth remembering that not all ideologies of doomsday or apocalyptic terror are incubated in Muslim madrassas - former Aum spokesman Fumihiro Joyu was a graduate of Waseda University, 1 of Japan's most prestigious institutions of higher learning. Nor did these dedicated terrorists have to brew their deadly chemicals in caves in remote border areas. They lived in the suburbs. Remarkably, Aum Shinrikyo has never been outlawed and still has perhaps 1,500 followers. It is said that the guru is gaining new respect among followers, now in their late teens, or early 20s, who
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Feb. 2 CHINA: Child trafficker kingpin gets death penalty The head of a criminal gang that abducted and trafficked children was sentenced to death with a 2-year reprieve in Guangdong's southwestern coastal city of Maoming. The verdict on the gang leader, surnamed Zhang, was handed down by the Maoming Intermediate People's Court at the end of last month. Meanwhile, the court confiscated all of Zhang's illegally gains, the verdict said. In addition, 25 members of Zhang's gang received sentences ranging from a year and 3 months to life in prison and fined from 50,000 yuan ($8,000) to more than 200,000 yuan, according to the verdict. A woman surnamed Dong who used to be a key member of Zhang's gang was sentenced to life behind bars. Dong used to be responsible for contacting buyers, trading, negotiating prices and collecting money for the gang. "The crimes of Zhang and his gang were serious and have done great harm to society," the verdict said. Zhang and his gang had abducted children since 2014 from rural Funing county in Southwest China's Yunnan province and brought them to Guangdong to earn big profits, the verdict said. A child was typically sold for between 73,000 and 98,000 yuan, said the verdict. But the verdict did not reveal how many children Zhang and his gang abducted and sold. "Abducting children is a serious crime and usually causes serious damage to society," said Ye Guiming, a lawyer from Guangdong Keyun Law Firm. "The sentence for Zhang with a two-year reprieve is suitable if he did not cause death and injury during his crimes," Ye told China Daily on Thursday. He urged relevant departments to take effective and concrete measures to fight such crimes, including targeting child traffickers and buyers. Zhang and his gang members were detained when police uncovered a major child abduction and trafficking case the previous year. The case, which elicited a great deal of outrage from the public, was supervised by the Supreme People's Procuratorate and the Ministry of Public Security. A police officer from Guangdong Provincial Department of Public Security said police across the province will continue to redouble their efforts in fighting crimes involving abducting children and women. "The police have zero tolerance for such crimes," said the officer, who did not want to be named. Guangdong, one of the country's economic powerhouses, is usually one of the major destinations for abducted children. (source: ecns.cn) INDONESIA: Widodo under pressure to free dying death row convictIndonesian church, rights groups back plea for condemned Pakistani drugs prisoner Zulfiqar Ali to spend last days at home The Catholic Church in Indonesia has thrown its weight behind an appeal to President Joko Widodo, by a terminally ill Pakistani national on death row, to be repatriated to his home country. Zulfiqar Ali, 54, was arrested in 2004 for being in possession of 300 grams of heroin. An Indonesian court sentenced him to death a year later. He escaped execution in 2016 following an appeal lodged by former president B.J. Habibie amid claims he received an unfair trial. Speaking to the Pakistani newspaper Dawn last week Ali said that doctors had diagnosed him with advanced liver cancer, giving him only about three months to live. He was transferred from Batu Prison on the notorious Nusakambangan Island to a hospital in Jakarta following the diagnosis. A senior Catholic official said Widodo has no reason to reject Ali's appeal. "He must be allowed to return home for the sake of humanity," Azas Tigor Nainggolan, coordinator of the human rights desk of the Indonesian bishops' Commission for Justice, Peace and Pastoral for Migrant-Itinerant People, said. He said the commission had written to the president in this regard and also asked for a review of all death penalty cases in light of the church's opposition to capital punishment. Pakistan's President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi also appealed to Widodo during a recent meeting in Islamabad to let Ali spend his last days at home. Rights groups have also backed the call, saying repatriation is the humane thing to do. They also questioned the trial that saw him sentenced to death in the first place. According to the Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network, Ali was subjected to abuse, denied access to proper legal counsel during irregular court proceedings. After his arrest, he was also denied the right to contact the Pakistani embassy and forced to sign a confession, the rights group said. Ali's lawyer, Saut Edward Rajagukguk also urged the president to seriously review Ali's case. "It does not make sense to me that someone was sentenced to death for the possession of only 300 grams [of heroin]," he said. The government is currently deliberating the appeal, according to a senior official. "President Widodo will surely
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Jan. 31 BELARUS: 5 death sentences given in Belarus in 2017 Belarusian courts handed down 5 death sentences and 3 life sentences in 2017, Belarusian Supreme Court First Deputy Chairman Valery Kalinkovich said. "5 [people] received death sentences and 3 people received life sentences [in 2017]," Kalinkovich said at a press conference in Minsk on Jan. 31 in response to a question from journalists. It should be taken into account that a life sentence is an alternative to the death penalty, he said. "We have 2 measures of extraordinary punishment: life in prison and the death penalty," he said. (source: Kyiv Post) BAHRAIN: Urgent Action Update: Court of Cassation Upholds Death Sentence (Bahrain: 252.14) On 29 January, Bahrain's Court of Cassation upheld the death sentence imposed against Maher Abbas Ahmad following a trial which relied on "confessions" extracted under torture. If the King ratifies his sentences, he will be at imminent risk of execution. TAKE ACTIONWrite a letter, send an email, call, fax or tweet: Urging the King of Bahrain, Shaikh Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa, to quash the death sentence imposed on Maher Abbas Ahmad, order a full retrial without recourse to the death penalty and where no evidence obtained under torture is used and investigate his allegations of torture; Urging the Bahraini government to acknowledge their responsibility to protect the public and bring to justice those who commit crimes, but insisting that this should always be done in accordance with international law and Bahrain's international human rights obligations; Urging them to commute all death sentences and declare an official moratorium on executions. Contact these 2 officials by 13 March, 2018: King Shaikh Hamad bin 'Issa Al Khalifa Office of His Majesty the King P.O. Box 555 Rifa'a Palace, al-Manama, Bahrain Fax: +973 1766 4587 Salutation: Your Majesty H.E. Ambassador Shaikh Abdullah bin Rashed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain 3502 International Drive NW Washington DC 20008 Phone: 1 202 342 I Fax: 1 202 362 2192 Email: ambsecret...@bahrainembassy.org Twitter: @BahrainEmbDC Salutation: Dear Ambassador (source: Amnesty International) IRANexecution Authorities execute man in exceptionally cruel circumstances Amnesty International is outraged by reports that the Iranian authorities have executed a young man convicted of murder who was only 15 years old at the time of the crime. The organization learned that 22-year-old Ali Kazemi was hung earlier today in prison in Busher province. His execution was scheduled and carried out without any notice given to Ali Kazemi's lawyer as required by Iranian law. "By carrying out this unlawful execution, Iran is effectively declaring that it wishes to maintain the country's shameful status as one of the world's leading executers of those who were children at the time of their crime," said Magdalena Mughrabi, Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director. "This is nothing short of an all-out assault on children's rights, as enshrined in international law, which absolutely bans the use of the death penalty against someone who was under 18 years of age at the time of the crime." "It is long overdue for the head of Iran's judiciary to intervene and establish an official moratorium on executions of juvenile offenders Ali Kazemi was convicted of murder in connection with the fatal stabbing of a man during a fight in March 2011. He was only 15 years old at the time the crime was committed. Amnesty International understands that prison officials and prosecution authorities in Busher tormented Ali Kazemi's family by making contradictory statements as to whether and when the execution would be carried out. On 29 January, his family was told Ali Kazemi's execution had been scheduled for the next day and that they should go to Busher prison in the evening for a last visit. By carrying out this unlawful execution, Iran is effectively declaring that it wishes to maintain the country's shameful status as one of the world's leading executers of those who were children at the time--Magdalena Mughrabi, Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director. However, that same evening the family was told Kazemi's execution had been halted. On the morning of 30 January, the authorities called to reassure the family that the execution had not taken place. However, at midday today, Ali Kazemi's family was suddenly told the execution had just been carried out. Ali Kazemi's execution comes less than a month after Iran executed another man who was under the age of 18 at the time of the crime, Amirhossein Pourjafar, on 4 January. Between 2005 and 2018, Amnesty International recorded the execution of 87 people convicted by the courts in Iran for crimes that occurred when they were under the age of 18.
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Jan. 30 INDONESIA: Nigerian gets death penalty for trafficking drugs A Nigerian man was sentenced to death by the High Court here yesterday after being found guilty of trafficking 220 grammes of Syabu. Judicial Commissioner Dean Wayne Daly made the ruling on Jonas Chihurumnanya after finding that the latter's defence had failed to raise reasonable doubt on his case. Jonas, who is believed to be a liaison officer for Nigerian students here, was arrested by police at the parking space of a popular fast-food restaurant chain at Jalan Canna, here on June 7, 2016. Clad in a black T-shirt, Jonas, represented by counsels Lim Lian Kee and Wit Malang, appeared calm when the sentence was delivered. A total of 9 prosecution witnesses appeared during the trial, while Jonas made a statement under oath when entering his defence. Jonas was initially jointly charged with another accused, Ifasinachi Dominic Oguzie, but the latter failed to turn up in court during the trial and was issued with a warrant of arrest. Prior to sentencing yesterday, Jonas' lawyers made an application for adjournment of the delivery of decision under Section 425 of the Criminal Procedure Code to recall a witness to give statement. They said they wanted to recall the female witness, who is a friend of Ifasinachi, to testify again. Wit said the woman had testified to seeing a disposable diaper similar to the one used to wrap the drugs found in the car, when both accused were arrested. However, DPP Musli Abdul Hamid said the Jonas never mentioned the woman';s name in his statement and called for the application to be rejected. In entering his defence, Jonas said Ifasinachi, also known as Bobby, had borrowed a car from him to go to a laundromat before returning and placing the car key in the living room. Jonas said he later drove the car to a petrol station and then went to the fast-food restaurant where he was arrested by police. (source: theborneopost.com) PAKISTAN: Abduction of a minor: Bill for public hanging sent to CII for review The government on Monday referred the bill seeking public hanging for a person accused of kidnapping a person below the age of 14 to the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII). The bill entitled the 'Criminal Law Amendment Act 2018' seeks an amendment in the Pakistan Penal Code Act's Section 364-A on the kidnapping or abduction of a person under the age of 14. CII Chairman Dr Qibla Ayaz told The Express Tribune a meeting of the CII members is scheduled for February 8 in which the item has been placed on top of the agenda. "After thorough deliberation with all the CII members, belonging to various schools of thought, the CII will give its view on public execution," said the chairman. FIA arrests suspected child pornographer The move to bring public execution under law came after Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, during a press conference held soon after the arrest of Zainab's murderer, announced public execution as a punishment for the culprit who brutally raped and murdered 7-year-old Zainab in Kasur earlier this month. After the incident, people from all walks of life called for a public execution, especially on social media. They demanded that the government publicly execute such people who brutally rape and murder children. They were of the view that this kind of punishment will discourage such inhumane acts. Following the calls, Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Interior Rehman Malik proposed an amendment in the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) to 'publicly hang' convicts found guilty of kidnapping, murdering or raping children under 14 years of age on January 22. It has been proposed to add words 'by hanging publicly' at the end after the punishment, instead of death or imprisonment for life. On the other hand, Chairman National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) Justice (retd) Ali Nawaz Chohan said, "NCHR is of the view that this particular private bill if passed will violate Article 6 & 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 15 of the Convention against Torture and Pakistan's commitment to review the law carrying death penalty in accordance with ratified international conventions as indicated in the recent Universal Periodic Review -2017.": He further said that the bill will also weaken the national interest of Pakistan under GSP+, as the EU commission in its second biannual GSP+ report has raised serious concern over the use of the death penalty. It has urged the government to review the law to reduce the number of crimes carrying death penalty in Pakistan. The NCHR chairman believes that the proposed method of execution is cruel, inhumane, degrading treatment and punishment and is also a violation of General Comment No20 of the UN Human Rights Committee. "The purpose stated in the bill is that 'fear of punishment could prevent others from committing similar
