Feb. 2
CHINA---executions
China Executes 2 From Banned Sect for Murder at McDonald's
A father and daughter have been executed in China for attacking and killing a
woman who had refused to join their outlawed religious group during an
altercation at a McDonald's outlet, a court said Monday.
Zhang Fan and her father, Zhang Lidong, were executed after the Supreme
People's Court approved the death penalty, the Yantai Intermediate People's
Court in the eastern province of Shandong said in a statement. It didn't say
when the executions took place.
The 2 were convicted and sentenced in October along with 3 other women who
received sentences from life imprisonment to 7 years.
The court said the group had called the victim "an evil spirit" and a "demon"
before beating her to death one evening last May while at a McDonald's
restaurant. She had refused to give them her number so that they could recruit
new members into the "All-powerful Spirit" group, which China considers an
illegal cult. The anti-Communist sect believes Jesus was resurrected as a
Chinese woman.
China's Supreme People's Court must review and approve all death sentences.
(source: Associated Press)
INDONESIA:
Headlines Pleas for death-row convicts grow louder
Death-penalty critics are continuing to call on President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo
to spare the lives of convicted drug dealers, several of whom will face the
firing squad this month.
The Attorney General's Office (AGO) recently revealed the names of 11 death-row
convicts on its soon-to-be-executed list, which include 2 Australian nationals
- Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.
Indonesian drug trafficker Zainal Abidin and 3 Indonesian murder convicts -
Syofial, Sargawi and Harun - are also on the list of inmates set to face the
firing squad on the isolated Nusakambangan in Cilacap, Central Java.Joining
other human rights campaigners who have repeatedly called for the government to
stop executing drug convicts in the fight against narcotics, the Institute for
Criminal Justice (ICJR) called for the Judicial Commission to review all
verdicts handed down to drug convicts after finding strong grounds that as many
as 135 verdicts were marred with irregularities that contravened the principles
of a fair trial.
"We urge the Supreme Court to consider granting case reviews," the ICJR said in
a statement on Sunday.
Prominent human rights lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis, the attorney for the 2
Australians - Sukumaran and Chan - confirmed that both of his clients had
submitted their 2nd case-review proposal to the Denpasar District Court, a move
intended to delay their executions.
The 2 Australians, whose 1st case-review proposals were rejected by the same
court, were put on the waiting list of the next batch of executions after
Jokowi rejected their clemency bids last year.
"Yes, we have filed the case-review proposals [with the court]," Todung said on
Sunday.
Earlier on Friday, Todung said his clients had become better people. "With
their rehabilitation, with all the changes that have taken place, I think they
deserve a 2nd chance," he said.
He was confident the case reviews would be granted, based on the Constitutional
Court's ruling that allows a convict to file multiple case-review proposals.
"We have the right to lodge [another] review."
AGO spokesman Tony Tubagus Spontana confirmed the proposal submissions for the
2 Australian convicts.
"They filed their requests on Friday," Tony said on Sunday.
Tony, however, did not answer when asked whether the case-review petitions
would consequently delay the executions of the 2 foreign nationals.
Earlier, Attorney General HM Prasetyo said that a decision on the fate of a
death convict became final once their clemency request to the President was
rejected. The Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court have disagreed about
how many case-review proposals a convict should be permitted.
The AGO has sided with the Supreme Court, which says a convict should only be
given 1 chance for a case review. The Constitutional Court last year, through a
ruling on a judicial review filed by former Corruption Eradication Commission
(KPK) chairman Antasari Azhar, who has been seeking a way to clear his name in
a murder case, claims that every citizen has the right to file multiple
case-review proposals should there be enough evidence to challenge their
verdicts.
On Saturday, volunteers from a local organization in Bali, the Mercy Campaign,
distributed #keephopealive stickers to boost support for the anti-death penalty
movement in the country.
"We want to raise people's awareness about the death penalty and execution plan
for Myuran and Andrew [Chan]. We want people to know that there is a problem
with the death sentence. These 2 people have repented and yet they will be
executed," campaign coordinator Matius Arif said.
"They were drug dealers, yes. But that was 10 years ago," Arif added. He said
the government should focus on law enforcement instead of executing people.
