August 25
GHANA:
Death penalty should be scrapped - Justice Dzordzie
A nominee for the position of the Supreme Court Justice, Justice Agnes Mercy
Abla Dordzie, is urging the judicial service to scrap death penalty as a
sentence in the country's courts.
According to her, Ghana's position as a signatory to some international
conventions that are against death penalty as a sentence makes it pertinent
that it be abolished.
"I think it should be scrapped off our statute books because Ghana has been a
signatory to some other international conventions that have abolished the death
penalty."
Mrs. Dordzie, during her vetting on Friday, August 24 further noted that the
inability of the sentence to be executed though it is given in some cases by
the court is enough indication that Ghanaians want a change in that regard.
"We don't even execute anymore. For over 20 years, I don't think any execution
has been done, so though, the courts pass the sentence, we don't execute it so
it means that as a people we have come to recognise that we cannot go that way
anymore."
"If the law says that is what should be done, I have passed these sentences
though I am a Christian, that is the law and I must interpret it but I think we
are getting to a point now with our relations internationally and what pertains
so far as fundamental human rights are concerned, it???s about time we
changed".
On death penalty in Ghana
Death penalty is a sentence given by the court as punishment for very serious
crimes.
The last time Ghana recorded an execution of a convict, was in 1993 when
then-president John Rawlings ordered the execution of 12 convicts via a firing
squad.
According to Amnesty International Ghana, as of September 2016, there were 137
prisoners on death row, who have not been executed. As a result, many have
pushed for Ghana to do away with the death penalty from Ghana's legal system
since it is not enforced.
Those opposed against the death penalty have argued that it is not the right
punishment for a convicted murderer but retributive.
Death penalty has been in the country's statute books since the application of
the English common law in 1874, but in practice, no execution has been recorded
since July 1993.
According to the proponents, much as the sentence may be seen in a wider sense
as fairness, it doesn???t deter people from committing such crimes.
(source: ghanaweb.com)
SAUDI ARABIA:
Stories Of Executions Undermine Saudi Push To Modernity
Reports that detained activists will likely face the death penalty come after
the Saudi government's crackdown on women's rights activists under the pretext
of 'maintaining national security'
Responding to reports that Saudi Arabia's Public Prosecution is seeking the
death penalty against 5 human-rights activists, a Saudi political analyst has
told The Media Line that no information had been released from the authorities
and that "all information is fragmentary, politicized and propagated by media
or hostile sources that have fallen into the trap."
Sulaiman al-Oquily explained that many media outlets, as well as human rights
organizations, believed the "propaganda" that was created regarding the arrest
of the activists, who include Shia Muslim Israa al-Ghomgham from the kingdom's
Eastern province.
"The attorney-general has the right to request the maximum sentence by law," he
said, emphasizing that at trial the judge would rule according to evidence.
The death penalty reports come after a recent crackdown on women's rights
activists in the kingdom which has led to the arrest of at least 13 women under
the pretext of "maintaining national security."
Authorities in the ultra-conservative Sunni Muslim nation have accused several
of them of "serious crimes," including "participating in protests in the Qatif
region," "incitement to protest," "chanting slogans hostile to the regime,"
"attempting to inflame public opinion," "filming protests and publishing on
social media," and "providing moral support to rioters."
"Any execution is appalling, but seeking the death penalty for activists like
Israa al-Ghomgham, who are not even accused of violent behavior, is monstrous,"
Middle East director at Human Rights Watch (HRW) Sarah Whitson stated in a
report. "Every day, the Saudi monarchy's unrestrained despotism makes it harder
for its public relations teams to spin the fairy tale of 'reform' to allies and
international business," she continued.
Saudi authorities have held all 6 activists in pretrial detention and without
legal representation for over two years, HRW stated. Their next court date has
been scheduled for October 28.
Al-Oquily claimed that activists like al-Ghomgham, who was arrested in 2015
during the "waves of terrorism," endangered "the safety of Saudi civilians,
including clerics who were opposed to terrorism," which, he added, also
targeted security personnel who were assigned to ensure stability.
"These operations were carried out by the so-called Hizbullah, which is
sponsored by the external branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards headed by
Qasim Soleimani," who, he said, were causing the "collapse" of security in many
Arab countries.
He was at pains to differentiate between the peaceful demonstrations of 2011
and what had taken place in Saudi Arabia between 2015 and 2017, which he said
were "all violent activities, from live ammunition to bombing."