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Jan. 30 UGANDA: Museveni and the death penalty President Yoweri Museveni has repeated his determination to sign death warrants for those who commit offences like murder. He says it is his way of dealing with the rampant killings happening in the country. While addressing the 20th Annual Judges Conference at Speke Resort Munyonyo on Jan.22, Museveni regretted not signing the death warrants over the years for convicts of murder. "For us we believe in the old law of Moses of an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth," he said, "I will support the death penalty until I retire from leadership." This was the 2nd time Museveni was citing the death penalty after he said those who kill should be hanged during a commissioning ceremony for prison warders a few days ago. The judges' conference which ran from Jan.22- 25 was held under the theme 'An inclusive judiciary for sustainable development' and was attended by judges, magistrates, registrars and officials of Evolve; an organisation of lawyers based in the U.K. Museveni also said he was disappointed by the sentence of 8 months handed out by City Hall Court to 6 butchers found guilty of using chemicals to preserve meat and fish. "How do you hand out 8 months? People who use formalin to preserve meat, those ones deserve 20 years," he said. The President also rejected calls for appointment of more judges and their demands for higher pay and retirement benefits saying Uganda was still a recovering society unable to take care of all the demands of civil servants. "How do you fund institutions in a post recovery phase of a formerly failed state?" He said the country had other competing needs and added it was a deliberate policy for Uganda to prioritise road infrastructure where the Works sector gets Shs4 trillion and the Judiciary Shs134 billion per annum. Museveni told the judiciary to address the problem of wastage in its sector and that in the wider government manifested in constant travel on so-called benchmarking trips. Judges' demands The Chief Justice Bart Katureebe laid out a list of demands he said were vital for the judiciary to effectively perform its duties. Katureebe said the judiciary needed 532 Grade 1 Magistrates but only 192 are available and 100 Chief Magistrates yet only 42 are present. He said the country needed 82 High Court judges yet there are only 50 and also said that Court of Appeal judges needed to be doubled from the current number of 14. Katureebe also reminded the president about the promises he made to judicial officers in September 2015 that remain unfulfilled. These include retirement benefits for judicial offers, houses for judicial officers, vehicles for magistrates handling land disputes, and Shs10 billion for the Uganda Judicial Officers SACCO. The chief justice called for the reinstatement of Local Council Courts which he said provide justice for rural communities. "LC Courts will shoulder the millions of unmet needs. If this institution is reintroduced, it will help a great deal in solving cases in villages because there are fewer negative emotions involved." The head of the judiciary lamented the perennial problem of case backlog that is most common in land, family and criminal cases. "An average land case takes 15 months to resolve". However, Katureebe noted that the judiciary had made some strides with the automation of courts, introduction of small claims procedure, plea bargaining; the latter 2 which have lessened congestion in detention centres. Magistrates cry out Godfrey Kaweesa, the Chief Magistrate of Iganga and president of Uganda Judicial Officers Association told The Independent that Iganga currently has no resident judge yet it has a High Court circuit and therefore judges have to come from Jinja to handle cases. "When the judge comes, he has to sit in the chambers of the chief magistrate and the chief magistrate sits in the library." Kaweesa also lamented a discrepancy between the welfare of judges and magistrates even though the entire judiciary is grappling for more resources altogether. He says after the Penal Code Amendment Act in 2009 and the Magistrates Courts Amendment Act, the jurisdiction of the chief magistrates were enhanced but it is yet to be translated into practice because it did not come with a budget. Under the State Brief funds, chief magistrates handle semi-permanent cases like defilement, arson where maximum sentence is life imprisonment. "In this arrangement, accused persons must be represented by the state yet money under State Briefs is so limited and the sessions have 40 cases per month". He says lawyers are shunning the chief magistrate's court to represent accused persons in this scenario and subsequently suspects are languishing in jail. "There is only Shs1 million per month for all cases, yet the judges were getting Shs40 million for the cases; this is form of a discrimination". He
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
January 29 ISRAEL: Knesset Considers Changing Law to Apply Death Penalty to Convicted Terrorists Israel has confronted terrorist attacks for many decades, but in all of those years, the Knesset and the public have not seriously considered whether the justice system should sentence convicted terrorists to death. Instead, despite allowing punishment by death for a narrow range of crimes that might plausibly be applied to terrorism offenses, Israel has continued to apply a de facto moratorium on the death penalty. A recent Knesset bill that would introduce the death sentence for terror-related murder in Israel has broken the decades of relative silence on the matter. With the backing of Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, members of the Yisrael Beiteinu party proposed the bill and saw it through preliminary approval in a plenary session of the Knesset. It is now pending before the committee on constitutional and legal matters for further debate and preparation for additional readings. The proposal has 2 elements. The 1st amends Israel's Penal Law to stipulate that a person convicted of murder while committing a terrorist act may receive the death penalty. The 2nd part relates to the West Bank, which Israel has controlled since the 6-Day War and which is ruled under a separate legal regime based on the international law of belligerent occupation. Article 209 of the Decree on Security Instructions (issued by the military commander of the West Bank) already allows the death penalty for murder, or what the law calls "intentional manslaughter," provided that the sentence receives unanimous approval from a panel of military judges. The proposed bill orders the defense minister to direct the commander to change the decree, so that a decision of a majority of a panel of military judges can issue a death sentence. Furthermore, the bill proposes that the military commander of the West Bank will have no power to mitigate a final death sentence. This piece will provide an overview of the current legal status and history of the death penalty in Israel. The death penalty also presents many deep moral, legal and criminological questions, both in its more general application and in the specific context of punishment for acts of terror. Though these issues are important, I will not address them here. When Israel was established in 1948, the 1st statute that the temporary state council enacted declared that existing law remain in force, as long as it is not in contrast to new law (Article 11). Thus, Israel inherited the legal system from the British Mandate of Palestine. This system included the death sentence for a variety of crimes, including murder and security-related offenses. In 1954, Israel abolished the death sentence in civilian cases of murder. Between the establishment of the state of Israel and the abolition of the death sentence for murder, courts issued a few death sentences, but the punishments were never carried out. The 1954 amending law commuted pending death sentences to life imprisonment. The law includes only 1 exception: convictions of murder according to the 1950 Nazi and Nazi Collaborators (Punishment) Law. The only person executed in Israel according to a sentence of a regular court in almost 70 years was Adolf Eichmann, executed in 1962 after his conviction for crimes against humanity, war crimes and other crimes he committed during the Holocaust. The Defence (Emergency) Regulations of 1945, which the British Mandate enacted during the period when Jewish struggle for the establishment of an independent state intensified, includes under Regulation 58 the death sentence for discharging "any firearm at any person" or throwing or depositing "any bomb, grenade or incendiary article with intention to cause death or injury to any person or damage to any property." Furthermore, even carrying a firearm without a permit or a membership in a group of which another member committed such offences would be enough to sentence a perpetrator to death before a military court. During the last years of the British Mandate, nine members of Jewish underground movements were executed for such offenses. This provision remains in force in Israel, though the military court established pursuant to the regulations is no longer active under a 2000 decision by the attorney general. The death penalty also exists in Israeli penal legislation for treason in times of war (Articles 96-99 of the Penal Law and Article 43 of the Military Justice Law). To this day, no one has been executed for these offenses. The Defence Regulations remain in force in the West Bank as well, though Palestinian terrorism defendants are usually indicted before military courts in the West Bank for offenses under the Decree on Security Instruction. As noted, the decree includes the death penalty as the maximum punishment for murder, as well as three safeguards against an
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Jan. 28 SAUDI ARABIAexecutions Nigerian drug convicts executed in Saudi Arabia 2 Nigerians convicted of drug offenses in Saudi Arabia have been executed, the Vanguard reports on Saturday, quoting prison sources in the kingdom.Local news reports suggest that since Ibrahim Ciroma and Maimidu Issah were executed by hanging last week, a sense of trepidation has gripped other Nigerian convicts being held in Saudi jails over similar infractions. Ciroma and Issah, hailed from Northern Nigeria. 15 Nigerians are currently on death row in Saudi Arabia and could face the hangman's noose in the next few weeks, the Vanguard says. The latest executions come 4 months after a Nigerian was executed in Saudi Arabia for an alleged drug offence. The Nigerian government led by President Muhammadu Buhari has made several unsuccessful interventions to save its citizens facing the death penalty in Saudi Arabia. It tried to request for their extradition to Nigeria where they would serve their jail sentence or be executed and given decent burials. Such requests to the Saudi authorities have fallen on deaf ears. (source: journalducameroun.com) PAKISTAN: Execute reforms not people We have a history of taking temporary fixing measures but never focus on taking cogent steps that can permanently reform our flawed criminal justice system. The tragic rape and murder of a minor girl, Zainab, has again kicked up a public debate on the mode of punishment. If we recall, Pakistan has been facing extraordinary circumstances since the 70s, when different governments introduced parallel judicial systems. But no government has so far been successful in reforming the criminal justice system (CJS). Examples of temporary measures being taken can be traced back to our recent past. In 1998, when civil order in Karachi was in decline, military courts were introduced for the first time to try civilians. The law was introduced after the president had promulgated the Pakistan Armed Forces (Acting in Aid of Civil Power) Ordinance 1998, under Article 245 of the Constitution. The government at that time had argued that the law has been put in place for a short period of time and is for a specific area with the objective to restore security and peace and maintenance of law and order. The law was later repealed because it was declared arbitrary to the constitution by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in the case reported as 'Liaquat Hussain versus Federation of Pakistan'. At that time too the federal government maintained that it was forced to take these extraordinary steps to secure peace. But it never gave due attention to reforming the outdated CJS. Similarly, on January 7th 2015, after the Army Public School incident, parliament unanimously allowed military courts to hold trials of terrorism suspects, by introducing changes to the Pakistan Army Act 1952 through the 21st Constitutional Amendment. Again it was said that the promulgation is temporary as it has a sunset clause of 2 years. However, it was later extended for another 2 years. And this time too the objectives were to carry out speedy trials and curtailment of terrorist activities in the extraordinary situation the country was facing. At the time it was assumed that ordinary courts were not in the position to cope with the challenges. Hence, the government promised to reform the criminal justice system and ensure speedy and affordable justice for all. Now the military courts are in their 4th and final year. But have any reforms been introduced in the centuries-old law and justice system? The day is not far when people will ask military courts to also settle their fiscal and property disputes. Why have people been forced into believing that they cannot get justice form ordinary courts? We have a history of taking temporary measures to deal with the long-standing problems plaguing our criminal justice system. But still we never bother to search for permanent solutions and introduce workable reforms in our judicial system. Similarly, there is no evidence that public executions or even sending people to the gallows has ever deterred criminals, but what is certain is that it could further encourage the desire for vengeance and violence in society. After APS, the moratorium on the death penalty was lifted; at least 487 people have been executed since then. Even those who believe in the philosophy of deterrence would agree that the crime ratio in the county has not come down. The people need to know why there has been such a delay in reforming the CJS? Why do we have the lowest conviction rate in ordinary criminal cases? Why are cases tried for decades, while people remain confined in pre-trial detentions? We, the public, should also rethink our criticism about the police being the only institution responsible for all the weaknesses in the criminal justice system. Why do we forget the systems of
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Jan. 27 EGYPT: U.N. experts call for Egypt to halt executions Egypt must stop executions until it has reviewed all death sentences and retry any convictions that are found to rest on unfair trials, 5 independent U.N. human rights experts said on Friday. Egypt's mission to the United Nations in Geneva did not immediately comment on the appeal, but Egyptian prosecution and judicial sources rejected the criticism. "We have raised multiple specific cases with the Egyptian authorities and continue to receive more. In the light of these persistent serious allegations, we urge the Government to halt all pending executions," the experts said in a statement. "The authorities should ensure that all death sentences are reviewed and, where convictions were based on unfair trials, ensure that individuals have retrials during which Egypt's human rights obligations are fully respected." An Islamic State insurgency in North Sinai has expanded to include civilian targets in the past year. Egypt this month renewed its state of emergency for 3 more months, broadening the power of authorities to crack down on what it calls enemies of the state. The 5 experts who issued the statement - special rapporteurs reporting to the U.N. Human Rights Council - said the death penalty should be used only for the most serious crimes and after a process with all legal safeguards. The experts were Jose Antonio Guevara Bermudez, Agnes Callamard, Bernard Duhaime, Nils Melzer, and Fionnuala D. Ni Aolain, who report to the Council on arbitrary detention, extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, torture and the protection of human rights while countering terrorism. "We are particularly concerned by an apparently continuing pattern of death sentences handed out on the basis of evidence obtained through torture or ill treatment, often during a period of enforced disappearance," they said. Egyptian prosecution and judicial sources said verdicts in all cases were based on proof from investigations, confessions and forensic evidence, but courts did not rely on confessions they believed were a result of torture or coercion. Speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, the sources said the U.N. statement constituted meddling in Egypt's judicial affairs, and said death sentences had only been carried out after fair trials where the rights and defence of the accused were guaranteed in accordance with the law. They also said that those who were convicted had committed crimes that resulted in the deaths of innocent people and threatened national stability and security - which are capital offences in Egypt. (source: Reuters) IRAN: Detainees Arrested in Iranian Protests Facing Charges That Carry Death Penalty Some detainees arrested in the protests that broke out in Iran's Hamadan and Khuzestan provinces in December 2017 are facing charges that are punishable by death, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) has learned. "Some of them have been investigated, interrogated and charged with 'rebellion,'" said a legal source in the city of Izeh, Khuzestan Province, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. "The families of the freed detainees have been threatened a lot and are too afraid to talk," added the source. "Most of them say that they are being slapped with serious charges and if they do anything wrong, they could be given heavy sentences." During the protests approximately 400 people were arrested in Izeh. To date, approximately 50 of them remain in detention. A legal source in Hamedan Province told CHRI that the exact number of detainees there is not known, but many of them, arrested mainly in the cities of Asadabad and Touyserkan, have been charged with "corruption on earth" and "rebellion," which could result in the death penalty. Exact casualty figures have not been released but according to official sources, 3 to 6 people died in those cities during the protests. Their identities have not been revealed. According to Article 279 of Iran???s Constitution: "Moharebeh (rebellion) is defined as drawing a weapon against the life, property or chastity of people or to cause terror as it creates the atmosphere of insecurity." Officials have not indicated who has been charged with drawing a weapon at the protests, however, security forces harshly repressed the demonstrations, which occurred in dozens of Iranian cities, with water cannons, tear gas, rubber bullets and live fire. Iranian officials have also referred to the protests as "blind, violent riots." According to Article 286 of the Constitution: "Any person, who extensively commits felony against the bodily entity of people, offenses against the internal or international security of the state, spreading lies, disruption of the economic system of the state, arson and destruction of properties, distribution of poisonous and bacterial and dangerous materials,
