Aug. 23
CHINA:
Organ harvesting rumors "insult" to transplant professionals: Chinese expert
Wild speculation that 100,000 transplants were performed per year using organs
from executed prisoners is an insult to the intelligence of transplant
professionals and to the sacrifice of the donors and their families in China, a
Chinese expert said on Monday.
Speaking at a plenary session of the 26th International Congress of the
Transplantation Society, Huang Jiefu, director of China's National Organ
Donation and Transplantation Committee and former vice minister in the Chinese
Ministry of Health, said the country performed 10,057 organ transplants last
year, around 8.38 % of the global total.
The number matches China's use of immunosuppressive agents, a must-have drug
for patients after their transplant surgeries. China accounted for some 8 % of
the global immunosuppressant market, he said.
Introducing China's decade-long organ donation reform to the audience, Huang
said the transition of organ source from death-row inmates to the voluntary
community-based organ donation has been realized and an ethical preliminary
national organ donation and transplantation system established, adding the
country's progress has been recognized by the international society.
In 2015, 2,766 cases of organ donation after the death of citizens were
recorded, more than the total number in year 2013 and 2014 combined. In the
first 7 months of 2016, 2152 cases were recorded, 49.2 % up from the same
period last year, with predictions for the whole year at about 4,000.
Huang reiterated that starting from Jan. 1, 2015, death penalty prisoner's
organs are not allowed to be used under any circumstances, and community-based
Chinese citizen organ donation has become the only legitimate source of
transplantable organs in China.
Since 2007, China has cracked down on 32 unlawful intermediaries, arrested 158
criminal suspects, investigated 17 medical institutions with 44 medical staff
involved and their medical licenses revoked, and 13 black-market dens have been
eradicated, he said, calling on the international audience to report any
illegal activity, in a show of resolve from the Chinese government.
Meanwhile, he admitted that the achievement of China's transplant reform is
only preliminary, and is only the first step of a long journey, with formidable
tasks ahead.
However, political commitment of China's leadership, public support and
dedication of the medical staff, as well as traditional virtues of the Chinese
nation, are sources of confidence for promoters of the reform, he said.
Statistics show that China now has the most organ donations per year in Asia
and the 3rd highest number globally. In addition, it is performing the second
highest number of organ transplants in the world per year after the United
States.
The Transplantation Society is a non-governmental organization which serves as
an international forum for the world-wide advancement of organ transplantation,
with over 6,700 members composed of professionals with an active interest in
basic science, clinical research and/or improving clinical practice in the
field of transplantation.
A biennial congress of the TTS is held every 2 years grouping together over
5,000 participants. This year's congress is held in Hong Kong from Aug. 18 to
23, the 1st time the congress is held in China.
(source: Shanghai Daily)
MALAYSIA:
Penalty in Lahad Datu case too light, says A-G
The Attorney-General's Chambers is pressing for the death penalty against the
nine Filipinos sentenced to life imprisonment for the armed intrusion into
Lahad Datu, Sabah.
It has filed an appeal against the decision by the Kota Kinabalu High Court to
jail the men over the February 2013 invasion that resulted in a military
conflict and 72 deaths.
Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali said the punishment meted out by
the judge, Justice Stephen Chung, did not fit the crime.
"The law provides the death sentence for the offence, so we will appeal," he
said after opening the annual prosecutors conference here yesterday. He said
the convicted men should get death, "or at least, their leader should".
Chung sentenced the Filipinos on July 26 after finding them guilty of waging
war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. During the incursion by about 235
militants, which lasted till March 24 that year, 56 militants, 6 civilians and
10 Malaysian security forces personnel were killed.
(source: thestar.com.my)
IRAQ:
Iraq Executes 36 Militants Over Camp Speicher Massacre in Tikrit
The execution of 36 individuals found guilty of taking part in the massacre of
over a thousand of soldiers in 2014 would just perpetuate the vicious cycle of
violence in the country, a human rights group said Monday in a statement.
On Sunday, Iraqi Justice Minister Haidar Zamili said that the Iraqi authorities
had hung 36 people over the 2014 massacre of as many as 1,700 military recruits
at Camp Speicher near the city of Tikrit.
"These mass executions mark a chilling increase in Iraq's use of the death
penalty... Relying on executions to counter Iraq's security challenges is
completely misguided. It does not address the root causes of deadly attacks and
will only serve to perpetuate the cycle of violence. The death penalty is the
ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment and there is no credible
evidence that shows it serves as more of a deterrent to crime than a prison
term," Lynn Maalouf, the deputy director for Research at Amnesty
International's Middle East and North Africa Regional Office, was quoted as
saying in the group's statement.
She reiterated Amnesty International's call for justice for the atrocities
committed by the Daesh terror group, but pointed out that death penalties after
confessions given under torture was not an appropriate form of justice.