(source: Margareth S. Aritonang, Haeril Halim and Ni Komang Erviani, The
Jakarta Post)
****************
Jokowi's stance on death penalty ignores unfairness
The death penalty, and particularly the executions of drug traffickers by the
government of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, have recently generated 2 vastly
differing reactions. The government's policy has been widely criticized
internationally but has the near-unanimous support of the Indonesian public and
politicians. Regrettably, the only visible segment of the Indonesian public
strongly opposed to the death penalty are the human rights activists. In the
sights for the next round of executions are 2 Australians, Andrew Chan and
Myuran Sukumaran, leaders of the Bali Nine drug ring.
The stern and swift executions tell something of Jokowi's Presidency and his
leadership. It perhaps came as a shock to the international community, which
had euphoric expectations of Jokowi when he won the presidency. Many distant
observers had unrealistic expectations that Jokowi as a "new" politician would
strive for all the "good" things: clean government, effective bureaucracy,
human rights and so on.
President Jokowi is indeed untainted by human rights violations, and seems to
genuinely care for the welfare of his people. However, he is a pragmatic
politician and bureaucrat, not the idealist with visionary grand concepts that
some have made him out to be.
As we have seen in the 1st 3 months of his presidency, in terms of policy and
actions within his control, he lived up to his "packaging", including the
expected tug-of-war against the string-pulling of the old guard. Disregarding
the current mess caused by the oligarchs within his coalition on political
appointments and the chief of police debacle, Jokowi has proven himself to be
an assertive leader true to his words and intentions.
He is not swayed by the whims of public opinion as his predecessor was.
Scrapping the fuel subsidy was an action the significance of which has been
somewhat overlooked. The fact that it did not create a huge uproar, in spite of
its perception as a Pandora's Box by previous presidents, shows that Jokowi's
leadership and political capital are greater than any other president since the
beginning of reformasi.
That said, his rejection of clemency for death-row inmates and today's line-up
of executions is not uncharacteristic of his leadership. Many of his policies
and actions in these past three months, excluding the "big-mother" drama
alluding to the influence of his patron, speak of a leader who is not easily
pressured by either domestic public opinion or international pressure.
Jokowi has shown that to some extent he has tunnel vision, concrete and
measurable goals that fit his rather narrowly defined goals and vision. He saw
the need to reallocate money to support his infrastructure build-up and health
and security protection programs. Hence, he was prepared to risk a tidal wave
of public uproar.
The same thing can be said of his leadership of Indonesia vis-a-vis other
countries and the international community.
Jokowi is not a hyper-nationalist leader who would ferment nationalism against
other countries to garner public support or show himself as a "man of the
people". But nor will he cave in to international pressure if, in his
calculation, it is not beneficial for his measurable goals to do so. He is not
a friend to a million strangers like his predecessor, as clear from the recent
executions of foreigners and sinking of illegal fishing ships.The saving of any
of the lives in the 2nd execution roll-call, in particular the lives of the
much-publicized 2 Australians, is now a forlorn hope.
The fact that the 1st batch of executions included foreign citizens, exempting
just the 2 Australians would be perceived as a double standard and as peculiar
subservience to Australia. In light of rows between the 2 nations over issues
including Australia's obstinacy on boat people and the lack of apology for the
wire-tapping incident, it is particularly tricky for the Australian government
to lobby for the lives of Chan and Sukumaran.
It is lamentable that the Indonesian government, backed by overwhelming public
opinion, looks likely to continue with the executions. It is particularly sad
to see that of the convicts in the next batch, Martin Anderson from Ghana,
waiting to be executed for possession of a mere 50 grams of heroin. It seems
probably that President Jokowi's stubborn stance on executions, in spite of the
international outcry and the constitutional provision for the right to life, is
down to the advice he is getting. He is likely being supplied with data and
statistics on the drug problem plaguing Indonesian society. It is thus only
logical in his mind to go ahead with the executions. Advocates against the
death penalty will need to be able to connect their arguments to concrete and
measurable goals within Jokowi's programs. They will also need to be able to
show a clearer picture how the death penalty, as well as being prone to error,
is also very unfair and can create a mess of the Indonesian justice system.
