May 21
SUDAN:
1 year after Meriam Ibrahim's release, 2 Christians face possible death penalty
in Sudan
Last year, a death penalty sentence slapped on a Sudanese doctor for refusing
to renounce her Christian faith stirred international outrage and heightened
calls on the government to increase religious liberty.
Meriam Yahya Ibrahim was released a month later, but now 2 Christian pastors
have been jailed and they also face a possible death sentence.
The Rev. Michael Yat and the Rev. Peter Yein Reith, both from the South Sudan
Presbyterian Evangelical Church, have been charged with undermining the
constitutional system and spying, offenses punishable by death or life
imprisonment.
The clerics are charged with waging a war against the state and assault on
religious belief.
"We know they have been arrested, but we don't know where they are being
detained," said the Rev. Kori Romla Koru, general secretary of the Sudan
Council of Churches. "We are trying to find them."
Yat was arrested last year after visiting the Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical
Church's Bahri congregation in Khartoum, according to Christian Solidarity
Worldwide, a charity that works on behalf of persecuted Christians.
The congregation had resisted the takeover of the church by a Muslim
businessman, who had demolished part of the worship center.
In December, police beat and arrested 38 Christians for worshipping in the
church.
With Yat's arrest, South Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church sent Reith with
a letter to the authorities to demand his release. He was arrested on Jan. 11.
Human rights groups have expressed deep concern over the charges, warning that
the two clerics could face torture.
"It is unacceptable that after enduring extended detentions without charge, the
men now face extreme and unwarranted charges," said Mervyn Thomas, CSW's chief
executive, said earlier this month.
Since the separation of Sudan and South Sudan in 2011, Sudan has forced out all
foreign missionaries, raided churches and arrested and interrogated Christians
on grounds that they belonged to South Sudan.
(source: Religion News Service)
VIETNAM:
Many Vietnamese lawmakers back abolition of death penalty for 7 crimes ---- The
proposal that capital punishment be scrapped for seven crimes under the current
Penal Code has been supported by many Vietnamese legislators.
On the 1st working day of the 9th session of the 13th National Assembly (NA)
that opened in Hanoi on Wednesday, Minister of Justice Ha Hung Cuong presented
to the law-making body the proposed amendments to the Penal Code for
discussion.
1 of them is the abolition of the death penalty for 7 crimes, including
plundering property, destroying important national security works and/or
facilities; disobeying orders in the military; surrendering to the enemy, which
is applicable in the army; undermining peace, provoking aggressive wars; crimes
against mankind; and war crimes.
Reducing death sentences is Vietnam's major policy that is reflected in recent
resolutions on justice reform and the practice of criminal legislation,
Minister Cuong said.
Many members of the NA Justice Committee and other lawmakers have agreed to the
proposed amendment.
The Radio the Voice of Vietnam (VOV) quoted Nguyen Van Hien, chair of the NA
Justice Committee, as saying his committee approves of the view that capital
punishment should alleviated by cutting the number of crimes subject to death
sentences, promulgating regulations that help minimize the application of the
death penalty, and extending the list of defendants who are condemned to death
but do not have their sentence carried out.
Tran Du Lich, deputy head of the delegation of lawmakers from Ho Chi Minh City,
said that death sentences should be cut down but there should be a regulation
on crimes subject to life imprisonment without parole.
If the NA approves this proposal, the number of crimes subject to the death
penalty in Vietnam will be lowered to 15 from the current 22.
A number of deputies said capital punishment should be retained for the charges
of undermining peace, provoking aggressive wars, crimes against mankind, and
war crimes, as these top the list of the most serious counts.
Regarding some suggestions on abrogating capital punishment for 2 corruption
crimes: embezzlement and bribe acceptance, Minister Cuong said the government's
policy is that the death penalty should be maintained for those convicted of
corruption as the highest sanction.
"We are uncompromisingly combating corruption. Many measures have been taken
but they have yet to prove effective. Therefore, a proposal for death sentences
be scrapped for these 2 crimes, which are the most serious among corruption
charges, is not appropriate for the time being," the minister underlined.
