Oct. 12
GAZA:
Gaza Strip executions need to stop, argues European Union
Hamas must stop meting out death penalties in violation of Palestinian law,
argued the European Union Tuesday as it sharply criticized the latest death
sentence issued by the de facto government of the Gaza Strip.
"The de facto authorities in Gaza must refrain from carrying out any executions
of prisoners and comply with the moratorium on executions put in place by the
Palestinian Authority," the EU missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah said after
the most recent death sentence, issued Sunday, following a man's conviction for
killing another man.
Capital punishment must be approved by the president under Palestinian Basic
Law. The sentences signal an escalation between Hamas, which controls Gaza, and
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who controls the West Bank.
The Islamist movement announced in May that it had approved a measure allowing
executions to be carried out in Gaza, without being first ratified by Abbas.
Gaza Strip courts have issued 15 death penalties this year, 3 of which have
been carried out by hanging.
"After Hamas took control of Gaza, the courts have been acting as de facto
courts," Samir Zaquot, director of the law unit at Al Meznan Centre for Human
Rights, told dpa.
His comments echo concerns from the United Nations and human rights groups on
whether those sentenced to death were given fair trials.
From July 2007 to October, Hamas-ruled courts have issued 120 death penalty
sentences, Zaquot said, adding that "61 had been executed."
Hamas, which has been on the EU's list of terrorist organizations since 2001,
has pushed to have the designation removed. A top court adviser to the EU
recommended the group's delisting late last month.
(source: europeonlin-magazine.eu)
MALAYSIA:
5 charged with kidnapping, face death penalty
5 of the 9 men arrested in a daring kidnapping case early this month were
charged with abduction and wrongful confinement at the magistrate's court here.
The 5 were jointly charged with abducting and wrongfully confining a
60-year-old money changer for a RM3 million ransom.
The 5 are T.Shasitaran, 32, M. Ashogan, 33, Mohamad Sultan Ahmad Kabil, 37, Ong
San Chia, 31, and Yeoh Shyh Ming, 27.
They allegedly committed the offence sometime between 10.30am and 10.45am on
September 28 at the roadside of Jalan Rumbia near the Crystal Gardens
apartment.
All 5 were charged under Section 3(1) of the Kidnapping Act 1961 for abduction
and wrongful confinement for ransom which carries the death penalty upon
conviction.
No plea was recorded from all 5, 3 of whom were represented by Mathan
Anandaram, while Ong and Yeoh were represented by Jason Khor.The prosecution
was represented by Deputy Public Prosecutor Nurul Fatin Hussin.
Magistrate Mohamad Amin Shahul Hamid fixed December 14 for mention of the case.
The 5 were alleged to have kidnapped the money changer by dragging him into a
van as he was walking out from his house.
The 60-year-old businessman was held in an apartment while his abductors
demanded for RM3 million in ransom from his family.
The businessman was rescued on October 3 when police arrested one of those
involved who led the police to where the victim was held.
Police had remanded 9 suspects in connection with the case. It is believed the
other 4 other suspects are still under investigations.
(source: themalaymailonline.com)
**************
Mother of death-row inmate: Pray for my son----Sapenah Nawati's son receives
birthday cards as Amnesty International appeals for his sentence to be commuted
to life imprisonment.
Sapenah Nawati put on a brave face as she stood in front of the entrance of the
Sungai Buloh prison, where her son Shahrul Izani Suparman sits on death row.
Fighting hard to hold back her tears, the 58-year-old mother of 4 vowed not to
give up hope. He could be executed at any time.
"I am asking everyone to pray for my son as we attempt to save him from the
gallows for the last time," she pleaded, her voice cracking a little, before
thanking those who had offered her support.
"Whatever happens, happens."
Sapenah was speaking to reporters after passing Shahrul, her 2nd child,
birthday greeting cards from Malaysians nationwide, including children.
The birthday cards effort was an initiative by Amnesty International Malaysia
in conjunction with the 14th World Day Against Death Penalty, which falls on
Oct 10 every year.
As part of Amnesty International Malaysia's campaign against the death penalty,
Malaysians can sign an online petition to urge the Selangor Pardons Board to
commute Shahrul Izani's death sentence to life imprisonment.
"This campaign is to call for reform towards death penalty laws. Shahrul's case
is only 1 of many.
