April 17
EGYPT:
Anti-death penalty group pleas to halt execution of 7 citizens
The "Against the Death Penalty" group met with the National Council for Human
Rights (NCHR) after urgently appealing the council to stop the execution of 7
citizens in the "Arab Sharkas" case, the group said in a statement on Thursday.
The group also requested NCHR's support in its plea for a halt in the issuance
and implementation of the death penalty "until a stable justice mechanism is
achieved".
In the Wednesday meeting, Mohamed Fayek, head of the NCHR, told the group that
"the death penalty should not be used in political cases, and promised to study
the Arab Sharkas case and consider how to proceed, since the execution of 7
persons is, in any case, a serious matter", the statement read.
The 7 civilians were convicted by a military court on 21 October 2014 of
killing a military officer and belonging to Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis militant
group, and given the death penalty. After the military court rejected an
appeal, the ruling was confirmed on 24 March 2015.
The case initially included nine defendants who were accused of planning and
executing what is known in the media as the "Arab Sharkas" cell case.
Security forces had allegedly been carrying out operations against a "terrorist
cell" in a village in the Qaliubiya governorate, north of Cairo on 19 March
2014. A gunfight allegedly took place and the Interior Ministry later reported
6 militants dead, and 8 arrested. However, 2 defendants in the case had already
been in prison and 2 others were arrested 3 days before the incident took
place.
Sara Said, one of the defendants' sister, previously told Daily News Egypt that
her brother and the remaining defendants had been "kidnapped" or forcibly
disappeared. Last May her family and "6 or 7 more families filed a report with
the Prosecutor General after they had seen their children's names in an Ansar
Beit Al-Maqdis membership list that the Ministry of Interior had released".
According to Amnesty International, enforced disappearances had increased as a
method of arrest last year in Egypt. Likewise, military trials for civilians
have been on the rise as hundreds of civilians have been standing trials in
front of military courts.
According to the anti-death penalty group, "the trial lacked the minimum
standards of a fair and just trial, to the extent that 2 of the convicted were
in detention during the time of the crime of which they are charged".
The anti-death penalty group had called on the NCHR to "urgently intervene" and
"to bear the political and moral responsibility in preventing the death of
possibly innocent citizens" earlier on 8 April.
Fayek told the group that he was concerned with lowering the amount of crimes,
which are over 80, that are punishable by death. He added that "the death
penalty should not be used in political cases".
International human rights organisations, such as Human Rights Watch and Human
Rights Monitor, as well as local rights organisations, condemned the military
court death sentences. The family of one of the jailed civilians previously
told Daily News Egypt that the charges and sentences were "ridiculous".
A campaign, dubbed the "Execution of a Homeland" was also launched in March in
which groups gathered petitions to be sent to the High Commissioner for Human
Rights of the United Nations (UNHCR). The campaign stated that more than 500
people have been handed death sentences in unfair trails in Egypt.
(source: DailyNewsEgypt.com)
INDONESIA:
Indonesian maid beheadings won't stop Bali nine executions: AG
The beheading of 2 Indonesian maids in Saudi Arabia this week will not prevent
the execution of 10 drug felons in Indonesia, according to the
Attorney-General.
However Attorney-General H.M. Prasetyo said Indonesia respected the rule of
law.
"The difference is that we provide notification of an execution to the
ambassador three days before it happens, but they did not," Mr Prasetyo was
quoted saying by Philippines news website Rappler.
The date of the execution of 10 drug felons, including Bali 9 organisers Andrew
Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, is not known.
However Mr Prasetyo has said it will not be until after the African-Asian
conference, to be held in Jakarta and Bandung from April 19-24.
He said it was not a good look to shoot people when the country had many
guests.
The execution of the 2 Indonesian domestic helpers in 2 days in Saudi Arabia
has prompted fierce protests in Indonesia and renewed criticism of the
country's double standard on the death penalty
The Indonesian government summoned the Saudi ambassador after learning on
Thursday Saudi Arabia had executed another Indonesian domestic worker, Karni
binti Medi Tarsim, 37, who was convicted of murdering a 4-year-old girl in
2012.
It also issued statements protesting against the Saudi Arabian authorities'
failure to notify them or the families before carrying out the executions.
Tarsim's killing followed that of Siti Zaenab, who was suspected of being
mentally ill, on Tuesday.
Siti, 47, was convicted of murdering her employer's wife in 1999, but the
execution was delayed until the youngest son was old enough to make a decision
about whether she should be pardoned.
