Feb. 1
BAHRAIN:
Bahrain court sentences 58 people on terrorism charges - report
A court in Bahrain on Wednesday sentenced 58 people on terrorism charges,
condemning two of them to death and stripping citizenship from 47, according to
a report by state news agency BNA. The ruling is the latest in a series of
scores of harsh penalties in the Gulf kingdom for defendants accused of
Iranian-backed militancy. However, activists say they are mostly peaceful
opposition members. The court alleged the people were part of a terrorist cell
trained in the use of heavy weapons and explosives and jailed 19 for life and
37 for terms up to 15 years, Reuters reports. Bahrain accuses mainly Shiite
Iran of stoking militancy in the kingdom, which Tehran denies.
(source: rt.com)
KUWAIT:
Kuwaiti mother sentenced to death for murdering her disabled daughter
A Kuwaiti mother has been sentenced to death for murdering her disabled
daughter, after police discovered bruises on the body of the 5-year-old girl at
the crime scene.
The 26-year-old mother - along with her boyfriend - were both arrested in
Mubarak al-Kabeer governate last August, after calling emergency services to
report that the young girl had died in a fall from their high-rise apartment.
But paramedics and police who arrived at the scene found bruises and burns on
their girl's body, Gulf News reported, sparking suspicion about the child's
death.
The woman initially accused her boyfriend of beating the child during a walk.
After he was arrested, the 24-year-old man said the mother had also abused her
child and said that she wanted the girl killed.
If found guilty, the 2 could face the death penalty with Kuwait ending a 4-year
freeze on executions last January.
7 people - including nationals and expatriates - were put to death on 25
January 2017, ending an unofficial 4-year montarium on the death penalty.
No further executions have been carried out since.
In the same month, a mother and father were sentenced to death for torturing
and murdering their 3-year-old child.
(source: alaraby.co.uk)
IRAN----female execution
A Woman Executed in Iran
A woman was executed at Noshahr Prison on the charge of murdering her husband.
According to a close source, on the morning of Tuesday, January 30, a woman was
executed at Noshahr prison. The prisoner was sentenced to death on the charge
of murdering her husband with an accomplice. The murder was committed in Molkar
village in 2014.
"The accomplice of this prisoner was sentenced to 15 years in prison," told a
close source to Iran Human Rights (IHR).
The execution was first reported by HRANA news agency, but the state-run media
have not announced it so far.
According to Iran Human Rights annual report on the death penalty, 142 of the
530 execution sentences in 2016 were implemented due to murder charges. There
is a lack of any classification of murder by degree in Iran which results in
issuing a death sentence for all types of the murder, regardless of intensity
and intent.
(source: Iran Human Rights)
EGYPT:
Court consults Egypt's mufti before applying death sentence against 10
defendants
Giza Criminal Court issued preliminary death sentences against 10 defendants
accused of terrorism on Wednesday, in the case known as the 'Imbaba Cell',
although the case will first be referred to Egypt's mufti [high-rank Muslim
cleric] to provide judgement on whether the defendants should face the death
penalty.
According to the state-run newspaper Al-Ahram, the court set March 10 as the
date upon which the final verdict will be received, after the mufti's
consultation.
The defendants of interest are named Mohammed Hamdi, Anas Mustafa, Mohamed
Ahmed, Islam Abdelkader, Mahmoud Khalifa, Hussam Ibrahim, Islam Saber, Mohamed
Hassan Gad, Hamdi Darwish, and Mohamed Abdel Moneim.
The defendants face various accusations from the prosecution, primarily related
to charges relating to establishing a group - between 2013-2015 - which was
considered a terrorist organization and a threat to public order and national
unity.
The group was also accused of aiming to endanger society by possessing
firearms, attacking the armed forces, and attacking state institutions.
(source: Egypt Independent)
*******************
Human rights experts fear death sentences are being handed down after unfair
trials
Human rights activists have called on Egypt to suspend the death penalty after
an "unprecedented" rise in the number of state executions last year.
The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, a civil society group, said
activists had confirmed at least 49 executions in 2017, double the number the
year before and a sevenfold increase over 2015. The cases related to sentances
handed down by both military and civilian courts.
"We are calling for an immediate suspension of executions and for the launch of
a public debate about the death penalty," said Amira Mahmoud, researcher at the
civil society group.
Activists are concerned that the pace of executions has increased in recent
weeks and fear it will continue to rise given the number of death sentences
issued in 2017. Civilian judges handed down 260 death sentences last year and
military judges delivered 71, according to the EIPR. Many of these sentences
are not final and could be commuted on appeal, but some are likely to be
upheld.
UN human rights experts said last week that they were concerned death sentences
were being handed down after unfair trials.
"We are particularly concerned by an apparent continuing pattern of death
sentences handed out on the basis of evidence obtained through torture or ill
treatment, often during a period of enforced disappearance," the experts said
in a statement.
Egyptian authorities say that both civilian and military courts observe the
necessary safeguards for fair trials and that violations such as torture are
not systematic, but rather individual excesses punished by law. The office of
the public prosecutor has launched a new unit to investigate complaints of
human rights violations.