As for another suggested amendment that defendants aged 70 or older should be
exempted from capital punishment, Hien said most members of the NA Justice
Committee have rejected it, VOV reported.
In reality people at this age can committee serious - even extremely serious -
crimes and they can be the mastermind behind criminal organizations, Hien said.
If the government spares people of such age the death penalty, they could make
use of the exemption to avoid punishment by law after committing serious
crimes, he added.
According to the agenda of the 9th session of the NA, the amendments to the
Penal Code will be discussed in groups of delegates on May 28 and in a plenary
meeting on June 16.
VnExpress said the amendments will be submitted to the NA for consideration in
its next session in November 2015.
(source: Tuoi Tre News)
*********************
Vietnam may stop punishing drug, war crimes by death
The government has proposed abolishing the death penalty for 7 crimes at a
parliament session in Hanoi on Wednesday.
The crimes are robbery, vandalizing equipment and works significant to national
security, gross disturbances of public order, surrendering to enemy forces,
acts of sabotage and waging invasive wars, crimes against humanity, and drug
trafficking.
The proposal is part of amendments to the Penal Code, which are going to be
discussed at the ongoing session and voted on in November.
The Vietnamese Penal Code currently recognizes 22 crimes as punishable by
death. That number was progressively scaled back from the original list issued
in 1985, following amendments made in 1999 and 2009.
According to Tran Van Do, former vice chief of the Supreme People's Court,
Vietnam's courts sentence about 200 people to death every year.
Vietnam switched to lethal injection from firing squad in 2011.
Minister of Justice Ha Hung Cuong, who presented the new amendments, said there
are still controversies around the proposal involving death penalty.
Some people also proposed removing crimes of producing fake food and medicine,
embezzlement and receiving bribe from the death penalty list.
"The government recognizes that there should be an unyielding fight against
corruption. Many measures have been taken to no avail."
Removing corruption from the list could lead to misconception that the law is
lenient to corrupt officials, he said.
Cuong said the government has also proposed life imprisonment without parole
for the first time in Vietnam's legal system.
(source: Thanh Nien News)
EGYPT/AUSTRIA:
Austria's FM: we reject 'inhuman' capital punishment
"The death penalty is an inhuman deterrent strongly rejected by not only the
Austrian government but also by the European Union," said Austrian Foreign
Minister Sebastian Kurz in a press conference held in Cairo Wednesday.
Kurz's comment came days after former President Mohamed Morsi and 105 others
were sentenced Saturday to death over charges of prison break during the
January 25 Uprising.
"Egypt is entitled to deal with terrorism, not only against the Islamic State.
We support the punishment of terrorists but in the framework of fair trials,"
said Kurtz.
Egypt is not only a strategic player in the region but also a strong partner
against the Islamic State group, said Kurz.
Kurz met with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry Wednesday and discussed
bilateral political and economic relations.
During the meeting, Kurz assured that the recovery of Egypt's tourism sector is
directly related to the country's stability.
"Years ago, Austrian tourists visiting Egypt reached 200,000 tourists," he
said, adding that Egypt is a good place for investments and that the total
number of Austrian companies investing in Egypt reached 750.
Kurtz will meet with President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi Thursday Kurz, according to
a Wednesday's presidential statement.
Mass sentences against Morsi and other Muslim Brotherhood defendants sparked
international criticism of human rights organizations; an issue that was
slammed by Egypt's government.
German Bundestag President Norbert Lammert, who belongs to German Chancellor
Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU,) cancelled a meeting with Sisi
in June, protesting the mass death sentences.
(source: The Cairo Post)
SINGAPORE:
Over 1.2kg of 'Ice' seized, Singaporean arrested----A total of about 1.27kg of
'Ice', 183g of ketamine, 134g of synthetic cannabis, 257 Erimin-5 tablets and
seven Ecstasy tablets, worth more than S$239,000, were seized, according to
CNB.
A suspected drug trafficker believed to be trafficking in an assortment of
drugs was arrested on Wednesday, the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said in a
media release on Thursday (May 21).