One clear contrast is the execution of Anderson with the perfunctory sentences
of between 3 and 6 months in prison for the killers of 3 Ahmadi villagers in
Cikeusik, Banten, in 2011 - an outrageous disparity. The conclusion: abolish
the death penalty to allow time to rethink and review the fairness of the
sentences.
Foreign countries understandably need to lobby for the lives of their citizens,
but this will prove futile if it means Jokowi having to show preferential
treatment to certain countries, which he will probably not do. Foreign
diplomats will need to help human rights activists frame the issue in the
larger context and articulate how an end to the death penalty is in Indonesia's
interests.
... abolish the death penalty to allow time to rethink and review the fairness
of the sentences.
(source: Opinion, Tobias Basuki; The writer is a researcher with the department
of politics and international relations at the Centre for Strategic and
International Studies, Jakarta, and was selected as a Munich Young Leader in
2014----The Jakarta Post)
********************************************
Indonesian judge says Bali 9 duo shouldn't be shot because the death penalty
doesn't work
A former senior Indonesian Judge involved in the Bali 9 trials has warned the
firing squad does nothing to prevent drug crime.
Speaking exclusively to News Corporation, Judge Laica Marzuki said he is
saddened by his country's renewed stand on the death penalty and that heavy
sentences would be a more effective deterrent to criminals.
Mr Marzuki was on a panel of 9 judges in the Indonesian Constitutional Court
who heard a challenge by Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran and 2 Indonesian
prisoners against the death penalty in 2007.
The court eventually ruled 6 to 3 that the death penalty was constitutional for
the worst case of crime. Mr Marzuki was one of the dissenting judges on that
decision. The court's chief judge has since said that he only sided with the
majority because that is the role of the chief.
Sukumaran and Chan are now very close to being executed although no date has
been set.
One of the Indonesian women on their court challenge in 2007 was executed in
the early hours of January 18, along with 5 others as part of a renewed effort
by Indonesia to eradicate drug crime and send "shock therapy" to drug
traffickers.
"As a former judge I am so sad to see this," Mr Marzuki said of Indonesia's
appetite to execute a large number of death row prisoners this year.
He said he continued to stand firm on his view that the death penalty violates
the Indonesian Constitution's right to life which cannot be reduced under any
circumstance.
"In my opinion the plan to execute drug criminals should be cancelled as it
violates the Constitution. The death sentence should be replaced by life
sentences," Mr Marzuki said.
"I am disappointed. I hope the President can consider again that the executions
are against our 1945 Constitution.
"I have a dream that some day the death sentence in Indonesia will be deleted."
Mr Marzuki likened his country's legal system, inherited from the Dutch who had
abolished the death penalty, as being "a goat chewing old grass".
And Mr Marzuki said the death penalty was not a deterrent and that drug crime
was better dealt with and deterred by hefty sentences.
The Denpasar District Court is yet to announce if it will accept a last-ditch
appeal bid by the 2 Sydney men which was lodged on Friday to be spared from
death row.
News Corporation understands that the court's chief was in Jakarta on Monday
seeking advice from superiors about whether to accept or throw out the
application. A decision may be given on Tuesday.
The duo lodged applications for a judicial review or PK of their case on Friday
but authorities have said only one of these appeals is allowed per prisoner and
both Chan and Sukumaran have lodged and lost judicial reviews back in 2012.
Since then there has been controversy. The Constitutional Court says more than
1 PK is allowed, if there is new evidence, but the Supreme Court says the limit
is 1. However a new regulation to that effect is yet to be passed.
Further clouding the issue were reported comments from the Indonesian Attorney
General that the pair were among the next round of death row inmates to face
the firing squad.
The attorney-general said various things had to be considered before setting a
date for the next round of executions, including the weather.
"We're just waiting for the right time," he said.
"Their judicial aspects have been finished and certainly, we are now in the
stage of preparation for their death penalty execution."
Mr Marzuki says human rights demand that more than one PK appeal be allowed.
"For the reason of human rights the PK should be allowed to be lodged many
times," he said.
The 2007 Constitutional Court decision involving Chan and Sukumaran also
recommended that if, after 10 years of good behaviour on death row, prisoners
had not been executed, their sentences should be commuted to life or 20 years.
