August 3
SRI LANKA:
Sri Lankan Prime Minister proposes to end death penalty
Sri Lankan Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has introduced a bill to
abolish the death penalty in the lead up to the execution of 4 drug convicts.
The proposed bill would abolish the death sentence in the future and commute
the sentences of those already on death row to life imprisonment. The bill was
introduced to parliament on Thursday and will take a vote in 14 days if no one
challenges it will pass.
This, however, is unlikely as President Sirisena is a vocal opponent claiming
that those who oppose executions oppose building a decent county. The
Washington Post further reports that Sirisena has described narcotics as “the
root cause of all other major crimes” and he views the decision to execute
prisoners “for the betterment of future generations”.
Sirisena has claimed that his position was influenced by what he views as
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's successful “war on drugs”.
Sri Lanka’s stance on the death penalty has been widely panned by the
international community.
The European Union has stated that if Sri Lanka moves towards implementing the
death penalty it will be in contradiction with its commitments to the UN
General Assembly to maintain a 43-year moratorium on the death penalty.
The EU has warned this may send the wrong signals to the international
community and investors. Sri Lanka is currently a beneficiary of the GSP+
agreement with the EU which enables a preferential trade scheme but is
dependent upon Sri Lanka fulfilling its commitments to human rights.
Wickremesinghe has stated that he opposes the death penalty and the under the
coalition government Sri Lanka supported a UN resolution for a moratorium on
the death penalty in 2016 and 2018.
The Sri Lanka government has not had formally hanged a prisoner since 1976 even
though courts routinely pass death sentences.
(source: Tamil Guardian)
SINGAPORE:
Drug trafficking on the rise despite increased awareness of death penalty in
Singapore
Despite Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam’s claim that drug traffickers
are aware of the mandatory death penalty sentence in Singapore, there has been
a spike in the number of attempts related to drug trafficking into the
Republic, he told Reuters on Wed (31 Jul).
While Mr Shanmugam told the 2nd Asia-Pacific Forum Against Drugs in Oct last
year that the death penalty for drug traffickers cannot serve as a panacea for
all drug-related issues plaguing Singapore society, the Minister maintained
that the government, albeit reluctantly, must retain the death penalty “for the
greater good of society”, as it “saves more lives”, referring to those who will
be spared from falling into drug addiction.
Stating that drug traffickers are fully aware of the risks of being arrested,
prosecuted, and - in most cases - sentenced to death, Mr Shanmugam said that
the prospect of facing the gallows "has a very powerful influence on those who
seek to traffic drugs into Singapore", as "the stakes are made very clear
upfront".
"You have to focus on reducing supply, and the death penalty comes within the
context of trying to reduce the supply by making it clear to traffickers that
if they get caught, they will face the death penalty," he said at the opening
of the forum.
Mr Shanmugam told Reuters on Wed that Singapore is adamant on keeping the death
penalty because crime rates have 'gone up' in countries where marijuana has
been legalised, adding that "medical costs and hospitalization costs" in such
places "have gone up significantly, much more than the tax dollars that the
state had hoped to receive".
Additionally, he said that Singaporeans have continued to demonstrate "very
strong support for the government’s current position" on the war against
drug-related crimes in spite of neighbouring countries’ move to slightly relax
their drug laws.
13 executions took place in Singapore last year, 11 of which were for
drug-related offences. Mr Shanmugam said that the Singapore government’s
decision to pause judicial executions for several years was behind the high
number of such executions last year, adding that the break in executions was in
line with the government’s review of the death penalty.
The Law Minister has frequently reiterated the government’s stance on the use
of recreational drugs, and has criticised the way certain States and human
rights groups have framed the discourse on such drugs only from the perspective
of public health and personal freedoms.
"Human rights is ‘my individual freedom to consume drugs’ - that is how it was
put forward. What about the impact on society? If you take that argument, then
you would have the human right to do almost anything you like," Shanmugam was
quoted by TODAY as saying in late May this year.
He added that the financial backing of lobbyists has compelled legislators to
amend or revamp anti-drug laws in certain countries, in addition to influencing
the media and advertising industries in 'pushing' cannabis "as healthy and
safe" in such countries, which is, in his view, a "misleading and unscientific"
message to convey to the public.
Neighbouring countries relax drug laws for medical purposes, more 'scientific'
rehabilitative processes
Meanwhile, the first batch of cannabis oil is set to be distributed across
hospitals in Thailand for medical purposes after the government had passed a
law legalising the use of medical marijuana, according to a government official
on Thu (1 Aug), while Malaysia moves to remove the mandatory death penalty for
drug trafficking and to decriminalise drug addiction.