A total of about 1.27kg of 'Ice', 183g of ketamine, 134g of synthetic cannabis,
257 Erimin-5 tablets and seven Ecstasy tablets, worth about S$239,000, were
seized, according to CNB. It added that the amount of 'Ice' seized could feed
the abuse habit of 720 'Ice' abusers for a week.
The suspect, a 48-year-old Singaporean, was arrested at Woodlands Checkpoint A
at about 11.20am on Wednesday. The drugs were seized when CNB officers searched
his haversack.
"Various implements suspected to be used for making improvised drug smoking
apparatus were also recovered," said CNB.
The suspect's residence in Holland Close was subsequently raided by CNB
officers. A "large quantity" of 'Ice' and an assortment of other drugs were
found and seized, CNB said. Officers also recovered other items such as empty
plastic sachets, glass apparatus and a digital weighing scale.
Investigations into the drug trafficking activities of the suspect are ongoing.
If convicted, he may face the death penalty, CNB said.
(source: Channel News Asia)
INDONESIA:
Sergio, Lacanilao's statements seen to boost Veloso's chance to escape death
The statements of the alleged recruiters of Mary Jane Veloso that she had no
knowledge that she was transporting heroin to Indonesia will boost her chance
of permanently escaping her death sentence, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima
said Thursday.
"This is a good development and an indication that we are at the right
direction, right track ... If it will be proven in the ongoing investigation
(that she is innocent), this will be a big thing for Mary Jane," de Lima told
reporters.
"This shows that it was just right to suspend the implementation of the death
penalty so the truth would first come out," she said.
She said they would immediately inform the Indonesian authorities about the
affidavits of Maria Cristina Sergio and Julius Lacanilao "for their own
appreciation."
The Justice Chief said they are hoping to get more information from Sergio and
Lacanilao during the course of the preliminary investigation.
Edre Olalia, Veloso's lawyer from National Union of People's Lawyers, agreed
with de Lima's opinion.
"It can be used as a basis by our Indonesian counterparts. In fact, they are
actually waiting already for the translation from English to Bahasa so they
will communicate immediately with the attorney general's office about this
statement," he explained.
But he said they would file a reply to what he called as Sergio's "self-serving
version of the surrounding circumstances to cover her own complicity."
"We will file reply-affidavits to reiterate the whole unembellished facts as
they are. Additionally, we shall contest the inexplicable vilification she made
against Mary Jane's family," he said in a statement.
Sergio, in her 31-page affidavit submitted to the DOJ last Wednesday, said
Veloso fell prey to 2 "dark skinned, curly-haired men" she identified as Ike
and John while they were in Malaysia in April 2010 to look for a job.
Sergio said she believes that Veloso was a victim who "was taken advantage of
because she didn't know any better, was in dire need of a job, and because of
her tendency to trust people, even strangers."
While saying Veloso was innocent, the alleged recruiters denied the charges
against them. They said they only helped her in trying to find a job abroad.
(source: Philippine Inquirer)
************************
Japanese grandfather gets life term in Indonesia drug case----Indonesia has
argued need for tough drug trafficking deterrent, but some say harsh penalties
due to domestic politics
A 73-year-old Japanese man, who says he was deceived into carrying drugs in
someone else's bag on a flight into Indonesia, was sentenced to life in prison
Wednesday for smuggling methamphetamine into the country. The case highlights
the country's strict anti-drug laws, which drew international outcry when they
resulted in the executions of nine convicts last month.
Masaru Kawada was arrested in November at Minangkabau Airport in West Sumatra's
capital, Padang, after customs officials found 5.18 pounds of crystal
methamphetamine in his luggage. Chief state prosecutor Budi Prihalda said they
had recommended a light sentence of 16 years because of the defendant's age.
But the 3-judge panel that convicted Kawada at the District Court in Pariaman
said his deed had weakened the government's struggle against drugs, and
sentenced him to life in prison.
"We found no reason to lighten his sentence," said presiding judge Jon
Effreddi.
A lawyer for Kawada - who argued that he was tricked by someone who asked him
to carry a bag and that he did not know he was carrying drugs - said they would
appeal.
According to court documents, a man identified as Edward Mark met Kawada in
Japan last November and asked him to travel to Macau, with Mark paying for
Kawada's tickets and accommodations and giving him $500 in travel expenses.
