June 23
IRAQ:
Iraq Lawmakers Should Reject Proposal to Fast-Track Executions
Iraq parliamentarians should vote against a measure that calls for skipping
presidential ratification of death sentences, because it would expedite the
carrying out of executions, a human rights group said in a press release.
Iraq executed 177 people in 2013, the highest number since the US-occupied
administration suspended executions from 2003 until mid-2004, the release
stated.
In 2014, the release noted, Iraq remained the 4th country worldwide in
executions carried out, after China, Iran and Saudi Arabia.
"Iraq's parliament should turn down a proposal to allow the justice minister,
rather than the president, to ratify execution orders," Human Rights Watch said
on Monday.
"Iraq should combat violence by Islamic State insurgents with fair and
transparent trials ... not expedited executions."
Iraq's criminal justice system, the release explained, mandates the death
penalty for vague and not necessarily lethal acts, such as "threats which aim
to bring about fear among people."
Iraq's constitution also prohibits clemency or a pardon in terrorism cases, the
released added, in violation of international human rights norms.
The government of Iraq should place an immediate stay on all pending death
sentences, the release argued, or abolish the death penalty by ratifying the
Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights.
(source: sputniknews.com)
ENGLAND:
Ruth Ellis tragedy retold 60 years on; Director Brian Emeney tells the story of
Ruth Ellis, the last woman hanged in Britain, ahead of his new play, The Thrill
of Love, which opens at the Bear Pit theatre, Stratford, next Wednesday (1st to
4th July)
In 1955, 60 years ago in July, former nightclub manageress Ruth Ellis shot dead
her ex-public schoolboy lover, David Blakely.
Subsequently, and following a trial that lasted less than 2 days, she was found
guilty and sentenced to death by hanging. Importantly, in July 1955, she became
the last woman to be hanged in Britain, and her execution is the most notorious
of hangman Albert Pierrepoint's duties.
There was a public outcry at the decision to kill her and over 1000 people
gathered outside Holloway Prison on the morning of her execution shouting,
"Save Ellis! Save Ellis!" In the national press the debate raged over the
rights and wrongs of the death penalty. Despite her infamy, the story of her
life has often been misinterpreted and the reality behind the headlines of 1955
was buried beneath an avalanche of hearsay.
Often what comes across is a portrait of the 1950s West End club life, in all
its seedy glamour - but what about Ruth as a person? She was not conventionally
beautiful but had that certain 'something' that made men look at her twice.
American actress Clara Bow had 'It' in the 1920s and so did Ruth. She relied on
make up - Max Factor Panstik foundation, plenty of rouge and lipstick - to give
her definition.
At London's infamous Camera Club she posed for semi-pornographic photographs, a
useful stepping stone in the careers of a number of actresses and professional
models of the time. She viewed her work at the Camera Club as a means to an
end, hoping that it would lead to more prestigious assignments and introduce
her to influential people. One such person offered her work as a hostess at the
Court Club in Duke Street, he was Mayfair crime boss Morris Conley. Lust was
often a common denominator in his kind of club . The 'madams' there earned
commission of course, but 'Morrie' handled the bulk of the profits. His girls
were always available to the club clientele and, importantly, to him at any
time. Ruth learned to view sex as part of the business, giving customer
satisfaction while shutting off her own emotions.
It was while she was at the club that she met Vicki Martin, who became her best
friend. The circles they mixed in included the company of racing drivers,
doctors and politicians. This included Stephen Ward, a central character in the
1963 Profumo Affair, which brought down the Stratford-upon-Avon MP John
Profumo, and Harold Macmillan's Conservative Government. Ward became Vicki's
mentor and she confided in him about Ruth, who by then had become her flatmate.
He was a collector of exquisite young women (not for himself, he was gay) but
more to ingratiate himself socially by presenting them to wealthy and
influential acquaintances.
At the height of the Profumo scandal he was accused of living off immoral
earnings in another infamous case that involved 2 other girls not unlike Vicki
and Ruth. Those girls were of course Christine Keeler and Mandy Rice-Davies. He
supplied them for sex parties at Cliveden and, although there is no direct
evidence, it is believed that Ruth and Vicki probably attended some of these in
the 1950s. In 1951, Ruth was offered an uncredited role in a film called Lady
Godiva Rides Again. There is evidence to suggest that Ward supplied the girls
for this film. Young starlets Kay Kendall and Joan Collins were both acquainted
with him. The local press explained that the other uncredited girls were chosen
from model agencies.