However that recommendation has not been made law.
In April this year the 2 Australians will have been on death row for 10 years
and have submitted they are reformed and rehabilitated.
On Monday the families of Chan and Sukumaran visited them in jail, along with a
local Pastor and church group who were due to hold a church service in the
jail. Chan is studying to be a pastor.
(source: news.com.au)
*****************
Execution Island: Where Chan and Sukumaran will go to die
It's not an easy journey from Kerobokan prison to Nusa Kambangan. There's a
flight to Jogjakarta, a bumpy 5-hour road trip through the villages and rice
paddies of Central Java, and finally a steamy ferry ride to the island itself.
For Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, it will be the most difficult journey
they've ever had to make. It will also be their last.
10 years after they entered Kerobokan prison - named as ringleaders of the
infamous "Bali 9", a plot to smuggle 8.3kg or $4 million worth of heroin out of
Indonesia - the pair will soon finally leave.
But it won't be to a luxury Bali villa to serve out their parole like Schapelle
Corby.
These men will make that journey to Nusa Kambangan - Indonesia's Alcatraz - in
the dead of night. A few days later they'll be killed by firing squad.
Indonesia's President has rejected their pleas for clemency, and despite a last
ditch legal bid by the pairs??? lawyers, the Government says the pair have
exhausted their appeals and will be among the next round of prisoners to be
executed. That means that any day now, they could be given 3 days notice of
their execution date.
My cameraman and I travelled to Nusa Kambangan - the island the Government has
said will be the most likely location for their execution, this week.
One side of the island is a tourist paradise. Laughing locals sipping coconuts,
young boys playing on white sand beaches. Our western faces were such a novelty
we were asked to pose for many photos.
Then our small fishing boat travelled to the other side - only to the edge of
the "restricted area" where our driver would go no further. Security cameras
peeped out from dense walls of trees. A boat carrying prison staff was docked
at the port. A sign bearing the faces of Indonesia's Justice Minister and
narcotics boss with raised fists let us know that this was where Indonesia's
worst criminals are housed - in 7 prisons dotted around the island.
Father Charlie Burrows, an Irish priest who lives in the closest mainland port
city of Cilacap has counselled many prisoners and their families as the time of
execution draws closer. He told us that just waiting for the death sentence to
be carried out is torture in itself. "The president has said they're all going
to be executed. That means none of them have hope anymore. And you can't live
without hope."
His description of the execution process is even more terrifying.
"When I was there, they were taken up to a mountain and they're tied these - it
was actually a cross, yeah. And they have rubber tubing round around them so
they can't move and they have white cloth on them and the doctor comes forward
and puts a little black badge where the heart is and then the shooters shoot
for the heart,??? he said.
Charlie Burrows has witnessed 2 of these executions and says it took 7 or 8
minutes for the prisoners to die. In that time, while they were moaning in
pain, he sang ???Amazing Grace??? to give them something to focus on. Charlie
is a strong campaigner against the death penalty. He believes the prisoners
should be rehabilitated instead.
By all accounts, Chan and Sukumaran have been. 10 years ago they were young men
who did a terrible thing and were caught. But they believe they are now good
men. Chan is studying to be a pastor and counsels fellow inmates, helping them
steer clear of drugs. Sukumaran is a talented artist and runs classes for other
prisoners. They're not asking to be freed, just for their lives to be spared so
they can continue to work for the rest of their lives inside Kerobokan prison.
As I sat in that fishing boat looking at the entrance to that island prison -
one of the last things those men will ever see, I tried to imagine what they
would be thinking when they arrive here. But it's impossible. How can someone
even process what they are about to face?
I've seen their families coming and going from the prison, grief and despair
etched on their faces. They're spending as much time as possible with their
loved ones, knowing it could be over very soon.
Charlie Burrows tells me there's an Indonesian saying that translates to "if
you know a person, you'll automatically like him".
Chan and Sukumaran broke the law. They did it in a country where the punishment
is death. They knew that and took their chances anyway. But 10 years later they
are different people who have realised their mistakes and have been atoning for
their crimes. Do they really deserve to die?
