Feb. 3
JAPAN:
Gallows finally loom for Japan's killer cult leaders----Aum Shinrikyo's
leader is at last facing capital punishment, but the motive for the 1995
gas attack on Tokyo's subway remains obscure
Kazumasu Takahashi, an assistant stationmaster on the Chiyoda subway line
in central Tokyo, was on duty when the 8:10am train pulled in on Monday
morning, March 20, 1995. Many of the passengers were civil servants
working in the government ministries in the Kasumigaseki district close by
Tokyo's Imperial Palace.
Before the doors shut, Takahashi noticed that some liquid had spilled on
to the train floor. He mopped it up and waved the train on. Then he keeled
over on the platform and died. Within minutes thousands of commuters were
staggering out of the subway exits gasping for air, coughing, rubbing
their eyes or foaming at the mouth.
It was sarin nerve gas. Urban terrorists had planted it at five widely
scattered locations along 3 central city subway lines in the world's 1st -
and so far, only - use of a weapon of mass destruction delivered in a
lunchbox. 12 died in the attack; 5,000 were injured. More than 2 decades
later, some survivors are still bedridden with little or no prospect of
recovery.
Suspicion quickly fell on a cult called Aum Shinrikyo (Supreme Truth). For
a while, the menacing portrait of its hirsute guru Chizuo Matsumoto alias
Shoko Asahara was as common as portraits of Osama bin Laden. Police
arrested dozens of members, including Asahara.
Only now, 23 years later, does it appear that the "guru" and his
lieutenants will have to pay the ultimate price.
The wheels of justice have moved slowly. Asahara, along with another 12
cult leaders, was sentenced to death in 2006 after a trial that lasted
more then 8 years. By way of comparison, the Oklahoma City bombing in the
US took place in the same week as the Tokyo nerve-gas attack. However, the
perpetrator of that atrocity, Timothy McVeigh, was swiftly convicted and
executed. He has been dead for 16 years.
The Aum trials were unprecedented in Japan's judicial history in terms of
their sheer number (190 indictments) and the extraordinary length of the
deliberations.
Japan's Supreme Court finally cleared the path to the gallows when it
upheld the life sentence for one Katsuya Takahashi, an Aum cultist who had
been on the lam for 16 years. Under Japanese law, a person cannot be
executed while courts are considering an accomplice, on the theory that he
or she might be needed to testify.
Asahara has never tried to explain or justify his actions, or express any
remorse for the victims. When he was found guilty of mass murder, he
accepted his sentence without a word. He has never made an apology or
admitted guilt
Amid this legal firestorm, one might think that the vast number of trials
(Asahara alone made 257 court appearances) would have shed light on the
cult's motives for its murderous attack on the Tokyo subway system.
Yet aside from 1 brief statement at the beginning of his trial to the
effect that he had ordered his associates not to poison the system,
Asahara clammed up. He never addressed the core issues; never tried to
explain or justify his actions, nor express any remorse for the victims.
When he was found guilty of mass murder, he accepted his sentence without
a word. He has never made an apology or admitted guilt.
It not clear how the Justice Ministry will handle the 13 executions. If it
follows current procedure, Asahara will not know his execution is to take
place until the morning guards show up to escort him to the gallows
chamber. The general public will learn of the execution with a terse
announcement after the deed is done.
Public opinion polls show that the Japanese public approves of capital
punishment by very large margins. But much of that is because the
government takes pains to keep executions as low-key as possible - no
vigils outside the prison, no dramatic calls to the state governor for
clemency.
That an obscure doomsday cult with no known track record of international
terrorism was able to manufacture sarin gas in quantities large enough,
theoretically, to kill millions so easily, and to spray it
indiscriminately in the middle of the world???s largest city, is a timely -
and terrifying - reminder of what terrorists can do with chemical weapons.
