October 10
JAPAN:
Mystery still surrounds Aum incident after mass executions
An expert opinion regarding the mental state of a death row inmate from the Aum
Shinrikyo doomsday cult pointing to mind control was never viewed by any
Japanese court, raising questions about whether the recent executions of the
cult members were carried out after the whole picture of their crimes was fully
clarified.
The 45-page paper shows the inmate, Satoru Hashimoto, "was under strong
influence, or mind control, of the Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara and he
could not reject any unjust orders from the doomsday cult leader," according to
Masahide Kawai, a defense lawyer of Hashimoto.
Convicted of involvement in the 1994 deadly sarin nerve gas attack in the
central Japan city of Matsumoto and the murders of a lawyer, his wife and their
1-year-old son in 1989, Hashimoto was hanged on July 26 at the age of 51,
together with five other former Aum members. The lawyer, Tsutsumi Sakamoto,
worked to help parents seeking to free their children of the cult's control.
Their executions followed those of Asahara, whose real name was Chizuo
Matsumoto, and six other members 20 days earlier. Some of them were accused of
involvement in the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system and other
crimes.
The defense team of Hashimoto intended to submit the document to the Tokyo
District Court as "new evidence" in applying for a retrial, after the death
sentence on Hashimoto had been finalized by the Supreme Court in 2007.
"After the top court rejected our appeal, we, the defense lawyers, immediately
prepared an application for a retrial so we could send it to the district court
with the 'expert opinion about mind control,'" Kawai said. "We repeatedly urged
Mr Hashimoto to seek a retrial so we could clarify the dread of mind control."
Hashimoto, however, never signed the application, saying, "I'm not entitled to
seek a retrial as I committed what should never be forgiven...I feel really
sorry."
Kawai still has the statement and no judges will look through it, he said.
It was compiled by Rissho University Professor Kimiaki Nishida, who repeatedly
visited Hashimoto at the Tokyo Detention House before concluding that he was "a
victim of mind control."
Hashimoto initially contacted Aum to try to persuade a close friend to leave
the cult, when Hashimoto was studying law at Waseda University. But he himself
became interested in Aum and joined.
"He was searching for what he should do in life, when he encountered Aum,"
Nishida said. "I sympathized with him as he was just like any ordinary youth,
including me."
Kawai was also once invited to join the Aum cult when he was a freshman at Chuo
University, "as if it were recruitment for a student group."
The lawyer said he might have taken a step in the wrong direction but backed
out and often spoke with Hashimoto at the detention center about "a twist of
fate" that might have led them to sit on opposite sides of the acrylic screen
-- Kawai as a death row inmate and Hashimoto as defense attorney.
These circumstances are key to understanding the real nature of the Aum crimes,
which resulted in the deaths of 29 people among a total of over 6,500 victims,
Kawai suggested.
Following the executions of all 13 Aum death row inmates, then Justice Minister
Yoko Kamikawa said trial records of criminal cases involving Aum would be
preserved permanently as part of efforts to prevent a repeat of similar crimes,
but Nishida's statement will not be archived as it is not considered a trial
document.
Nishida, for his part, expressed a feeling of emptiness, saying, "Setting aside
the debate on the pros and cons of the death penalty, the government should not
have hanged the key witnesses before hearing all of what they had to say" if it
really aimed to clarify the truth of the Aum crimes and learn lessons from
them.
The psychology expert said he was not necessarily satisfied with the scope of
his paper on Hashimoto, as he had not been provided with sufficient time for
the interviews with him and a prison guard had always been present during their
talks.
His statement ended with the remark that "it is desirable to conduct a more
detailed study."
Among the 13 executed inmates, 10 applied for retrials, but Kamikawa said that
the government does not refrain from hanging a death row inmate even if he or
she seeks a retrial.
Touching on her comment, Yoshihiro Yasuda, who led the defense team of Asahara,
said it breaches Article 32 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right of
access to the court.
"It also jeopardizes judicial independence to execute an inmate seeking a
retrial, as long as a court still examines the petition," the Tokyo-based
lawyer said. "Some former death row inmates were exonerated in postwar Japan
after their pleas for retrials had been rejected repeatedly. Executions
terminate such a development."