"The public rarely has information on who is being executed and for what
crimes. Transparency on the use of capital punishment is important as it is an
essential safeguard that not only allows for greater scrutiny to ensure the
rights of those facing execution are fully respected, but is also a
pre-condition for informed and meaningful debates on the issue," AI Malaysia
Executive Director Shamini Darshni Kaliemuthu said Tuesday.
On Sept 25, 2003, Shahrul was arrested at a roadblock when police found 622
grammes of cannabis wrapped in 2 newspapers and placed in separate bags.
He was subsequently charged with drug trafficking under Section 39B (1)(a) of
the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 and sentenced to death on Dec 8, 2009.
For 13 years, Shahrul Izani had maintained he did not know the drugs were
stashed in the basket of the motorcycle.
He has already exhausted all his appeals.
(source: freemalaysiatoday.com)
INDIA:
Amnesty decries India's death penalty record
----Says capital punishment used in flawed bid to combat terror
India is among around 20 countries that resorted to death penalty in a "flawed"
anti-terror drive in 2015, Amnesty International has said as it called for a
complete ban on executions.
In its report 'Stop the Cycle of Violence: The Use of the Death Penalty for
Terrorism-related Offences' coinciding with the World Day Against the Death
Penalty on Monday, the Amnesty said countries are "increasingly resorting to
death penalty in a flawed attempt" to combat terrorism-related crimes.
Besides India, at least 20 countries sentenced people to death or carried out
executions for terrorism-related crimes last year and it included Algeria,
Bahrain, Cameroon, China, Congo, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Pakistan,
Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia, UAE and the USA.
"Although the use of death penalty for such offences is often shrouded in
secrecy, in recent years Amnesty International has documented a notable rise in
its use," it said.
Rubbishing governments' argument that death penalty serves as a deterrent, it
said examples of Cameroon and Iraq undermine claims in favour of the death
penalty's role in deterring violent armed attacks.
Authorities in Cameroon introduced the 2014 anti-terrorism law, prescribing the
death penalty for acts of terrorism, specifically to combat violent attacks by
Boko Haram, but since then, the outfit has "significantly increased its
attacks, including suicide bombings," the Amnesty said.
From July 2015 to July 2016, the group carried out at least 200 attacks,
including 38 suicide bombings. The frequency of Boko Haram's attacks in
northern Cameroon peaked between November 2015 and the end of January 2016,
with a record of 1 attack every 3 days, it said.
On Iraq, it quoted the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq, which said, "the
government's view according to which the death penalty is a deterrent to
violence, including terrorism, appears not to be valid, given the deteriorating
security situation over the past years."
"Majority of the states, 103 countries, have now abolished death penalty for
all crimes. These countries have accepted that crime in whatever shape or form
can be addressed without using death penalty. It is time for countries that use
death penalty for terrorism-related offences to accept this fact," it added.
(source: Deccan Herald)
PAKISTAN:
Emergency Advocacy Letter Delivered to Pakistan's Ambassador to the U.S.
Asia Bibi, Pakistani Christian and mother of 5, is on death row. Pakistan's
Supreme Court is set to hear the final appeal of her case tomorrow - Thursday,
October 13th. Today, we delivered an emergency letter in support of Asia to
Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States. Our letter requests that he do
everything in his power to advocate for Asia's freedom, and for "the protection
of the rights and religious freedoms of all Pakistani citizens."
Asia has been death row for her Christian faith for 2,164 days - nearly 6
years. She was accused and convicted of blaspheming the Prophet Muhammad's
name. Under Pakistani law, blasphemy is punishable by death, and Asia was
sentenced to death by hanging. Her only "crime," however, was publically
affirming her faith in Jesus Christ.
Asia was arrested back in 2009, after an argument occurred between her and her
co-workers. As we informed the Ambassador:
Asia, who was picking berries, took a break from her work to get a drink of
water and offered some water to the other women working with her. Her
co-workers informed Asia that they could not drink water from the hands of a
Christian woman, because, by handling it, she had made the water haram. Asia's
co-workers then demanded that she convert to Islam to be cleansed of her
impurity. Asia refused and instead publically affirmed her faith in Jesus
Christ.
We've reported before how events then escalated, leading to Asia's arrest 5
days later. Asia's subsequent trial was full of errors, and in November 2010,
Asia was sentenced to death. Asia appealed her conviction to the Lahore High
Court, which - 4 years later, in October 2014 - upheld her conviction. Now,
Pakistan's Supreme Court is about to hear Asia's final appeal.