It is also worth remembering that not all ideologies of doomsday or
apocalyptic terror are incubated in Muslim madrassas - former Aum
spokesman Fumihiro Joyu was a graduate of Waseda University, 1 of Japan's
most prestigious institutions of higher learning. Nor did these dedicated
terrorists have to brew their deadly chemicals in caves in remote border
areas. They lived in the suburbs.
Remarkably, Aum Shinrikyo has never been outlawed and still has perhaps
1,500 followers. It is said that the guru is gaining new respect among
followers, now in their late teens, or early 20s, who were only 10 or so
when the gas attacks occurred and have no real personal memories of the
attack.
Cults still flourish in Japan and continue to draw in more young people.
They seem to fill a spiritual void at the heart of Japan's consumer
society. For the overwhelming majority of Japanese, traditional religions
such as Shinto and Buddhism are only practiced for rites of passage, such
as marriages and funerals. Otherwise, they are largely ignored.
Much ink has been expended on how terrorism can be traced to rootless
young people trapped in poverty and oppressed by the heavy hand of
dictatorships. Given this, it is worth remembering that the world's 1st
and only terrorist attack with a WMD was perpetrated in a functioning
democracy by indigenous young people with good educations and prospects.
Japan's most famous contemporary novelist, Haruki Murakami, turned his
attention to the cult in a book called Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attacks
and the Japanese Psyche, published in 1997. During his research he asked
if any of young followers regretted joining the cult. Almost all said no.
"They found a purity of purpose they never experienced before," he wrote.
(source: atimes.com)
IRAN:
Friday Prayer Leader Says Protesters Should Be Hanged
Tehran's hard-line provisional Friday Prayer leader, Ayatollah Ahmad
Khatami, has explicitly threatened protesters in Iran with the death
penalty.
On February 2, Khatami said that according to Shia religious rules, the
just sentence for those who "pour into the street" and "oppose the ruler"
is the death penalty. He described those who rise against the
establishment as "baghi," an Arabic word that literally means tyrant or
aggressor.
Khatami was referring to the recent protests against tyranny, poverty, and
unemployment that broke out on December 28 in Iran's holiest Shi'ite city,
Mashhad, and soon spread across the country.
The protesters, rallying against economic hardship, chanted slogans
against Supreme Leader ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calling for the downfall of
the theocratic regime.
Lambasting authorities for releasing an unknown number of protesters
detained nationwide, Khatami said, "The honorable authority says in an
interview that all protesters have been freed. This is pampering them when
they should be punished."
Khatami, who is renowned for his raging speeches, continued, "Those who
had been hoodwinked and deceived should be awakened, punished, and commit
themselves in writing to refrain from further devilry and being pawns at
the hands of rioters."
During the recent uprising in Iran, at least 25 people were killed and
thousands detained.
On January 6, Tehran Prosecutor-General Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi reported
that 70 detainees had been freed on bail.
Judiciary spokesman Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei echoed Dolatabadi's
comments, saying, "If there were any detentions during the riots, we had
insisted to keep them out of prisons lest it become a criminal record for
the deceived rioters."
Khatami targeted both Mohseni-Ejei and Dolatabadi in his speech. "The
honorable official gives an interview and says all detainees were
released. They should be warned in order to see that they have been wrong;
since the insurgents, whoever they might be, either university or seminary
students, should be punished," he said.
Khatami called for hanging those allegedly responsible for the recent
uprising, despite no reliable sources concerning the number of people
detained during the protests.
While a pro-reformist Tehran MP had put the figure at 3,700, his fellow
legislator, Allahyar Malekshahi, who led a parliament delegation visiting
notorious prison Evin, said around 5,000 had been arrested.
Moreover, there have been reports that at least 4 of the detained
protesters were allegedly killed after being battered by intelligence
agents while in custody.
Judiciary officials have dismissed the allegations. They insist those who
died behind bars were not related to the protests, saying 2 were addicts
and drug dealers who committed suicide and 2 others were terrorists killed
in armed clashes with the security forces.