The Japan Federation of Bar Associations shared the criticism, with its
president, Yutaro Kikuchi, issuing a statement following the executions,
arguing that hanging death row inmates who are seeking retrials is problematic
as "the rights to counsel and defense should be sufficiently guaranteed
throughout all stages of criminal procedures."
Expecting that suspension of Asahara's hanging could have stemmed the execution
of the others, his defense team filed a habeas corpus petition on the grounds
that he had been left unattended despite his insanity, while applying for
amnesty.
In June, the Asahara side also filed a fresh lawsuit to prevent the justice
minister from issuing an execution order, arguing Asahara was mentally
incompetent, "but the government brushed aside all of these procedures
guaranteed by law," Yasuda said.
The least the government could do at present is to collect and preserve
Aum-related documents as broadly as possible -- not only the criminal trial
records but also those linked to police investigations as well as other
documents -- through broad-based consultations involving persons of various
viewpoints, he added.
Kawai last met with Hashimoto 6 days before his execution. "He shed tears as he
was apparently aware that it would be our last meeting," Kawai said. "He
reiterated apologies to the victims and their families...He remained repentant
and noble, in a sense, without justifying himself to the last."
(source: Japan Today)
***********************
Film / Review----'The Chaplain': Ren Osugi shines as a clergyman working on
death row
The sudden death of Ren Osugi last February robbed Japanese cinema of one of
its most dependable actors. That loss is rendered all the more acute by "The
Chaplain," Osugi's final screen role, and his debut as producer. It’s the kind
of serious, intelligent drama that might struggle to get made without an
established screen star to lend it clout, and it's hard not to wonder what
might have come next.
The movie is also notable for focusing, with rigor and an almost total lack of
sentimentality, on a topic that's generally kept out of the media spotlight in
Japan: the death penalty. Surveys suggest that capital punishment enjoys
widespread popular support here, but there's very little public debate on the
subject, and executions are conducted in an almost clandestine fashion.
The Chaplain (Kyokaishi)
Run Time 114 mins.
Language JAPANESE
"The Chaplain" sheds some light on the reality of life on death row, as seen
from the perspective of a Christian clergyman. Saeki (Osugi) makes fortnightly
trips to a prison to counsel inmates awaiting execution, toting a Bible and a
portable music player in case anyone fancies singing hymns. Only 6 months into
the job, he's still a little shaky in his faith, and Osugi's restrained
performance conveys the uncertainty of a man who isn’t sure he has all the
answers.
The prisoners he meets spend most of their time in solitary confinement, and
their sessions are inspired less by religious devotion than a need for human
contact. While a former yakuza, Yoshida (Ken Mitsuishi), is able to bellow
hymns with gusto, the elderly Shindo (Takeo Gozu) confesses that he's ignorant
about Christianity. When Saeki gives him a copy of the Bible, it turns out that
he's illiterate too.
Details of the crimes that brought each of them to death row emerge slowly, if
at all. Some of their stories feel familiar, most obviously with Takamiya (Reo
Tamaoki), who's clearly modeled on the perpetrator of a 2016 killing spree at a
care home in Kanagawa Prefecture. An eloquent and wholly unrepentant sociopath,
he doesn't bother to feign interest in spiritual absolution, preferring to
treat his conversations with Saeki as an opportunity for philosophical
sparring.
Writer-director Dai Sako (who also penned the death row-set "Vacation" in 2008)
isn't looking to make another "Dead Man Walking," and "The Chaplain" is nearly
as constrained in its aesthetic as the lives of the characters it depicts.
There's no soundtrack, and almost the entire film takes place within a single
room.
While cinematographer Tatsuya Yamada endeavors to keep things interesting,
there's no getting past the austerity of the setting, but this becomes a source
of the film's power. The longer Sako confines viewers in that room, the more
oppressive the atmosphere becomes, and when he suddenly inserts a flashback to
Saeki's troubled childhood it feels like a major misstep. So too does the
inclusion of supernatural elements, which undermine the prevailing soberness of
the drama.
There are some very fine performances here, but the most affecting is from a
non-actor, Noboru Ogawa, who appeared in a few of Sako's early films and has
been working a regular corporate job ever since. Describing the events that
brought him to death row, and the sons who refuse to visit him, his character's
voice barely rises above a whisper. Whatever your thoughts about the death
penalty, it's heart-breaking to watch.