While in Macau, Kawada met a Chinese woman who asked him to carry a bag to a
friend in Padang.
Kawada, who flew to Padang from Macau via Kuala Lumpur, said he had checked the
bag and did not find anything suspicious. He said he only realized he was
carrying methamphetamine upon arrival, when customs officials arrested him and
confiscated the drug.
The grandfather of 2 is believed to be one of the oldest drug smugglers to be
sentenced in Indonesia, which has extremely strict drug laws and often executes
smugglers.
The country has executed 14 drug convicts, including 12 foreigners, this year
amid protests and an international outcry, but Indonesia insists that tough
punishment is part of its efforts to confront a drug emergency. Indonesian
President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has said the country has 4.5 million people
addicted to drugs.
But some activists have said such harsh penalties for drug offenses are related
to domestic politics. Earlier this year Ricky Gunawan, director of the
Jakarta-based LBH Masyarakat Community Legal Aid Institute, told Al Jazeera
that there is widespread support for sentencing drug offenders to the death
penalty.
"In Indonesia, drugs have always been seen as 'evil.' Narcotics ... are often
labeled as haram," Gunawan said, using a term that means "forbidden" under
Islam, the majority religion in Indonesia. "The government and law apparatus
treat this issue as a way to gain popularity or support," he said.
Arrests, convictions and executions are "a way for the government to show that
they are tough against crimes," Gunawan said.
More than 130 people are on death row in Indonesia, mostly for drug crimes.
About 1/3 are foreigners.
"Since it is believed that the majority of drugs in Indonesia are imported, the
government believes that by imposing harsh punishment on traffickers, they
could reduce or halt the importation of drugs," Yohanes Sulaiman, lecturer in
international relations and political science at Jakarta's Indonesian Defense
University, told Deutsche Welle earlier this year.
Jokowi's determination to deal harshly with drug crimes has won him popular
support at home, despite criticism by some rights groups and international
leaders.
"We want to send a strong message to drug smugglers that Indonesia is firm and
serious in tackling the drug problem, and one of the consequences is execution
if the court sentences them to death," he told Al Jazeera in March.
(source: Al Jazeera)
IRAN----executions
7 People Executed- 2 in Public- and Public Flogging in Iran
7 people were hanged in Iran on Wednesday (May 20) and Tuesday, according to
the Iranian state media.
5 people were hanged in the Rajaishahr prison of Karaj, Wednesday morning May
20, reported Iranian state broadcasting. The prisoners were identified as
"Ardalan", "Ali", "Morteza", "Meysam" and "Behrouz" and were all convicted of
murder, said the report. Iran Human Rights (IHR) has received unconfirmed
reports about the execution of 3 other prisoners in the Rajaishahr prison.
These reports are being investigated.
1 prisoner was hanged in public in the city of Ghochan in northern Iran today.
The prisoner who was identified as "A. Kh." was convicted of murder 4 years
ago. He was a drug addict since his childhood, said the report.
Another prisoner was hanged publicly in the city of Minab (Southern Iran) on
Tuesday May 19. According to Jomhuri-e-Eslami newspaper, the prisoner was
identified as "Ayoub Torkamani", who was charged with possession and
trafficking of 10 kilograms and 800 grams of crack, said the report. He was
arrested 7 years ago.
Iranian state media also reported that the flogging sentence of a man
identified as "Kamran" was implemented Monday morning May 18 (picture). He was
convicted of theft. On Sunday the Iranian media reported about amputation
sentence of another prisoner in Khuzestan province (southwestern Iran).
(source: Iran Human Rights)
**********************
Prisoner hanged in football field
The Iranian regime henchmen hanged at least 10 prisoners including 1 in public
in a soccer field on Tuesday.
According to a report by the state-run daily Jomhouri Islami a man was hanged
in the municipality's soccer field in the city of the Minab. The victim was
identified as Ayob Torkamani.
The international governing body of football had previously warned Iranian
regime about executions of prisoners on the football fields.
FIFA had in past sent warning to the regime's officials regarding the
executions on football fields, a regime official had acknowledged.
