August 21
CHINA:
Death penalty possible in fatal arson case
A man is facing the death penalty after admitting to starting a fire that
killed 18 people in a karaoke bar in Guangdong province in April.
Liu Chunlu, 32, was prosecuted on charges of intentional homicide and arson
during a public hearing on Thursday in a court in Yingde.
The court heard that Liu arrived at the bar on Chayuan Road with friends on the
evening of April 23 for a night of singing and drinking.
While there, the defendant expressed his fondness for a female staff member,
surnamed Zhang, but she rejected him, according to the indictment, which was
published online.
He had also failed to reach a business deal after negotiating with another man
at the bar, which he blamed on interruptions by someone identified as the
venue's manager, it added.
In anger, Liu went to his motorcycle, which was parked by the entrance of the
karaoke bar, disconnected its fuel pipe and spread gasoline around on the
ground. He then used a cigarette lighter to set the fuel ablaze, despite his
friends attempts to stop him, the indictment said.
Flames quickly spread to other motorcycles, blocking the exit of people inside
the bar. 15 men and 3 women died of carbon monoxide poisoning. 3 other people
were injured, one of them seriously.
Liu fled the scene but was caught by police on April 24.
During Thursday's hearing, a tearful Liu confessed to the charges, Nanfang
Metropolis Daily reported on Sunday.
The court has yet to issue a verdict. The charge of intentional homicide
carries the death penalty in China.
The trial was witnessed by relatives of both the defendant and the victims as
well as political advisers, local media representatives, residents and others.
Liu Xiangfu, the head prosecutor who tried the case, said Liu's crime was
grievous, as many people were killed.
"He committed intentional arson and caused serious casualties and big economic
losses," he told the court. "The facts are very clear, and the defendant should
be held responsible for his crimes and punished."
(source: ecns.cn)
SAUDI ARABIA:
Saudis campaign for female activist on death row
Saudi human rights activists have warned against the possible beheading of
detained female political activist Israa al-Ghomgham, who has been
provisionally sentenced to death by a Riyadh court.
On 6 August, in a first hearing before the Specialised Criminal Court in the
capital, the public prosecutor recommended the death penalty for 6 defendants,
including Ghomgham and her husband, Moussa al-Hashem, who have been jailed for
nearly 3 years on charges of anti-government protests, incitement to
disobedience of the ruler, and providing moral support to participants in
anti-government protests in the Shia-majority eastern region of Qatif.
Ghomgham, 29, and Hashem were arrested on 8 December 2015 in a house raid by
Saudi security forces. She was one of the leaders of anti-government protests
that have erupted in Qatif since 2011, demanding an end to anti-Shia
discrimination and the release of political prisoners.
According to Saudi human rights groups, Ghomgham, who belongs to a low-income
family, could not afford a lawyer throughout her 32 months in detention. After
her case became known, however, many lawyers offered their services to her
family pro bono.
The final session for Ghomgham's case is scheduled for 28 October. A judge will
either confirm or reverse the death penalty recommendation issued by the public
prosecutor in August.
Beheadings usually take place in Saudi Arabia after the decision is ratified by
the king - in this case, King Salman bin Abdulaziz.
"Sentencing a female human rights defender to death is a dangerous precedent in
Saudi Arabia," said Ali Adubisi, director of the European Saudi Organisation
for Human Rights (ESOHR).
Adubisi said all the charges against Ghomgham were related to her activism,
adding that none of the charges levied against her involved use of violence
that would warrant the death penalty under Saudi law.
"It's largely a revenge against the Arab Spring, and a punishment for Qatif,
which witnessed the largest protests since 2011," Adubisi told MEE.
According to the latest tally by ESOHR, at least 58 people, most of them Shia,
are currently on death row in Saudi Arabia, 31 of whom had their verdicts
confirmed by the High Court.
The preliminary death penalty verdict against Ghomgham has prompted a campaign
for her release on social media, with many warning this could be the 1st time
Saudi Arabia executes a female political activist.