(source: Japan Times)
ZIMBABWE:
Army officer killers sentenced to death
A High Court judge has sentenced 2 notorious robbers to death for robbing and
fatally stabbing a senior army officer who had offered them a lift from Gutu in
May last year.
Justice Garainesu Mawadze last Friday sentenced Admire Maorere (28) of Maorere
Village under Chief Ndanga and Windas Munzweru (27) of Nematombo Village under
Chief Chadyamatombo in Karoi to death by hanging after convicting them of
murder with actual intent.
Maorere and Munzweru hid the army officer's body in his vehicle’s loading box
before dumping the car near Craft Centre along the Masvingo-Beitbridge Highway.
The 2, together with their alleged accomplice, Nyasha Sango, who is still at
large, stabbed Captain Phio Jeketera (51) of Harare several times all over the
body with an Okapi knife until he died.
Sentencing the duo, Justice Mawadze, who was sitting with assessors Messrs
Samuel Mutomba and Joseph Mushuku said the callous murder was premeditated and
they acted in common purpose to kill an innocent person who had genuinely
offered them a lift.
The 2, added Justice Mawadze, also showed that they were unrepentant criminals
as they had previously served 24 months behind bars for armed robbery.
"In my 8 years on the Bench I have not passed a death sentence on any offender
and it has not been easy to pass an appropriate verdict on this matter," said
the High Court judge.
Justice Mawadze said in Section 47(2) of the Constitution, a law may permit the
death penalty to be imposed only on a person convicted of murder committed in
aggravating circumstances.
The 2 men, represented prodeo by Mr Joseph Chipangula of Tshuma, Gurajena and
Partners Legal Practitioners, pleaded with the court for leniency saying that
they had young families who looked up to them for survival.
Prosecutor Mr Tawanda Chikwati said in May 2017 and along Roy-Gutu Road, the 2
accused, together with Sango, killed Captain Jeketera by stabbing him with a
knife.
Jeketera was traveling from Harare to his rural home in Zaka when tragedy
struck.
The convicts had asked Captain Jeketera to stop the car a few kilometres from
Gutu-Roy turn-off under the pretext that one of them wanted to visit his aunt's
homestead nearby.
They dragged Captain Jeketera to the side of the road where they pepper-sprayed
him before stabbing him all over the body with a knife until he became
unconscious. They proceeded to take his G-Tel cellphone and cash amounting to
$540 after which they put his body at the back of his vehicle.
The trio drove the car towards Masvingo City, where they dumped the vehicle
containing Captain Jeketera’s body at the Craft Centre, about 1,4 kilometre
from the city centre.
The following day, the court heard, the body of the deceased was discovered by
police officers manning a road block.
(source: The Herald)
*********************
2 sentenced to death for murder
2 murderers have been sentenced to death after being convicted of stabbing to
death a Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) member.
Admire Maorere (28) of Maorere village under Chief Ndanga and Windas Munzweru
(27) of Chidyamatombo in Karoi were found guilty of stabbing a ZNA Captain,
Phio Jeketera several times all over his body leading to his death.
Prosecutor Tawanda Chikwati said on the 19th of May, Jeketera was travelling
from Harare to Zaka when he gave a lift to Maorere and Munzweru who were going
to Gutu.
At Gutu turn off, the 2 are said to have produced an okapi knife and demanded
money from Jeketera.
Jeketera is said to have resisted, before the two convicts dragged him to the
side of the road and stabbed him.
Prosecutor Chikwati said the 2 then took his phone and cash amounting to $540
and they put Jeketera's body in the boot before driving off towards Masvingo
city where they dumped the vehicle by the road side, a kilometer from the city
center.
The court heard that Jeketera's body was discovered in his dumped car by police
officers who were manning a road block.
The body was taken to Masvingo general hospital were a post mortem was
conducted by Dr Godfrey Zimbwa, who revealed that Jeketera died of hemorrhage
shock as a result of wounds from the numerous stabs.
The police arrested the 2 through a cellphone vendor based in Masvingo who
bought Jeketera's phone from the 2.