(source: 9news.com.au)
******************
Your letters: A relic of colonialism
It is surprising to me that a dynamic and thoughtful society such as yours can
hold on to such a barbaric relic of colonialism as the death penalty.
Ritual hanging, bloody flogging, often to death, were all practiced in England
during the 19th and 20th centuries. At the time when "transportation for life"
was the British answer to its prodigious crime rate, the death penalty was
being enacted for some 220 "crimes". Strangely, as a deterrent, it didn't work
very well. Crowded boats still made their way to Botany Bay.
Enforcement of any "death penalty" and other unusual penalties within any
system of justice is, of itself, premeditated and barbarous. The practical
details of executions have frightening effects on those who have to carry them
out. They also encourage a degree of prurience among the public. The penalty
attracts more attention than the crime.
England, Australia and most European countries have abandoned these forms of
retribution for many good reasons. Arthur Koestler's Reflections on hanging did
more to change this culture in England and Australia than any other book.
I feel sure that Indonesia itself will in due course abandon the death penalty,
an horrific and outdated form of punishment.
Terry Beahan
Western Australia
(source: Letter to the Editor, Jakarta Post)
************************************
'Bali 9' ringleaders 'next in line' to be executed----The men have had their
appeal for clemency rejected
2 Australians facing the death penalty in Bali are next in line to be executed,
Indonesia's attorney general has said.
Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, members of the "Bali 9" drug smuggling ring,
applied on Friday for a fresh judicial review.
But the attorney general's office says they have exhausted options for appeal.
It was not clear when the executions would take place. Appeals for clemency
have already been rejected.
Attorney General HM Prasetyo said on Monday that Chan and Sukumaran "will be
included" in the next group of prisoners to be put to death.
"We have heard that many Australians support the execution and it is one of the
things that pushes us to feel we are not making a mistake," he told a press
conference in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta.
Lawyers for Chan and Sukumaran have filed an application for a 2nd judicial
review. Mr Prasetyo said he had heard that this focused on the men's
rehabilitation in prison, but said this did not constitute new evidence.
"New evidence is... something we didn't know when the trial took place that
would have altered the sentence," he was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning
Herald, adding that "our reference" is the fact that their appeal for clemency
has already been rejected by the president's office.
Diplomatic row
Indonesia has some of the toughest drug laws in the world. It ended a 4-year
moratorium on executions in 2013.
Last month, Indonesia executed convicts from Malawi, Nigeria, Vietnam, Brazil
and the Netherlands as well as 1 from Indonesia.
It prompted Brazil and the Netherlands to recall their ambassadors in protest.
Australian authorities have threatened to do the same if Chan and Sukumaran are
put to death.
Australia opposes the death penalty and its government has repeatedly
campaigned on behalf of the men. They were in a group of 9 Australians arrested
in Bali in 2005 with more than 8.3kg (18lb) of heroin.
(source: BBC news)
*************************
Indonesia to execute Ghanaian and 10 other nationals
Indonesia was preparing to carry out its 2nd series of executions of death-row
convicts since the beginning of the year, reports said Monday.
"We're still waiting for the right time, including the weather," Attorney
General Muhammad Prasetyo was quoted as saying by CNN Indonesia online.
The Attorney General's office last week said it had received presidential
letters rejecting clemency for 11 convicts on death row, including 8 drug
traffickers.
They include 1 each from Brazil, France, Ghana, the Philippines, Nigeria and 2
from Australia.
Indonesia last month executed 6 convicted traffickers, from Malawi, Brazil,
Nigeria, the Netherlands, Vietnam and Indonesia.
Executions in Indonesia are carried out by firing squad.
The Netherlands and Brazil recalled ambassadors from Jakarta to protest the
executions of their citizens.
Indonesia has defended the death penalty for drug traffickers, saying the
country's drug problem has reached an emergency level.
The government has said drug abuse kills an average of 40 people in Indonesia
each day, and that the estimated number of drug addicts is expected to reach
5.8 million people this year.
Last month's executions were the 1st since 2013 and the 1st since President
Joko Widodo took office in October 2014.
There are more than 100 people on death row in Indonesian prisons, mostly for
drug offences.