Our letter to the Pakistani Ambassador discusses Asia's case and addresses key
aspects of Pakistani law, as well as its obligations under international law.
Pakistan is a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
(ICCPR). It also voted in favor of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(UDHR), which states: "[e]veryone has the right to freedom of thought,
conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or
belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or
private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and
observance."
According to the ICCPR, "[e]veryone shall have the right to hold opinions
without interference," and "[e]veryone shall have the right to freedom of
expression." Freedom of expression under article 19 includes the "freedom to
seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds." The right to
impart information and ideas of all kinds clearly includes communicating and
expressing religious opinions to others. Pakistan's blasphemy laws are, on
their face, not only contradictory to these provisions, but restrict Pakistan's
ability to fulfill obligations it has agreed to with the international
community through the ICCPR.
Moreover, article 6 of the ICCPR limits the "sentence of death" to only "the
most serious of crimes." Neither the death penalty nor life imprisonment is by
any standard proportional punishment to the "crime" of blasphemy.
While the Supreme Court hearing Asia's appeal is a positive development in her
case, it does not guarantee that Asia's conviction will be overturned. By
becoming a party to the ICCPR Pakistan has voluntarily undertaken the
obligation to ensure that religious freedom is guaranteed to all its citizens.
Pakistan needs to honor its international legal obligations and release Asia
Bibi.
In addition to this letter to Pakistan's Ambassador to the U.S., we are also
sending similar emergency legal letters to Pakistan's Ambassador to the U.N.,
and the U.N. itself.
You can join with over 475,000 people from around the world who are also
advocating for Asia's freedom by signing our petition.
As we continue to aggressively advocate for this Christian mom, Asia Bibi,
across the globe, our team on the ground in Pakistan will be attending the
Supreme Court hearing. We will keep you updated as the fight for her freedom
progresses. Please sign the petition and earnestly pray.
(source: aclj.org)
*****************
425 executed since abolishment of moratorium on hanging----Human Rights
Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said a total of 425 people have been hanged since
Pakistan resumed executions in December 2014.
Pakistan has hanged 425 people since the abolishment of moratorium on
executions in terrorism-related cases, becoming one of the top countries in the
world to hand down death sentence to convicts. "By executing 333 convicts in
2015 alone, Pakistan joined the ranks of the top executioners in the world.
Courts continue to award capital punishment to suspects at a rapid rate," Human
Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said. The commission said a total of 425
people have been hanged since Pakistan resumed executions in December 2014.
In the aftermath of the deadliest attack on an army-run school in Peshawar in
December 2014, in which more than 150 people mostly children were killed,
Pakistan had lifted a moratorium on executions in terrorism-related cases. "As
many as 225 individuals had been sentenced in 2014 and 411 in 2015. The number
of convictions had already reached 301 by the end of September this year," it
said.
The HRCP has also demanded reform of the criminal justice system before
continuing with the death penalty under the National Action Plan (NAP). "Owing
to critical and well-documented deficiencies in the law and administration of
justice, death penalty allows a very high probability of miscarriage of
justice, which is unacceptable in any civilised society, particularly when the
punishment was irreversible," said HRCP Secretary General I A Rehman.
"It is obvious that none of the reasons for stopping executions in 2008 have
changed. Things have rather deteriorated. We have seen how real the possibility
of hanging minors and mentally and physically challenged individuals can be,"
he said. Noting that "grave concerns" have arisen over the denial of fair trial
and due process rights in trial by military courts, Rehman said in such
circumstances it was imperative to immediately halt executions, restore the
moratorium and move towards abolition of the death penalty.
He said "investigation methods" of police and chronic corruption also added to
the troubles of those who were charged with capital offences. "The system of
justice is loaded against the poor and lack of financial means put those
accused of death penalty offences at a serious disadvantage," Rehman said.
Noting that religion is often invoked to justify capital punishment, he said
yet in fact no more than a couple of the 27 death penalty offences on the
statute books in Pakistan are mandated by religion. According to latest Amnesty
International data on executions around the world, Pakistan is one of the 5
death penalty purveyors in the world, behind only China and Iran.
(source: The Indian Express)
IRAN:
Iranian child bride to be put to death after giving birth to stillborn
baby----Zeinab Sokian faces the death penalty for killing her husband in 2012
A child bride is facing execution for the murder of her husband after giving
birth to a stillborn baby in prison.
Zeinab Sokian was sentenced to death in 2012 when she just 17 for allegedly
murdering her husband in her village in northern Iran.
