May 18
INDIA:
Death sentence for 19-yr-old man in rape, murder case
A court in Dhar district today awarded death sentence to a 19-year-old man for
rape and murder of a 4-year-old girl in December last year.
"Girls are the blessings of God and a criminal who mutilates them into corpse
does not deserve leniency," sessions judge Akbar Sheikh said in the order.
"From society's and legal view point, what the accused has done is unpardonable
and it falls in the rarest of rare category," the court said while sentencing
the accused, Karan Bheel, to death.
"Looking at the gravity of the crime, only the death penalty will serve the
purpose of justice delivery," the judge said.
The judge also imposed a fine of Rs 21,000 on Bheel, said prosecutor Sharad
Purohit.
According to the prosecution, Bheel abducted the girl from Jagannathpura
village on December 15 last year.
After raping her, he crushed her head with a stone, it said.
After her body was found in a nearby forest, Bheel was arrested immediately and
police filed a charge sheet within 15 days.
The prosecution examined 20 witnesses, Purohit said, adding that the court
relied on the witnesses' statements among other evidence.
(source: Business Standard)
SUDAN:
Urgent Action: Forcibly Married, Raped Girl Sentenced to Death (Sudan: UA
95.18)
19 year old, Noura Hussein Hamad Daoud, was sentenced to death on 10 May for
killing her husband in self-defense after he tried to rape her for a 2nd time.
A Court in Sudan, on 29 April, found her guilty of the murder of her husband
Abdulrahman Mohamed Hammad. Noura's case highlights the failure of the Sudan
government to tackle the tragedy of early and forced marriage as well as
marital rape.
1) TAKE ACTION
Write a letter, send an email, call, fax or tweet:
Calling on the Sudanese authorities to immediately quash the conviction and
death sentence against Noura Hussein Hamad Daoud;
Urging them to take into consideration the mitigating circumstances in this
case in a retrial in proceedings that fully comply with international standards
for a fair trial and without recourse to the death penalty;
Urging them to implement the recommendation of the Committee on the Rights of
the Child and amend the Sudan Personal Status Law to raise the legal age of
marriage from 10 to 18 years old.
Contact these 2 officials by 26 June, 2018:
President
HE Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir
Office of the President
People's Palace
PO Box 281
Khartoum, Sudan
Salutation: Your Excellency
Ambassador Maowia Osman Khalid,
Embassy of the Republic of Sudan
2210 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20008
Phone: 202 338 8565 ---- Fax: 1 202 667 2406
Email: sudanembass...@sudanembassy.org
Salutation: Dear Ambassador
(source: Amnesty International USA)
CHINA:
Appeal of nanny's death penalty sentence wraps up----Defendant claims
firefighters didn't try hard enough to extinguish blaze
The nanny responsible for killing 4 members of a family in an arson appeared in
court in eastern China on Thursday to appeal her death sentence.
Mo Huanjing, nanny of the family of Lin Shengbin, pleaded guilty to starting
the fire. But she said during the appeal at Zhejiang High People's Court that
"the penalty in the original ruling was extremely heavy".
"The tragedy wasn't the result I wanted to see," she added. She said the
efforts of firefighters were flawed. And she confessed to her offense during
the initial interrogation, which could be regarded as a reason to earn a more
lenient sentence.
Wu Pengbin, her lawyer, told China Daily that some firefighters and employees
of the property management department of Lin's apartment attended the hearing
as witnesses at his urging.
"I wanted them to show what they were doing at the time to the court, as I,
with my client, thought their rescue attempt lacked urgency and there was also
something wrong with the water pressure in the apartment," he said.
Mo, 35, expressed deep remorse for her actions and apologized to Lin's family
at the end of the hearing. She requested a lenient sentence in court, but added
that she would accept the result if the original verdict is upheld.
The court said the judgment would be announced at a later date.
Mo was sentenced to death on Feb 9 at the Hangzhou Intermediate People's Court
after intentionally setting the fire in Lin's apartment in the city on June 22,
2017, killing Lin's wife Zhu Xiaochen and their three children, ages 6, 9 and
11.
She was also convicted of theft and fined 10,000 yuan ($1,570) at the same
time.
The original verdict ruled that the defendant, who was burdened with heavy
gambling debts, sought nanny positions in 2015 to pay her debtors. In September
2016, she obtained a live-in nanny job at Lin's home in Hangzhou.
She stole gold jewelry and watches from the family and then pawned them for
over 180,000 yuan between March and June last year, it said.
On June 22, she decided to win Zhu's gratitude by lighting a fire and then
extinguishing it to get more money, after having lost 60,000 yuan from bad
bets. But the fire spread quickly and she escaped from the home. Zhu and her 3
children died of carbon monoxide poisoning, it said.
In a statement posted by the high court on Thursday, Mo said she tried to
extinguish the fire at the time, and had prepared buckets of water in advance.
She said she knocked on windows of the children's rooms to wake them up and
called police and security guards for help. But she added that she failed to
extinguish the blaze amid a bout of anxiety, it added.