"However, executing men who were forced to 'confess' under torture and were not
given a proper chance to defend themselves is not justice," Maalouf said.
Amnesty International called on Iraq to introduce a moratorium on the death
penalty immediately and remove capital punishment from the country's
legislation.
The men, sentenced to death in February, allegedly took part in the Camp
Speicher attack carried out by the Daesh group, banned in many countries
including Russia.
(source: Sputnik News)
IRAN:
4500 prisoners on death row
In an interview with the government-run news agency, ILNA, on August 21,
Rouhullah Hazratpoor, a member of the Justice and Legal Commission in the
Iranian Parliament said: "At the moment there are 4500 people who have been
sentenced to death."
He added that the constant stream of arrests does not serve as a deterrent to
crime. He argued that rising unemployment and other negative social factors
were creating a revolving door prison system and that a solution must be found.
Hazratpoor said: "Right now we are in a defective cycle of crime: a criminal is
arrested, sometimes they are freed and they commit crimes again. The truth [is
that] repeated crimes are the results of unemployment."
According to Amnesty International, Iran is the world leader in executions per
capita and executed nearly 1000 people in 2015.
************************
Halt executions in Iran, I hate capital punishment
The mother of Reyhaneh Jabbari, Shole Pakravan, on her Facebook page, posted a
text about her travel to Kurdistan and her visit to the families of Sunni
prisoners who were executed. The following is the summarized text she posted:
"I hate capital punishment. Execution is disgusting regardless of any charge.
There are a thousand reasons for such hatred. I would like to tell one of
those.
It was an opportunity to travel with Shahnaz. We took the bus in an hour and
traveled to a land that mourns its martyrs who sacrificed their lives and left
without a farewell. The hours were passing .Shahnaz and I were gazing at the
dark and spiral road. Sometimes things would have crossed our mind to mention.
Shahnaz talked about Mostafa's head which was covered with blood and I told her
about the closed eyes and lips of Reyhane. We cried as well. The eyes of Mahnaz
became bloodshot red. She told about Mustafa's pierced skull that was dipped in
the blood. My body got numb; like Reyhaneh's as I had hugged her beside a deep
pit. We arrived at the terminal around 3 PM. The brother; sister and the wife
of a man, who was executed, were waiting for us.
In a couple of hours, we visited the mother of two prisoners who were executed.
Here is Sanandaj, Kurdistan province, the home of Bahram and Shahram. I am
sitting on the ground while listening to the stories of these family members.
They explain to me about what has happened to them in these seven years. I
would like to know how did they spend the time while traveling from Sanandaj to
Behesht-e Zahra Cemetery (located in the southern part of Tehran).What scenes
did they see and what words did they hear? How did they come back from Tehran
and how were they feeling? How did they face the situation when the brutal
agents bumped into them while preventing them from holding any funeral
ceremony? I would hear the heartbreaking cry of an old woman who is holding her
children's photos in her hand. She is crying out the name of Shahram loudly.
The father brought the picture frames of his 2 young sons. Bahram was born in
1990. He was executed 4 years ago while he could not even visit or hug his
family and loved ones in the dirty visitation cabins. Before the execution, he
granted all pieces of his stuff to the other prisoners as well as his brother.
Those were the gifts to others from a denounced person. Bahram's family had not
yet recovered from those laments long enough that Shahram was also executed. He
was born in 1987.He was executed without bidding a farewell to his family. He
was going to be executed with his ward fellows while his lips were sealed and
his feet were cuffed. Nobody knows what has happened to him. During the burial
ceremony, a black stamp was marked on his shoulder. The baton had left the
bruised marks on his body. During the ceremony, they could not see his hands
and feet. Shahram's supplies were seized and looted.
While visiting other families, my heart ached heavily; not for the fathers and
sons but for the mothers, wives and the children who are abandoned. I saw a
girl whose situation was matched with Reyhaneh's description. Two years ago,
she said to me:"Mother! This happening taught me lessons. Before, I did not
know that there are little girls who are deprived of seeing or hugging their
mother."
(source for both: NCR-Iran)
SUDAN:
Sudanese clergyman appear in court accused of capital crimes
2 Christian pastors and another man appeared in a Sudanese court on Sunday
accused of at least 7 crimes including waging war against the state and
espionage, both of which carry the death penalty, according to Christian
Solidarity Worldwide.
The UK-based religious freedom advocacy reported that Rev Hassan Abduraheem, a
senior minister and vice moderator of the Sudan Church of Christ, Rev Kuwa
Shamal, a senior minister and head of the Sudan Church of Christ missions
committee, and Abdulmonem Abdumawla were presented with the evidence against
them during a four hour hearing.
Morning Star News reports that Rev Abduraheem denied all charges against him
and quote a relative of one of the men as saying there is no evidence against
him. They also quoted a defence attorney who said the defence team was "100 %
ready to defend our clients".