(source: spyghana.com)
******************************
Trial of US couple charged with murder in Indonesia proceeds
An Indonesian court decided Monday to go ahead with the trials of an American
couple charged with murdering the woman's mother while vacationing on the
resort island of Bali last year.
The 3-judge panel overruled defense arguments that the indictment submitted by
prosecutors had inaccuracies and should be annulled. Hearings will resume
Wednesday at Denpasar District Court in the provincial capital of Bali.
"The indictment is fully qualified both formally and materially according to
the law," said presiding judges Made Suweda. "Therefore, the defense objections
are rejected."
The badly beaten body of Sheila von Wiese-Mack, 62, was found in a suitcase in
the trunk of a taxi outside an upscale hotel in August.
Heather Mack, 19, and her boyfriend Tommy Schaefer, 21, both from Chicago, are
being tried separately with the same judges and prosecutors. They are charged
with premeditated murder and face a maximum penalty of death by firing squad if
found guilty.
Their lawyers argued earlier that inaccuracies in the indictment could lead to
multiple interpretations of the suspects' activities and the crime scene,
raising questions of whether other people had entered the victim's room and
killed her.
They also objected to the citing of communications between the defendants on
cellphones as evidence of premeditated murder, arguing that cellphone
communications are prone to manipulation. Prosecutors have alleged that the
couple sent text messages about their initial plan to disguise a murder as
suicide on the beach.
Both defendants sat quietly as the decision to proceed with the trials was read
out by judges. Unlike previous hearings, Schaefer didn't shed tears.
In their indictment, prosecutors said the couple plotted the murder because von
Wiese-Mack did not endorse their relationship, and that Mack once suggested
that Schaefer hire someone to kill her mother for $50,000 before their visit to
Bali.
It said that an argument over the hotel bill made Mack's mother angry and she
scolded Schaefer, using a racial slur, and Schaefer then battered her with a
fruit bowl handle.
Mack, who is 7 months' pregnant, helped stuff her mother's body in the suitcase
by sitting on it to enable Schaefer to close it, the indictment said. They then
hired a taxi and placed the suitcase in the trunk and told the driver they were
going to check out of the hotel and would return, but never did.
(source: Associated Press)
***********************
British grandmother Lindsay Sandiford in final appeal from Indonesia's death
row
Fearing her death penalty could be carried out in a few weeks, British
grandmother Lindsay Sandiford has written to UK's Foreign Secretary to seek
financial help in pursuing a final legal appeal.
Sandiford, 57, from Cheltenham was convicted of smuggling cocaine worth 1.6
million pounds' worth from Thailand to Bali in May 2012, and faces death by
firing squad.
"We are closely following Lindsay Sandiford's case in Indonesia. We stand ready
to support at this difficult time, if it is requested. The UK strongly opposes
the death penalty in all circumstances without exception. We have made
representations about the death penalty to the Indonesian government, and we
will continue to do so." - Spokesman, British embassy
She has maintained that she was forced into drugs smuggling to protect her
children since their safety was at stake.
In a letter seen by BBC, Sandiford has appealed to UK's Foreign Secretary
Philip Hammond who will be visiting Indonesia this month.
She has said that she does not have the financial resources to hire a lawyer
and challenge her conviction or file for clemency.
Sandiford also claims she has received no assistance from the Foreign Office
since her arrest.
The Foreign Office however, denies this and said it has consistently offered
consular help to Sandiford.
"We are closely following Lindsay Sandiford's case in Indonesia. We stand ready
to support at this difficult time, if it is requested," said a spokesman at the
British embassy in Indonesian capital Jakarta.
"The UK strongly opposes the death penalty in all circumstances without
exception. We have made representations about the death penalty to the
Indonesian government, and we will continue to do so."
Indonesia is known for its tough penalties and zero-tolerance policy on drug
offences.
Indonesia's President Jodo Widodo last week denied appeals for presidential
clemency from 2 Australians who are also sentenced to death saying, there is
"no compromise".
Indonesia carried out 6 executions last month, including 5 foreigners, for
drug-related offences.