(source: ecns.cn)
INDONESIA:
Surabaya bombings: Indonesian prosecutors seek death penalty for alleged
spiritual leader Aman Abdurrahman
Indonesian prosecutors have demanded the death penalty for the alleged
spiritual leader of the group said to be responsible for the Surabaya bombings.
Aman Abdurrahman allegedly set up Jemaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) in 2014 to bring
together the Indonesian supporters of the Islamic State group.
Authorities have blamed JAD for a string of suicide bombings in the city of
Surabaya this week, which killed about 30 people, including 13 of the suspected
bombers.
Aman was already on trial when the bombings happened.
He is also said to be responsible for the 2016 Jakarta bombings, when 8 people
were killed in attacks on a Starbucks cafe and a police post nearby.
The defendant was previously sentenced to 9 years in prison for training
militants in Aceh and seven years behind bars for a bombing in Cimanggis, in
East Java in 2004.
Prosecutor Anita Dewayani asked for the death penalty, the 1st time it has been
requested for a terrorist case since the bombing of the Australian embassy in
2004.
"Aman Abdurrahman is not in the structure of JAD as the leader, but he was
being positioned as a reference point above the Amir [ruler] of JAD" she told
the court.
"We demand the south Jakarta District Court ... determine that Aman Abdurrahman
has been legally and convincingly proven to be guilty of terrorism ... [and] to
hand down the punishment of death to the defendant."
Aman spent time in the same prison as Rois, the Australian Embassy bomber on
death row.
He has also given regular sermons to inmates and visitors during his time
behind bars.
He is being held at the high-security Jakarta prison, where last week more than
150 inmates rioted, killing 5 elite Indonesian police.
During the standoff, inmates demanded to speak to Aman, and negotiators allowed
the meeting.
The prison riot delayed today's court hearing.
Aman's lawyers will read his plea and defence next week.
(source: abc.net.au)
PAKISTAN:
SC stays death sentence of mastermind
The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the federal government to pay the
remaining compensation amount to families of the Quetta Church blast victims. A
2-member bench comprising Justice Umar Atta Bandial and Justice Ijazul Ahsan
took up the suo moto case and directed the government to pay the compensation
amount to the families of those killed and injured in the Quetta church blast.
On May 5, Chief Justice Justice Mian Saqib Nisar had taken the suo moto notice
of the case on an application of Samuel Payra, Chairman Implementation of
Minorities Rights (IMR).
At least 9 members of the Christian community were killed and 57 others injured
when 2 suicide bombers detonated their suicide vests at a church in Quetta on
December 11, 2017, while the worshippers were attending service ahead of
Christmas.
During the hearing, Samuel Payra, informed the court that the federal
government had announced Rs1 million each for the slain and Rs0.5 million each
for the seriously injured and Rs0.3 million each for injured persons. He said
that the federal government has so far provided Rs7.2 million less that the
announced sum for the blast victims.
He said that besides the federal government, the Balochistan government had
also promised to provide funds for the families of the victims and the
maintenance of the church, but the funds were yet to be released.
Justice Ijaz asked from the Quetta Deputy Commissioner why he took so long in
paying the compensation to the heirs of the victims. The DC said that they
received the medico-legal report (MLR) about the victims very late.
Justice Ijaz inquired why the MLR was prepared so late. Later, the court
directed the DC to submit reasons about the delayed MLR and affidavits
regarding the payment of the compensation to the aggrieved families.
The bench deferred the hearing till the 1st week of June.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court of Pakistan Thursday issued stay orders against
the capital punishment of Bacha Khan University attack???s mastermind Akbar Ali
and admitted his appeal for regular hearing in this regard.
A 3-member bench of the apex court comprising Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed,
Justice Faisal Arab and Justice Munib Akhtar conducted hearing of the petition
moved by Akbar Ali and summoned the complete record of the case from the
military trial court.
Later, the bench deferred the hearing for indefinite period in his petition.
Earlier, a military court had awarded death sentence to Akbar Ali. Then, the
Peshawar High Court had also upheld the sentence.
It was January 20 when terrorists armed with heavy ammunition and bombs
targeted Bacha Khan University in Charsadda, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and at least 20
people were killed and dozens others sustained injuries.
The First Information Report (FIR) of the attack was lodged on behalf of the
Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) by Station House Officer Irfanullah of the
Serdheri police station in CTD Mardan under sections 7 and 15AA of the
Anti-Terrorism Act.
5 facilitators of the Charsadda attack were arrested on January 23, 2016, out
of which 4 were presented in front of the media. The then Director General
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt Gen Asim Salim Bajwa in a press
conference had stated that Taliban commander Umer Mansoor and his deputy Zakir
were the main culprits behind the attack.
He had stated the attackers carried mobile phones with Afghan numbers and "were
in touch with their handlers in Afghanistan". During the initial investigations
by CTD, 4 grenades, 16 magazines and 240 cartridges were recovered from the
site of the attack.
