March 31
PHILIPPINES:
VACC: Road-rage crimes call for revival of death penalty
The founding chairman of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) on
Saturday again pushed for the reimposition of the death penalty in the
Philippines over the recent spate of road-rage crimes in different areas in the
country.
Dante Jimenez cited the killing of road-rage victim Larry Fortaleza, 54, who
was gunned down in Pasay City last March 17.
Police identified the suspect, who is still at large, as Rey Dongon, aged
between 24-26 years old, and a resident at Upper Narra Street, Barangay Payatas
B in Quezon City.
Jimenez, who was at the victim’s wake at the Santa Rita de Cascia Chapel on
Quirino Avenue, Baclaran in Parañaque City on Friday, decried the apparently
unchanging trend in violent crimes committed by perpetrators.
The victim will be interred at Providence Park in Dasmariñas, Cavite on March
30, after a Mass at the same chapel at 1:30 p.m.
Having just attended the burial of 16-year-old Christine Silawan, who was
violently murdered in Lapu-Lapu City in Cebu also this month, Jimenez expressed
serious concern over the killing of Fortaleza, and aired his urgent appeal for
legislators, especially those running for reelection in the midterm elections
on May 13, to seriously consider the implications of the incident in terms of
law and order and public safety.
“I hope that legislators, especially during this election season, will give
particular attention to the reimposition of the death penalty for heinous
crimes. We believe that since there is no clear substitute that would give
justice to victims’ lives, the death penalty is the closest we can muster to
get justice for victims of heinous crimes,” he said in a statement.
Jimenez exhorted the public to support the crusade for the reinstatement of
capital punishment, saying the murder of Fortaleza exposes a looming breakdown
of law and order.
“This outrageous incident should now send the message for government to draw
the line and put an end to such heinous crimes. It is now time to reinstate the
death penalty and restore public order and sanity in society,” he said.
(source: The Manila Times)
MALAYSIA:
Malaysia urged to abolish death penalty by inmates’ families
Malaysia-urged-to-abolish-death-penalty-by-inmates’-familiesFamilies and
friends of death row inmates petitioned the Malaysian government to repeal its
mandatory death penalty on Friday. Earlier this month, the government
backtracked on its decision to scrap capital punishment in the country.
Friends and kin of more than 20 death row inmates gathered in Putrajaya and
sent a memorandum to the Malaysian Home Ministry, calling on the government to
repeal mandatory capital punishment, and to pardon the inmates, some of whom
have been in jail for decades.
“They are feeling very sad,” one friend of a death row inmate told Arab News.
“Every family member was expressing their feelings about living without a child
or a husband (to the government).”
The man, who asked to remain anonymous, is a friend of Mainthan, a death row
inmate convicted of murder who has served 14 years in jail. Mainthan has
maintained his innocence throughout his sentence and exhausted multiple avenues
of appeal. “I’ve known him for the past two years,” his friend said. “I was
really heartbroken — nobody should live like that. We are in 2019, not the
1990s.”
“The family is getting worse day by day,” he continued.
“It’s a family without a father. Even though the father is alive, he is not
there to guide the family. It’s like there’s food in front of you, but you are
not allowed to taste it. The kids are there (at the prison), but they are not
able to hug … their father.”
In October last year, the Malaysian government announced it would abolish the
mandatory death penalty for 33 offenses. However, in early March, Mohamed
Hanipa Maidin, deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, told
Parliament that the government would instead push for the abolishment of the
mandatory death penalty for 11 offenses.
Those offenses include nine that fall under the Penal Code involving terrorism
and serious crimes, including murder, hostage-taking, organized crime, offenses
against the constitutional monarch, and the use of firearms.
Friends and kin of more than 20 death row inmates gathered in Putrajaya and
sent a memorandum to the Malaysian Home Ministry
Hanipa Maidin said that courts would be authorized to decide whether a person
who had committed a serious crime should face capital punishment.
The March announcement met with criticism from human rights groups. The
Malaysian Coalition Against the Death Penalty released a statement
acknowledging the progress made by the government in abolishing the death
penalty for 11 offenses, but expressing its concern over Malaysia’s justice
system.
“We are concerned that, at the moment, there is still no developed
jurisprudence, protection for the vulnerable, and no sentencing guidelines for
the court to consider in exercising its discretion over whether to hand down a
death sentence,” the group said.
Kasthuri Patto, a politician from the Democratic Action Party who attended last
month’s World Congress Against the Death Penalty in Brussels is an advocate for
the abolition of the death penalty, but emphasized the need for awareness and
education on the matter.
“It is important to remember that … the death penalty cannot simply be
(phrased) as a yes or no question,” Patto told Arab News. “There must be a
series of questions that empower the person answering them with knowledge about
the death penalty.”
She added: “We need to away from a retributive approach and move toward
forgiveness and providing a second chance to death row convicts.”