(source: International Business Times)
*************************
Alleged drug lord forced to burn $136 million of meth
Wong Chi-ping sat quietly. Handcuffed and wearing a black mask, the Chinese
national watched as Indonesian authorities put 1,900 pounds of what was said to
be his methamphetamine on a table. Alongside eight other suspects, he was
paraded in front of the media before authorities forced the alleged drug lord
to burn his alleged $136 million stash in a large incinerator. That's not the
worst of it for him. If convicted he could face the death penalty.
Authorities have been on the hunt for Wong for years, according to the South
China Morning Post. Wanted in 7 different jurisdictions, the 40-year-old
alleged drug lord was caught earlier this month transporting his alleged stash
in a Jakarta, Indonesia, shopping mall. The 3-year investigation targeted
Wong's accomplices, who were arrested on the same day. The high profile bust is
reportedly the biggest seizure of drugs in Indonesian history.
"The Chinese government supports any penalty, any verdict given by the
Indonesian government," Li Bo of China's narcotic control commission said at a
news conference. If convicted for drug trafficking, the 9 men could face the
death penalty in Indonesia - a country with strict drug laws that resumed
executions for drugs in 2013 after 5 years.
"We have very strict regulation," BNN Deputy Chief Deddy Fauzi Elhakim told
local news media, as Vice reported. "We have very strong punishment for
everyone who tries to supply or smuggle drugs in Indonesia."
Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who has been in office since October, has
drawn criticism for not offering clemency for drug offenders, as Reuters
reported.
Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, part of the so-called "Bali 9," were
sentenced to death in 2006 for attempting to smuggle about 18 pounds of heroin
into Australia. The two foreigners are still scheduled to face the firing squad
despite many appeals. Hundreds of Australians called for their release on
Thursday, taking to the streets and putting on a large concert in support.
According to a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Asia is
the largest market in the world for amphetamine-type stimulants. In the past 5
years, seizures of methamphetamine tripled.
"Every day we have 50 people die because of narcotics, of drugs," Widodo told
CNN's Christiane Amanpour. "In 1 year, it's 18,000 people who die because of
narcotics. We are not going to compromise for drug dealers."
(source: Washington Post)
JAPAN:
Death sentence upheld for Akihabara rampage killer
The Supreme Court on Monday finalized the death penalty of Tomohiro Kato for
the vehicular homicide and stabbing spree that left 7 people dead and 10
injured on the streets of Tokyo's Akihabara neighborhood in 2008.
The indiscriminate killing spree was carried out based on Kato's "meticulous
preparation" and "determined intent of murder," Chief Justice Ryuko Sakurai
said.
"The incident also had huge repercussions on society and the victims' kin are
keenly desirous of his punishment," she continued, condemning the 32-year-old
former temp worker as liable for "extremely grave criminal responsibility" and
worthy of no extenuating circumstances.
Kato, who was 25 at the time, plowed a rental truck into a crowded intersection
in Japan's mecca for "otaku" (geek) culture on June 8, 2008, killing 3 people
and injuring 2. He then got out, chased down and stabbed bystanders, killing 4
and wounding 8.
The incident shocked Japan and shoved the problem of youth dissatisfaction with
unstable employment back into the spotlight.
It also froze Akihabara's Sunday tradition of forming pedestrian-only shopping
zones by closing its main street, Chuo-dori, to traffic every week.
Kato has explained in past testimony that his motive was to vent his pent-up
anger at society and demonstrate to all of his tormentors, including people he
claimed had been harassing him in an Internet forum, of the consequences of
their actions.
Just before the attack, he posted anonymous messages online detailing his
intentions. He was sentenced to hang by the district and high courts in 2011
and 2012.
Before Monday's ruling, his defense team had asked for clemency on the grounds
that Kato was barely sane at the time of the massacre due to obnoxious online
harassment he was subject to.
The prosecutors countered that he must have been mentally competent enough to
know the magnitude of what he was about to do, citing his thorough preparation.
The top court ruled in favor of the prosecution, saying his plan had been
meticulously planned.
The Tokyo District Court's ruling stated that Kato drove past the intended
crime scene 3 times before he was able to launch his attack, an act of
hesitation it said suggested he was aware of the gravity of what he was about
to do.
The district court also said Kato, partly because of his abusive mother, was
incapable of understanding the feelings of others and developing healthy
relationships with them.
