news postings to this list will resume July 2
June 29
MALAYSIA:
165 on death row escaped the gallows from 2007 to 2017
The pardons board of various states reduced the sentence of 165 people who were
sentenced to death from 2007 to 2017, said the Prisons Department.
During the same time, 35 executions took place, said its deputy director
(policy) Supri Hashim (pic).
Supri said that those who had their death sentence reduced, were usually given
life or 20 years imprisonment.
He said this during a press conference on the proposed abolition of the death
penalty organised by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysian (Suhakam) on
Thursday (June 28).
At the moment, Supri said there were 1,267 people on death row or 2.7% of the
prison population of about 60,000 people.
Supri said they are at various stages of appeal - 336 in the Court of Appeal,
128 in the Federal Court and 442 at the states' pardons board.
He did not mention the stages of the other remaining prisoners on death row.
He said executions can only take place if they got orders from the states'
pardons boards or a warrant of execution from the High Court.
With 9 executions in 2016, Malaysia was among 23 countries that executed 1,032
people globally.
This figure excludes China, which Amnesty International believes executes
thousands of people yearly.
Malaysia imposes the death penalty for several crimes, including murder, drug
trafficking, treason, waging war against the King and terrorism-related
offences.
Last year, the Dewan Rakyat voted to remove the mandatory death penalty for
drug offences, giving judges the power to decide the sentences.
Human rights groups, however, have called for the total abolition of the death
penalty.
(soruce: thestar.com.my)
IRAN----execution of juvenile offender
UN rights chief 'deeply disturbed' by continuing executions of juvenile
offenders
Following the execution of a 15-year-old in Iran on Wednesday - the 4th
juvenile to be put to death in the country this year - the United Nations
rights chief condemned the practice, citing the strict prohibition of such
executions under international law.
"I am deeply disturbed that Iran continues to implement the death penalty
against juvenile offenders, with some 85 others reportedly on death row," UN
High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said on Thursday.
15-year-old Abolfazi Chezani Sharahi was executed after being found guilty of
fatally stabbing a man. A total of 5 juvenile offenders were executed in the
country during 2017.
"We understand that the execution of at least one more juvenile offender,
Mohammad Kalhori, is imminent and urge the authorities not to carry it out, but
instead to commute the sentences of all juvenile offenders on death row," urged
Zeid.
Executing juvenile offenders is in violation of Iran's obligations as a State
party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The youth was moved into solitary confinement 4 times before his eventual
execution, further opening up the possibility that he suffered torture, or
cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
The High Commissioner also expressed concern over the lack of transparency
prior to implementing the death penalty.
When authorities fail to provide relatives with adequate information about the
timing of executions, it not only imposes acute mental distress on the
convicted person, but also on their family.
Zeid also reiterated the UN Human Rights Office's willingness to assist Iran in
complying with its international human rights obligations regarding juvenile
justice.
(source> un.org)
**************************
Juvenile Offender Executed in Iran
According to Amnesty International sources, Abolfazl Chazani Sharahi, a
juvenile offender charged with murder at the age of 15, was executed on
Wednesday, June 27 at Qom Central Prison. This is the 4th juvenile offender
executed in Iran since the beginning of 2018.
Execution of juvenile offenders in Iran continues despite repeated criticism by
the international community.
Iran Human Rights calls on the international community, especially European
countries, to act in order to stop the execution of juveniles in Iran. Mahmood
Amiry-Moghaddam, the spokesperson for IHR, said, "The friendly relations
between Iran and European countries must lead to improving the situation of the
human rights in Iran. Stopping the execution of juvenile offenders must be a
precondition for the friendly relationship between Iran and the European
countries."
Iran Human Rights had earlier reported warned against the possible execution of
the juvenile offender Abolfazl Chazani who was sentenced to death on the charge
of murder during a street fight.
Abolfazl Chazani Sharahi, son of Asghar, was born on January 19, 1999, and he
was only 15 at the time of the crime.
Abolfazl was examined by a forensic physician at the request of his public
defender on July 20, 2014. According to the report, "The defendant, 15 years
and 5 months old, committed murder in the winter last year and he is mentally
mature and understands the nature of his action (murder)."
According to an estimation by Iran Human Rights, currently, more than 100
juvenile offenders are on death row in Iran's prisons. Iran Human Rights has
recently published reports regarding the danger of the execution of some of
several juvenile offenders including Mehdi Khazaeian, Pouria Tabaei, Mohammad
Reza Haddadi, and Mohammad Kalhor.
Iran is one of the few countries that punish crimes committed during
adolescence by death. Meanwhile, based on Article 91 of the new Islamic Penal
Code, approved in 2013, judges can potentially deny issuing a death sentence
for juveniles who do not understand the nature of their crime.
It is worth mentioning that the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which
Iran has ratified, clearly bans execution and life imprisonment of juveniles.
In 2017, at least 5 juvenile offenders were executed in Iran.
(source: Iran Human Rights)
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