Delivering the sentence, Masvingo High Court judge, Justice Garainesu Mawadze,
who set with assessors; Samuel Mutomba and Joseph Mushuku, said the actions of
the 2 were in common purpose to kill the deceased.
Justice Mawadze said according to section 47 (2) of the constitution, a law may
permit the death penalty to be imposed only on a person convicted of murder
committed in aggravating circumstances.
(source: zbc.co.zw)
GLOBAL:
Governments must put an end to death penalty cruelty and take steps towards
full abolition
Prisoners under sentence of death must be treated with humanity and dignity and
held in conditions that meet international human rights law and standards, said
Amnesty International on World Day Against the Death Penalty (10 October).
The organization is launching a new campaign to pressure 5 countries, Belarus,
Ghana, Iran, Japan and Malaysia, to put an end to inhumane conditions of
detention for prisoners sentenced to death and move towards full abolition of
the death penalty.
"No matter what crime they may have committed, no one should be forced to
endure inhumane conditions of detention. Yet in many cases, prisoners under
sentence of death are kept in strict isolation, lack access to necessary
medications and live with constant anxiety from the threat of execution,”"said
Stephen Cockburn, Deputy Director of Amnesty International's Global Issues
Programme.
"The fact that some governments notify prisoners and their relatives a few days
or, in some cases, a few moments before their execution is cruel.
"All governments retaining the death penalty must immediately abolish it and
put an end to the appalling conditions of detention that too many death row
prisoners are forced to endure."
While Amnesty International has documented appalling abuses across the world,
its new campaign highlights cases in Belarus, Ghana, Iran, Japan and Malaysia,
where death penalty cruelty is rife.
In Ghana, death row prisoners have said they often do not have access to
medication to treat illnesses and long-term conditions.
Mohammad Reza Haddadi in Iran, on death row since he was 15 years old, has been
forced to endure the mental torture of having his execution scheduled and
postponed at least 6 times over the past 14 years.
Matsumoto Kenji, in Japan, has developed a delusional disorder most likely as a
result of his prolonged detention in solitary confinement as he awaits
execution.
Hoo Yew Wah, in Malaysia, lodged a petition for clemency in 2014, but is yet to
receive any further news.
Secrecy surrounding the use of the death penalty is also prevalent in Belarus,
where executions are strictly concealed from the public and are carried out
without giving any notice to the prisoners, their families or legal
representatives.
Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception
regardless of the nature or circumstances of the crime; guilt, innocence or
other characteristics of the individual; or the method used by the state to
carry out the execution.
The death penalty is a violation of the right to life as proclaimed in the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and
degrading punishment.
Amnesty International recorded 993 executions in 23 countries in 2017, down by
4% from 2016 and 39% from 2015. Most executions took place in Iran, Saudi
Arabia, Iraq and Pakistan. These totals do not include the thousands of
executions carried out in China, where data on the use of the death penalty
remained classified as a state secret.
*******************
End the Death Penalty----Death penalty cruelty - a stain on governments
Prisoners under sentence of death around the world are often subjected to the
cruellest conditions of detention. In many cases, they are kept in strict
isolation, lack access to necessary medications and live with the constant
anxiety of the threat of execution. Some governments notify prisoners and their
relatives a matter of days or even moments before their execution.
Amnesty International has documented appalling abuses across the world. To mark
World Day Against the Death Penalty, we're launching a campaign highlighting
cases in Belarus, Ghana, Iran, Japan and Malaysia where death penalty cruelty
is rife.
Solitary confinement, with or without the use of restraining devices, is a
common practice on death row. In the case of Matsumoto Kenji, a death row
prisoner in Japan, this particularly inhumane punishment has been the likely
trigger of a delusional disorder that has reportedly made him paranoid and
incoherent.
Matsumoto Kenji has been on death row for murder since 1993. He has a
longstanding intellectual disability due to mercury poisoning and a low IQ of
between 60 and 70, according to a psychiatrist’s diagnosis. Yet, court
authorities ruled that he was mentally competent enough to be sentenced to
death, and that his "confession" was reliable, despite his lawyer’s argument
that Matsumoto Kenji was pressured by the police.