(source: Middle East Eye)
IRAQ:
Iraqi sentences 14 more to death for involvement in Speicher massacre
Iraqi judicial authorities have sentenced 14 people to death for participating
in the 2014 execution of hundreds of Iraqi air force cadets claimed by the
Islamic State (IS) in the northern city of Tikrit.
"The Iraqi judiciary sentenced 14 main defendants in the Speicher massacre,"
Moen al-Kazemi, the head of a government committee on the massacre, said in a
statement released on Sunday.
"The trial of the defendants was conducted under Iraq's anti-terrorism act," he
said.
Kazemi noted that the verdicts are still subject to appeal.
"Families of the victims have called for the accelerated implementation of the
verdict," he added, which would follow suit with previous convictions of other
Speicher Massacre participants.
After occupying much of northern and western of Iraq, the jihadist group on
June 12, 2014, killed over 1,500 cadets and personnel at the Speicher military
academy located in the province of Salahuddin.
In video footage released online by IS, militants were seen executing their
prisoners with a single, close-range shot to the head before dumping their
bodies into the Tigris river.
2 years later, the government of Iraq announced they had discovered the bodies
of more than 1,000 victims after uncovering mass graves in Tikrit.
Iraq declared final victory against the jihadist group last December. Since
then, the country's judicial authorities have sentenced hundreds to death and
life in prison. Hundreds more of IS suspects remain in Iraqi jails awaiting a
trial and the court's verdict.
International humanitarian organizations, including the UN, say efforts by
Iraqi authorities to speed up the implementation of death sentences could lead
to the execution of innocent people.
The death penalty in Iraq was suspended on June 10, 2003, but was reinstated
the following year.
In August 2017, the Iraqi Central Criminal Court sentenced an initial 27 people
to death for their role in the Camp Speicher killings.
(source: kurdistan24.net)
INDIA:
Madhya Pradesh man awarded death penalty for raping, killing 14-year-old last
year----The accused was booked for rape, murder, house trespass, assault and
destroying evidence under the Indian Penal Code and other relevant sections of
the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act.
A 22-year-old man was sentenced to death on Monday for the rape-cum-murder of a
14-year-old girl in Sagar district last year. This is the 11th case of a person
being awarded the death penalty for sexually assaulting a minor this year, said
director public prosecution Rajendra Kumar.
Additional government advocate MD Avasthi, who represented the state in the
case, said the girl was raped by Rabbu alias Sarvesh Sen (22) at Deval village
on December 7, 2017. He then poured kerosene over the victim and set her afire,
causing her to die in agony 7 days later.
The accused was booked for rape, murder, house trespass, assault and destroying
evidence under the Indian Penal Code and other relevant sections of the
Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act.
"The case was categorised as a sensational and heinous offence, and Bhangarh
police station in-charge sub-inspector Ravi Bhushan Pathak completed the
investigation in 21 days. The challan was presented on December 28, 2017," said
Rajendra Kumar.
The death sentence was awarded by Bina first additional session judge Alok
Mishra after Sen was found guilty of the charges levelled against him.
(source: Hindustan Times)
LIBYA:
Ministry of Justice stress integrity of verdict in "Highway case"
The Ministry of Justice of the Presidential Council insisted on the integrity
and independence of the Libyan judiciary in its verdict on the persons accused
of "the highway case" that resulted in the killing and loss of 146 Libyan
citizens in 2011.
The Ministry pointed out that the defendants had received a fair trial in which
they enjoyed full legal guarantees, and were offered the right to defend
themselves, adding that as an additional guarantee, the sentence issued, will
be submitted by the force of law to the Supreme Court, in accordance with the
Criminal Procedure Code.
The ministry explained that the death penalty is prescribed in the Libyan law,
for serious crimes, in line with the provisions of Islamic law, calling on the
international organizations and missions to dissociate themselves from
interfering in Libyan sovereign affairs.
(source: The Libya Observer)
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