Al-Oquily pointed out that the call for the execution of the women activists
was based on an Islamic law principle of "ta'zir," in which the judge has
discretion over the definition of what is considered a crime as well as over
the sentence.
However, an imam based in the Middle East told the Media Line that "this has
nothing to do with any religion; Islam is being used here for opportunistic
reasons," and maintained that in the case of the detained Saudi activists, "the
religion has been employed to achieve certain ends."
He added that seeking the death penalty against the activists conflicted with
established international resolutions. In Saudi Arabia, executions are carried
out by beheading.
Charlotte E. Allan, an activist and former legal advisor to United Nations
Human Rights Council (UNHRC) contends that the recent detention of the female
activists highlights the "hypocrisy" of the Saudi state, "which tries to take
credit for reform while locking up the women who made change possible." She
told The Media Line that by "locking up female activists it reveals a
frightened and abusive administration stuck in the medieval era and scared of
real reform."
In the case of al-Ghomgham, Allan pointed out that she had campaigned for the
women-to-drive movement, as well as provided training for the Al-Adalah Centre
for Human Rights on UN human rights reporting mechanisms.
"She has a global profile as a courageous activist and also stood as a
candidate in municipal elections in Saudi Arabia in 2015 but was later banned
from participating," she added.
Following the Canadian Embassy's call for the immediate release of the detained
women, Saudi Arabia announced the expulsion of Canada's ambassador to Riyadh
and recalled the kingdom's envoy from Ottawa. All new trade and investment
between the 2 countries has been suspended. The Saudi Foreign Ministry stated
that "the Canadian position is a clear interference in the internal affairs of
the kingdom and contrary to basic international norms. It's an unacceptable
transgression of the kingdom's systems."
Al-Oquily told The Media Line that the Saudi government was concerned that "any
involvement in its internal affairs might affect the kingdom's security and
stability." Recalling how Riyadh had dealt with previous instances of outside
interference in its politics, he said that observers "would notice the same
severity."
In April, the U.S. State Department issued a report condemning human rights
abuses in Saudi Arabia, noting the continued and arbitrary arrests of civilian
activists and the restrictions on freedom of expression. According to the
report, the Saudi human rights violations also extended to executions without
due process, torture and the detention of lawyers and jurists. The State
Department also highlighted Saudi airstrikes in Yemen that killed many
civilians in the battle between the Saudi-backed government and the Houthi
rebels.
In contradiction to the suppression of women activists, recent reforms by Saudi
Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman have directly impacted the lives of the women
in the kingdom. Changes range from granting Saudi women the right to an
education and increasing their participation in the workforce to allowing them
to travel locally and drive a vehicle without a male companion.
(source: themedialine.org)
*************************
Iran's High Council for Human Rights Warns Riyadh against Execution of
Activists
The Iranian High Council for Human Rights expressed deep concern over a
possible move by the Saudi regime to execute 5 political activists in the
oil-rich kingdom, describing Riyadh's policy to crack down on the
"truth-seeking" activists as unacceptable.
A recent report about Saudi Arabian public prosecutor's request that 5
political activists, including Israa al-Ghomgham and her husband, be sentenced
to death is extremely regrettable and worrying, the council said in a statement
on Saturday.
"The policy of Saudi Arabia in suppressing open-minded and truth-seeking
Muslims on charge of terrorism is ridiculous and unacceptable," the human
rights body said.
"If terrorists are to be dealt with, the current Saudi rulers are the prime
suspects responsible for destroying the lives and properties of hundreds of
thousands of innocent people in the region," the statement added.
Saudi Arabia's public prosecutor is seeking the death penalty against 5 human
rights activists from the kingdom's Eastern Province currently on trial in a
secretive terrorism court, groups including Human Rights Watch (HRW) said.
Among the detainees is Ghomgham. Saudi activists said she's the 1st woman to
possibly face the death penalty for rights-related work. Charges against her
include incitement to protest and providing moral support to rioters.
"Any execution is appalling, but seeking the death penalty for activists like
Ghomgham, who are not even accused of violent behavior, is monstrous," Sarah
Leah Whitson, Middle East director at HRW, said in a statement on Wednesday.
(source: tasnimnews.com)
UGANDA:
What's behind the recent political unrest in Uganda?----Ugandan pop
star-turned-opposition-MP Bobi Wine is facing a charge of treason, which could
carry the death penalty.