Malaysian Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad, in an official statement in late
Jun, quoted former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s stance on
governments’ approach in the war against drugs, in which he said: "Drugs have
destroyed many lives, but wrongheaded governmental policies have destroyed many
more. I think it’s obvious that after 40 years of war on drugs, it has not
worked. There should be decriminalization of drugs."
Calling the move 'significant' and a 'game-changer', Dzulkefly recognises that
"drug use and addiction is admittedly a complex chronic relapsing medical
condition", and that there are multiple factors that may contribute to
substance abuse and addiction, ranging from genetic predisposition to external
factors such as poor living conditions and peer pressure.
"If someone continues to take drugs, biological changes start happening in
their brain. Therefore it is not so easy to reverse that biological change.
"Certainly putting them in prison is not going to change that. It is not just a
matter of someone having a weak willpower," added the Health Minister.
"Drug decriminalisation will indeed be a critical next step towards achieving a
rational drug policy that puts science and public health before punishment and
incarceration. An addict shall be treated as a patient (not as a criminal),
whose addiction is a disease we will like to cure," Dzulkefly proposed.
He added that research has shown that decriminalisation does not exacerbate
drug abuse and drug-related crimes, and in fact it reduces the costs borne by
the criminal justice system as a result of incarcerating and punishing those
who use drugs.
"Decades of evidence has clearly demonstrated that decriminalisation is a
sensible path forward that would reap vast human and fiscal benefits, while
protecting families and communities," said Dzulkefly.
Malaysian Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin revealed that around 70,000 prisoners
in Malaysia’s jails were drug addicts, and that the decriminalisation of drug
addiction will give them more opportunities for rehabilitation and treatment,
particularly when supported by their family members and the community.
Drug trafficking, however, remains a crime punishable by death, as Dzulkefly
stressed that the removal of criminal penalties will only apply to the
possession and use of "a small quantity of drugs".
(source: theonlinecitizen.com)
INDIA:
Shweta Agarwal: Killed in a scuffle by lover, court pronounces death penalty
for accused
The Shweta Agarwal murder case gets a new turn on Saturday as justice prevailed
over crime and criminals. The prime accused in the Shweta murder case, Govind
Singhal, gets the death penalty for the gruesome murder of the meritorious girl
two years back. Notably, Shweta Agarwal was found dead at Singhal’s home in
Bharalumukh on December 4, 2017. At the same time, his mother and sister get
life imprisonment for assisting Govind in burning the body of the deceased
girl.
The long-sought justice by Shweta’s family, friends and the masses is finally
delivered on Saturday today as the Fast Track Court pronounced the much sought
and requested verdict of the death penalty for the accused.
Before this, on Tuesday, the fast-track court convicted Govind Singhal, his
mother Kamala Devi Singhal and sister Bhawani Singhal in the gruesome murder
case.
December 4, 2017
December 4, 2017 was the cursed day of her life when Shweta, the brilliant girl
with a promising future, was pushed to death by her love interest Govind
Singhal. Reportedly, Shweta Agarwal was a TDC 5th semester student of KC Das
Commerce College in Guwahati. She was acclaimed as a meritorious student for
her bright results in the Higher Secondary Examination. This has to be
mentioned here that Shweta was in the merit list of the commerce stream in the
2015 Higher Secondary Examination.
Shweta was in a relationship with Govind Singhal with whom she had dreamt of
moving ahead in life, but hardly did she know that her lover will one day put
an end to her life. She was found dead on December 4, 2017 in his rented house
at Bharalumukh. As per report, Govind had taken Shweta to his rented residence
on his bike, but in a bitter turn of a scuffle between the two over a certain
matter, Govind pushed Shweta hard. She, due to the push, hits against the wall
of the room and died due to her injury in the head. Clueless and later,
deliberate to conceal the crime, Govind carried Shweta’s body to dispose of it
in the Bharalu river on a bike. However, he could not dispose of the body there
and had to take it back home in the fear of being caught. He then torched the
body inside the bathroom. His sister and mother had also assisted him in
burning the body inside the bathroom of their house.
The police submitted the charge sheet against Govind Singhal, his mother Kamala
Devi Singhal and sister Bhawani Singhal under Section 302/120(B)/ 201 for
murder, conspiracy and destroying evidence. The bench was to pronounce the
quantum of punishment to the trio on August 1, 2019 and this was later followed
by the final verdict of the Fast Track Court on Saturday. in the final verdict,
Govind Singhal gets the death penalty and at the same time, his mother and
sister get life imprisonment for assisting Govind in burning the body of the
deceased girl.
(source: The Sentinel)
***************************
India rejects Pak terms on consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav----Pakistan had
reportedly proposed consular access in an offer made about 4 days ago.