Mohammad Reza Haddadi in Iran has spent his entire young adult life on death
row after being convicted of murder in a grossly unfair trial and sentenced to
death at the age of 15. He is 1 of at least 84 others facing the death penalty
in Iran for alleged crimes committed below the age of 18.
Not only is this in violation of international human rights law, but Mohammad
Reza has also been forced to endure the mental torture of having his execution
scheduled and cancelled 6 times over the past 14 years. The last time this
happened was on 31 May 2016, when Mohammad Reza received a last-minute reprieve
following public outcry over his case.
A lack of transparency about the use of the death penalty in Malaysia means
death row prisoners like Hoo Yew Wah are kept in the dark about applications
for clemency.
Hoo Yew Wah was sentenced to the mandatory death penalty in May 2011 following
unfair legal proceedings. In 2005, aged 20, he was found in possession of
188.35 grams of methamphetamine. He was automatically presumed to be
trafficking drugs and later convicted and sentenced to hang. He is still
waiting to hear the outcome of a petition for clemency, which was lodged with
the Sultan of Johor State in April 2014. Hoo Yew Wah will turn 33 in December
and has said: "If given a chance, I want to prove that I have changed."
Secrecy surrounding the use of the death penalty is prevalent in Belarus.
Executions are strictly concealed from the public and carried out without
giving any notice to the prisoners, their families or legal representatives. A
former Director of Minsk Pretrial Detention Centre No.1 - the prison where all
death row prisoners in Belarus are held - told Amnesty International that
prisoners were first taken to one room. In the presence of officials, they were
told that their appeal for clemency had been turned down and that the sentence
would be carried out. The prisoner would then be taken to a neighbouring room
where they were blindfolded, handcuffed, forced to their knees and shot in the
back of the head.
In accordance with Belarusian law, authorities refuse to return the bodies of
those executed to their relatives or disclose the burial site - a legacy of
Soviet times.
Harsh conditions of detention are also experienced by death row prisoners in
Ghana. When Amnesty International visited Nsawam Prison in 2016, death row
prisoners were not allowed to take part in educational and recreational
activities, leading to an increased sense of isolation, causing distress and
anxiety. Death row prisoners also told Amnesty International that medical care
was limited. They said they had difficulties accessing medication to treat
illnesses and long-term conditions because sometimes medicines were not
available or were unaffordable for the prisoners. One death row prisoner spoke
of his fears when he became unwell: "When you feel sick at night in the cell
and the officer does not come to assist you, you can even die."
From Belarus to Ghana, Iran, Japan and Malaysia, governments with prisoners
sentenced to death must ensure they are treated with humanity and dignity and
held in conditions that meet international human rights law and standards.
It's time for all governments retaining the death penalty to immediately
abolish it and put an end to the appalling conditions of detention that too
many prisoners under sentence of death are forced to endure.
The death penalty is a violation of the right to life as proclaimed in the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and
degrading punishment.
(source: Amnesty International)
**********************
Punishment For Smoking Weed is Death? Countries That Kill for Cannabis?
Drug laws are by their very nature draconian. Telling someone what they can and
can't put in their body is a restrictive and unethical law in and of itself.
However, as a wise man once said: "there are levels to this game". As it would
seem, this saying applies perfectly to the punishment for smoking weed. If you
thought being stuffed in the back of a dank, urine-soaked Ford Crown Victoria
was bad (which it is), just remember that there are countries that kill for
cannabis.
So let's have a look at the cannabis wall of shame and evaluate the contestants
for the worst cannabis laws of all time.
Malaysia
As you're about to witness, a lot of countries that kill for cannabis are in
South East Asia. Perhaps they could take a few notes from Thailand on their
punishment for smoking weed.
In Malaysia, the most severe punishment for smoking weed on the books is death.
Under the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1952, anyone caught with an excessive amount
of cannabis is deemed to be a drug trafficker. This necessary minimum amount to
meet the qualifications for execution is about 200 grams worth.
The death penalty in Malaysia is administered by hanging. In extreme cases, the
prisoner will be sentenced to a whipping or canning before their execution is
carried out. To me, this just seems gratuitous and cruel.
Luckily for Malaysian citizens, simple possession is not an offense that
warrants the death penalty. However, such an offense will yield 5 years in
prison and a substantial fine. Jesus... get it together Mahathir Bin Mohamad...
and please no more antisemitism either.