(source: radiofarda.com)
AFGHANISTAN----executions
Kidnappers and killers of the 12-year-old Abasin hanged in Kabul
The authorities in Kabul on Sunday hanged the kidnappers and killers of a
2-year-old boy who was murdered in the city in a kidnap for ransom case
last year.
Informed security sources said t3 individuals were hanged to death in
Kabul's Pul-e-Charkhi prison earlier today. The sources further added that
the 3 men were sentenced to death by the relevant courts and the verdicts
were implemented today.
The 12-year-old Abbasin was kidnapped from Kabul city nearly 2 years ago
by a group of kidnappers who were apparently demangding a large sum of
ransom for his release.
The National Directorate of Security officials said in late April 2016
that the Afghan intelligence operatives have arrested a group of 5
kidnappers involved in the brutal murder of Abasin.
The brutal murder of Abasin sparked anger among the Afghan people amid
concerns that kidnap for ransom cases have increased during the recent
months.
According to reports, the kidnappers had initially cut a finger of Abasin
and demanded one hundred thousand US Dollars for his release.
This comes as there has been a sharp rise in criminal-related incidents in
Kabul city and other key cities of the country during the recent years.
Earlier, a woman was arrested by police in Kabul on charges of kidnapping
a 5-year-old child and was demanding a hefty amount of money against the
release of the hostage.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officials said late in
December that the woman was arrested during an operation from the 13th
police district of the city.
The officials further added that the child who was kidnapped from the
vicinity of the 6th police district of the city was also recovered from
the custody of the woman.
According to the CID officials, the woman was demanding a ransom of
500,000 Afghanis against the release of the child.
(source: The Khaama Press News Agency)
INDIA:
Subramanian Swamy Moves Bill Seeking Death Penalty for Cow Slaughter
Bharatiya Janata Party MP Subramanian Swamy Feb. 2 moved in the Rajya
Sabha the Cow Protection Bill, 2017 seeking to punish cow slaughter with
the death penalty, but withdrew it after the government's assurance that
it was working to "fulfill the same sentiments."
Swamy moved the bill for passing and consideration after the Rajya Sabha
secretary general said the president's recommendation for introducing the
bill, as required under Section 117(3) of the Constitution, had been
received by the Rajya Sabha secretariat.
Moving the bill, Swamy said "We need to have extraordinarily harsh
deterrent punishment" as high value was attached to the export of cow meat
and that a punishment could be a deterrent "if we make it capital
punishment, which should be given in extreme cases of people slaughtering
cows."
Swamy also took a dig at the Congress party, saying the "original
nationalist Congress people" including Seth Govind Das, Shibban Lal Saxena
and former president of India Rajendra Prasad were "all for it," but the
party has now changed under "Italian influence."
"I do not know what has happened. Maybe, the Italian influence has changed
the Congress party today. But the fact is that the original nationalist
Congress people were all for it. Also, throughout history, there is
evidence that the Muslim community never made it an issue that they have a
fundamental right to eat cow," he said.
"It is the Englishmen, the white-men, who made it a big fashion and wanted
to make it a test whether you are Hindutva man or you are a British
stooge," he added.
The bill also sought to introduce a cess for setting up and for
"scientific running" of gaushalas (cow shelters) to take care of cows
after they have stopped producing milk.
"I would say that we should set up gaushalas in practically every village.
To meet the expenditure for that - our government is putting cess on so
many things - they can put one more cess for gaushalas but make it
optional that only those who want to give should pay this cess," Swami
told the House while moving the bill.
"From this cess, this whole country will be unitedly giving you much more
than you will get for anything else. That is the sentiment today. That is
the sentiment across the country. This is what we want. This is part of
our manifesto in the BJP," he added.
The bill sought to create an authority to ensure "stabilization of
population of cows and to suggest such measures to comply with Article 37
and 48 of the Constitution, to ban the slaughter of cow and to provide
deterrent punishment including death penalty for slaughter of cow and for
matters connected therewith or incidental thereto."