The government has told Patto, she said, that the moratorium on executions
would remain indefinitely, but that the final decision over prisoners’ fates
lies with the Pardons Board. “While no government should discount the emotional
argument, as a government, we must also do what is right as per Article 5 of
the Federal Constitution, the supreme law of the land, that the right to life
must reign paramount to the act of extinguishing lives,” she said.
(source: dailytimes.com.pk)
BRUNEI:
Brunei defends tough new Islamic laws against growing backlash
Brunei has defended its right to implement Islamic laws that would allow death
by stoning for adultery and homosexuality against growing global criticism.
Brunei, a Muslim-majority former British protectorate with a population of
around 400,000, will implement the Sharia laws from April 3, punishing sodomy,
adultery and rape with the death penalty, including by stoning, and theft with
amputation.
The laws, elements of which were first adopted in 2014 and which have been
rolled out in phases since then, will be fully implemented from next week, the
prime minister’s office said in a statement on Saturday.
“The (Sharia) Law, apart from criminalizing and deterring acts that are against
the teachings of Islam, also aims to educate, respect and protect the
legitimate rights of all individuals, society or nationality of any faiths and
race,” the statement said.
Some aspects of the laws will apply to non-Muslims.
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, 72, is the world’s 2nd-longest reigning monarch and is
prime minister of the oil-rich country. He ranks as one of the world’s
wealthiest people.
Brunei, which neighbors 2 Malaysian states on Borneo island, already enforces
Islamic teachings more strictly than Malaysia and Indonesia, the other majority
Muslim countries in southeast Asia. The sale of alcohol is banned and
evangelism by other religions is forbidden.
The country does not hold elections, but any discontent is assuaged with
generous government polices including zero taxes, subsidized housing, and free
healthcare and education.
The expected implementation of the strict Islamic laws has drawn widespread
criticism. Politicians in Europe and the United States have attacked the plans
and raised concerns with Brunei.
“Stoning people to death for homosexuality or adultery is appalling and
immoral,” former U.S. vice president Joe Biden said in a Twitter post on
Friday. “There is no excuse - not culture, not tradition - for this kind of
hate and inhumanity.”
Oscar-winning actor George Clooney has called for a boycott of luxury hotels
owned by The Brunei Investment Company, such as the Beverly Hills Hotel, the
Dorchester in London and the Plaza Athenee in Paris.
(source: Reuters)
********************
Elton John backs boycott of Brunei hotels ahead of anti-gay law
Elton John has backed calls to boycott hotels owned by the Brunei Investment
Agency as the country prepares to introduce the death penalty for gay people on
3 April.
The popstar posted about Brunei’s new laws—which will also see adultery
punishable by death—on Twitter where he said that being able to choose who we
love is “a basic human right.”
“Wherever we go, my husband David and I deserve to be treated with dignity and
respect—as do each and every one of the millions of LGBTQ+ people around the
world,” Elton John said.
He continued: “I commend my friend, George Clooney, for taking a stand against
the anti-gay discrimination and bigotry taking place in the nation of Brunei—a
place where gay people are brutalized, or worse—by boycotting the Sultan’s
hotels.
“Our hearts go out to the good, hardworking employees of properties owned by
the Sultan of Brunei, many of whom we know to be gay.
“We must send a message, however we can, that such treatment is unacceptable.
That’s why David and I have long refused to stay at these hotels and will
continue to do so.
“We hope you will join us in solidarity.”
He then tweeted a list of the hotels that people should boycott. Elton John and
George Clooney have led calls for a boycott of Brunei owned hotels
Elton John’s calls for a boycott come just days after George Clooney penned an
op-ed for Deadline in which he said that he would be boycotting the hotels—and
called on others to do the same.
He wrote: “Every single time we stay at or take meetings at or dine at any of
these nine hotels we are putting money directly into the pockets of men who
choose to stone and whip to death their own citizens for being gay or accused
of adultery.”
“Brunei is a Monarchy and certainly any boycott would have little effect on
changing these laws. But are we really going to help pay for these human rights
violations? Are we really going to help fund the murder of innocent citizens?”
“We must send a message, however we can, that such treatment is unacceptable.
That’s why David and I have long refused to stay at these hotels and will
continue to do so.”– Elton John
It emerged just last week that Brunei—an Asian country with a population of
just 500,000 people—was set to introduce whipping and death by stoning for gay
people and those accused of adultery.
The country first introduced elements of Islamic criminal law in 2014 and said
that they would be implementing it fully over the course of three stages.
Last week, human rights group The Brunei Project said that the government was
now “rushing through the final 2 phases concurrently.”
Brunei has said the law will ‘deter’ people from acts that are ‘against the
teachings of Islam’
The prime minister’s office in Brunei yesterday confirmed to Reuters that the
new laws will be coming into effect in due course, and defended their actions.