Meanwhile, the Iranian regime's judiciary in Arak province announced that on
Tuesday 4 death row prisoners were hanged in city's main prison.
UN human rights experts have condemned the recent surge in executions in Iran,
the majority of which are unreported.
United Nations Special Rapporteurs involving the situation of human rights in
Iran by Ahmed Shaheed and on extrajudicial executions by Christof Heyns have
condemned the drastic increase in executions since the past few weeks.
In many cases executions have gone unreported by official sources and the names
of those being executed have not been disclosed to the public.
"When the Iranian government refuses to even acknowledge the full extent of
executions which have occurred, it shows a callous disregard for both human
dignity and international human rights law," Mr. Shaheed stressed.
(source: NCR-Iran)
AUSTRALIA:
Adopt New Stratedy to End Death Penalty Abroad
Following the executions of Australians Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran in
Indonesia, the Australian government should redouble efforts to end the death
penalty around the world, and overhaul the way it campaigns for global
abolition, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch opposes the death
penalty in all circumstances because of its inherent cruelty.
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Human Rights Law Centre,
Reprieve Australia, Australians Detained Abroad, NSW Council for Civil
Liberties, Civil Liberties Australia, and Uniting Justice Australia have joined
forces to launch a new Australian blueprint to end the death penalty.
The Australian government has condemned executions in Indonesia, but it could
play a larger role opposing the death penalty globally. Australia abolished the
death penalty in 2010, although the last execution took place in 1967.
"The time is ripe for Australia's foreign ministry to make public a new
comprehensive policy to end the death penalty worldwide, with specific and
achievable goals for individual countries," said Elaine Pearson, Australia
director at Human Rights Watch. "The strategy should include consistent public
and private diplomatic pressure to end this cruel practice, showing how the
death penalty has failed to deter crime and been unjustly applied."
The groups' blueprint for change, "Australian Government and the Death Penalty:
A Way Forward" details 4 steps the government should take to build on the
current momentum to end the death penalty:
1. Develop a new Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade public strategy
document aimed at ending the death penalty, everywhere;
2. Use Australia's aid program to support civil society organizations
campaigning for abolition in countries which retain the death penalty;
3. Join forces with other nations to push for universal adoption of a global
moratorium on the death penalty; and
4. Put in place stronger legislation so the Australian Federal Police (AFP) is
required by law not to share information with other law enforcement agencies
that would potentially result in suspected perpetrators facing the death
penalty.
The blueprint urges the Australian government to consult widely, including with
the UK government, which already has a global strategy against the death
penalty, as well as with advocacy groups in countries retaining the death
penalty.
The organizations said if Australia wants its opposition to the death penalty
globally to be credible, it is important that Australian laws consistently
reflect that opposition. Following the arrests of the so-called Bali 9 in 2005,
it emerged that the Australian Federal Police (AFP) passed on detailed
information about the alleged plan to smuggle heroin from Bali, without seeking
guarantees that the information would not be used by the authorities to
eventually seek the death penalty against the perpetrators.
Emily Howie, director of advocacy and research at the Human Rights Law Centre,
said: "If the Bali 9 case happened again tomorrow, nothing would prevent the
AFP from acting in the same way. Parliament should amend the AFP Act to include
sufficient safeguards to prevent police sharing information which could lead to
the death penalty."
"Momentum is building globally for the abolition of the death penalty. In
recent months, Australian people and the government have spoken out powerfully
against executions," said Ursula Noye, vice president of Reprieve Australia.
"The time is right for us to take a lead role, and build a regional coalition
for abolition. We should make future generations proud."
"The recent executions of 8 men in Indonesia, including Australians Andrew Chan
and Myuran Sukumaran, was an inhuman and unjust punishment and represents
exactly why the Australian government must continue to speak out against the
death penalty whenever it occurs," said Claire Mallinson, national director at
Amnesty International Australia. "We must now ensure Australia's stance against
the recent executions is reflected in all government policy. We are asking for
change across the Australian Government - through diplomacy, our aid program,
our federal law enforcement agencies."
(source: Human Rights Watch)
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