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Jan. 26 SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi prosecutor builds case against Al Qaida men on trialProsecutor says men pretending to surrender to authorities in order to gather intelligence about their security 2 Yemeni Al Qaida militants are standing trial in Riyadh for allegedly planning a terrorist operation. They were instructed by the terrorist group to call the Ministry of Interior and tell them that they planned to surrender themselves to Saudi security authorities, according to the public prosecutor. The men worked to gain the trust of 1 ministry officer by feeding him false information and details of the group. Once they established his trust they agreed to meet at a security point on the Saudi-Yemeni border. However, during their meeting the officers became aware that the men were misleading them and only wanted to gather details about the security situation at that border post and were immediately arrested, the Saudi daily Okaz reported on Thursday. The 1st defendant, 32, was charged with being a member of Al Qaida in Yemen, plotting to carry out a suicide attack, communicating with a Daesh terrorist in Syria, smoking hashish and renegging on a pledge he made 5 years ago when he was released from prison over another security-linked case. Charges against the 2nd defendant, 34, included being a member of Al Qaida and Daesh, plotting with the 1st defendant to carry out a terrorist attack and giving false and misleading information to Saudi authorities for cash. He was also charged with funding terror attacks by purchasing arms for Al Qaida. The prosecutor requested the death penalty for the 2 defendants or the maximum penalty stipulated by the law. The accused told the Specialised Criminal Court they wanted some time to prepare their defence against the charges. (source: Gulf News) IRAN: A Scientist's Appeal for Retrial Ahmad Reza Jalali (Djalali), Iranian physician and researcher whose death sentence was approved by the Supreme Court, is requesting a retrial. According to a close source, Ahmad Reza Djalali's death sentence was approved by branch 1 of the Supreme Court in November, but he has requested a retrial. Being formally invited by Tehran University, Ahmad Reza Djalali travelled to Iran but was arrested by the agents of the Ministry of Intelligence on his way to Karaj on April 24, 2016. He spent three months at the detention centre of the Ministry of Intelligence. Now Iranian authorities claim that he is convicted of "espionage and collaboration with enemies". "Dr. Djalali's case is sent to branch 33 of the Supreme Court for a retrial but it hasn't been processed or objected so far," Told an informed source about Ahmad Reza Djalali's case to Iran Human Rights (IHR). He also said, "Dr. Djalali might still get executed unless the sentence is suspended. He is in a terrible physical condition and he is getting weaker and thinner every day." Ahmad Reza Djalali lived in Sweden since 2009 where he had the permanent residence. He worked as a researcher in the field of crisis management at Karolinska University in Stockholm. On Tuesday, January 24, Alaeddin Borujerdi, the head of Majlis' National Security Commission who was in Brussels, accused Ahmad Reza Djalali of participating in the terror of nuclear scientists in a press conference. Mr. Djalali is currently held at Evin Prison and rejects all the accusations, and he also denied all the accusations the Ministry of Intelligence made against him through a documentary. (source: Iran Human Rights) ** Imminent Execution for Ramin Hussein Panahi UNPO has been informed by the "International Network of Iranian Kurdistan Human Rights" that Ramin Hussein Panahi, a Kurdish Iranian who had been sentenced to death on 25 October 2017, is now in danger of imminent execution. Ramin Hussein Panahi was shot and arrested on 23 June 2017, in Sanandaj ,a city in Iranian Kurdistan, after meeting with Kurdish citizens to inform them on human rights issues. After his detention, he was not allowed to get medical treatment nor to receive visits. After 124 days and 23 requests at different governmental branches - from the IRGC to Iran's secret service - Ramin's family remained unaware of his whereabouts and health conditions. In response to Ramin's family members' quest to obtain information about him, Iranian authorities detained 3 of his relatives: his brother, Afshin Hussein Panahi, his brother in law, Ahmad Hussein Panahi, and Zobeir Hussein Panahi. All 3 were sentenced to imprisonment for respectively 9, 5 and 6 years, following an unjust trial on the 25 October 2017. On 26 October 2017, Ramin's mother and sister were informed by the Iranian authorities that he was awaiting his death penalty and that they would be informed after his execution. On 25 January 2018, the "International Network of Iranian Kurdistan Human Rights" received information from his
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Jan. 26 PAKISTAN: Public hanging of child rapists & murderers considered as Pakistan mourns 7yo victim A Pakistani Senate committee has proposed to publicly hang those who sexually abuse or murder children. The measure is a response to the gruesome case of a Pakistani 7-year-old girl who was raped and killed earlier in January. Part of the Pakistani Penal Code (PPC) on the punishment of child rapists and murderers currently states: "Whoever kidnaps or abducts any person under the age of 14 in order that such person may be murdered or subjected to grievous hurt... shall be punished with death (sic)." Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior Rehman Malik is now seeking to add the phrase "by hanging publicly" after the word "death." The amendment has been proposed just 1 day after Pakistani authorities arrested a key suspect behind the murder of 7-year-old Zainab Ansari. The girl was abducted and later found raped and murdered near the eastern city of Lahore earlier in January. The case prompted mass protests and shockwaves across the country, with demonstrators accusing the government of inaction. On Tuesday, police detained a 24-year-old man whose DNA matched samples found on the girl's body, according to Shahbaz Sharif, chief minister of Punjab province. The suspect has been identified as Imran Ali, and was a neighbor of Zainab. He later confessed to having killed at least 8 girls including Zainab. The confession was recorded in a video released by local media. "I want Imran Ali to be hanged publicly... I will request the political parties to support my wish," Sharif later said. Over 1,700 children were abused in Pakistan in the 1st 6 months of 2017, according to the data from the Islamabad-based Sahil group, which works on child protection, local media said. In 2016, the total number of reported child abuse cases was over 4,000, meaning that an average of 11 children were abused in Pakistan every day. Yet there are those who oppose the drastic measure. "[The] Zainab incident is unfortunate but the demand for public hanging is also not correct," Senator Hasil Bizenjo said. According to Senator Farhatullah Babar, if the law is amended, there'll be "calls for hanging everyone." In the meantime, a petition on change.org calling to hang Zainab's killer has gathered over 320,000 signatures. "The rapists of innocent Zainab should be hanged publicly in front of a large crowd so that other potential rapists learn a lesson," the petition said. The petition, however, was closed, failing to gain 500,000 signatures. (source: rt.com) *** 2 get death penalty in murder case A court on Thursday awarded death sentence to 2 convicts for killing their relative over domestic dispute in Puleena Jabbar area. The court also imposed Rs0.2 as fine on both murder convicts. The court also awarded life imprisonment to another accused involved in the murder whereas acquitted the 4th accused for lack of evidence against him. Additional and Session Judge (ASJ) Gujar Khan Aslam Gondal took up the murder case and awarded capital punishment to 2 convicts namely Raja Faisal and Raja Abbas for killing Raja Saqlain over some domestic dispute in 2014 within limits of Police Station Gujar Khan. The judge given life imprisonment to 3rd accused Raja Yasir and dropped charges against Raja Asad and ordered police to release him. The judge also ordered 2 murder convicts to pay Rs0.2 fine each. Gujar Khan police had registered a murder case number 603/14 under section 302/34 against 4 men for killing Raja Saqlain. (source: The Nation) INDIA: Maharashtra now has most prisoners on death row, overtakes UPJudges in Maharashtra have traditionally been very heavy-handed in their infliction of the death penalty, said Yug Chaudhary, a Mumbai-based lawyer who has represented the appeals of several death row inmates. Maharashtra has overtaken Uttar Pradesh as the state with the most prisoners on death row, according to a report published on Wednesday by researchers at the National Law University in Delhi. "UP almost has double the population of Maharasthra and has been the leader for a while," said Anup Surendranath, director of the Centre on the Death Penalty, which compiled the report. "It's interesting to see that Maharasthra has overtaken UP." Maharashtra had 67 prisoners on death row at the end of 2017, up from 47 a year before. Uttar Pradesh, meanwhile, had 65 death row prisoners, down from 77. The states' populations are about 11 crore and 20 crore, respectively. Why does Maharashtra have so many death row prisoners? Violent crime doesn't account for it. Maharashtra's murder rate in 2016, the most recent year for which data is available, was about 2 for every one lakh people. That's lower than both that of UP and the country as a whole, both of which recorded murder rates of about 2.5 per lakh. Instead, it
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Jan. 25 LEBANON: Military Tribunal issues death penalty over soldiers deaths The Military Tribunal Wednesday issued the death penalty for 2 men found guilty of involvement in the beheading of 2 Lebanese soldiers. Bilal Mikati was given the death penalty for the execution of soldier Sgt. Ali al-Sayyed on Aug. 28, 2014, and for involvement in executing soldier Pvt. Abbas Medlej on Sept. 6, 2014. The Tribunal, headed by Brig. Gen. Hussein Abdullah, also sentenced Mikati's cousin, Omar Mikati, to death after finding him guilty of involvement in Medlej's beheading as well as mutilating Sayyed's body. They 2 soldiers were killed by Daesh (ISIS) after being taken hostage when the militants and Jabhat Fatah al-Sham - previously known as the Nusra Front - briefly overran the northeastern town of Arsal. Bilal al-Atar was also sentenced to death for belonging to Ahmad Mikati's militant group and planning to establish a so-called "wilayah" or province of Daesh's self-proclaimed caliphate. Among the verdicts issued, the Military Tribunal sentenced Ahmad Kasha to 7 years in prison for belonging to terrorist groups and attacking Army posts on Aug.2, 2014. Abdullah al-Jghabeer was acquitted of the charges of kidnapping Army soldiers. They are among the 23 suspect handed verdicts, the Military Tribunal sentenced some to life while others were acquitted. Although the death penalty is still part of the Lebanese penal code, no death sentences have been carried out since 2003. Most often the sentence translates to life in prison. (source: The Daily Star) MALAYSIA: Lorry driver to hang for trafficking over 45kg of drugs A lorry driver was sent to the gallows by the High Court here today after being found guilty of counts of trafficking over 45 kg of drugs, 2 years ago. Judicial Commissioner Datuk Mohamad Shariff Abu Samah meted out the sentence against S. Gopi Kumar, 33, after finding that the prosecution had succeeded in raising reasonable doubt at the end of the defence's case. Mohamad Shariff said the court found that the accused had control, possession and knowledge of the drugs found in his Proton Perdana car and at his rented house, which he moved into in 2015. "I do not believe the excuses given by the accused that he did not know about the drugs found in the car and at the house on grounds that they (car and house) were accessible to the public," he said. Gopi Kumar committed the offence in his car at Jalan 10/18A, Taman Mastiara, Batu 5, Jalan Ipoh, Sentul here at 12.45am on June 22, 2016, and at his home on Jalan 15/18A in the same area at 1.45am on the same date. For that, he was charged under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which carries a mandatory death penalty upon conviction. The court also sentenced the man to four years' jail and five strokes of the cane for another charge of being in possession of 16.2 gm of methamphetamine in the same house at the same time and date. He was ordered to serve the jail sentence from the date of his arrest on June 22, 2016. A total of 11 prosecution witnesses and 1 defence witness - the accused himself, were called to testify in the trial which began on June 14, 2017. DPP Ahmad Nazneed Zulkifli prosecuted, while Gopi Kumar was represented by counsel New Sin Yew. (source: The Sun Daily) SINGAPORE: Singapore Announces Medical Cannabis Research, Despite Maintaining Death Penalty for Cannabis Trafficking A Singaporean government body has announced its upcoming research into synthetic cannabinoids for medical purposes, a curious step in a country that continues to impose the death penalty for certain cannabis offences. In early January, the National Research Foundation (NRF) - a government body - announced that it would be investing $25 million SGD (13.4m pounds) into a Synthetic Biology Research and Development Programme. One of the programme's 4 projects is entitled Synthetic Cannabinoid Biology: Repurposing Nature for Tomorrow's Therapeutics. The NRF hopes that this project will allow the future delivery of "life-saving therapeutics derived from the cannabis plant in a sustainable manner". The NRF accepts that cannabinoids, the chemical compounds found in the cannabis plant, can be used to treat a variety of ailments. However, as the cannabis plant is illegal in Singapore for any purpose, the NRF has commissioned this project with the intention of harnessing the medical potential that cannabinoids offer without the government having to change its drug legislation. By studying the molecular structure of cannabinoids, the project aims to "discover cannabinoid genes for the sustainable production of [synthetic] medicinal cannabinoids and their derivatives". Cannabinoids can be used to alleviate chronic pain, spasticity, and several other ailments or symptoms. Medical cannabis is legally prescribed and consumed in several countries, including
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Jan. 24 VIETNAM: Court in Vietnam starts 2nd embezzlement trial of executive The embezzlement trial began Wednesday for a former executive at Vietnam's state oil giant who Germany said was kidnapped from there by Vietnamese agents last year. Trinh Xuan Thanh was the former chairman of state energy giant PetroVietnam's construction arm and is accused of embezzling $622,000 (68 million yen) from a property project, the official Vietnam News Agency quoted the indictment as saying. The offense carries the death penalty. He is among eight defendants all accused of embezzlement in the trial expected to last two weeks. Foreign media were not given access to the trial. Thanh, 51, was sentenced to life in prison on Monday for embezzlement involving a thermo power plant in the country's highest profile case during an ongoing corruption crackdown. Among 22 defendants convicted in the case that concluded on Monday was former high-ranking government member Dinh La Thang, a former chairman of PetroVietnam. Thang was the 1st former Politburo member to face prosecution in decades and received a 13-year prison sentence for economic mismanagement. Germany has said Vietnamese intelligence services abducted Thanh from a Berlin park in July in what it called "an unprecedented and flagrant violation of German and international law." He had sought asylum in Germany. Vietnam denied the abduction allegation and says Thanh returned voluntarily. The defendants in the latest case include Dinh Manh Thang, a former chairman of a construction company and the brother of Dinh La Thang. The ruling Communist Party under the watch of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong who was re-elected to another 5-year term in 2016, has stepped up its anti-corruption campaign with PetroVietnam and the banking sector at its center. Scores of current or former senior PetroVietnam executives and bankers have been put on trial for economic crimes. A trial of 46 defendants, most of them bankers and businessmen, is underway in southern commercial hub of Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam ranked 113th out of 176 countries in Transparency International's 2016 corruption index. (source: Associated Press) IRANexecution Prisoner Executed At Iran's Shiraz Prison A prisoner was hanged at Adelabad Prison in Shiraz on the charge of murdering a man during a street fight. According to Mehr News, on the morning of Sunday, January 21, a prisoner was executed at Adelabad Prison in Shiraz. The prisoner, identified as Hossein Kh., was sentenced to death on the charge of murdering a man during a street fight. The murder occurred in August 2016, and the murder weapon was an axe. According to Iran Human Rights annual report on the death penalty, 142 of the 530 execution sentences in 2016 were implemented due to murder charges. There is a lack of any classification of murder by degree in Iran which results in issuing a death sentence for all types of the murder, regardless of intensity and intent. *** Execution Sentence for Providing a Dissident Party with Food and Shelter Hedayat Abdollahpour is sentenced to death on the charge of providing shelter and food as well as spreading propaganda. According to a close source, a few days ago, Hedayat Abdollahpour was sentenced to death once again. First, he was arrested on June 15, 2016, along with 6 other people. They were charged with providing the Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) with food and shelter. However, their relatives refuted the accusations and claimed that the Revolutionary Guards makes up these accusations to intimidate local Kurds. In 2016, Hedayat Abdollahpour was sentenced to death, and the other co-respondents were sentenced to 10 to 25 years in prison by the Revolutionary Court of Urmia. "During the time Hedayat has been in custody in the Ministry of Intelligence in Urmia, he lost his hearing in one ear under torture, and he has been hurt physically and mentally. He???s been under torture the whole time, but he is innocent. Our son never collaborated with the democrat party," Told Abubakr Abdollahpour, Hedayat's father, to Iran Human Rights (IHR). A few months later, Hedayat's case was sent to Branch 47 of the Supreme Court, and they recalled the judgement. Hedayat's father says, "The Supreme Court objected because the defendant didn't confess to anything that showed his involvement with the KDPI and there was no evidence proving his participation in the conflict." The case was sent to Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court of Urmia again, but two judges issued a death sentence again. This time, for providing food and shelter as well as spreading propaganda behalf of the KDPI. The verdict also counts Hedayat as a KDPI member, which his family strongly deny a possible membership. Hedayat's father continues: "We proclaim that our son has never participated in this conflict and has never