(source: Japan Times)
EGYPT:
Confirmation of 183 death sentences 'outrageous'
"Today's death sentences are yet another example of the bias of the Egyptian
criminal justice system. These verdicts and sentences must be quashed and all
of those convicted should be given a trial that meets international standards
of fairness and excludes the death penalty." -- Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Deputy
Middle East and North Africa Programme Director at Amnesty International.
The deaths sentences handed down to 183 people in Egypt today following grossly
unfair trials are a further sign of Egypt's disregard for national and
international law, says Amnesty International today.
"Today's death sentences are yet another example of the bias of the Egyptian
criminal justice system. These verdicts and sentences must be quashed and all
of those convicted should be given a trial that meets international standards
of fairness and excludes the death penalty," said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Deputy
Middle East and North Africa Programme Director at Amnesty International.
"The death penalty is a cruel and inhuman punishment in all circumstances. To
impose death when there are serious doubts hanging over the fairness of the
trial is outrageous and flouts international law."
The sentences come after a nation-wide media campaign calling for the execution
of those involved in attacks on police and military, which gathered pace
following last week's attacks in Sinai.
In December, the Giza criminal court convicted 188 of involvement in the
killing of 11 police officers, in relation to attacks on Kerdassa Police
Station in Giza in August 2013 in which 11 police officers were killed. The
final verdict was issued today following consultation with the Grand Mufti.
"Issuing mass death sentences whenever the case involves the killing of police
officers now appears to be near-routine policy, regardless of facts and with no
attempt to establish individual responsibility," said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui.
So far, 415 people have been sentenced to death in four trials for the killing
of police officers, while the case against former President Hosni Mubarak,
involving the killing of hundreds of protesters during the uprising, has been
dropped. To date no security officers have been held to account for the killing
of 1,000 protesters in August 2013.
The trial was held in Tora Police Institute rather than a courtroom and all of
the witnesses were either police officers or families of the police officers.
The families of the defendants were unable to attend
"Not allowing the families or public to attend the trial was in contravention
of national and international law and holding the trial in a prison complex
undermined the presumption of innocence and the right to a fair and public
hearing," said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui.
The defence panel also told Amnesty International that not all of the
defendants were brought to the hearings. Those who were, were unable to hear
the trial proceedings or communicate with the legal team because of a large
dark glass screen separating them from the rest of the courtroom. The defence
panel also added that they were not able to cross-examine prosecution witnesses
during the trial and the judge did not summon all the witnesses.
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.
(source: Amnesty International)
**********************
Egypt court upholds Muslim Brotherhood death sentences----Supporters of former
Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi burned a police station in Kerdasa, More than
140 of the defendants are in custody over the attack at the Kerdasa police
station
A court in Egypt has upheld death sentences on 183 Muslim Brotherhood
supporters over a 2013 attack on a police station near Cairo.
The men were convicted over the deaths of at least 11 officers in Kerdasa.
The attack took place after Egyptian military forces cracked down on Islamist
supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi that July.
Hundreds of death sentences have been passed on Mr Morsi's supporters but none
have been carried out.
Mr Morsi will face a new espionage trial on 15 February, Egypt's official Mena
news agency says.
He and 10 others will be charged with leaking "classified documents" to Qatar
and Qatari-based broadcaster al-Jazeera.
Mr Morsi is already facing three other trials, including another case of
espionage. He could be given the death penalty if found guilty.
Appeal still possible
More than 140 of the 188 defendants in the Kerdasa case are already in custody,
while the rest have been sentenced in absentia.
The court also sentenced a minor to 10 years in prison in the case, and two
other defendants were acquitted.
The verdict follows a recommendation by Egypt's top religious authority, the
Grand Mufti, but it can be appealed against.
Last month, the death sentences of 37 people were overturned on appeal.
The defendants had been convicted of attacking a police station in Minya, south
of Cairo, on the same day as the Kerdasa attack.
The original trial also saw some 377 people sentenced to life in prison in
absentia.
The United Nations has called the mass trials "unprecedented".
Mr Morsi was succeeded by President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, a former military
chief who has been heavily criticised for his crackdown on Islamists.
Hundreds of people, mostly Islamists, have been killed since the army deposed
Mr Morsi.
(source: BBC news)
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