The Indonesian government offered 2 billion rupiah ($200,000) in blood money
and 3 Indonesian presidents - including Joko Widodo - made fruitless
representations to save her life.
Migrant Care executive director Anis Hidayah said the executions should provide
momentum for the Indonesian Government to stop the practice of capital
punishment in Indonesia.
"The application of the death penalty at home will only make the government
lose its moral legitimacy to urge other countries to free Indonesian nationals
who are on death row."
Migrant Care's Ms Anis said there were at least 290 Indonesian migrant workers
facing execution in Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, China and Qatar, 59 of
whom had already been sentenced to death.
April 17 is the 10th anniversary of the Bali 9's arrest for attempting to
smuggle 8.3 kilograms of heroin into Australia.
It is also Sukumaran's 34th birthday. Although the Australians are not allowed
visitors on Fridays, Sukumaran's brother Chinthu took him a black forest cake
on Wednesday.
While candles weren't allowed, the cake put a smile on Sukumaran's face, he
said.
Sukumaran's mentor, Ben Quilty, tweeted: "Happy birthday Myu. Arrested 10 years
ago today. Your family and friends are very proud of the man you have become."
Tina Bailey, who befriended Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran while teaching
dance and art at Bali's Kerobokan jail, recently visited Nusakambangan and
would go back soon.
She said friends and family had set up a roster of sorts to ensure the
Australians had regular visitors.
"Myuran is himself. He's healthy, he's smiling, he's in good spirits," Ms
Bailey said.
Although Nusakambangan has a different feel to Kerobokan, Ms Bailey says the
guards were very polite. "It's definitely a more strict protocol situation - it
needs to be, because it is a different sort of an island with 9 prisons - but I
felt the guards were very professional. Everything they did they explained."
She said while people tended to think of the stereotype of Alcatraz island: "I
think it's a humane place".
(source: Sydney Morning Herald)
****************
Paris warns Indonesia of consequences if Frenchman executed
The French ambassador in Jakarta on Friday warned Indonesia that executing a
Frenchman on death row on drugs charges would have "consequences" for the
bilateral relationship.
"If the execution is carried out, it will not be without consequence for our
bilateral relationship," ambassador Corinne Breuze told reporters in Jakarta,
adding that France, which abolished the death penalty in 1981, was opposed to
capital punishment in every circumstance.
Serge Atlaoui, 51, was arrested near Jakarta in 2005 in a secret laboratory
producing ecstasy and sentenced to death 2 years later.
Imprisoned in Indonesia for a decade, the father-of-four has always denied the
charges, saying he was installing industrial machinery in what he thought was
an acrylics factory. He has appealed his case before the Supreme Court, and a
verdict is expected imminently. If rejected, his execution and that of other
foreigners including citizens from Australia, Brazil, Philippines, Ghana,
Nigeria could be very soon.
The Indonesian government has already compiled a list of those to face the
firing squad next after conducting a round of executions in January, the 1st
since 2013. In the Atlaoui case, eight others arrested alongside the Frenchman
were also sentenced to death. But "what appears shocking to us is that our
compatriot is the only one on the list to be executed", said the ambassador.
"I recall Serge Atlaoui was convicted as a chemist, when he was a solderer with
a minor role in this affair," she said, adding the French government were
"prepared to assist Indonesia in its fight against drug trafficking".
Drug laws in Indonesia are among the toughest in the world. President Joko
Widodo, who took office in October, has rejected all requests for clemency from
drug dealers sentenced to death, claiming the country is facing a narcotics
emergency. However Indonesia has been actively trying to save its citizens on
death row abroad. Jakarta protested the execution this week of two Indonesian
women in Saudi Arabia.
Atlaoui's wife Sabine pleaded with the president, saying her husband did not
deserve to die and her family had been living through "psychological torture".
"A member of the prosecutor's office has already asked us for my husband's
measurements for his future coffin, which is unimaginable and inconceivable
given the situation we are in," she said.
(source: Agence France-Presse)
**************
France issues warning to Jakarta over death row Frenchman
The French ambassador in Jakarta has warned Indonesia that executing a
Frenchman on death row on drugs charges will have consequences for the
bilateral relationship.
51-year-old Serge Atlaoui was arrested near Jakarta in 2005 in a secret
laboratory producing ecstasy and sentenced to death 2 years later.