Several church leaders were permitted access to the court which outside the
courthouse about 100 Christians from Khartoum, representing various
denominations, gathered to sing hymns.
Rev Abduraheem and Mr Abdumawla have been detained since December last year
while Rev Shamal has been held since May 2016. CSW said the case against Rev
Abduraheem and Mr Abdumawla revolves around a request for assistance with
medical costs from a Darfuri man, named as Ali Omer, who was left with severe
burns after he was injured during a demonstration at a university. Mr
Abdumawla, a friend of the man, apparently began collecting funds for his
medical treatment including from Rev Abduraheem. CSW added that the case
against Rev Shamal appeared to be related to his friendship with Rev Abduraheem
and his senior position in the Sudan Church of Christ.
Concerns have been raised about the men's reported lack of access to their
lawyer after being transferred to Al-Huda Prison earlier this month. CSW
reports that there are also concerns surrounding the transport of the men from
prison to court hearings, particularly after they failed to appear at the first
hearing last week.
Mervyn Thomas, chief executive of CSW, said it is "wholly unacceptable" that
the trial has proceeded given that the defendants "have had limited access to
their legal team".
He called on the Sudanese Government "to ensure that the trial is conducted
with respect to 'fair trial principles', which includes, at the minimum,
ensuring that the men have regular access to legal representatives and family
members, and are present at every hearing".
"We are also deeply concerned by the use of serious criminal charges against
Reverend Abduraheem and Mr Abdumawla simply for seeking to assist with medical
expenses, and against Reverend Shamal merely for being a Christian and a friend
of Reverend Abdulraheem," Mr Thomas said.
"We urge the government to end the harassment and targeting of religious and
ethnic minorities by the security services, and to uphold the civil rights of
all Sudanese citizens."
Morning Star News also reports that the court appears to be trying to package
the case of Omer and the two pastors together with that of a fourth defendant,
52-year-old Petr Jasek, a Christian from the Czech Republic whom NISS accuses
of entering the country illegally in October of last year, espionage and
tarnishing the country's image with reports saying Christians in Sudan are
being persecuted.
(source: sightmagazine.com.au)
ST KITTS & NEVIS:
Senior Counsel Astaphan: Hanging Permitted In Exceptional Cases
The government's intention to hang convicted murderers may not be easy to
implement because of a Privy Council ruling against the mandatory death
penalty.
That's the view of Senior Counsel Anthony Astaphan.
The Dominican attorney says however, that there are instances when capital
punishment will be allowed by the courts.
"Having gone through the process of fighting the constitutionality of the
sentence all the way to the Privy Council, I clearly reject the mandatory
sentence of death. I clearly reject the death sentence as a form of deterrence
because it simply doesn't work, but are there extraordinary circumstances in
which a judge may think that he has no alternative but to impose the sentence
of death, I don't see why not."
In the wake of a growing number of homicides - more than 20 so far for the
year, Prime Minister Timothy Harris warned those responsible that they could
face the possibility of being hanged if convicted.
"Let it be clear, we are not going to be heartless, but the law is the law and
we will say that once the court gives us the hanging judgement they shall be
hanged."
Astaphan rejects the argument that the death penalty can serve as a deterrent.
"Well that sounds like executing the death sentence simply as a means of
creating a deterrent, it's a very difficult decision for a government to make.
I have never forgotten the way I felt and others felt when the sentence of
death was carried out, it was a very an extraordinary day. I think it is all
dependent on the facts, I think in the exceptional circumstances as held by the
court of appeal for extreme, rare and exceptional circumstances, the death
penalty was not considered cruel and unusual punishment, the mandatory sentence
of death was."
(source: WINN news)
BANGLADESH:
6 get death penalty for 2013 gang-rape, video of Bangladesh apparel worker
A Narsinghdi court has sentenced 6 men to death for gang-raping and taking
videos of the brutalisation of a female worker 3 years ago.
Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal judge Shamim Ahmed on Tuesday
delivered the verdict in the presence of the convicts.
The convicts are Ashikur Rahman, 'Ilias', 'Rumin', 'Robin', 'Ibrahim' and Abdur
Rahman.
The court also fined each of them Tk 100,000.
According to case details, the 20-year-old woman, who worked at Pran RFL
Company, was attacked by the 6 on May 23 afternoon in 2013 when she was going
home.
They whisked her away from in front of Janata Jute Mill and took her to a
secluded place. There all of them took turns to rape her while taking videos of
the brutal assault on their mobile phones. They released her afterwards.
The woman informed her company's Assistant Manager ASM Sadekul Islam about the
rape the next day and started the case at Polash Police Station afterwards.
Sub-Inspector Biplab Kumar Dutta pressed charges in court against the 6 on Aug
15 that year.
(source: bdnews24.com)
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