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Jan. 22 UGANDA: Museveni's Death Row Vow Misguided - Rights Body Amnesty International, an international human rights body, has warned that President Museveni's vow to hung condemned prisoners is a threat to Uganda's "decades of progress". While officiating at the pass out ceremony for prison warders and wardresses at Luzira prison on Thursday, President Museveni said he would decide on executing some of the prisoners on death sentence as a deterrent to rampant criminal tendencies. "I think being too lenient is also becoming a problem because the criminals think they have a right to kill people and then just keep their own heads. So, I think I am going to revise a bit and hung a few," Mr Museveni said. According to Prisons authorities, there are 278 convicts on death row. 78 of them have exhausted the court process after their sentences were confirmed by the Supreme Court, hence awaiting execution unless they benefit from presidential pardon under prerogative of mercy. However, the Amnesty International's Death Penalty Advisor, Mr Oluwatosin Popola, has said if President Museveni signs death warrants for condemned prisoners, the decision would be "misguided". "President Museveni's threat to resume executions to 'prevent crime' is misguided since there is no credible evidence that the death penalty is a deterrent to crime. Rather, it is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment and a violation of the right to life,"Mr Popola said. In a press release issued by Amnesty International on Friday, Mr Popola advised that instead Uganda should expedite trying criminal cases that are backlogged in the courts, adding that killing those already found guilty cannot fix criminality. Mr Popola said because President Museveni has in the past refused to execute prisoners, Uganda is supposed to be joining the global crusade to abolish the death penalty. "While the backlog of criminal cases in Uganda is something that needs to be addressed and expedited, resorting to the death penalty as some kind of 'quick-fix' is not the answer. But resuming (executions) them now would destroy more than a decade of progress, not to mention the global trend towards abolition. The President must instead lead Uganda to fully abolishing the death penalty, just as 19 other African countries have done," he said. Uganda last carried out an execution of prisoners on death row in 1999 when Musa Sebirumbi and 27 others were hanged in Luzira Prison. Sebirumbi was Uganda People's Congress chairman in Luweero during the Obote II government and was hanged for the murder of Edidian Luttamaguzi, a collaborator of Museveni's National Resistance Army rebels during the 1981-86 bush war. DEATH PENALTY Currently, a large majority of countries have either abolished or discontinued the practice. The US is the most developed country to use the death penalty. As of November 2017, of the 195 independent states that are United Nations members, 55 retain it in both law and practice; 29 have abolished it de facto as they have not executed anyone during the last decade or more. And 103 have abolished it for all crimes, most recently: Madagascar (2015), Fiji (2015), Republic of the Congo (2015), Suriname (2015). (source: allafrica.com) JAPAN: Focus shifts to executions in Japan's 1995 sarin gas attack More than 2 decades after poison gas attacks in Tokyo's subways killed 13, the stage has shifted to the execution of 13 people convicted in the crime. When they will be sent to the gallows, though, remains a mystery in Japan's highly secretive death penalty system. The Supreme Court rejected an appeal in the final case last week, so the condemned are no longer needed as potential trial witnesses. The court upheld a life sentence for Katsuya Takahashi, a driver in the attack who was convicted of murder in 2015. He was a follower of the Aum Shinrikyo cult that carried out the attack. "The end of the trials, which took so long, is a fresh reminder of the horror of all the crimes committed by Aum," Shizue Takahashi, the wife of a subway stationmaster who died in the attack, told reporters Friday. "Now the focus for the families of the victims and other people will shift to the executions." Shoko Asahara, the guru of Aum Shinrikyo, and 12 others have been sentenced to death. Whether any will be hanged this year is unknown. Japan generally announces executions only after they have happened. Cult members released sarin nerve gas in subway cars during the morning rush hour in March 1995, sending people fleeing to the streets and sickening more than 6,000. First-aid stations were set up in tents, and military troops in gas masks and hazmat suits were sent in. The scenes shocked a country where the crime rate is relatively low and people usually take their personal safety for granted. "We should remember that it was not a crime by a group of weird young people,
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Jan. 21 UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Fresh hearing after druggie's death penalty is commutedHe was found guilty of possessing, trafficking and using drugs. An expat, who was convicted of dealing and consuming marijuana and other psychotropic drugs, will have his case heard again by the appeal court. The Federal Supreme Court in Abu Dhabi cancelled an earlier ruling by the Appeal Court, which had commuted the death penalty handed to the Arab man by a lower court, to life imprisonment. He was found guilty of possessing, trafficking and using drugs. Official court documents stated that the police in a northern emirate had arrested the man. Authorities also seized a huge amount of drugs from the Arab man. A forensic report revealed that the man had consumed drugs. Prosecutors had charged him with drug possession, using drugs and promoting them in the country. The Arab man had admitted to possessing drugs, stressing that it was only for personal use. He denied promoting the marijuana in the UAE. The court of first instance had sentenced the man to death and fined him Dh40,000. The convict then appealed the verdict, after which the appellate court commuted his death sentence. The prosecution and the convict then appealed this ruling at the UAE's top court, which ordered the appellate court to hear the case afresh. (source: khaleejtimes.com) IRAQfemale/foreign national gets death sentence German woman sentenced to death in Iraq for joining Islamic State An Iraqi criminal court has ruled that a German woman of Moroccan descent should incur the death penalty for joining Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS), according to the court's spokesman. The case marks the 1st time a foreign woman has been sentenced to death in Iraq for joining the group, as Reuters reports. The woman, whose name hasn't been disclosed, was guilty of "offering logistic support and helping the terrorist group to carry out criminal acts," as well as "taking part in attacks against security forces," the Supreme Judicial Council's spokesman, Abdul-Sattar Bayrkda, said, according to AP. The defendant joined IS after she travelled from Germany to Syria and further to Iraq, along with her 2 daughters, who eventually married militants, Bayrkda said. The woman was captured by Iraqi forces last year during the battle for Mosul. The sentence of death by hanging can be appealed, the spokesman added. Following Baghdad declaring victory over IS in Mosul in July 2017, the Iraqi military caught a group of female fighters, including 4 German nationals. At the time, media reports said that 2 women, 1 of Moroccan origin and the other Chechen-born, were among those detained. Additionally, a German teenage girl was arrested after she converted to Islam and went missing for a year. According to German media, the girl, named as Linda W., is still held in Iraqi detention, with her potential extradition still in question. In October last year, the Iraqi ambassador to Belgium, Jawad Al-Chlaihawi, told local media that nearly 14,000 family members of suspected IS militants were being held near Mosul. At least 100 Europeans would be tried in Iraq, with most of them likely to receive a death sentence, Al-Chlaihawi said. (source: rt.com) PAKISTAN: ASJ awards death penalty to 2 murderers The Additional and Sessions Judge Tariq Khurshid Khawaja on Saturday imposed fines and awarded death penalty to 2 men found guilty of killing 4 people in Jatli in 2013. The 2 convicts were identified as Raja Usman and Raja Munir. Jatli police had registered a case and arrested Raja Usman along with his cousin Raja Munir for murdering his father Muhammad Faiz, brother Muhammad Nazir and 2 sisters over marriage dispute in Nabin Janjua village, within limits of Police Station Jatli. According to details, ASJ Gujar Khan Tariq Khurshid Khawaja took up quartet murder case during which the prosecution told the court that the investigation found that 2 men were involved in killing of 4 persons in Jatli. The prosecution demanded a death penalty for the killers. The defense failed to provide any substantial evidence that could prove the 2 killers innocent. (source: nation.com.pk) INDIA: Haryana Rapes: Death penalty for rape of girls under 12Here is what may come soonThe government will also make a request for setting up of fast-track courts for dealing with rape cases to provide a speedy justice Under fire for a series of rape cases, Manohar Lal Khattar-led Haryana Government is set to bring a law to provide capital punishment for those found guilty of raping girls aged 12 years or less. The government will also make a request for setting up of fast-track courts for dealing with rape cases to provide a speedy justice delivery system to the victims. The announcement was made by the chief minister while he was addressing people after laying the foundation stone of a
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Jan. 20 MALAYSIA: Minister's delay led to judge having no choice but to sentence A Sargunan, 4 others to death All section 39B (drug trafficking) trials should be suspended until the amended drugs law comes into force, says Charles Hector. The Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture (Madpet) is appalled by the delay in the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act 2017 coming into force. This will mean that those now being convicted by the courts for drug trafficking will still be subjected to the mandatory death penalty and not enjoy the possibility of avoiding the death penalty. The proposed amendment to the law, when it comes into force, will only apply to cases where those facing trial have not yet been convicted. Therefore, it is only just that all drug trafficking case trials must not continue until the new law comes into force. The minister's delay has already cost at least 5 individuals to be convicted to death. On 17 January 2018, it was reported that Malaysian A Sargunan, 42, and 4 Indian nationals - Sumesh Sudhakaran, Alex Aby Jacob Alexander, Renjith Raveendran and Sajith Sadanandan - were convicted and sentenced to death by the Shah Alam High Court that day for drug trafficking under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 (The Star, 17 January 2018). The Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Bill 2017 was passed by Parliament on 30 November 2017, and by the Senate on 14 December 2017. Royal assent was received on 27 December 2017, making this now an act of Parliament. But sadly, it only will come into operation on a date to be appointed by the Minister by notification in the Gazette. A perusal of the official e-Federal Gazette website on 19 January 2018, revealed that some other laws that obtained royal assent on the same day as the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act 2017 or subsequently have already come into force - but not this act which will have the effect of restoring judicial discretion to impose a sentence for drug trafficking other than the death penalty, ie life imprisonment with whipping of not less than 15 strokes for the offence of drug trafficking. Because of the minister's delay, A Sargunan and the 4 Indian nationals have now been convicted and sentenced to death, as section 39B (1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 still provides for the mandatory death penalty. Section 3(2) of the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act 2017 states: (2) Any proceedings against any person who has been charged, whether or not trial has commenced or has been completed, and has not been convicted under section 39b of the principal Act by a competent Court before the appointed date, shall on the appointed date be dealt with by the competent Court and be continued under the provisions of the principal Act as amended by this Act. This means that any person even already on trial for drug trafficking (section 39B), so long as they have not yet been convicted, can still enjoy the benefits of the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act 2017. But until the minister does what is required to ensure this law comes into force, judges will continue to have no discretion but to impose the mandatory death penalty. The new law, sadly, does not provide any remedy to those already convicted or for the 800 or more currently on death row after having been convicted for drug trafficking. As such, in fairness, all their death sentences should be commuted to imprisonment. Alternatively, a new law is needed that allows for a review of their current sentences. Reasonably, given the large numbers involved and other reasons, it would be best that all their death sentences be commuted. Malaysia must be complemented for this major long overdue step to abolish the mandatory death penalty for the offence of drug trafficking, and return discretion to judges when it comes to sentencing. It is noted that there are still flaws in this new law which have been raised by the Malaysian Bar, among others, including the fact that the judges, in exercising their discretion, are currently limited to just certain limited considerations. There is also now an unjust mandatory requirement before the exercise of the judge's discretion - the judge's assessment of the convicted person's ability or willingness to assist in disrupting drug trafficking activities. There are many reasons why those convicted person may not be able to provide this assistance including possible retaliation by kingpins and others on them or their families. The Malaysian Bar in their statement on 5 December 2017 stated: We are concerned that judges are being limited in their consideration of the mitigating factors and circumstances that surround each case, before sentencing. Such mitigating factors can include, and are not limited to, the offender's age, rehabilitation goals, past criminal record, role played in the offence, mental capacity, reparations made, fear of another person, use of