Under Iranian law, murder carries the death penalty but pregnant women cannot
be executed.
Ms Sokian, who was just 15 when she first got married, was pregnant from a
relationship she formed with a fellow prisoner while in prison but delivered
the stillborn child on 30 September.
Now Iranian authorities have told her she will be executed in the next couple
of weeks as she is no longer pregnant.
During her trial the court had disregarded her testimony that she had been
frequently beaten and abused by her husband, Human Rights Watch reported.
Iran is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) which
outlaws the use of the death penalty on a person who was under 18 when they
committed a capital offence but has already executed at least 1 child in 2016.
Another 49 people who were children when they committed the offence are
currently on death row.
Origins of forced marriage cases
According to Iran's Civic Code a girl can be legally married at 13 and a boy at
15 despite the CRC saying the minimum marriage age should be 18.
It comes as Save the Children released analysis which showed one girl under 15
is married every 7 seconds.
Girls as young as 10 are being forced to marry men, often a lot older than
themselves, in countries such as Iran, Niger, India, Yemen and Somalia.
One girl under 18 is forced to marry every 2 seconds.
In India, which has the most total number of child marriages due to the size of
its population, 47 % of girls - around 24.6m - are forced to get married under
the age of 18.
Save the Children's new CEO Kevin Watkins said: "Child marriage isn't just a
form of discrimination, it's a form of violence.
"Forcing girls to marry much older men robs them of their freedom and amounts
to sexual slavery. Instead of being in school, married girls face domestic
violence, abuse and rape.
"They fall pregnant and are exposed to STIs including HIV. Bearing children
before their bodies are ready means girls suffer complicated deliveries and
even death."
(source: The Independent)
***********************
World Day Against Death Penalty, Commemoration of 1988 Massacre in Iran
The World Day Against the Death Penalty was celebrated at the mayor's office of
Paris' 1st district. On October 10, an exposition about executions in Iran took
place. Organized by the Support Committee for Human Rights in Iran (SCHRI), the
exposition was interspersed with speeches from elected officials, human rights
defenders and witnesses of human rights violations from Iran.
The exposition emphasized the execution of political prisoners in Iran, which
often take place en masse in the country with the highest number of executions
per capita. These executions were denounced by the U.N. Secretary General's
most recent report on Iran submitted to the General Assembly.
In 1988, in the space of just a few months, more than 30,000 political
prisoners were executed following the issuing of a fatwa by Khomeini. The
majority of the dissidents who were victims of this slaughter were members of
the People's Mojahidin Organization of Iran (PMOI). The recent publishing of an
audio recording from Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, then heir-apparent to
Khomeini, has revived this nearly-forgotten crime against humanity. Montazeri
opposed this crime and was thus expelled from leadership in the same year and
placed under house arrest.
The speakers at the exposition underlined the need to bring those responsible
for this crime to justice. Many organizers of the massacre today occupy high
government offices and continue to sentence Iranians to death by hanging
throughout the country. Human rights groups from around the world have
denounced Iran's use of capital punishment, but we often forget the Islamic
Republic of Iran, with more than 1,000 annual hangings, executes more people
than the rest of the world combined in proportion to its population.
The mayor of Paris' 1st district, Jean-Francois Legaret, who hosted the
exposition in his office, opened the exposition by underlining that there is "a
battle to fight against the death penalty and other barbaric acts in Iran",
such as the 1988 prison massacre. He said he hopes that this campaign to raise
awareness will go on until those responsible are judged before an international
tribunal. Mr. Legaret insisted that even if commercial exchanges are important,
we must never negotiate with a "barbarous regime" such as that of the Mollahs.
The mayor of Paris' 2nd district, Jacques Boutault, thanked those who fight
alongside the Iranian Resistance to bring human rights to Iran. Mr. Boutalt
also recalled that the Iranian regime is complicit in the war in Aleppo and
called upon the French government to summon the courage to denounce the crimes
that Iran has perpetrated in Syria.
Mr. Henri Leclerc, Honorable President of the League for Human Rights, said
that "in Iran, the use of the death penalty is massive and we cannot let this
go unchallenged." He also stated that "unpunished crimes will recur." Regarding
the massacre of political prisoners in Iran, he added: "It is a crime against
humanity when we know that thousands were executed while they were in prison.
This must be denounced and we must act. We have sufficient materials. I hope
that the U.N. conducts an investigation which brings those responsible to
trial."