Swamy, however, withdrew the bill after the House debated the issue for 2
hours and Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh assured the MP that
the government was working with full commitment to fulfill the sentiments
of Swamy's proposed legislation and that it would work further with more
speed in this direction.
(source: indiawest.com)
********
27% Drop in Award of Death Penalty in 2017: NLU report
The year 2017 saw a significant drop of nearly 27 % in award of death
penalty by sessions courts, but also an increase in the number of convicts
sent to gallows for murders involving sexual violence, a report published
by the National Law University (NLU) said.
The report titled 'Death Penalty in India, Annual Statistics for the year
2017' said that in 2016, 149 persons were sentenced to death, while only
109 convicts were awarded capital punishment in 2017.
Out of the 109 death punishments awarded by sessions courts last year,
high courts commuted 53 cases and acquitted 35 persons, it said.
However, the report also showed an increase in number of convicts sent to
gallows for murders involving sexual violence in the year 2017. It said 43
convicts were awarded death for murders involving sexual violence in 2017,
which is 19 more than the year before.
Among the states, Maharashtra tops the list with 67 prisoners on death
row. The state had 47 death row prisoners in 2016, the report said.
However, the death row population in Karnataka reduced from 27 in 2016 to
12 in 2017, owing to various commutations and acquittals by the high
court.
The report also revealed that as on 31 December 2017, a total of 371
prisoners were on death row across the country.
The Centre on Thursday, 1 February, opposed in the Supreme Court a plea
for awarding the death penalty to those convicted of raping minor girls.
The submission was made by a law officer before a bench comprising Chief
Justice Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud which
was hearing a PIL filed in a case relating to the gruesome rape of an
8-month-old baby allegedly by her 28-year-old cousin in New Delhi.
(source: thequint.com)
PAKISTAN:
PHC suspends death penalty of military court's convict
A Peshawar High Court bench on Friday issued a stay order suspending the
execution of a man convicted by a military court for attacking security
and police personnel in Swat.
Justice Ikramullah Khan and Justice Mohammad Ghazanfar Khan issued a
notice to the defence ministry asking it to produce the records of the
case of convict Samiur Rehman, whose wife Haleema Bibi has challenged the
conviction.
On Jan 18, 2018, the Inter-Services Public Relations, the media wing of
the Pakistan Army, had announced the award of death sentences to 10
terrorists, including Samiur Rehman, by a military court and the
subsequent confirmation of sentences by the army chief.
Asks defence ministry to produce case records The ISPR had claimed that
Samiur Rehman and Azeem Khan were members of a proscribed militant
organisation and that they were involved in attacks against the
law-enforcement and security agencies, which had resulted in the death of
Major Mohammad Ihsan, 9 soldiers, 2 police officials and injury of 13
others.
It added that firearms and explosives were also found on convicts.
The ISPR claimed that both the convicts had admitted to their offences
first before a magistrate and then the trial court.
Malik Ajmal Khan, lawyer for the petitioner, said the convict used to
operate a tea stall in the main bazaar of Kabal tehsil in Swat district.
He said when the final phase of military operation against militants began
in 2007 and the residents of Swat had abandoned their homes, the convict
had also left Swat for Karachi.
The lawyer added that on Nov 20, 2014, the convict was taken into custody
by the law-enforcement agencies but his whereabouts were not known
thereafter.
He said the family came to know afterwards that the convict was kept at an
internment centre in Swat.
"Through media reports, the petitioner and other family members came to
know that Samiur Rehman was convicted by a military court in Jan," he
said.
The lawyer said the convict was not a member of any militant outfit and
that there existed no records to prove his involvement in anti-state
activities. He added that Samiur Rehman was falsely implicated in the
case.
The lawyer requested the court to set aside the verdict of the military
court and acquit Samiur Rehman.
Since the setting up of military courts for trying militants, the high
court has dismissed several petitions of identical nature against the
judgments of military courts.