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Jan 20 UGANDA: President's misguided death penalty vow threatens a decade of progress Responding to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni's threat to "hang" death row prisoners as a crime deterrent after more than a decade without an execution in the country, Amnesty International's Death Penalty Adviser Oluwatosin Popola said: "President Museveni's threat to resume executions to 'prevent crime' is misguided since there is no credible evidence that the death penalty is a deterrent to crime. Rather, it is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment and a violation of the right to life. "While the backlog of criminal cases in Uganda is something that needs to be addressed and expedited, resorting to the death penalty as some kind of 'quick-fix' is not the answer. "Uganda's refusal to carry out executions in recent years has been a credit to President Museveni, but resuming them now would destroy more than a decade of progress, not to mention buck the global trend towards abolition. "Rather than talking of hanging criminals, the President must instead lead Uganda to fully abolishing the death penalty, just as 19 other African countries have done." Background President Museveni tweeted that "being lenient is causing people to think they can cause harm and get away with it". He was also quoted as saying, "Criminals think they have a right to kill people and keep their heads ... I think I am going to revise [my position] a bit and hang a few ... If you see how they kill people, they deserve to be killed." Amnesty International opposes the death penalty at all times - regardless of who is accused, the crime, guilt or innocence or method of execution. (source: Amnesty International) GAZA: Gaza family executes own member for collaborating with IsraelGazan family says it killed a relative after being told by Hamas he had helped Israel track down and kill 3 senior Hamas members. A Gazan family said on Friday it had killed 1 of its relatives, claiming he had helped Israel track down and kill 3 senior Hamas terrorists, including 1 of the man's own kinsmen. In a statement quoted by Yediot Aharonot, the family of Ahmed Barhoum said it had shot him in the city of Rafah after they were told by Hamas that he had provided information to Israel. This, the statement said, guided an Israeli air strike during the 2014 Gaza war that targeted the Hamas terrorists. "In light of our religious and moral commitment we have executed the collaborator Ahmed Barhoum after he was handed over by the resistance factions," the statement said. The family said they had listened to their relative's confession and saw the evidence against him. The Barhoums are one of Rafah's largest families and well known for their closeness to Palestinian Arab terrorist groups. Hamas issued a statement praising the Barhoum family's action as illustrating "its nobleness and deep affiliation with the (anti-Israel) resistance", according to Yediot Aharonot. The Israeli military declined to comment. Israel killed the 3 Hamas' senior commanders - Rafah Division commander Raed al-Attar, Southern Division commander Mohammed Abu Shmallah and Rafah Division senior commander Mohammed Barhoum - in an air strike in August of 2014. The targeted killing was a joint operation of the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and the IDF. While it is unusual to hear of a family executing their own member over alleged "collaboration" with Israel, it is not unusual that such "spies" are executed in Gaza. Hamas regularly claims to have captured "Israeli spies", and many times it tries them and sentences them to death. In theory all execution orders in the Palestinian Authority's (PA) territories must be approved by PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who is based in Ramallah and who imposed a moratorium on executions several years ago. Hamas no longer recognizes Abbas's legitimacy, and has in the past emphatically declared that the death penalty in Gaza can be carried out without his consent. In April, the group hanged 3 men accused of collaborating with Israel in the killing of senior Hamas commander Mazen Faqha. (source: Israel National News) IRANexecutions Execution of 5 Young Prisoners and Hand Amputation of Another in 3 Days During the nationwide uprising of the Iranian people against the detested rule of Velayat-e faqih, the regime's judiciary executed5 young prisoners from January 15 to 17. On January 17, a brutal sentence to amputate a young man's hand for stealing several sheeps was carried out in Mashhad Prison. 2 prisoners of 30 and 33 years old were hanged on January 17, 2018 in the Karaj Central Prison. The day before, 2 other young people who 19 and 20 at the time of their arrest were executed in Mashhad. On Monday, January 15, a 27-year-old prisoner was hanged in Babol prison. Meanwhile, Abolfazl Chezani, who was arrested at age 15, is now
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Jan. 19 BAHAMAS: Bethel Insists Death Penalty To Stay Despite Un Calls ATTORNEY General Carl Bethel yesterday informed the United Nations that The Bahamas has no immediate intention of abolishing the death penalty despite calls from scores of member states to formally end the practice. Mr Bethel addressed the international recommendations that the country has not accepted during his national report to the United Nations Human Rights Council's (UNHRC) Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group session in Geneva, Switzerland. "It is one of the popular mind," Mr Bethel told the international body during a response period, "there is no appetite on the streets if you will in The Bahamas for any ability for compromise on that issue (capital punishment). It is an emotive matter and so what we try and do is to show through raising our conviction rates, through our prosecutors, to give a sense of comfort to the populace that there is a remedy, there is a punishment that fits the crime." While there is no formal moratorium, Mr Bethel noted there has not been a mandated execution in 17 years. "The Bahamas maintains its position on the retention of the death penalty. In fact, 1 of the recommendations submitted by the Constitutional Commission, after consultation, was the retention of the death penalty. The Bahamas continues to recognise the lawfulness of the death penalty as a punishment for the crimes of murder and treason, on a discretionary basis and subject to the conditions laid down in the case law. "That said," he continued, "The Bahamas is not considering any immediate action to establish a formal moratorium on the death penalty. The last mandated execution took place 17 years ago, even in the absence of a formal moratorium." He also reflected on calls for the removal of discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, referencing the country as a Christian nation as described in the preamble to the Constitution. Mr Bethel revealed that persons who are in the process of gender reassignment are currently provided with psychological assistance from the Ministry of Health with other forms of assistance being possibly considered. "Consideration might be given to other forms of assistance," Mr Bethel said, "however, as this issue remains highly controversial in popular discourse, a cautious and modulated approach has been adopted. "Persons who are in same sex relationships are able to avail themselves of the regular protection and remedies available under the law in respect of violence or assault or property rights. And, it should be noted that consensual relations in private between adults of the same sex has been lawful in The Bahamas since 1991." On the matter of discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, Mr Bethel acknowledged these elements have not been identified as prohibited grounds of discrimination in the Constitution or legislation. However, he maintained the government's position that there has been no instances recorded of any legal discrimination of this nature, nor any formal reports made to law enforcement or government agencies. Mr Bethel stressed that the country, as a "Christian nation", believed that the family is the foundation of a strong nation and marriage by law defined as the union of a man and a woman. He also said that the local LGBTQI community had access to local and international platforms with representation on a number of national and regional organisations, and noted a 2016 press conference held by the transgender community to address concerns on the equality referendum that was conducted without interference. In response to recommendations from member states during yesterday's session, Mr Bethel underscored the importance of partnering with civil and religious leaders to "advance the cause of a more moderate public approach to issues." "We live in a constitutional democracy," he said, "we have had uninterrupted democracy, we have (had) 2 (constitutional) referenda. There has always been the political woe of the political class to advance all of the issues in controversy, except for the one of capital punishment, but the issue of gender equality, identity, transitioning, the difficulty in a democracy is that it is a question of developing a social consensus. And this is why we have adopted a modulated approach, cautiously, seeking to advance rights in areas that are very strongly held negative points of view in the populous." (source: tribune242.com) BANGLADESH: HC upholds death penalty of 2 for raping, killing minorAccording to the case statement, the convicts killed a 7-year old child, Alpona, after raping her in a jute field at Mahespur in Jhenaidah in 2008 The High Court on Thursday upheld the death sentence of 2 people for killing a 7-year-old girl in Jhenaidah after raping her in 2008. The division bench of
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Jan. 16 TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: T Death Penalty Conviction Being Reviewed in UK 5 British judges will this week consider whether a prisoner who may be mentally ill should remain on death row after a Caribbean court convicted him of murdering another inmate. Trinidad and Tobabgo, along with Barbados, are the only 2 Caribbean nations with mandatory death penalties for murder. Although Jay Chandler is unlikely to meet the hangman in Port of Spain, the case will have international repercussions for countries that still carry out executions and those that recognise the far-reaching jurisdiction of the UK's judicial committee of the privy council (JCPC). The hearing in London on Tuesday comes amid concern over the spiralling murder rate in Trinidad and Tobago, which has reinvigorated calls for the death penalty to be enforced. Last year 494 people were murdered in the Commonwealth state, which has not hanged anyone since 1999. Trinidad is 1 of more than 30 overseas territories, dependencies and Commonwealth states that rely on the JCPC as their ultimate court of appeal, sending cases from around the world to hearings before justices of the UK's supreme court in Westminster. A 1993 landmark ruling at the privy council in the case of 2 Jamaican prisoners, Pratt and Morgan, who were on death row, established the principle that delays of more than 5 years between sentence and execution are degrading and inhuman punishment. That decision resulted in hundreds of inmates having death sentences commuted to life imprisonment. More recent privy council cases have established legal precedents against imposing capital punishment on those who have intellectual disabilities such as extremely low Iqs. Trinidad and Tobago, with more than 30 people on death row, is 1 of only 2 Caribbean countries (the other being Barbados) that retains a mandatory death penalty for murder - a hangover from British colonial rule. Chandler, who is 40, was sentenced to death in 2011. He had been convicted of stabbing another prisoner, Kern Phillip, with a homemade knife in October 2004. The two men were said to have quarreled during visiting hours at the Remand Yard prison in Arouca, Trinidad. Chandler was seen chasing Phillip across the compound. The victim died from his injuries in the prison's infirmary. Postmortem examination showed that his heart had been punctured. Chandler has denied having the weapon or attacking Phillip. Lawyers for Chandler will present a report from a forensic psychologist who has diagnosed him as suffering from episodes of psychosis - fresh evidence, it is argued, that casts doubt on the safety of his conviction and sentence. The appeal will be heard by Lords Kerr, Sumption, Reed, Carnwath and Lloyd-Jones. Saul Lehrfreund, co-executive director of the Death Penalty Project, based at the London law firm Simons Muirhead and Burton, who visited Chandler, on death row in October, said: "This is yet another example of someone being sentenced to death who has never been assessed by mental health experts. "Without proper assessments, people who are potentially mentally disabled inevitably slip through the net and it is all too common to find prisoners with severe mental health issues on death row. The mandatory death penalty is of great concern as the judge has no discretion over whether the death penalty should be imposed. Trinidad and Tobago is one of the last countries in the Caribbean to retain this colonial relic, in violation of its international obligations. "The backdrop to this case is the clear prohibition on the execution of individuals with mental disorder under international law. The legal safeguards are there - the problem is with their implementation in practice." Last month the release of a confidential prime ministerial file to the National Archives revealed that in the 1970s the government had to send a British gunboat when politicians defied local courts' capital punishment rulings. The UK's abolition of the death penalty in 1969 was not extended to British overseas dependent territories for decades and the disparity caused repeated political tension. In December 1980 the then foreign secretary, Lord Carrington, wrote a letter to the prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, explaining: "Local feeling in those territories which retain the death penalty is generally strongly in favour of its use. In 1978 a frigate was sent to the British Virgin Islands in expectation of disturbances when the governor decided to commute [the death sentence]." The file shows Douglas Hurd, who later became foreign secretary, believed reform was needed. He wrote to John Major, by then prime minister, saying something had to be done because there were 12 capital punishments cases pending and in the Caymans a "new gallows had just been completed and graves have been dug." In 1991 the British government extended an order in council to its
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Jan. 15 TRINIDAD: Trinidad waits on British judges' death row ruling as murders soarCase will have repercussions for countries that still carry out executions and those that recognise jurisdiction of privy council 5 British judges will this week consider whether a prisoner who may be mentally ill should remain on death row after a Caribbean court convicted him of murdering another inmate. Although Jay Chandler is unlikely to meet the hangman in Port of Spain, the case will have international repercussions for countries that still carry out executions and those that recognise the far-reaching jurisdiction of the UK's judicial committee of the privy council (JCPC). The hearing in London on Tuesday comes amid concern over the spiralling murder rate in Trinidad and Tobago, which has reinvigorated calls for the death penalty to be enforced. Last year, 494 people were murdered in the Commonwealth state, which has not hanged anyone since 1999. Trinidad is 1 of more than 30 overseas territories, dependencies and Commonwealth states that rely on the JCPC as their ultimate court of appeal, sending cases from around the world to hearings before justices of the UK's supreme court in Westminster. A 1993 landmark ruling at the privy council in the case of 2 Jamaican prisoners, Pratt and Morgan, who were on death row, established the principle that delays of more than 5 years between sentence and execution are degrading and inhuman punishment. That decision resulted in hundreds of inmates having death sentences commuted to life imprisonment. More recent privy council cases have established legal precedents against imposing capital punishment on those who have intellectual disabilities such as extremely low IQs. Trinidad and Tobago, with more than 30 people on death row, is 1 of only 2 Caribbean countries (the other being Barbados) that retains a mandatory death penalty for murder - a hangover from British colonial rule. Chandler, who is 40, was sentenced to death in 2011. He had been convicted of stabbing another prisoner, Kern Phillip, with a homemade knife in October 2004. The 2 men were said to have quarrelled during visiting hours at the Remand Yard prison in Arouca, Trinidad. Chandler was seen chasing Phillip across the compound. The victim died from his injuries in the prison's infirmary. Postmortem examination showed that his heart had been punctured. Chandler has denied having the weapon or attacking Phillip. Lawyers for Chandler will present a report from a forensic psychologist who has diagnosed him as suffering from episodes of psychosis - fresh evidence, it is argued, that casts doubt on the safety of his conviction and sentence. The appeal will be heard by Lords Kerr, Sumption, Reed, Carnwath and Lloyd-Jones. Saul Lehrfreund, co-executive director of the Death Penalty Project, based at the London law firm Simons Muirhead and Burton, who visited Chandler, on death row in October, said: "This is yet another example of someone being sentenced to death who has never been assessed by mental health experts. "Without proper assessments, people who are potentially mentally disabled inevitably slip through the net and it is all too common to find prisoners with severe mental health issues on death row. The mandatory death penalty is of great concern as the judge has no discretion over whether the death penalty should be imposed. Trinidad and Tobago is one of the last countries in the Caribbean to retain this colonial relic, in violation of its international obligations. "The backdrop to this case is the clear prohibition on the execution of individuals with mental disorder under international law. The legal safeguards are there - the problem is with their implementation in practice." Last month the release of a confidential prime ministerial file to the National Archives revealed that in the 1970s the government had to send a British gunboat when politicians defied local courts' capital punishment rulings. The UK's abolition of the death penalty in 1969 was not extended to British overseas dependent territories for decades and the disparity caused repeated political tension. In December 1980 the then foreign secretary, Lord Carrington, wrote a letter to the prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, explaining: "Local feeling in those territories which retain the death penalty is generally strongly in favour of its use. In 1978 a frigate was sent to the British Virgin Islands in expectation of disturbances when the governor decided to commute [the death sentence]." The file shows Douglas Hurd, who later became foreign secretary, believed reform was needed. He wrote to John Major, by then prime minister, saying something had to be done because there were 12 capital punishments cases pending and in the Caymans a "new gallows had just been completed and graves have been dug". In 1991 the British government extended an