Singapore
On a list of countries that kill for cannabis, you knew Singapore would turn up
on this list sooner or later. Malaysia's neighbor to the south is known for
some rather strange laws. Did you know that the country has made chewing gum
illegal?
This ex British colony enforces a strict rule of law and places a high societal
value on order, cleanliness, and discipline.
Singapore was one of the earliest nations to prohibit marijuana, criminalizing
the plant in 1870. The Misuse of Drugs Act was enacted in 1973 and dictates
much of the nations penalties.
When I think of misuse of drugs, the first thing that pops into my mind are
those cannabis bonfires that drug enforcement agencies seem to love having. Are
they trying to get god high? Don’t they know that cedar makes much better
kindling?
Ironically, in Singapore misuse of drugs involves using them to getting high. I
can personally think of no more appropriate use for drugs.
The city-state of Singapore is a tad trigger happy when it comes to the death
penalty. The small nation had the 2nd highest per capita execution rate from
1994 - 1998. In addition, Singapore carries a mandatory death penalty for drug
trafficking. I’m surprised that trafficking in chewing gum doesn't yield a
similar punishment.
Singapore is rather lax with their definition of trafficking as well. Under the
aforementioned act, 15 grams is enough to merit a death sentence. Death
sentences are carried out by long drop hanging. This is the more humane method
of hanging that instantly breaks the criminal's neck when the rope reaches its
apex.
Foreigners are not immune from death sentences either, as one Nigerian soccer
player was hanged to years ago for possessing 92 grams of cannabis. This is
undoubtedly a terrible miscarriage of justice.
What is the punishment for smoking weed in Singapore? People caught with under
15 grams of cannabis face a number of draconian penalties from 24 lashes with a
cane or even life in prison.
Myanmar
According to this list, South East Asia does not appear very good in the human
rights department... But believe me, it gets worse.
The nation formerly known as Burma recently released a new National Drug
Control Policy that they believe will better address many of the issues the
nation is currently facing. This policy attempts to move away from a punitive
model, and towards a more health-focused approach.
The new policy is strikingly modern and progressive for a nation that executed
for marijuana. The Policy calls for decriminalizing personal drug use and
encourages alternatives to prison time for drug charges. This new punishment
for smoking weed is a logical and sound choice of public policy indeed.
This change in course for Myanmar comes in the wake of a long and grueling
struggle with drug trafficking. The country has long been renown as one of the
world's largest producers of opium. But what is the punishment for smoking weed
here? And what about selling it?
Cannabis was banned in the nation in 1870 under... You guessed it... British
rule. Today, the punishment for smoking weed is commonly handed down to Indian
migrant workers as Burmese citizens are much less likely to use the plant.
Myanmar is one of the countries that kill for cannabis trafficking and well as
possession. Anyone caught possessing what is deemed an excessive amount of
cannabis is automatically considered to be trafficking.
Myanmar's death penalty for trafficking becomes mandatory if the criminal is in
possession of weapons or explosives, uses children under the age of 16 in their
process, or uses the influence of a public servant in carrying out the
offenses.
Like its other South Asian counterparts, Myanmar hangs its traffickers. On the
wall of shame, Myanmar stands out as one of the less harsh countries that kill
for cannabis.
Egypt
Finally, we can take some heat off of South East Asia. Egypt is one of the few
African countries that kill for cannabis. The 1870s were a bad year for
cannabis rights as Egypt outlawed the plant in 1877.
To think that a nation where cannabis had been present since 3000 BC would
adopt a legal punishment for smoking weed. In ancient history, the plant was
utilized to make a sturdy hemp rope as psychoactive strains were not yet
introduced to the continent.
The nation also has a rich history with hashish dating back to the middle-ages.
Hashish was introduced to the nation by wandering Sufi mystics in the 1100s
BCE. Ever since the plant has been a cultural staple. In Egypt it was referred
to as Indian hemp, hinting at the plant’s origins.
Trafficking is punishable by death in Egypt. Possession may also be punishable
by death if the person is suspected of trading the substance. A more drug
serious offense also exists on the books which referred to as drug trafficking
resulting in death, although this offense is surely not enacted for cannabis.