Mr. Leclerc finished by saying that the victims of the 1988 massacre "died for
liberty around the world; these men, women, and children have a right to
justice. If we leave such crimes unpunished, it is our future that will truly
be tragic."
(source: NCR-Iran)
NIGERIA:
Abduction, rituals now attract death penalty in Ogun...land grabbing,
kidnapping, others 25 years jail
Ogun State House of Assembly, OGHA, Tuesday passed into law a bill stipulating
a 25 years imprisonment as penalty for anyone caught engaging in forceful
takeover of landed property across the state with the use of any fire arms.
In a situation where life is involved, the Ogun Assembly's bill entitled 'H.B.
No. 03/2016,' further stipulated death sentence for anyone found guilty of
placing on any land or landed property, "any agent for the purpose of forceful
takeover of the said land with the use of any fire arms, offensive weapon,
obnoxious or chemical materials or the said offender causes any form of injury
or uses violence on any person."
The bill was titled: 'H.B. No. 03/2016 - 'A Bill for a law to Prohibit Forcible
Entry and Occupation of Landed Properties, Violent and Fraudulent Conducts in a
Relation To Landed Properties: Armed Robbery, Kidnapping, Cultism and Allied
Matters and For other Matters Incidental thereto or Connected Therewith.'
The passage of the bill during the House's plenary session presided over by the
Speaker, Hon. Suraju Ishola Adekunbi, followed the presentation of the report
of the Special Joint Committees on Lands and Housing as well as Justice, Ethics
and Public Petitions led by the Assembly's Deputy Speaker, Hon. Olakunle
Oluomo, who sponsored the bill.
Oluomo had moved the motion for the adoption of the bill, which was seconded by
Hon. Adebiyi Adeleye and eventually supported by the Whole House. Other
provisions in the bill included that in case of kidnapping, abduction, violent
rituals resulting in death or grievous bodily harm, forcible detention and
related offense "where the person kidnapped, restrained, detained, kept,
abducted or seized dies in the course, the offender shall be liable on
conviction to such punishment as provided for the offense of murder under
Section 319 (1) Criminal Code Law of Ogun State, 2006 or such other law for the
time being in force."
The bill further added that where "the person does no die in the course, the
offender shall be liable on conviction to punishment for life with hard labour
and without an option of fine."
The new bill also spelt out punishment for robbery, as any person held for
robbery shall upon trial and conviction be liable to a sentence of 21 years
imprisonment, while anyone convicted for armed robbery attracts death sentence.
Following the passage of the bill by thestate Assembly, Hon. Adekunbi however,
ordered that a clean copy of the bill be sent to the state governor, Ibikunle
Amosun, for assent into law.
(source: nationalmirroronline.net)
ZIMBABWE:
Abolition of Death Penalty - MPs Say Their Hands Tied
Legislators have said their hands are tied over abolition of death penalty in
Zimbabwe, saying scrapping the sentence rests more with the executive and
political party leaders than Parliament.
Speaking during commemorations of the World Day against Death Penalty this
Monday, legislators from the parliamentary parties - MDC-T and Zanu PF - said
the laws of the country give their superiors control over what MPs do in the
August House.
MDC-T legislator Jessie Majome, who also chairs Parliament's Legal committee,
said the whipping system compromises their role.
"Our parliament is an arena of party politics. That's the way it is. We take
positions in parliament according to what our party decides or doesn't decide.
"I come from a party that has a minority in Parliament therefore I couldn't
master enough support when I challenged the death penalty in the house," she
said.
Fortune Chasi of Zanu PF concurred, saying MPs could only deliberate and pass
such laws with the blessing of the executive.
"The Zimbabwean parliament reacts to what the executive brings before it," he
said.
The MPs were responding to advocate Fadzai Mahere who had accused the
legislature of dragging its feet on aligning the Criminal Procedure, Evidence
Act with the section 48 of constitution which guarantees the right to life.
The constitution now limits the death penalty to cases of aggravated murder
while exempting women and only men below 21 and above 70 years.
The death penalty is being challenged on the basis that it is irreversible,
colonial, lacks evidence of deterring others from similar crimes while innocent
people have been executed in the past.
(source: allafrica.com)
BELARUS:
Belarus resumes executions after EU sanctions dropped ---- Human rights report
details abuse used to extract confessions in only European country to use death
penalty
The last European country to retain capital punishment has resumed sentencing
people to death since EU sanctions against its president were dropped this
year, according to a landmark investigation.