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Jan. 14 IRANexecutions Execution of 8 Prisoners During the Uprising in Order to Intensify the Atmosphere of Intimidation Simultaneous with the nationwide uprising of the Iranian people and in order to intimidate the people, the mullahs' regime's executioners executed 8 young prisoners in various cities in the period of January 1 to January 11. On Thursday, January 11, 2 prisoners were executed publicly in Salmas and Qazvin. The prisoner executed in Salmas suffered from mental illness. The young man executed in Qazvin Prison was on death row for 8 years. On January 8, 2 prisoners were executed in Sari and on January 4; 2 other prisoners were executed in Gohardasht, Karaj. Amir Hossein Pour Jafar, 1 of the executed, was 16 years old at the time of committing alleged crime. On January 2, a prisoner was executed in Dizelabad prison in Kermanshah, and the day before, a 22-year-old youth was executed in Mashhad Central Prison. These executions are taking place while 8,000 young people are arrested during the first 2 weeks of the uprising of the Iranian people and are in grave conditions. The response of the Iranian people, especially the brave Iranian youth, to this brutality is the continuation of the uprising until the eradication of the corrupt and oppressive regime of the mullahs. The Iranian Resistance urges all international human rights organizations to adopt immediate and effective steps to counter the systematic and brutal violations of human rights in Iran. (source: Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran) DR CONGO: DR Congo rebel leader sentenced to death The military court in the troubled eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has sentenced a rebel leader to death. Guylain Mumbere Kitambala, a Mayi-Mayi leader prosecuted for illegal possession of weapons and participation in an insurgent movement, was sentenced to the "death penalty", according to a judgment handed down on Saturday in Beni by the Military Court of North Kivu province. His 16 co-accused have been issued sentences ranging from 3 to 15 years in prison. The death penalty has not been applied in the DRC since 2002, due to a moratorium. She's commuted to prison for life. Mayi-Mayi are self-defence groups formed on an ethnic basis. Eastern DRC, particularly the provinces of North and South Kivu, have been plagued by violence for more than 20 years. (source: africanews.com) INDIA: Execution of convicts: Let them die in peace and not in painThe Government has claimed that hanging is the most workable mode and lethal injection method is found to have failed on many occasions in different parts of the world, hence it is not as workable as hanging. In a response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking abolition of executing death row convict by hanging the Supreme Court recently held that it was the prerogative of the Government to decide on modes of execution of convicts. Execution of convicts is provided under section 354(5) of Cr.P.C. 1973 which says, 'When any person is sentenced to death, the sentence shall direct that he be hanged by the neck till he is dead.' The Court had asked the Centre to respond to a notice issued by the Court however, it had also said that the legislature could think of changing the law so that a convict facing death penalty dies in peace and not in pain. The Government has claimed that hanging is the most workable mode and lethal injection method is found to have failed on many occasions in different parts of the world, hence it is not as workable as hanging. Despite campaigns calling for an end to capital punishment, executions are still carried out around the world. In the United States, lethal injection is considered the most humane form of execution, although recent debate over the secrecy surrounding the drugs used has questioned that assertion. Other countries continue to employ execution methods now considered outdated in the U.S., but the end result is the same. Execution by hanging is the most common method of capital punishment. Iran leads the world in hangings. Other countries that carry out hangings include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Botswana, India, Iraq, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Nigeria, the Palestinian Authority in Gaza, South Sudan and Sudan. On the other hand, firing squad is the preferred method of execution in Indonesia. 12 armed executioners shoot the prisoner in the chest. If the prisoner is still not dead, the commander then issues a final bullet to the head. Other countries that carry out executions by firing squad include China, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Taiwan and Yemen. It is also a preferred method by the United Arab Emirates. However, Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world where beheadings are used as a method of capital punishment. The beheadings are performed publicly with a sword. Though the end result of death is the same in
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Jan. 13 IRAN: The Judiciary Must Provide Legal Aid To All Death Row Prisoners For Drug Offences According to Iranian media, the head of the country's Judiciary system has ordered a Supreme Court's Uniform Procedure Decision come into effect. The decision halts the execution of drug defendants, to review their cases. However, the Supreme Court's verdict was issued in November 2017. Iran Human Rights (IHR) has a few points for clarification. The new amendment to Iranian drug law, which was enforced on November 14, can reduce the number of defendants on death row. According to official statistics, the number exceeds 5300. However, there are still some dubious points about the reports that need an explanation. Most importantly, it is not clear whether the defendants or the Section for Implementation of Sentence should file an appeal. A January 9 report notes that "The judges responsible for implementation of verdicts are obligated to immediately delay executions and pursue all cases that are subject to Clause (b), Article 10, of the Islamic Penal Code enacted in 2013, and give the priority to the death-row prisoners. If the new Article applies to them and their sentence can be then reduced, the judges should send the case along with a brief explanation to the branch of the Revolutionary Court that issued their final verdict, or a substitute branch. If the defendant personally asks for a reduction of punishment, the judges responsible for implementing verdicts are obliged to send their appeal to the court along with their case." Supreme Court General Council issued a Uniform Procedure Decision and announced that according to the new drug law, if a death-row prisoner who is charged with drug-related offences," another report published on Sunday, January 7, emphasises, "files an appeal, his sentence will be halted, and his case will be sent to a parallel court. Does this mean that the cases of the death-row drug offenders will be reconsidered, only in the situation that defendant himself appeals? "The new law can halt the execution of thousands of prisoners which is the most important step towards the limitation of the death penalty worldwide," says Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, spokesperson of Iran Human Rights (IHR). Nevertheless, Amiry-Moghaddam indicates: "if the defendant himself is responsible for appealing, then the law will be proved ineffective. Most death-row drug offenders come from the lower end of Iranian society's socio-economic continuum who do not have enough knowledge about their legal rights and are not aware of the possibility of pursuing their case to appeal. If they Judiciary remarkably wishes to reduce the number of executions, it has to provide all death-row prisoners with legal aids." (source: Iran Human Rights) ___ A service courtesy of Washburn University School of Law www.washburnlaw.edu DeathPenalty mailing list DeathPenalty@lists.washlaw.edu http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/listinfo/deathpenalty Unsubscribe: http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/options/deathpenalty
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Jan. 12 NORTH KOREA: Korea refuses to abolish National Security Law, death penaltyLiberals decry 'archaic' law on punishing anti-state activities The government refused to follow U.N. recommendations on the abolishment of one of the most politically divisive legislations which liberals long called an "archaic tool used by right-wing administrations to suppress opposition." The Ministry of Justice said Wednesday it will not abolish the National Security Law, saying further in-depth review followed by public consensus should precede any abrupt revision to the status quo. The death penalty will not be abolished either, it added. Under the National Security Law, individuals who praise, incite or propagate the activities of "anti-state bodies" are subject to seven years in prison. Such broad and vaguely worded clauses have long been used to suppress dissent and prosecute individuals who peacefully exercise their freedom of expression and association, by labeling them as "North Korean sympathizers." "The National Security Law should remain for the country to achieve peaceful reunification as well as to improve human rights of North Korean people," the ministry official was quoted as saying during a press briefing. "Abolishing the death penalty should be determined with great caution after fully reviewing both the positive and negative impact it would have on the criminal justice system." The announcement came about two months after the United Nations Human Rights Council in its Universal Periodic Review last November asked Korea to submit its policy plans in response to its 218 recommendations. The ministry has until the end of February to respond. Other than the 2 the ministry said it would follow 85 other recommendations, adding the remaining 130 are under review with plans to establish an institutional framework for their implementation. The ministry did not give any opinions on the abolishment of the law that punishes conscientious objectors who refuse to serve in the military on religious grounds. Liberal civic groups protested the ministry's decision, calling it "out of touch" with reality. "The National Security Law was used to persecute many liberals under the former Park Geun-hye administration as well as her conservative predecessors," said an official from the Lawyers for a Democratic Society, a group of liberal lawyers. "Freedom of expression and assembly is a constitutional right which cannot be infringed upon by the government, or any other entities for that matter. It is the bedrock principle in a democratic society. The ministry should change its stance to follow the international body's recommendation." (source: The Korea Times) PAKISTAN: Prisoners' request for painless execution denied A court has turned down attempts by 2 death row prisoners who wanted the way death sentences are carried out to be changed. A 2-judge bench of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) comprising Justice Roohul Amin and Justice Qalandar Ali Khan on Thursday dismissed petitions filed by 2 death row prisoners who have challenged the penalty of "hanging till death" and instead asked for a 'less painful' mode of execution in accordance with modern scientific developments. PHC dismisses petition against Jhagra The petitioners, Jan Bahadur and Gul Wali, on death row at the Haripur prison for the past 20 years, had challenged hangings. "Hanging to death is unIslamic and unconstitutional," Khurshid Khan, the lawyer for the petitioners, told the court. He insisted that it was painful and against human values. "If you are punishing them according to the English law, why do you not execute them through a modern mode?" he asked, noting that the prisoners preferred to have their sentence carried out through a lethal injection instead of being hanged by their necks. Bahadur had been sentenced to death by an additional district and sessions judge in Takht Bhai on April 7, 2000, for a 1993 murder. After he challenged the mode of execution in July 2017, a stay was grated on the execution of his sentence. Wali has been on the death row at the Haripur jail for past 22 years and recently submitted a similar application. "We are not against the executions, but against the mode of execution in Pakistan, which is a cruel one," Khurshid argued. He added that before the arrival of the British in united India, there was no concept of hanging to death. He further argued that Article 2 of the constitution provides that no law in the country will be made against Islam. "As hanging by neck till death is not in accordance with Islamic teachings, therefore it is requested to amend section 368," the petitioners contended. Section 368 of the Pakistan Criminal Procedure Code provides that when "any person is sentenced to death, the sentence shall direct that he be hanged by the neck till he is dead." Khurshid further argued that the court
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide----ROMAN., INDON., PHILIP., INDIA, ISR., IRAN
Jan. 11 ROMANIA: PM Tudose: For some criminals even the death penalty is too gentle Prime Minister Mihai Tudose said in a televised interview on Wednesday that he thinks the death penalty would still be too gentle for some criminals, and that he takes responsibility for his statement. Tudose stated: "I'll be a little non-European, but I'll take responsibility. It's going to cost me. I think even the death penalty is too little. For those who mess up a child, who take a life. You see them smiling. For some, life in prison is a gift. I know this is going to cost me a lot, because world policy is against lethal injections... Someone who does something like this cannot be human. Killing elderly people for RON 10, abusing children in a lift. What do you do when it happens to you, to your family? Aren't you going to grab an axe? Let's be humane with those who are human. 4 years later they're back at it. How in God's name can you go wrong with that?" (source: business-review.eu) INDONESIA: Indonesian death penalty laws to be softened to allow reformed prisoners to avoid execution The proposed new laws would impose a 10-year stay on executions, after which the death penalty could be commuted to a prison term. "The legislation in the draft penal code is a small step towards abolition," said death penalty critic Ricky Gunawan, the director of Indonesia's Community Legal Aid Institute. "It's a compromise between groups who are for and against the death penalty." The changes would give authorities much greater leeway to avoid executing reformed prisoners, like Australians Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran who were shot by firing squad in 2015. Both men were model prisoners who were praised for helping their fellow inmates. They were among 18 convicted drug smugglers executed in 2015 and 2016. "There are so many death row prisoners who show transformation," Mr Gunawan said. "The issue at stake is how to ensure prisoners like Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran could be seen by the Government as eligible to have their sentence commuted." Change makes commutation decision 'highly political' The 10-year stay on executions would be followed by an automatic review of the penalty by Indonesia's law and human rights minister. The minister could recommend a death sentence be commuted to life in prison or a 20-year term. Mr Gunawan said he would like to see the review done by an independent committee rather than a politician. "The decision rests with the minister for law and human rights - therefore it's highly political," he said. "There is a need for an independent body to advise the President." Legislators have agreed on the proposed law changes, but they are part of sweeping review of the nation's criminal code that will not be enacted for several years. Eighteen people have been executed under the rule of President Joko Widodo. Most were foreigners and all were convicted of drug smuggling. The executions caused significant damage to Indonesia's relationship with Australia, among other countries. (source: abc.net.au) PHILIPPINES: PHL Charter prevails over treaty obligations on death penalty - Panelo The 1987 Constitution will prevail over the Philippines' treaty obligations on the issue of the reimposition of the death penalty, President Rodrigo Duterte's chief legal counsel said on Thursday. Secretary Salvador Panelo in a statement said that the 1987 Constitution allows Congress to revive the death penalty "for compelling reasons involving heinous crimes." This despite a mandate to abolish capital punishment under the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which the Philippines ratified. Treaties ratified are not superior to the country's laws, Panelo argued. He added that the treaties cannot be in conflict with the Constitution. "The same, however, cannot prevail over the authority of Congress under the Constitution to re-impose the death penalty if it determines that there are compelling reasons to penalize or prevent the commission of grievous, odious and hateful offenses that equate to heinous crimes," he said in a statement. "Like any other law, a treaty may be repealed by a later act of Congress if it deems that such is warranted under the present circumstances or is violative of our Constitution," he added. (source: gmanetwork.com) INDIA: Team Dastangoi's Rendition of Experiencing Prison and the Death Penalty The experience of prison and the death penalty were the themes of the performance The Tihar Players' - The Gallows Project by Team Dastangoi at The Attic in New Delhi on January 5-6, 2018. Directed by the Peepli Live co-director, Mahmood Farooqui, the performance was a blend of music, poetry and dialogue, recreating the experience with performances of the travails of former inmates. Beginning with depictions of Tihar jail, the