By 1953, Ruth Ellis, had become manageress of the Little Club in Knightsbridge,
it was there while hanging out with some motor racing boys she noticed a
handsome young man. He was David Blakely. Within a fortnight they were living
together. Their affair was tempestuous and they both displayed obsessive
behaviour - or what might be called the 'thrill of love'. Blakely abused Ruth
both physically and mentally and Ruth suffered bouts of extreme jealousy.
She had been abused as a child by her father and had had several abortions and
a miscarriage, brought on by Blakely's abuse. On Easter Sunday 1955, he was
leaving the Magdala public house in South Hill Park, Hampstead, North London,
when Ruth ambushed him and shot him 5 times.
The 6th shot from the .38 Smith and Wesson ricocheted off the pavement and
wounded a lady bystander in the hand. She surrendered to an off-duty policeman
immediately - and seemed confused about what she had done.
At the trial, Ruth pleaded 'not guilty' and testified that Blakely had
regularly abused her. However, under questioning from the prosecution she
admitted that, "It was obvious that when I shot him I intended to kill him",
and she was found guilty. She became the15th woman, and the last, in the 20th
century to be hanged.
There was public outrage and indignation about her death, which ultimately
brought about the abolition of the death penalty in 1965. And only 2 years
after her death, in 1957, the defence of diminished responsibility became law
and she would not have been hanged.
Now, 60 years on, many still remember the infamous case of Ruth Ellis.
Certainly, it was front page news at the time and split public opinion on the
matter. And the facts of the case were not in dispute.
She did shoot and murder David Blakely outside a Hampstead pub. But questions
asked at the time still remain: why was she so keen to admit her guilt and not
offer any defence? And why did she refuse to name the person who gave her the
loaded gun?
(source: Stratford Herald)
SINGAPORE:
Man nabbed for theft faces death penalty
A 24-year-old man who had been arrested for motor vehicle theft now faces a
charge punishable by the death penalty.
Last Saturday, he tried to escape from Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) and
snatched the revolver of the police officer who tried to stop him.
Three shots were fired in the struggle that ensued and the policeman was
wounded in his left thumb and right foot.
The case has been classified as an unlawful discharge of firearms under the
Arms Offences Act, which carries the death penalty.
The man, whose identity has not yet been revealed, had been arrested last
Friday and was under remand for further investigation, police said.
On Saturday, he complained of chest pains and was escorted by police officers
to KTPH.
He tried to escape from one of the hospital's examination rooms, police said.
The 31-year-old officer whose revolver was snatched was injured in the
struggle.
It is believed that the escape attempt took place when the police officer's
colleague left the room. The suspect was subsequently subdued.
(source: The Straits Times)
INDONESIA:
Indonesia rejects death row convict's final appeal
An Indonesian court yesterday rejected the final appeal of a French citizen who
faces execution for drug offences.
It set the stage for diplomatic retaliation by France after executions of other
foreigners strained relations with Australia and Brazil.
The administrative court in Jakarta said it did not have judicial authority to
overturn a presidential rejection of clemency for Serge Atlaoui.
His case has drawn attention in France, which vigorously opposes the death
penalty.
Indonesia, which is predominantly Muslim, takes a hardline stance against drug
crimes and resumed executions in 2013.
So far this year it has executed 14 people, mostly foreigners, convicted in
drug cases.
Officials justify the death penalty by pointing to the estimated 18,000 young
Indonesians who die each year from drug use.
Presiding judge Ujang Abdullah said the court has no capacity to rule on the
case since granting clemency is the prerogative right of the president.
"The president's right to grant clemency is granted by the constitution while
the authority of the administrative court is just to judge on decrees issued by
administrative officials," Mr Abdullah said.
Lawyers for Atlaoui, 51, made the last-ditch appeal which had little chance of
success after president Joko "Jokowi" Widodo denied clemency in December.
Prosecutors dismissed the legal manoeuvring as only an effort to buy time but
did not try to block the appeal. Officials have been at pains to show Atlaoui
was not denied any of his rights under Indonesian law after France's foreign
minister Laurent Fabius condemned the handling of his case.
Mr Fabius said the French government is opposed to the death penalty "in all
places and under all circumstances".
He said France is "totally mobilised" in support of Atlaoui.
French president Francois Hollande has warned of diplomatic consequences and
possible economic fallout if Atlaoui is executed.
The Frenchman was arrested in 2005 for involvement in an ecstasy factory on the
outskirts of Jakarta.
A court found him guilty in 2007 of trafficking 551lb of hallucinogens and
306lb of methamphetamines.
His lawyers say he was employed as a welder at the factory and did not
understand what the chemicals on the premises were used for.
"From the beginning of this case, we know and believe that our client is
innocent," said lawyer Nancy Yuliana. She said the legal fight will continue
even though the court said all legal options are exhausted.
