June 10
MALAYSIA:
Kenyan woman sentenced to death for drug trafficking in Malaysia
A Kenyan woman was sentenced to death by a Malaysian court after she was found
guilty of trafficking in methamphetamine 4 years ago.
According to Malaysian Daily Express, Rose Achieng Ojala had stuffed 3 capsules
of the drug into her private parts and swallowed another 68 capsules, all
weighing about 400gm.
She was arrested on November 30, 2013 at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport
after arriving from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The mother of three, who allegedly suffered from human immunodeficiency virus
(HIV), had fainted before the proceedings and had to be taken into the court
room in a wheelchair.
On the day she was arrested, an Immigration officer noticed that she was
behaving suspiciously during the regular luggage inspection.
Upon searching her, 3 capsules of methamphetamine weighing more than 20g were
found in her underwear.
She admitted that her boyfriend had stuffed the capsules into her private parts
before she boarded the flight.
The woman, who claimed she was pregnant, was later taken to the Serdang
Hospital, where an x-ray examination revealed that she had swallowed 68
capsules of the drug weighing more than 380gm.
In convicting Ojala, the judge said the prosecution had proved the case beyond
reasonable doubt.
"You are found guilty and there is no other punishment under Section 39(B) of
the Dangerous Drugs Act 1962 except the death sentence," he said.
Ojala was also sentenced to 3 years' jail for possessing 20.7g of
methamphetamine in her underwear.
She was a single mother of children aged between 4 and 15.
(source: the-star.co.ke)
LEBANON:
Rise in Crime Rate Spurs Calls for Death Penalty
A rise in cold-blooded murders in Lebanon has been met with demands for
re-enacting the death penalty which has been frozen since 2004.
The latest crime was the killing of a 23-year-old man by a gunman north of
Beirut earlier this week.
The gunman killed Roy Hamouche after their cars collided on a highway.
His murder led to widespread condemnation and demands to re-enact the death
penalty despite the rejection of several civil society and human rights
organizations that said limiting such crimes should come through the restraint
of guns.
On Friday, Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq called for the implementation
of the death penalty during a speech celebrating the 156th anniversary of the
Internal Security Forces in Lebanon.
He called for stricter punishment for criminals, saying that Lebanon should
"re-enact the death penalty, especially in cases of deliberate murder."
Lebanon's last execution took place in 2004, former Justice Minister Shakib
Qortbawi told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Despite the significant time since the last execution, capital punishment
continues to be legal in Lebanon, he said.
Following a judge's verdict, carrying out the death penalty requires a decision
from the justice minister, which is later sent to the prime minister and the
president to issue a special decree, Qortbawi told the newspaper.
But no justice minister has done that since 2009, he said.
While rejecting capital punishment, the former minister said that the real
problem lies in the proliferation of arms in addition to the high rate of drug
use among all communities in the country.
"The solution should come by abolishing all arms licenses," Qortbawi said.
Abdel Salam Sidahmed, the Regional Representative of the UN Human Rights Office
of the High Commissioner, told Asharq Al-Awsat the OHCHR encourages countries
to abolish the death penalty in line with international conventions and a
resolution issued by the UN calling for the abolishment of capital punishment.
A criminal can be punished through other verdicts such as life in prison, he
said.
The OHCHR is in continuous contact with the Lebanese authorities on human
rights issues and encourages officials to hold onto the moratorium of the death
penalty, he added.
(source: aawsat.com)
IRAN:
Under the Shadow of Death: List of 30 Death Row Prisoners in One of the Poorest
Cities in Iran
30 prisoners in Zabol Central Prison are reportedly in imminent danger of
execution after their death sentences were confirmed by Iran's Supreme Court.
Zabol, located in the province of Sistan & Baluchestan, is one of the poorest
cities in Iran. Zabol Central Prison is located in the southern part of the
city and hundreds of prisoners are held here.
There are multiple worrying reports from the prison of the ill-treatment of
prisoners by the prison officials, frequent water outages, overcrowdedness,
lack of air conditioning, and poor-quality and lack of food. On May 16, 2017, a
prisoner by the name of Ramezan Koohkan reportedly died in Zabol Central Prison
after receiving rough treatment by the head of prison security and suffering a
concussion.
"About 80% of the prisoners in this prison are Sunni, but all the prison guards
and authorities are Shia. This has caused numerous problems in the prison," a
prisoner in Zabol Central Prison tells Iran Human Rights.
About 60% of the prisoners in Zabol Central Prison are held on drug related
charges, and many of them are on death row. At the current time, the death
sentences of 30 prisoners in this prison have been confirmed by the Supreme
Court. These prisoners are on death row for various charges, including murder,
drug trafficking, or kidnapping. According to unconfirmed reports, three of
these prisoners were under the age of 18 at the time of their arrest. The 30
prisoners may be executed at any moment.
The names and identities of the 30 prisoners in imminent danger of execution:
Karim Ashtarak, 43 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 3 1/2 years on drug
related charges.
Gholam-Mohammad Nourzehi, 50 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 9 years on
drug related charges.
Hashem Sanchouli, 25 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 4 years on the
charge of Moharebeh (enmity against God) through armed drug trafficking.
Ahmad-Ali Chopoulzehi, 25 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 4 years on drug
related charges.
Amir Reigi, 60 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 8 years on drug related
charges.
Abdolnabi Alizehi, 45 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 5 years on drug
related charges.
Nouraloddin Teymouri, 28 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 5 years on drug
related charges.
Nessar-Ahmad Golebacheh, 29 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 18 months on
drug related charges.
Shahghassem Golebacheh, 19 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 18 months on
drug related charges.
Heydar Golebacheh, 25 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 18 months on drug
related charges.
Khodadad Narouie, 55 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 20 years on murder
charges.
Javid Karim Koshteh. 21 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 3 years on murder
charges.
Hossein Karim Koshteh, 20 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 4 years on
murder charges.
Jomeh Rakhshani, 55 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 9 years on drug
related charges.
Nour-Ahmad Gavkhoreh, 26 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 3 years on drug
related charges.
Adel Shiranzehi, 25 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 3 years and 4 months
on murder charges.
Mohammmad Saravandi, 45 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 5 years on drug
related charges.
Yousef Reigi, 30 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 4 years on drug related
charges.
Nematollah Barahouie, 32 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 2 1/2 years on
drug related charges.
Parviz Mirbaluchzehi, 36 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 4 years on
murder charges.
Javad Ghassemi, 34 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 11 years on murder
charges.
Mehdi Eyrouzaie, 34 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 6 years on murder
charges.
Mojtaba Ansari, 34 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 5 years on kidnapping
charges.
Vali Yousefzehi, 23 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 6 years on drug
related charges.
Min Mirzaie, 26 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 5 years on kidnapping
charges.
Hamed Sanchouli, 26 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 5 years on kidnapping
charges.
Eghbal Shahvezehi, 24 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 5 years on
kidnapping charges.
Ma'aloddin Shahvezehi, 36 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 5 years on
kidnapping charges.
Mehdi Dousti, 33 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 5 years on kidnapping
charges.
Mojtaba Sarani, 23 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 5 years on kidnapping
charges.
(source: Iran Human Rights)
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