As far as countries that kill for cannabis, Egypt is not afraid to enact its
archaic laws drug enforcement laws. In one case as recent as 2013, an
imprisoned British traveler was sentenced to death for attempting to smuggle 3
tones of hash into the nation by boat. Hanging is once again the only method of
execution utilized in Egypt.
Cannabis in Egypt is a fairly widely utilized substance today. The punishment
for smoking weed in Egypt is rarely enforced, and law enforcement will often
give people a pass for using the plant. Trust me... they have bigger fish to
fry.
China
If I were to make a tally of all the administrations that value human life on
this planet, China's communist party would undoubtedly be absent. Human rights
abuses are more prevalent than many would like to acknowledge in China, thus it
is no surprise that they would appear on a list of countries that kill for
cannabis.
Believe it or not, China actually used to be a major exporter of marijuana. In
the 1800s, the Islamic, Xinjan region used to produce and expert hashish. The
plant was legally sold in British India until the trade routes were eliminated
by the government in 1934. Black market smuggling persisted after this,
however, and these cannabis trade routes would continue.
To this day, cannabis is widely grown in Yunnan province, despite unsuccessful
attempts by the government to rid the province of the plant.
In Chine, those caught drug trafficking receive death sentences by firing squad
or occasionally lethal injection. China’s anti-drug campaign takes 'just say
no' scare tactics to a whole new level. In fact, in a recent anti-drug
initiative, the government publicly executed 10 people in front of a stadium
crowd in Liufeng in Guangdong province. With the current trajectory of drug
policy, it is reasonable to assume that history will not look favorably upon
these crimes against human decency.
The punishment for smoking weed in China is considerably less harsh. The Law on
Public Security Administration Punishments states that the punishment for
smoking weed is 10 -15 days in prison and a fine of 2000 Yuan. However,
consequences can often be as severe as 3-year prison sentences.
The fact that China doesn't execute for consuming cannabis is a fortunate fact
for Jacky Chan's son.
The Philippines
If you've been following world news lately, you may be familiar with President
Rodrigo Duterte. What this man has done for his country's drugs policy can be
considered nothing short of genocide.
Unfortunately for the Philippines, Duterte's regime takes the statement war on
drugs a little too seriously. Unlike the American war on drugs (which is
certainly devastating in its own right) this war has a real, accumulating body
count. As of this date, more than 20,000 people have fallen victim to the
firing squads.
Drug users and dealers aren't even given the dignity of a trial as many are
dragged from their homes into the streets and shot on site.
Not much more needs to be said about the punishment for smoking weed in the
Philippines other than the fact that Duterte's campaign is shockingly supported
by a public majority, and that the President has no plans of stopping the
violence any time soon.
Saudi Arabia
Sooner or later you knew Saudi Arabia was going to turn up on a list of
countries that countries that kill for cannabis.
Saudi Arabia is one of the countries most synonymous with human rights abuses.
Anecdotal experience further enforces this perception for yours truly. Two
friends of mine have both lived in Saudi Arabia for a significant portion of
their childhood. Both of these people witnessed public beheadings before they
reached the age of 14.
The country is governed under a puritanical, orthodox version of Sunni Islam
referred to as Wahhabism. This strain of Islam is often criticized as one of
the least tolerant and most oppressive.
For possession charges, Saudi Citizens are often treated with more leniency
than foreigners. The 1st time a suspect is caught, their punishment for smoking
weed will result in up to 6 months in prison and more than a few whippings.
Drug dealing can result in as much as 10 years in prison and mandatory public
whippings as well. For repeat offenders or traffickers, the situation is more
dire, as they can receive the death penalty.
The Kingdom of Suadi Arabia prefers their executions to be brutal, bloody and,
public in order to make a spectacle of the accused. The 2 most common methods
of execution are stoning and beheading, both occur in public. Firing squads
have also been used and it is rumored that crucifixions have taken place in
modern times as well.
Bodies of the victims are displayed publicly, hanging from cranes or buildings
as a further deterrent to criminals.
Foreigners will rarely be executed as punishment for smoking weed or smuggling
in Saudi Arabia. Deportation is usually the consequence of such actions.