In recent months Belarus has executed one person and condemned four more to
death, with more cases pending in which capital punishment is likely, according
to investigators with the Paris-based human rights organisation FIDH, and the
Viasna human rights centre in Minsk.
Described by investigators as a "scandal at the heart of Europe", about 400
people have been executed in Belarus since independence in 1991 - more than 1 a
month.
The human rights report documents the physical and psychological abuse used to
extract confessions and the shocking conditions in which death row inmates are
kept and later executed.
Interviews with local journalists and lawyers reveal a practice shrouded in
secrecy, with statistics on the numbers killed by the state closely guarded by
Belarus's government.
The time and locations of the executions, as well as the places of burial, are
also kept classified, with the bodies of prisoners never released to families.
Sacha Koulaeva, head of the FIDH's eastern Europe and central Asia desk, said
the abolition of the death penalty in Belarus was an achievable goal if the
European Union put pressure on the government. "We would like to mobilise the
international community to call for Europe to be a death penalty-free zone,"
she said.
Koulaeva said evidence suggested international intervention had already proved
effective: while the EU was negotiating lifting sanctions between 2013 and
2015, executions almost stopped.
Maya Foa, a director at the UK human rights group Reprieve, said the report
showed the EU needed to do more to end the practice.
"The EU and member states are regularly vocal about their opposition to the
death penalty, and this is now more important than ever," she said. "Executions
are on the rise around the world and it is critical that the EU not only stands
by its 'strong and principled opposition to the death penalty', but actively
advances this principle in its diplomatic and trading relationships with
executing states."
In response to the report's finding, members of the EU mission to Belarus,
including the deputy head, Jim Couzens, called for an immediate moratorium on
the practice.
Most families only find out a family member has been executed after their
prison uniform is sent in a package after their death. The death penalty was
introduced in Belarus during Soviet rule as a punishment for murder and
economic crimes, as well as "counterrevolutionary acts" including treason and
espionage. Since 1991, the government has continued to apply several clauses of
the Soviet-era criminal code, the last of the former USSR countries to do so.
Alexander Lukashenko, who assumed office in 1994, has broadened the powers of
the president over his 22 years in office, earning Belarus the nickname of
Europe's "last dictatorship".
The authorities and state media outlets enthusiastically defend the use of the
death penalty by claiming its use reduces crime. However, new analysis by the
FIDH and Viasna shows this justification to be false: in 2015, the internal
affairs ministry reported 4,018 counts of serious crime, an increase of 17% on
2014.
Andrei Paluda, coordinator of the campaign against the death penalty led by
Viasna, told researchers the conditions in which inmates are held had
deteriorated. He spoke to witnesses who have worked in Belarus's death row
facilities, who described cells just 3 metres large, fitted with video cameras
to watch inmates at all times.
A former staff member of Pretrial Detention Centre no 1 in the centre of Minsk,
told Viasna: "From the very beginning, they face maximum security restrictions
... The rules prohibit them from lying or sitting on the plank beds from 6am to
10pm. They usually walk around the cell all day long."
Another former staff member said death row inmates were kept in complete
isolation and treated as if they are no longer "among the living". Those
condemned to death are kept without any information about their execution date,
a practice Koulaeva described as "cynical" and one that distresses the
prisoners.
The report also reveals the trauma inflicted on the families of those sentenced
to death.
Though the Belarusian criminal code stipulates that 1 family member must be
notified in the event of an execution, it does not specify how. In most cases,
families learn that an execution has been carried out only upon the delivery of
personal belongings after death.
Tamara Sialiun, whose 27-year-old son Pavel was convicted of 2 counts of murder
and mutilating a dead body in 2012, told investigators that the first she knew
of her son's execution was when a package arrived containing his prison
uniform. He had been shot in the head.
"After everything that happened, I received a notification from the post office
to pick up a parcel from Minsk. It was the robe and boots of my son. When I got
home, I just didn???t know what to do," said Sialiun, 1 of 3 women interviewed.
She has since filed a complaint to the UN human rights committee over the
treatment she and her son received.
Koulaeva said the report painted a vivid portrait of the process by which men
were being convicted and killed, a process she described as deeply flawed and
carried out with "total disregard to international obligations".
"The conditions in which this action takes place are terrible," she said. "[It
is] a terrible ritual, and a terrible thing to witness."
(source: The Guardian)
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