Robert Kyagulanyi, a musician-turned-MP whose arrest prompted protests in
Uganda, has been charged with treason.
The singer, who goes by the stage name Bobi Wine, has been under military
custody since August 14 for allegedly leading a group of people to pelt Ugandan
President Yoweri Museveni's convoy with stones ahead of a by-election in a
northern town.
Kyagulanyi joined the parliament last year and is one of the most popular faces
of Ugandan opposition.
He is a strong critic of long-time leader Museveni, who has been in power since
1986.
Widespread protests and a crackdown by state forces followed Kyagulanyi's
detention last week.
(source: Al Jazeera News)
INDIA:
Ex-gurdwara volunteer awarded death for rape, murder of 2 sisters----Parwan
Singh was found guilty on August 20 after which justice Rama Pandey pronounced
the punishment on Thursday, in the 1st case of a death penalty awarded by a
POCSO court in Dehradun.
A 55-year-old former gurdwara volunteer has been sentenced to death for raping
and murdering 2 minor sisters in Uttarakhand's Rishikesh town in June last year
by a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act court.
Parwan Singh was found guilty on August 20 after which justice Rama Pandey
pronounced the punishment on Thursday, in the 1st case of a death penalty
awarded by a POCSO court in Dehradun.
Singh raped and murdered the 2 sisters, aged 13 and 3 years old, on June 15
last year in Shyampur area of Rishikesh town near Dehradun. He had committed
the crime when the 2 girls were alone in their home. Their mother and brother
were out of the house and their father was in a jail.
Rishikesh's station house officer Praveen Koshiyari hailed the judgment said
police had gathered crucial evidence against Singh during the investigation
which helped them to get him convicted.
"The incident had happened at around 8.30am when the duo was alone. They were
found lying unconscious in the house by their 9-year-old brother and aunt who
entered from outside. Later in the hospital, the 2 were declared dead by
doctors. The police were informed about the incident at around 12.30pm,"
Koshiyari said.
The police officer said Singh was questioned during the initial investigations
as he lived in the gurdwara near the victims' house.
"Police found a deep bite mark on his hand and later found his facial hair from
the hands of the deceased 13-year-old girl which matched during the DNA test,"
he said.
???These 2 proved to be the most crucial evidence against him before the court
apart from the confession to committing the crime after his arrest. Also, the
rape of the younger sister was proved in the medical examinations," he added.
(source: Hindustan Times)
MALAYSIA:
Alleged drug mules face death penalty
2 teenage boys and 4 men have been hauled up to the Sessions Court here for
attempting to smuggle about 10kg of methamphetamine to South Korea earlier this
month.
The 6 - Lim Zheng Qiang, 19, Yen Tai Xiang, 19, Joon Zheng Han, 22, Yap Fook
Chen, 25, Loh Wei Rhy, 27, and Mak Kwong Ming, 41 - were charged yesterday with
drug trafficking under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act.
If convicted, they face the death penalty or life imprisonment and 15 strokes
of the rotan.
The 6 were separately charged but no plea was recorded from them after a court
interpreter read out the charges in Mandarin.
Loh was represented by lawyer Palaya Rengaiah, Yap by lawyer A.K. Mohd Shaiful
Nizam and Joon by lawyer Kelvin Sidhu.
Judge Harith Sham Mohamed Yasin fixed Oct 11 for submission of the chemistry
report by investigating officer Insp Noraini Sulaiman.
Several family members of the accused were present in court and were later
spotted waiting outside to catch a glimpse of the 6 as they were escorted back
to the Sepang police station before being detained at the Sungai Buloh prison
while awaiting trial.
On Monday, Selangor police chief Comm Datuk Mazlan Mansor announced that the
police had busted a syndicate "exporting" drugs to South Korea following the
arrest of 6 individuals at the KL International Airport 2 at about 6.35am on
Aug 11.
About 10.43kg of syabu were seized following the arrest.
The 6, believed to be drug mules, tried to conceal the drugs in 76 small
packets on their bodies and inside the soles of their shoes.
Comm Mazlan said investigations revealed that the six were recruited by a
syndicate advertising "job vacancies" via Facebook in the guise of offering an
all-expense-paid trip overseas.
2 more suspects, one of whom is age 53, were detained on Aug 15 while waiting
for their flight to South Korea. They are expected to be hauled to court soon.
(source: thestar.com.my)
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