The Supreme Court also upheld the decisions of the high court. Now,
several review petitions are pending with the apex court.
(source: dawn.com)
BELARUS:
Urgent Action
2 MEN SENTENCED TO DEATH IN BELARUS
2 men were sentenced to death in Belarus on 20 January after their
sentences of life imprisonment were quashed on appeal. They are the first
2 people to be sentenced to death in 2018, bringing the total number of
people on death row in Belarus, according to the Belarusian authorities,
to 7.
Write a letter, send an email, call, fax or tweet:
* Urging President Lukashenka to halt any planned executions and
immediately commute the death sentences of Viachaslau Sukharko and
Aliaksandr Zhylnikau and all others sentenced to death in Belarus;
* Calling on President Lukashenka to establish an immediate moratorium on
executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty.
* Stress that, while we are not seeking to downplay the seriousness of the
crimes committed, research shows that the death penalty does not have a
unique deterrent effect and that it is the ultimate denial of human
rights.
Friendly reminder: If you send an email, please create your own instead of
forwarding this one!
Contact these 2 officials by 16 March, 2018:
President Alyaksandr Lukashenka
Vul. Karla Marksa 38
220016 Minsk, Belarus
Fax: +375 17 226 06 10
+375 17 222 38 72
Email: cont...@president.gov.by
Salutation: Dear President Lukashenka
Charge d'Affaires Mr. Pavel Shidlovsky
Embassy of Belarus
1619 New Hampshire Ave NW
Washington DC 20009
Phone: 1 202 986 1604 -- Fax: 1 202 986 1805 OR
Email: u...@mfa.gov.by
Salutation: Dear Ambassador
(source: Amnesty International)
ZIMBABWE:
Gweru man to hang for murdering wife over lobola
A GWERU man was yesterday sentenced to death for stabbing his wife 27
times all over her body after she refused to move in with him because he
had failed to pay lobola.
Dignity Masvimbo (26) of Winery Compound, Greenvale, Gweru was convicted
of murder with actual intent by Bulawayo High Court Judge Justice
Nokuthula Moyo on circuit in Gweru. Masvimbo stabbed his wife of five
years, Oripa Gapare (22), in April last year.
In passing sentence, Justice Moyo said Masvimbo's conduct was unpardonable
as he had butchered his wife to death in a manner even animals would frown
upon. She said Masvimbo pre-planned the murder before embarking on a
20-kilometre journey to Gapare's place at night armed with an okapi knife
with the sole motive of killing her.
"The accused failed to pay lobola as one of the conditions set by the
deceased's mother for them to get back together. At the house, the accused
stabbed the deceased 27 times indiscriminately inflicting fatal wounds.
The depth of the wounds according to the post-mortem report indicated that
severe force was used," said Justice Moyo.
Justice Moyo said Masvimbo deserved capital punishment, saying the murder
was committed in aggravating circumstances.
"Unless capital punishment is removed entirely from the statutes, the
courts will continue to pass such severe sentence so as to send a message
that courts prescribe to deterrent sentences like capital punishment," she
said.
"It is for this reason that unless jurisprudence in the development of law
by the superior court changes, cases like this one meet capital punishment
as a requirement. The accused is accordingly sentenced to death by
hanging."
It was the State case that sometime in October 2016, Masvimbo and Gapare
separated following a domestic dispute. This prompted Gapare to move out
of the house to stay with her parents at house number 2167 Mkoba 14,
Gweru. Masvimbo followed her to persuade her to come back to him, but was
told by Gapare's mother that he needed to pay lobola first, which he
failed to do.
6 months later, Masvimbo proceeded to Gapare's residence armed with an
Okapi knife and went inside the house using an unlocked main door and sat
on a sofa in the dining room.
Masvimbo then called Gapare to the dining room and without notice dragged
her outside the house where he killed her in the presence of her
91-year-old grandmother Mrs Hamundide Mashayamombe.
(source: The Herald)
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