“The (Sharia) Law, apart from criminalizing and deterring acts that are against
the teachings of Islam, also aims to educate, respect and protect the
legitimate rights of all individuals, society or nationality of any faiths and
race,” the statement said.
Homosexuality was already illegal in Brunei but was previously punishable by up
to 10 years in prison.
On Friday (29 March) the UK government warned British citizens travelling to
Brunei of the potential impact of the new laws.
“Corporal and capital punishment goes against our national values and has been
banned in the United Kingdom for decades,” a Foreign and Commonwealth Office
spokesperson told PinkNews.
“The Minister for Asia and High Commissioner have raised their concerns in
person, and we have updated the travel advice to warn British citizens of the
new local laws in Brunei.”
The Foreign Office also confirmed to PinkNews that minister of state Mark Field
has written to Dato Erywan, Brueni’s minister for foreign affairs, to reiterate
the department’s concerns over the anti-LGBT+ legislation.
(source: pinknews.co.uk)
SAUDI ARABIA:
Saudi Arabia Seems Headed for Highest Execution Rate in Over 20
Years----Foreigners account for vast majority of executions, where the most
frequent method is believed to be beheading
With Human Rights Watch (HRW) saying that Saudi Arabia has already put to death
49 people this year, the Gulf kingdom is apparently on track to register one of
its highest execution rates – certainly, the highest in more than 2 decades.
By this time last year, the Saudis had executed 39 people, according to HRW. If
Riyadh keeps up the current rate, close to 180 people will have been executed
by the end of 2019, compared to 148 in 2018.
The Qatar-based Gulf News has placed the number of executions so far this year
at 43. The record was set in 1995, with 192 people put to death.
Beheading is believed to be the most frequent method of implementing the death
penalty in the kingdom, and eligible offenses include murder, rape, drug
smuggling, apostasy and the practice of magic.
“The Saudis don’t reveal specific information,” Adam Coogle, a Middle East
researcher at HRW, told The Media Line. “We assume [the executions] to be
beheadings, although another method they occasionally use is firing squads.
Occasionally, they’ll announce executions.”
Another method is stoning, usually for adultery. On occasion, the body of
someone who has been executed has been crucified and placed on display.
Coogle said that the vast majority of those put to death in Saudi Arabia are
foreigners, with 33 out of the 49 people executed so far this year being
non-Saudis. He added that Pakistan tends to be the country of origin for most
of these foreigners. Further, he said, it’s believed that non-violent drug
offenses have accounted for 26 of this year’s executions, compared to 20 at
this time last year.
“Ninety-nine percent of capital punishment cases are for murder and drug
smuggling,” Coogle told The Media Line. “Its use for murder is due to the
application of Shari’a Law’s ‘eye for an eye’ punishment, but drug smuggling is
where [the authorities] have discretion.”
According to Andreas Krieg, an assistant professor at King’s College London’s
School of Security Studies and a fellow at the college’s Institute of Middle
Eastern Studies, the regime overseen by Mohammad bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s
crown prince and often referred to simply as MbS, has charged people for
capital crimes such as treason and espionage without bringing evidence in order
to clamp down on political opposition.
“MbS’s regime has developed an allergy against any form of potential dissidence
that could turn against it, thereby using any means necessary to repress
activism,” Krieg told The Media Line. Charges punishable by death, he added,
were “being used to suppress civil society and ensure that MbS’s regime can
consolidate its power amid a highly contested political environment in Saudi
Arabia.”
Saudi Arabia is third in the world for executions, behind China and Iran.
According to Amnesty International’s figures from 2017, Iran accounted for 60%
of the capital punishment applied in the Middle East and North Africa, with
Saudi Arabia at 17%.
According to Krieg, despite the crown prince’s declared modernization campaign,
which includes permitting women to drive, the number of executions in Saudi
Arabia has increased dramatically under his reign, which began in June of 2017.
“Under MbS, Saudi Arabia has not really become more liberal except from some
social changes,” Krieg said.
According to the human rights organization Reprieve, there were 67 executions
in the 8 months leading up to MbS’s rule compared to 133 during the first 8
months of his tenure.
“Saudi society is worse off than before MbS took office because decisions were
made by the whole family. Now they’re made by just 1 person,” Mohammed
Almahfali, a researcher at Lund University’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies
in Sweden, told The Media Line. “MBS wants to… show the West that Saudi laws
and society are becoming more modern when they’re really based on terror. At
the end of the day, Saudi Arabia is not a democracy.”
The Saudis have never been forthright about why the number of executions has
increased, but HRW’s Coogle suspects it has to do with the overall political
situation in the Middle East.
“There has been a regional movement of states back to the death penalty,” he
told The Media Line, and these country’s “want to look tough in the face of
regional insecurity.”
Pakistan resumed use of the death penalty in 2015, with Jordan following suit
in 2017.
In this way, it appears that Saudi Arabia will not be cutting its beheading
rates anytime soon.
(source: themedialine.org)
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