(source: The Nation)
MAURITANIA:
Mauritania Passes Law Mandating Death Penalty for "Blasphemy"
Mauritania has long been one of the worst countries in the world for
freethinkers. Those guilty of "blasphemy" have been threatened with the death
penalty, which is disturbing on its own but even more so when you realize how
blasphemy is always in the eye of the beholder.
But now that punishment will become mandatory.
The International Humanist and Ethical Union reports:
The National Assembly passed a law on April 27, 2018 that replaces article 306
of the Criminal Code and makes death penalty mandatory for anyone convicted of
"blasphemous speech' and acts deemed "sacrilegious". The new law eliminates the
possibility under article 306 of substituting prison terms for the death
penalty for certain apostasy-related crimes if the offender promptly repents.
The law also extends the scope of application of the death penalty to "renegade
acts."
The law also provides for a sentence of up to 2 years in prison and a fine of
up to 600,000 Ouguiyas (approximately EUR 13,804) for "offending public
indecency and Islamic values" and for "breaching Allah's prohibitions" or
assisting in their breach.
That law has prompted a coalition of groups to urge officials there to reverse
the law immediately. They also referenced a blogger accused of blasphemy who
has been sentenced to death, had his conviction overturned, but still remains
in police custody.
Mauritanian authorities should reverse the recent adoption of a law on apostasy
related crimes making the death penalty mandatory for "blasphemous speech" and
"sacrilegious acts", 21 national and international non-governmental
organizations said today. The authorities should also end the arbitrary
detention and guarantee the safety of a blogger, Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mkhaitir,
whose case appears to be related to the timing of the law. Mkhaitir was
convicted of apostasy and sentenced to death in December 2014 before a court
reduced his punishment to two years imprisonment. Although his sentence has
expired, the authorities continue to detain him.
There's no reason to believe Mauritania will flip on this issue. But their
passage of this bill sends an important message to tourists or non-Muslims who
may want to visit the western African nation: Don't go. It's not safe.
Visiting Mauritania is now a death trap for anyone with a single critical
thought about Islam.
(source: patheos.com)
IRAN:
Sufi Bus Driver Sentenced to Death in Iran Says He Confessed to Killing
Policemen While Under Torture
A Sufi bus driver who was sentenced to death in Iran for running over 3
policeman says he was forced to confess after being tortured while under
interrogations, one of his lawyers informed the Center for Human Rights in Iran
(CHRI) on May 15, 2018.
"Mr. [Mohammad] Salas told me he was so stunned by the blows during
interrogation that he was not aware of what was happening," said attorney
Zeinab Taheri after meeting Salas at Rajaee Shahr Prison near Tehran on May 14.
"Extracting confessions like this has no legal validity."
After the meeting on May 14 Taheri had tweeted, "Today Mohammad Salas revealed
he was almost tortured to death by agents to the point that he suffered 17
skull fractures, nearly lost his sight and suffered serious hearing loss. He
was forced to make confessions under these conditions."
She added: "Mohammad Salas was convicted in an unlawful show trial without any
regard for criminal procedures or his right to defend himself. A preliminary
court convicted him of 3 unproven deliberate murders, which was then upheld by
the Supreme Court as a formality without giving us a chance to collect evidence
and present our arguments while the suspect was being held under the worst
conditions in solitary confinement."
Taheri also told CHRI that the legal battle to overturn his sentence is ongoing
and she has filed a petition to the Supreme Court for a new trial.
On May 9, Salas' other lawyer, Saeed Ashrafzadeh, said the order to carry out
the execution had been issued and feared his client could be hanged within
days.
On April 24, Iran's Supreme Court upheld the death sentence against the
51-year-old bus driver for allegedly driving a public bus through a narrow
street during clashes between security forces and members of the Sufi Gonabadi
Order in Tehran on February 19. 3 policemen died as a result of their injuries
after they were run over by the bus.
Salas pled not guilty to the charge of "disturbing public order" and argued
that the policemen's deaths were accidental.
"I got into the bus to drive it toward the police station," he said in his last
defense on March 19. "I drove slowly so that the police could move aside. I
flashed my headlights and honked the horn as I went forward. My foot was on the
accelerator."
Media outlets affiliated with the state, including the Islamic Republic of Iran
Broadcasting (IRIB), have only reported portions of his defense.
Some 170 dervishes were hospitalized after police forces tried to shut down a
demonstration in Tehran by members of the Sufi order on February 19 and 20.
At least one dervish died after being arrested. Mohammad Raji, a former IRGC
commander and Iran-Iraq war veteran, passed away sometime between February 20
when he was detained, and March 4 when his body was identified by a relative.
The clashes broke out on February 19 after the police opened fire on a group of
dervishes who were demanding the release of one of their fellow faith members
from a police station in the Pasdaran neighborhood of Tehran near the home of
the dervishes' leader, Nour Ali Tabandeh.
The Gonabadi Dervishes' interpretation of Islam differs from that of Iran's
ruling Muslim Shia establishment. The Islamic Republic views any alternative
belief system, especially those seeking converts, as a threat to the Shia
majority population in Iran and has imprisoned dervishes and expelled them from
universities as part of an ongoing persecution campaign.
(source: Iran Human Rights)
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