The increase in executions comes as Egypt is embroiled in a battle against
Islamist militants affiliated to Isis and al-Qaeda who regularly kill police
and army personnel and target high-ranking officials. Last year, Islamists
launched a string of attacks against the country's Christian population,
killing scores of people.
More than 300 worshippers were also killed in an attack on a mosque in the
Northern Sinai in November, the worst terrorist attack in the country's modern
history.
The militants have stepped up their attacks since President Abdel Fattah
al-Sisi led a popularly-backed coup in 2013 against his elected Islamist
predecessor.
Under Mr Sisi's rule, space for dissent has narrowed down sharply and thousands
have been arrested in a crackdown against the Muslim Brotherhood, which has
been extended to secular opponents of the regime.
The EIPR has called on the Egyptian parliament to reduce the number of crimes
punishable by death, which currently stands at about 100 according to Ms
Mahmoud. The group also wants laws revised to ensure that no civilians accused
of crimes punishable by death can be referred to exceptional or military
courts.
(source: Financial Times)
INDIA:
Govt. not for noose for child abusers, rapists and paedophiles
The Union government on Thursday expressed its objection to prescribe the noose
for child abusers, rapists and paedophiles, saying "the death penalty is not an
answer for everything."
Appearing before a Bench led by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, Additional
Solicitor General P.S. Narasimha said the POCSO Act classified child abuse into
sexual harassment, sexual assault and aggravated sexual assault.
The law metes out varying levels of punishment for each crime against children.
For child harassment, it is imprisonment of up to 3 years, 5 years'
imprisonment for sexual assault and 10 years to life imprisonment for
aggravated sexual assault.
The government was responding to a submission by public interest litigation
petitioner in person, advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava, to change the punishment
for a child rapist to the death penalty.
The case concerns the "brutal" sexual assault of an 8-month-old child in the
National Capital who, under the orders of the Supreme Court on January 31, was
shifted to AIIMS for intensive care.
Pendency of POCSO cases
The court responded by initiating a review of the pendency of cases currently
under the POCSO Act. It asked the petitioner to provide details of pendency of
POCSO cases by March 12.
It decided to look into the larger issue of disposal of POCSO cases within a
prescribed deadline and strict punishment.
The POCSO Act calls for the setting up of special courts to fast-track trial in
cases of child assault.
The hearing came 24 hours after a deeply concerned Supreme Court, in an urgent
hearing, directed a team of 2 specialists to rush to the 8-month-old admitted
to a private hospital with a special ambulance to transport her to AIIMS to
provide her special medical care.
The government informed the Bench on Thursday that her parents have been given
an interim compensation of I75,000. On Wednesday, both the government and the
Supreme Court expressed their concern for the child.
Mr. Srivastava moved the court saying "when such a brutal sexual offence has
taken place, the State has to show concern and appropriate treatment has to be
given to the child apart from grant of compensation."
Past judgment
The court referred to its past judgment in the Supreme Court Women Lawyers
Association (SCWLA) vs. Union of India and Another that crimes against girl
children are "rampant for unfathomable reasons and it is the obligation of the
law and law-makers to cultivate respect for the children and especially the
girl children who are treated with such barbarity and savageness."
The court expressed its anguish at such crimes, which were nothing but
"horrendous and repulsive."
It said a ''child is a glorious gift to mankind, cannot conceive of any kind of
carnal desire in man", and reiterated its hope that Parliament would respond to
the agony of society and work towards prescribing a "higher punishment."
"Once she becomes a victim of such a crime, there is disastrous effect on her
mind. The mental agony lasts long. Sorrow and fear haunt forever. There is need
to take steps for stopping this kind of child abuse." The Bench referred to the
earlier judgment.
(sourcce: The Hindu)
BANGLADESH:
State seeks death to all 5 accused
The state side on the concluding day of their argument yesterday sought capital
punishment to all the 5 accused in the case filed for raping and killing law
student Rupa Khatun on a moving bus.
The argument was completed at the court of Abul Mansur Miah, acting judge of
Tangail Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal.
The court has fixed Sunday and Monday (February 4 and 5) for argument of the
defence side.
Special Public Prosecutor (PP) AKM Nasimul Akter continued the argument for 2
1/2 hours.
Nasimul told the court that a total of 27 witnesses, including the accuser and
investigation officer of the case, and the doctor who conducted autopsy of the
body and the senior judicial magistrates who recorded confessional statements
of the accused under Section 164, gave their statements in the court.
Highlighting the statements of the witnesses, he said all the witnesses in
their statements described the incident properly.
The accused have given their confessional statements under Section 164
admitting their involvement with the incident, the special PP said.
The PP at the court sought capital punishment (death penalty) of all the
accused after saying that they were able to prove the allegations brought
against the accused.
Human Chain
Meanwhile, Manobadhikar Ainjibi Parishad (Human Rights Lawyers Council) in
Tangail formed a human chain on the court premises in the town yesterday,
demanding capital punishment to the accused.
Speakers at the rally also demanded speedy trial of the case.
The district unit Manobadhikar Ainjibi Parishad President Advocate S Akbar
Khan, Bangladesh Manobadhikar Bastobayon Sangstha district General Secretary
Advocate Ataur Rahman Azad, Advocate Golam Mostafa and Rupa's elder brother
Hafizur Rahman Pramanik spoke at the rally.
(source: The Daily Star)
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