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Jan. 10 BRAZIL: Support for Death Penalty at Record Levels Among Brazilians, Datafolha Finds According to recent Datafolha research, support for the use of the death penalty has grown significantly in the last nine years. The recent poll found 57% of those interviewed in favor of the adoption of capital punishment. In 2008, the last time that the institute polled on this subject, 47% held the same opinion. This is the highest number recorded since the Datafolha started polling on this subject in 1991. But it is within the statistical margin of error - 2 % points higher or lower - with levels recorded in 1993 and 2007, when 55% of the population said they were in favor of the punishment. The death penalty is not used in Brazil, although it is provided for during times of a declared state of war in paragraph 37 of article 5 of the Constitution. The last time Brazil was in a declared state was during the Second World War. In 2015, for the 1st time in more than 150 years, Brazilians were condemned to capital punishment. The executions of Marco Archer in January followed by Rodrigo Gularte, both in Indonesia, were the first such executions of Brazilians abroad. In Brazil itself, the last execution of a free man condemned to death by the Civil Judiciary took place in 1861 in the province of Santa Luzia, which later became the city of Luziania, in the area surrounding the current Federal District. According to Datafolha, which interviewed 2,765 Brazilians from 192 municipalities between November 29th and 30th of last year, 39% of the population is opposed to the punishment. Beyond these, 1% declared indifference and another 3% didn't know how to respond. The research revealed that support for the death penalty is highest among the poorest Brazilian citizens. Support is 58% among those who have monthly incomes of 5 minimum salaries (R$ 4,770 [US$ 1,477]) or less. It decreases to 51% among those with incomes of 5 to 10 salaries (R$ 9,540 [US$ 2,954]) and falls even more among the wealthiest group, to 42%. Women in general tend to show less support for capital punishment, at 54%, compared to 60% for men. In terms of age, the age group that shows the greatest support for execution of those condemned is the 25 to 34-year-old category, in which 61% say they are in favor. Older citizens, those more than 60 years old, are less likely to support the use of the punishment, at 52%. Atheists are the group least likely to support the death penalty. Only 46% say they are in favor of it. Among religiously affiliated Brazilians, Evangelicals are the most reticent regarding the subject: 50% are in favor while 45% are opposed (4% don't know how to respond and 1% are indifferent), while Catholics make up the group most in favor of the punishment: 63% support it while only 34% are against it. (source: folha.uol.com.br) PHILIPPINES: Pacquiao to resume death penalty hearing this month The Senate will resume this month its hearings on the revival of the death penalty through a subcommittee to be headed by Sen. Manny Pacquiao, Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said on Monday. Pimentel made it clear that he made the decision not because House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez had criticized the upper chamber for not acting on the death penalty proposal. He said he had asked Pacquiao, an advocate of the death penalty, to resume the hearings as early as October last year. Pimentel explained that the death penalty hearings were being handled by the Senate justice committee, headed by Sen. Richard Gordon, who in turn designated Pacquiao to lead the subcommittee. But Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said the revival of the death penalty measure was not part of the common legislative agenda. "I am not aware of any change in the priority list that we have agreed with the House," Drilon said. No Senate OK seen for death bill Sen. Panfilo Lacson on Tuesday said he saw no sufficient support yet at the Senate for bills seeking to revive the death penalty as a committee led by Sen. Manny Pacquiao was set to resume hearings on the proposed measures. Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III denied that the resumption of hearings on the bill was an offshoot of pressure from Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, who had complained of Senate inaction on the revival of the death penalty. In a text message, Lacson said the Senate should not just follow what the House of Representatives did. If there were bills from the House pending at the Senate, Lacson said he was sure "we will vote on it." But "in the case of the death penalty bill, for now it appears it cannot get a majority vote," Lacson said. Opposition Sen. Francis Pangilinan, a member of the Liberal Party, said he would continue heeding the LP stand against reviving death penalty. But Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III, a leading proponent of reviving the
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Jan. 9 PHILIPPINES: Pacquiao to resume death penalty hearing this month The Senate will resume this month its hearings on the revival of the death penalty through a subcommittee to be headed by Sen. Manny Pacquiao, Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said on Monday. Pimentel made it clear that he made the decision not because House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez had criticized the upper chamber for not acting on the death penalty proposal. He said he had asked Pacquiao, an advocate of the death penalty, to resume the hearings as early as October last year. Pimentel explained that the death penalty hearings were being handled by the Senate justice committee, headed by Sen. Richard Gordon, who in turn designated Pacquiao to lead the subcommittee. But Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said the revival of the death penalty measure was not part of the common legislative agenda. "I am not aware of any change in the priority list that we have agreed with the House," Drilon said. (source: newsinfo.inquirer.net) INDIA: 32% of ex-SC judges believe police torture is a necessary evil, reveal NLU Delhi talks to 60 ex-judges on the death penaltyThe death penalty stands practically abolished, believe SC judgesThe death penalty stands practically abolished, believe SC judges The death penalty would stay on Indian statute books for at least another 50 years, predicted a former Chief Justice of India (CJI) in a wide-ranging study of opinions of former apex court judges conducted by NLU Delhi on the death penalty in India. NLU Delhi's Centre on Death Penalty interviewed 60 former Supreme Court judges last year to publish an opinion study titled "Matters of Judgment", and a former Chief Justice of India (CJI) among the interviewees opined that the Indian climate and sentiment was not ready for abolition of the death penalty for another 50 years. The study explored the reasons former judges saw both in favor of abolition and retention of the death penalty, what they understood to be the "rarest of rare" cases and how fair they perceived the Indian criminal justice system to be in terms of the presence of police torture, the integrity of the evidence collection process, access to legal representation and wrongful convictions."38 out of 39 former Supreme Court judges believed that (police/investigation agency) torture is prevalent" 92 death sentences had been confirmed out of 208 death penalty cases heard by 47 Supreme Court judges between 1975-2017, the report states. Among other statistics the study threw up: there had been 4 executions in the last 14 years and 397 prisoners had been affected by the death penalty. 38 out of 39 former Supreme Court judges believed that (police/investigation agency) torture is prevalent in the Indian criminal justice system while 1 former CJI believed it doesn't happen. However, 12 out of those 38 judges surveyed on this point provided justification for torture, saying it was a "necessary evil", according to the report, while the remainder said they believed that torture was "inherently wrong and therefore had no place within the law". 5 out of those 12 judges justified torture based on poor working conditions of the investigating agencies, according to the report: 5 out of 12 former judges justifying torture said that the police resorted to torture because investigating agencies work under strenuous conditions, without adequate time and independence to investigate cases. A judge who decided 6 death penalty cases, and confirmed four death sentences in the Supreme Court, shared an anecdote about his relative who was in the Indian Police Service. The relative objected to the use of torture by deeming it to be legally impermissible and inhumane, and was subsequently told that he "better leave the job" as he was "not fit to be a policeman". The judge also mentioned that the police's mindset is affected by how poorly they are treated by VIPs during law and order duties. This in turn affects them, as "when it comes to crime, they will pick up small men and adopt 3rd degree methods, to make them accused and elicit their confessions, whether they have committed crime or not." The existence of torture was also rationalised by stating that investigating agencies are "either lazy, or don't have enough manpower, or do not know methods of scientific investigation." A judge, who adjudicated 115 murder cases in the Supreme Court, was in dismay over a particular experience at the National Judicial Academy, Bhopal, where he found the majority of participating judges held the view that the truth would not come out unless the police had the power to torture. 17 judges believed that torture undermines the system and 38 out of 58 judges believe that investigation agencies abuse the Code of Criminal Procedure's (CrPC) provisions for "confession". One former chief justice of 2 high courts recounted
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Jan. 8 PAKISTAN: Extrajudicial killing: Sindh govt seeks presidential pardon for 5 Rangers personnel The provincial authorities have sent a petition to President Mamnoon Hussain, seeking pardon for the 5 Rangers personnel who were convicted by the Anti-Terrorism Court over charges of killing a student in Karachi in 2011. The young man was shot at by the Rangers personnel at the Benazir Bhutto Park in Boat Basin area of Clifton in 2011 and was then left to die inside the park. A month ago, the petition to grant pardon and remit/commute sentences of the Rangers personnel under Article-45 of the Constitution was sent to the president, the official said. The fatal shooting was filmed by a cameraman and telecast on various TV channels, sparking a public backlash over the brutality of trained paramilitary troops. Families of the convicted security personnel approached the prison officials, subsequently, the IGP Prisons sent an application to the Home Department. The Home Department also submitted a summary before the Sindh chief minister, which was approved and sent to the Governor's House. As per procedure, the Governor's House has moved the summary to the Prime Minister's House to seek opinion and submit the same before the president for the pardon of the convicted personnel. Private TV channels reported that the president has granted pardon to the convicted Rangers personnel namely Shahid Zafar, Muhammad Afzal Khan, Baha-ur-Rehman, Muhammad Tariq and Manthar Ali. It may be recalled that a constable was awarded the death penalty and his colleagues were jailed for life for the murder under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997. The killing of Sarfraz Shah had triggered public outcry, prompting the then chief justice of Pakistan to take suo moto notice in this regard. Subsequently, both the Rangers chief and the Sindh Police chief were removed over orders of the top court. (source: Pakistan TOday) INDIA: Bootleggers may face death penalty in UP as Guv gives nod to bill Lucknow, Jan 8 Those dealing in illicit or spurious liquor in Uttar Pradesh may face the gallows as a stringent bill providing for death penalty and life imprisonment to such offenders, passed by the state legislature recently, got the governor's nod. Uttar Pradesh now becomes the 3rd state after Delhi and Gujarat to have an Act under which bootleggers may be sent to the gallows, if consumption of spurious liquor leads to loss of life. The UP Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2017, has the provisions of death penalty, life sentence and a fine to the tune of Rs 10 lakh and not less than Rs five lakh in case of death due to consumption of spurious liquor. It also provides for rigorous imprisonment up to ten years and not less than 6 years in case of disability caused by consumption of spurious liquor and fine to the tune of Rs 5 lakh and not less than Rs 3 lakh. Hooch tragedies take a heavy toll every year in Uttar Pradesh. In July, 17 people died in Azamgarh after they consumed spurious liquor. In 2015, 28 people were killed in a similar incident in the Malihabad area of Lucknow. (source: outlookindia.com) VIETNAM: Vietnam starts high-profile trial over oil firm losses Vietnam put 22 executives on trial over losses at the state oil firm on Monday, including a businessman Germany accuses Hanoi of kidnapping from a Berlin park and the communist state???s first politburo member to face trial in decades. The executives are accused over losses at state oil firm PetroVietnam. The most serious offences could carry the death penalty. A widespread crackdown on fraud and mismanagement in the energy and banking sectors has gathered pace since the security establishment gained greater influence in the ruling party last year. The trial opened under high security at the Hanoi People's Court. Crowds gathered outside but there was no public access. The most senior former executive on trial is Dinh La Thang, who was arrested last month. He is a former politburo member who was dismissed from his post over the losses at PetroVietnam and then stripped of his role as party head of Ho Chi Minh City. Also on trial is Trinh Xuan Thanh, who Germany says was kidnapped last year and taken home against his will to face accusations over losses of more than $150 million at a subsidiary of PetroVietnam. Thanh appeared on state television in August and said he had decided to return home and turn himself in. Neither Thang nor Thanh made any comment at the court and Reuters was unable to contact the lawyers representing them. Government critics have voiced suspicions that the corruption crackdown is politically motivated, at least in part, and aimed against those close to former prime minister Nguyen Tan Dung, who lost out in an internal power struggle in 2016. The trial is due to last until Jan. 21. In a separate