Ambassador Corinne Breuze says France, which abolished the death penalty in
1981, is opposed to capital punishment in every circumstance.
(source: sbs.com.au)
PHILIPPINES:
88 Filipinos face death penalty in drug trafficking cases----Traffickers lure
Filipinos into drug smuggling by offering them cash, lucrative jobs and
pleasure trips
An association of the overseas Filipinos has advised its compatriots -
especially the women - to be vigilant against international drug traffickers
luring them with cash, lucrative jobs, love marriages and pleasure trips to use
them as drug mules.
Figures showed that a number of overseas Filipino workers are facing death
penalty in different countries on drug smuggling charges after they were lured
into the trade by drug traffickers.
Ilmeda M. Nicholas, Chairperson of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO),
said: "There are now 88 Filipinos facing the death penalty related to drug
trafficking charges in different countries as compared to 80 in March 2013."
She urged human rights and other social groups to increase awareness about the
danger posed by some private recruitment agencies and drug syndicates who lure
Filipinos, especially women, to work as drug carriers.
The commission, which works for the welfare of millions of overseas Filipinos,
advised them to be cautious while travelling abroad for work and vacation for
drug traffickers befriend or marry potential recruits and later turn them into
drug couriers.
Speaking to Emirates 24|7, Nicholas M Ilmeda said she is quite saddened by such
a large number of Filipinos, especially women, becoming victims of drug
trafficking cases.
The secretary was speaking on the sidelines of the South East Asian Regional
Conference in Manila.
A report recently said that the private recruitment agencies sometimes use job
seekers, especially females, to work as drug carriers without the victim's
knowledge.
The Philippines Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) reported that some dubious
recruitment agencies have been using the new workers going abroad as drug
carriers and many of them were caught.
According to PDEA, 807 Filipinos were in jails in various countries in July
2014 on drug-related charges.
"Of the 710 arrested, 265 (37%) are males while 445 (63%) are females. Women
are usually targeted by syndicates because they generally attract mild
suspicion from the inspectors," according to a PDEA.
It said that the drug is either swallowed or inserted in the female body after
minor surgery or hidden in luggage and handbags. Pregnant women are recruited
to work as drug carriers because they will get sympathy as well as less
punishment in some countries.
(source: emirates247)
RUSSIA:
Most Russians still support return of capital punishment, poll shows
The percentage of Russians who support the return of the death penalty has
slightly reduced, but it's still a majority at about 60 %, according to the
latest sociological research.
The poll conducted by the Public Opinion Foundation showed 60 % of Russian
citizens would not object to a reintroduction of the death penalty. A year ago
this figure was 66 % and in 2001 it peaked at 80 %.
Seventy percent of responders believe the death penalty should be used to
punish sexual crimes against minors. 60% viewed it the right punishment for
murder, and 47 % supported it as punishment for rape. All of them said the move
would help to curb the crime rate and save government funds allocated for
prisoners serving long sentences for grave crimes.
40 % of responders said the country should not have introduced the moratorium
on the death penalty in 1996.
The number who strongly opposed the return of capital punishment was 22 % - up
from 19 % in 2014.
The moratorium on capital punishment was introduced in 1996 in connection with
Russia's entry into the Council of Europe. The last execution in the Russian
Federation took place on September 2, 1996.
Politicians and officials have raised the issue of re-introducing the death
penalty from time to time usually for populist reasons. In the latest
initiative, MP Frants Klintsevich of the conservative United Russia party
suggested executing those convicted of corruption, pedophilia and war crimes.
Lawmakers from the nationalist LDPR party had previously urged the death
penalty for corrupt officials who aid terrorists.
(source: rt.com)
SINGAPORE----execution
Man who stabbed elderly woman over 110 times executed
A man convicted of stabbing a 69-year-old woman to death in 2005 has been
executed, police said on Friday.
39-year-old Muhammad bin Kadar had his death sentence carried out today at
Changi Prison Complex.
On May 6, 2005, Muhammad bin Kadar stabbed a woman more than 110 times while
robbing her in her flat.
He was convicted of murder and sentenced to death on April 7, 2009.
The Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal against conviction on July 5, 2011.
On September 29 last year, after hearing further arguments, the Court of Appeal
dismissed his application for re-sentencing under the new death penalty regime
and affirmed the death penalty.
His petition for Presidential clemency was also turned down.
Police said in a statement that he was represented by counsel throughout the
legal process.
(source: news.asiaone.com)
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