However, in the nation's capital of Riyad, Saudi authorities executed 1 of its
citizens along with 2 Yemenis in 2016 for attempting to smuggle hashish and
amphetamines into the country.
Countries That Kill for Cannabis... A Final Thought
With the legalization of cannabis in Canada, as well as recent successes in the
United States, South Africa, and Mexico, it is easy to forget that some nations
are living in a different century with concern to cannabis laws.
While it might seem easy to draw geographic parallels (cough South East Asian),
one should caution from making snap generalizations. The punishment for smoking
weed can be different as night and day between 2 geographic neighbors as we
have seen with Thailand and the Philipines.
While the cannabis rights movement has made overwhelming progress in the last
10 years, there is still a long way to go, and a great many minds to change.
Which nation would you be least likely to smoke weed in?
(source: Stefan Hosko, Puff Puff Post)
AUSTRALIA/INDONESIA:
Myuran Sukumaran's final 72 hours shown in a special Darwin screening
The LAST 72 hours of Myuran Sukumaran's life, before the convicted drug
smuggler was executed in Bali, will be shown in a special screening of GUILTY
at the Deckchair Cinema tonight. The event Darwin coincides with several other
national screenings, as a part of an initiative for World Day Against the Death
Penalty. Co-writer and producer Maggie Miles, who will be present tonight for a
Q&A, said Top End audiences would be able to feel the full impact of the film.
"I think more so than any other place in Australia, people in Darwin would have
had a strong sense of what was happening just across the ocean," she said.
Ms Miles, who cut her teeth as a filmmaker here in the Territory, said the film
acknowledges the pair were guilty of their crimes but argues that the death
penalty is inherently wrong.
"What we do with the film is create a very human portrait of the artist, of the
man, who was Myuran Sukumaran as a way of putting forward the human cost of the
death penalty," she said.
Sukumaran faced the firing squad in 2015, alongside fellow Australian Andrew
Chan.
(source: ntnews.com.au)
*****************
Richard Branson says Australia can lead the world on abolition of death penalty
Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson, alongside the mother of convicted drug
smuggler and Bali 9 member Myuran Sukumaran, speak to reporters in Melbourne,
calling for the abolition of capital punishment. "Innocent people get executed
all over the world, people like Raji's son, after they've completely
rehabilitated in prison and it was a complete waste of an incredibly talented
young man's life," he said. "For a country to say it's civilised it should have
no part in the death penalty."
(source: adelaidenow.com.au)
SOUTH KOREA:
Civic groups call for abolition of death penalty
A coalition of civic, human rights and religious groups on Wednesday reiterated
its call for South Korea to completely abolish capital punishment, as it marked
the annual World Day Against the Death Penalty.
The coalition, comprised of Amnesty International Korea, Lawyers for a
Democratic Society and 13 other bodies, held a ceremony at the National
Assembly to observe the international day. They urged the South Korean
parliament enact a law renouncing the death penalty.
In a declaration, the coalition said, "11 years have passed since 2007, when
the Amnesty International designated South Korea as a de facto abolitionist
state," adding that it is about time the country enhance the level of human
rights in its society through the abolition of capital punishment.
South Korea is 1 of 4 members of the 36-nation Organization for Economic
Co-operation and Development that has a de-facto moratorium on capital
punishment. The country still sentences convicts to the death penalty, but has
not carried out an execution since 1998, nor has the country officially
declared its discontinuance.
The coalition lamented that the bill has been submitted to the National
Assembly but never passed through its legislative and judiciary committee.
"Punishment for crimes should not be made in a way of strong revenge like the
death penalty," the declaration said. "We need to rid our society of
fundamental sources leading to crimes and do away with the society's structural
contradictions, so as to work harder to establish social safety nets."
According to the coalition, 106 countries legally abolished the death penalty
for all crimes as of the end of last year, with 36 countries, including South
Korea, being abolitionist in practice.
In 2002, anti-capital punishment organizations, mostly from Europe, launched
the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty. The alliance of bar
associations, local bodies and unions whose aim is to strengthen the
international anti-death penalty movement, designated October 10 as the date of
the annual World Day Against the Death Penalty in 2003.
(source: yonhapnews.co.kr)
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