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Jan. 7 ISRAEL: Chief Rabbi speaks out against death penalty for terroristsRabbi Yitzhak Yosef says death penalty to terrorists law is against halakha, would endanger Jews. The Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, on Saturday night spoke out against the death penalty for terrorists law being promoted by Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu). According to the Kikar Shabbat website, Rabbi Yosef warned in his weekly shiur (Torah lesson) that if the law is approved, it would endanger Jews, not just in Israel but around the world as well, as it would mean that Jews who carried out terrorist attacks would also be put to death, which would be against halakha (Jewish law). "Top religious figures were once at a meeting with the president, and there was 1 person - the president of the Sharia court - who started to speak against the Jews because of the one who burned the family in Duma," recalled the Rabbi. "Later on, I got up to speak and told him, 'You brought one example (of a Jewish terrorist - ed.). There are examples of Arabs committing attacks every day, thousands and tens of thousands, how can you compare? There was one [Jew who carried out an attack] and everyone denounced him, the chief rabbis issued a condemnation, did you issue a condemnation of the [Jewish families] who were slaughtered on a Friday night?'" "If there was a law stipulating capital punishment, then what would have to be the sentence of that Jew who burned [Arabs in Duma]? He would have to be sentenced to death, he deserves death, but death by heaven. Let him catch a disease or be involved in a car accident, but can you kill him? Are we the Sanhedrin?" said the Rabbi, who also expressed concern over what the reactions to the death penalty in Israel would be around the world. "From the verdict to the execution, what kind of noise will there be in the world? The Jews in France, Spain, everywhere - will be in danger," he warned. Rabbi Yosef also mentioned the opposition of the defense establishment to the proposed legislation. "All the security people say that there is not much point in this. That's why the great sages, the real ones, were always against this law, it's not about left or right, it's connected to the judgment of a great rabbi." The law imposing death penalty on terrorists was approved in a preliminary reading last Wednesday by a majority of 52 to 49. If it passes its 2nd and 2rd readings, the law will allow army courts to sentence terrorists found guilty of murder to death with only a simple majority. Under current law, the death penalty may only be imposed by unanimous decision. However, so far there appears to be opposition to the law, even from members of the coalition, and it is unclear whether it will be promoted further. (source: israelnationalnews.com) MALAYSIA: Easy access to synthetic drugs, high relapse rates key factors behind Malaysia's failing drug war The ease of obtaining synthetic drugs and a high relapse rates among addicts are why Malaysia is sounding the alarm over its losing battle against narcotics, experts say. Malaysia's anti-narcotics war centres on education, rehabilitation as well as harsh penalties for drug abuse, but the country's national anti-drug agency (AADK) says the main challenge lies in eradicating synthetic drugs like methamphetamine, ecstasy and ketamine, which can easily be produced in homes factories. "Most addicts nowadays are hooked on synthetic drugs because it is easily available," AADK's director-general Abdul Halim Hussein told TODAY. The agency comes under the purview of the Home Affairs ministry and is tasked with tackling the drug menace in the country. Unlike heroin and marijuana addicts who tend to get their fix in back alleys and well-known haunts across the country - making it easier for authorities to nab them - users of synthetic drugs typically use the Internet and encrypted apps such as WhatsApp to obtain their illicit goods. This makes it harder for the authorities to trace and nab both the suppliers and users, said Mr Abdul Halim, adding that abusers of synthetic drugs are also not necessarily from the lower rugs of society, with many being successful professionals and even students. The country's drug menace has alarmed the country's leaders, with deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi publicly admitting last month that the government had failed in its war on drugs due to the rising number of addicts, which went up from 26,668 in 2015 to 30,847 last year in 2016. In the same period, the number of new addicts has also risen from 20,281 to 22,295. Also, random tests conducted in 2015 on 36,675 schoolchildren found that 1,475 of them tested positive for drugs. Of these, 1,075 children, or 73 %, tested positive for amphetamine-type stimulants, while the rest were for cannabis-related drugs. Additionally, between January
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Jan. 5 PAKISTAN: 2 brothers get death penalty for killing student A local court on Thursday convicted 2 brothers in a 9th grader murder case and awarded them death sentence with Rs1 million fine to be paid to the deceased's family. Additional district and sessions judge Ijaz Ahmad ruled that the prosecution had proved its case against the 2 accused, Ismail Khan and Afzal Khan, residents of Utla area in Swabi district, and that the evidence available on record also connected them with the commission of the offence. He, however, acquitted the 3rd accused, Hussain Ahmad, due to a lack of evidence. The boy, Aqib Hussain, was murdered in a brutal manner in July 2014 as the convicts first tried in vain to strangulate him and later slew him using a dagger. They later threw the body down a hill in a bid to conceal murder. The 2 arrested by the police had made the murder confession before a judicial magistrate. The FIR of the murder was registered on July 25, 2014, at the Nara Amazai police station in Haripur. Complainant in the case was the deceased's father, Muhammad Bakhsheed, who had accused the 2 brothers, the sons of his cousin, of committing the murder over a land dispute. Mohammad Bakhsheed had told the police that his son had stepped out to bathe in a nearby watercourse but didn't return. He said he had reported the matter to the local police station but later found the son's body in a ditch near Haripur's Ghazi area bordering Swabi district. (source: dawn.com) *** Shahzeb Khan murder case: Court seeks details of 'settlement' A sessions court hearing the Shahzeb Khan murder case has summoned details of the out-of-court 'settlement' reached between the families of convict Shahrukh Jatoi and the victim. The court on Friday also summoned a log of the arguments made before the Sindh High Court (SHC) in the past. On December 23, 2017 Shahrukh Jatoi, the son of an influential feudal lord, and other defendants in the Shahzeb Khan murder case were released from custody on bail after Shahzeb's father submitted an affidavit in support of the defendant's bail application. Shahzeb Khan's father, Aurangzeb Khan, had earlier asked the sessions court to not only release the 4 men earlier convicted of his son's murder on bail, but also drop the case against them completely, arguing that his family had earlier pardoned his son's killers. Civil activists approach Supreme Court against SHC ruling in Shahzeb murder case Shahzeb was gunned down by Shahrukh Jatoi in a posh locality of Karachi on December 25, 2012. An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in 2013 had awarded death sentences to Shahrukh Jatoi and Siraj Talpur for the murder of Shahzeb, while life sentences were awarded to Sajjad Ali Talpur and Ghulam Murtaza Lashari. However, on November 28, 2017 the murder case took a dramatic turn when the SHC ordered a retrial, striking down the death penalty awarded to the convicts by the ATC. In its order, the SHC stated that an act of revenge over personal enmity did not equate to an act of terrorism. (source: geo.tv) MALDIVES: Maldives ready to carry out executions: minister The Maldives is ready to carry out executions, local media has reported a government minister as saying, ending a 6-decade moratorium on capital punishment. Home Minister Azleen Ahmed told Raajje TV that work has been completed on building a place to carry out the death penalty and that executions will resume as soon as legal procedures are settled. 3 young men are presently on death row after the Supreme Court upheld their sentences in 2016. Death penalty regulations specify methods of execution as lethal injection and hanging. The government initially decided to implement the death penalty through lethal injection, but is now ready to carry out executions by hanging. A special unit for the purpose has been built in the high-security Maafushi prison. President Abdulla Yameen reiterated his vow to reinstate capital punishment last August amid growing international concern. "By God's will...when the Supreme Court concludes [cases] to the point where the death penalty can be enforced, our mechanisms and arrangements will be complete enough to do it with the advice of the Islamic council and the word of the heirs." The death penalty can only be carried out should all of the murder victim's immediate relatives (heirs) choose to take the life of a convicted killer under the Islamic principle of Qisas (retaliation in kind). The rules on carrying out executions state the president is required to order the execution within 3 days of a committee signing a document endorsing the death sentence. The committee is comprised of the chief prosecutor, the commissioner of prisons and the chief justice. The execution must take place within 7 days of the order. The heirs of the victim are given a last opportunity to make their wishes known
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Jan. 4 INDIA: Jigisha murder: HC commutes death penalty to 2 to life term The Delhi High Court today commuted the death penalty awarded to 2 convicts in the 2009 Jigisha Ghosh murder case to life imprisonment. A bench of Justices S Muralidhar and I S Mehta, however, upheld the life imprisonment awarded to the 3rd convict by a trial court in the case. "We commute death sentence awarded to 2 convicts to life imprisonment," the bench said. While convicts Ravi Kapoor and Amit Shukla were handed down death penalty by the trial court in 2016, the 3rd offender Baljeet Malik was given reprieve from the gallows for his good conduct in jail and awarded life imprisonment for murder of the IT executive and other counts. While sentencing the 2 to death, the trial court had said the 28-year-old woman was killed in a "cold-blooded, inhuman and cruel manner" and "brutally mauled to death". The police had claimed robbery was the motive behind the killing. (source: economictimes.indiatimes.com) ENGLAND: More than 1/2 of Tory activists support death penalty, finds landmark survey of grassroots membersAcademics found stark differences of opinion on Brexit, economic and social issues between Tory members and their Labour, SNP and Liberal Democrat counterparts More than 1/2 of grassroots Conservatives support the death penalty for serious crimes, according to a major survey that found rank-and-file members were a "breed apart" from other parties on their views. Academics at Queen Mary University London found stark differences on Brexit, and economic and social issues between Tory members and their Labour, SNP and Liberal Democrat counterparts, after polling more than 4,000 party activists following the snap election in June. Conservative members were less active and engaged than other parties and more likely to be disillusioned by how they are treated by their leadership, the report said, in findings that may concern party bosses considering future election campaigns. Despite reports of a surge in youth support for Jeremy Corbyn, the comprehensive study also found that the average Labour member was 53-years-old, while the average Tory was 57-years-old, busting the myth that Conservative activists are a "bunch of retired colonels". Members in all 4 parties were more likely to be white, male and older than the average Briton, and tend to live in London and the South of England - with the exception of the SNP. Professor Tim Bale, 1 of the authors, said: "Britain's party members are the lifeblood and the footsoldiers of our democracy. But that doesn't necessarily mean they look like or think like their parties' voters - or, indeed, look or think like each other. "The Tory grassroots in particular are something of a breed apart from their Labour, Lib Dem and SNP counterparts." The report found Tory members were authoritarian and resistant to ideas of political correctness, with 54 % in favour of the death penalty, compared to 23 % of SNP supporters, 9 % of Labour and 8 % of Lib Dems. 8 out of 10 Conservatives wanted schools to teach children to obey authority, compared to around 31 % of Labour backers, while only 4 in 10 Tories support gay marriage. At least 8 out of 10 backers of other parties support the reform brought in by David Cameron. The polling laid bare major differences on Brexit where 9 out of 10 members of the other parties want to remain in the single market, but only 1/4 of grassroots Tories support that option. On austerity, only 1 in 10 Conservatives believe the policy has gone too far compared to nearly all Labour members, 93 % of SNP supporters and 3/4 of Lib Dems. Professor Bale told The Independent he was surprised by how stark the differences were between party views and warned that the Tories needed to ensure they did not look "old-fashioned or even nasty" to younger voters coming of age. He said: "Many Conservative Party voters share those same kinds of conservative attitudes on those issues. The problem is, however, that they are a diminishing proportion of the electorate going forward, as society - partly because of more people getting access to higher education - becomes more socially liberal. "The Conservatives have to be careful that they don't get beached and look old-fashioned and even nasty to voters who are coming on stream in years to come." Professor Bale said Conservative bosses had "failed to capitalise on the consumerist trend" where party members felt they should have more say if they are paying to be involved. The survey found only 28 % of Conservatives believe they have a significant say on policy compared to 3/4 of Lib Dems and SNP members and 61 % of Labour members, and were less likely to have stepped up campaigning for their party during recent elections. He said: "Given how close some seats were at the last election and maybe at the next election - the ability to
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide----YEM., EGY., IRAN, PAKIS., ISR., MALD., CAN.
Jan. 3 YEMEN: Huthis must quash death sentence of Baha'i prisoner of conscience Responding to the news that Huthi authorities sentenced 52-year-old Yemeni prisoner of conscience Hamid Haydara to death for allegedly collaborating with Israel and forging official documents, Philip Luther, Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Research and Advocacy Director said: "The Huthi authorities must immediately quash the death sentence against Hamid Haydara. He is a prisoner of conscience who has been tried on account of his conscientiously held beliefs and peaceful activities as a member of the Baha'i community. "This sentence is the result of a fundamentally flawed process, including trumped up charges, an unfair trial and credible allegations that Hamid Haydara was tortured and ill-treated in custody. It is also part of a wider crackdown on critics, journalists, human rights defenders and members of the Baha'i community that is causing entire families to live in fear for their safety and the safety of their loved ones. "The death penalty is a violation of the right to life and the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. Hamid Haydara's death sentence must immediately be revoked and he should be immediately and unconditionally released and given full redress. "The Huthi authorities must end their persecution of the Baha'i community and respect their right to freedom of religion - a right that is enshrined in the country's own constitution and international law. Background: Hamid Kamal Muhammad bin Haydara, has been detained in Sana'a since December 2013. At the moment 5 Baha'is are detained by the Huthis in Yemen, including some who have been subjected to enforced disappearances. Amnesty International together with Yemeni NGO Mwatana Organization for Human Rights issued a public statement and wrote to relevant Sana'a-based officials in March 2017 to raise serious concerns regarding the basis for Hamid Haydara's ongoing detention as well as the deeply flawed legal proceedings in his case, including prolonged pre-trial detention, undue delays in his trial, allegations of torture and other ill-treatment in custody, lack of access to adequate medical treatment and lack of access to legal counsel during his interrogations. No response has been received yet to these letters. (source: Amnesty International) EGYPT: Death penalties, death sentences, on the rise in Egypt Egyptian authorities executed 5 people early on Tuesday who allegedly belonged to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group. The defendants were convicted of executing a terrorist attack in Kafr al-Sheikh governorate in April of 2015. The terrorist attack left 3 students in the Egyptian Military Academy dead and several others were injured. Lawyer of the defendants filed an appeal against the tentative death penalty that was released previously. However, the appeal was rejected by a high military court. The trial of Kafr al-Sheikh terrorist incident was full of shortcomings and corruption, according to the Egyptian Coordination of Rights and Freedoms (ECRF). The rights organization stated in one of its reports that the lawyers of defendants filed several proofs - official reports and documents - that they were forcibly disappeared 70 days prior to the attack. ECRF further added the National Security is aware of their disappearance, claiming that the defendants were subject to torture in order to admit their involvement in the incident. Additionally, the report claimed that security cameras in the terrorist attack's place weren't examined despite the demands of the lawyers. The latest execution of a death sentence was in December when 15 people were executed on terrorism-related charges. Several local and international rights groups have condemned the increasing death sentences in Egypt. Critics claimed that the defendants undergo unfair trials and give testimonies under pressure. Besides the significant rise in the death sentence, a misdemeanor court for urgent matters adjourned on Tuesday the trial of 3 people to 9 January, who were randomly arrested on Monday for attending a court session in solidarity with detained activist Maheinour al-Massry. The 3 detainees are facing charges that include illegal protesting and crowding. Al-Massry is facing a 2-year prison sentence after she had been tried due to her participation in protests in June of 2017. The protests erupted against the court ruling that transferred the sovereignty over Red Sea Islands of Tiran and Sanafir from Egypt to Saudi Arabia. (source: egyptianstreets.com) IRAN: Iran pro-government rallies amid 'death penalty' warning to anti-regime activists Thousands of pro-government demonstrators have taken to the streets in cities across Iran after a week of anti-regime unrest over the country's economy. Iranian media reported the rallies, which are thought