India on Friday rejected Pakistani terms and conditions for consular access to
imprisoned former Indian naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav, with New Delhi
telling Islamabad through diplomatic channels “to provide unimpeded consular
access” to Jadhav “in an environment free from the fear of intimidation and
reprisal, in the light of the orders of the International Court of Justice
(ICJ).
New Delhi is awaiting Islamabad’s response now, sources said. Pakistan had
reportedly placed 2 conditions — the 1st being presence of a Pakistani official
at the proposed meeting and the second being the presence of CCTV cameras in
the room where the meeting would take place. Islamabad had also reportedly
suggested that the meeting take place at about 3.30 pm (3 pm Pakistan time) on
Friday but now will have to first come up with a response to New Delhi.
Quite clearly, New Delhi feels that the Pakistani terms and conditions imposed
are an 'impediment' that is not in line with the ICJ verdict and the Vienna
Convention on Consular Relations as these conditions would result in the
intimidation of Jadhav at the meeting and leave him vulnerable to reprisals in
Pakistani custody.
Sources on Friday said, "Pakistan has been asked yesterday to provide unimpeded
consular access to Mr. Kulbhushan Jadhav, in an environment free from the fear
of intimidation and reprisal, in the light of the orders of the ICJ. Their
(Pakistani) response in now awaited."
New Delhi had on Thursday only confirmed that it had received a Pakistani
proposal to provide consular access and had said it was "evaluating the
proposal in the light of the judgement of the ICJ".
Pakistan had reportedly proposed consular access in an offer made about 4 days
ago.
India had last week said it expected 'full consular access' to Jadhav in line
with the ICJ verdict, thereby indicating that New Delhi wants to play strictly
by the book and does not want any deviation by Pakistan from the norms of
consular access as laid down in the Vienna Convention.
Mr. Jadhav had been handed a death penalty in Pakistan in April, 2017, by a
military court there on charges of espionage and sabotage. New Delhi had
dismissed the Pakistani charges.
The ICJ in its verdict on July 17 this year had slammed Pakistan for not
granting India consular access to Jadhav in violation of the Vienna Convention.
(source: The Asian Age)
IRAN----excecutions
Man Hanged at Gorgan Prison
A man was hanged at the Iranian northern city of Gorgan’s prison for an alleged
murder charge. He had always insisted that he is innocent.
According to IHR sources, a man was hanged on Wednesday, July 31, at Gorgan
prison (Amirabad prison). IHR identified him as Hamid Samaei.
"In a wedding, a gang fight happened. A drunk man who attacked others by a
sword, was ultimately killed by a knife. Several people testified that Hamid
was not the man who stabbed the victim," a well-informed source told IHR.
Iran Human Rights (IHR) has seen at least 8 signed-testimonies confirming
Hamid’s innocence. However, he was sentenced to Qisas (retribution in kind).
His execution has not been announced by Iranian authorities or media so far.
At least 110 people were executed in Iran in the 1st half of 2019; Only 37 of
the executions have been announced by authorities or Iranian media. Iran Human
Rights (IHR) could confirm 73 more through its sources. IHR only reports the
unannounced executions if it could confirm those with 2 separate credible
sources. Therefore, the actual number of executions may be even higher than
reported.
(source: Iran Human Rights)
*************************
Iranian Regime Executes 2 More Prisoners, More Expected in Coming Days
2 prisoners were executed at dawn on Thursday, August 1, 2019 in Rasht Central
Prison, northern Iran.
The prisoners had been transferred to solitary confinement in the previous
days.
They were accused of murder.
One of those executed was identified as Kusha Motaghi. The identity of the
other victim has not yet been determined.
The execution of this prisoner has not been announced by the state-run media so
far.
Meanwhile, Ali Salehi, Chief Justice of Hormozgan province, announced 2 death
sentences for a single prisoner. He said a prisoner in Minab city, Hormozgan
province, was sentenced twice to public hanging for the murder of 2 navy guards
of Minab city.
Another report from the city of Zahedan, Sistan and Baluchestan province, also
indicates the transfer of 3 prisoners to solitary confinement on Tuesday and
Wednesday. The prisoners are expected to be executed in the coming days.
Iran is 1 of 23 countries that have not yet abolished the death penalty.
UN human rights bodies have condemned the Iranian regime on 65 occasions for
its gross human rights violations.
(source: irannewsupdate.com)
_______________________________________________
A service courtesy of Washburn University School of Law www.washburnlaw.edu
DeathPenalty mailing list
DeathPenalty@lists.washlaw.edu
http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/listinfo/deathpenalty
Unsubscribe: http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/options/deathpenalty