The lawyer added: "But I can't say what we would do next. We will discuss it
with our client, his family and the French Embassy."
A spokesman for the attorney general's office said the execution would happen
after the holy month of Ramadan, which ends on 17 July in Indonesia.
He added: "We welcome the Jakarta Administrative Court's decision rejecting
Atlaoui's last appeal."
In April, Indonesia executed 8 people convicted of drug trafficking, straining
relations with Australia and Brazil, whose citizens were among those shot by a
firing squad.
(source: scotsman.com)
TAIWAN:
Taiwan's human rights situation good but still flawed: EU report
The European Union has described Taiwan as having a good human rights situation
and domestic policies to implement international standards, but it said support
for the death penalty remains a problem, according to an annual report released
by the EU Monday.
In the EU Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World in 2014, the
EU again deplored the 5 executions that took place in Taiwan in April last year
and called for an immediate moratorium on executions, as recommended by
international experts in 2013.
6 more death row inmates were executed in Taiwan earlier this month.
On the situation in China, the EU said its goal for human rights there remained
the ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
(ICCPR) with, as a medium-term objective, respect for ICCPR provisions and
certain provisions of China's Constitution, Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure
Law.
It said the EU also pursued its global campaign against the death penalty in
China, especially as it remains the country with the highest number of
executions.
As one of the central pillars of the ICCPR, freedom of expression in China,
online and offline, also remained an EU priority, it said.
(source: focustaiwan)
PAKISTAN:
Woman Accused Of 7 Murders Likely To Be The First Woman Executed
The 54 year old resident of Toba Tek Singh, Kanizan who had been indicted for
committing 7 murders 26 years ago is going to be executed now and is likely to
become the 1st woman to be executed.
As per the details, Kanizan had committed 7 murders along with her lover, Khan
Muhammad and was handed death penalty in 1989. Khan was hanged in 2003 while
Kanizan's execution could not be accomplished due to her mental health
condition. The clemency appeals filed by her earlier were dismissed by the
Supreme Court.
It is pertinent to mention here that jail authorities state that Kanizan was
having unstable mental condition and is under treatment in Punjab Institute of
Mental Health, Lahore. As the Superintendent of Kot Lakhpat Jail holds that her
mental condition is the only obstacle in her hanging, otherwise she would have
been executed already.
She has been indicted for murder of five minor siblings, and their mother who
were the family of Khan Muhammad. It was found later that Khan was also
involved in the murder, and confessed when arrested that Kanizan was his
accomplice in the murders.
Now, Kanizan is the only woman condemned prisoner who had her appeals against
the execution dismissed by both Supreme Court and the President of Pakistan.
The total condemned woman prisoners in Punjab amount to 47.
(source: pakistantribe.com)
UKRAINE:
Death penalty to be restored in Ukraine
A group of deputies of the Ukrainian legislative body Verkhovna Rada are going
to consider draft resolution on death penalty restoration in the country.
Yuriy Bereza, MP of the Ukrainian Parliament, who works out the draft, claimed,
that he intents on it to have a limited action, applied only during military
operation.
Earlier the deputy had stated that he supported death penalty restoration.
According to him, "some executed sentences for parricide would lead to no
corruption in the country".
The death penalty was first abolished in Ukraine in 1995.
The capital punishment abolition is an indispensable condition for the EU
member-states.
(source: Pravda)
SAUDI ARABIA:
Supreme court upholds death penalty for killers of Frenchmen
The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the verdict issued by the Special Criminal
Court to give death sentence to 2 terrorists for their involvement in the
murder of 4 French nationals in Madinah 8 years ago.
The court approved unanimously the death verdict of the 1st defendant while
majority of judges endorsed death verdict for the 2nd defendant.
The 4 victims were in a group of 9 French people from 3 families living in
Riyadh. They were killed on Feb. 26, 2007, when terrorists opened fire on them
after they lost their way while on a trip to Madain Saleh.
On 14 Jan. 2014, the Special Criminal Court in Riyadh sentenced defendant No. 1
and 2 to death and awarded jail terms to 12 other defendants in the case.
The court ruled that defendant No. 1 confessed that he took part in the killing
of the Frenchmen by firing at them, believing that they were non-Muslims.
Defendant No. 2 also took part in the crime together with Walid Al-Raddadi, the
leader of the cell who was killed later in a shootout with the security forces.
Charges against them also included firing at security officials, robbing cars,
and possession of weapons.
12 defendants were sentenced to jail terms ranging from 3 to 23 years. Charges
against them included giving help and shelter to Raddadi and the first 2
defendants, and funding terrorist acts.
(source: Saudi Gazette)
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