[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
May 15 BELARUS: The secret executions in Europe's 'last dictatorship' When the guards come, these inmates never know if it is for the last time. On death row in Belarus, the only country in Europe that still uses the death penalty, they are never told when they will be executed. And when it happens, it is all kept as a state secret. For the 10 months he spent on death row, Gennady Yakovitsky could only tell whether it was day or night by the dim light filtering through the protective cover on the window of his cell, where the white lights stayed on even while he slept. It was easy to lose sense of time. He was held in isolation, any walk outdoors was forbidden. Visits were tightly controlled and, other than lawyers, only close relatives were allowed to see him, once a month. On those days, Yakovitsky would be taken from his cell and escorted, hands cuffed behind his back, with guards forcing his face down. He, like all the others, was never told where he was going, said his daughter Alexandra. They were kept guessing: "Is it to meet their relatives? Lawyers? To be shot?" Father and daughter saw each other through a glass window, always closely watched by guards. "We didn't talk about the case, it was forbidden. We could only talk about family things." On 1 of her 8 visits Alexandra, then 27, complained to him about the long time it was taking to receive a new passport. "The guards said sarcastically: 'You still have a little time left'." Often described as "Europe's last dictatorship", Belarus is the only country in Europe and the former Soviet Union still to use the death penalty, and the process is shrouded in secrecy. Executions are carried out by a shot in the head, but the exact number is unknown: more than 300 are thought to have happened since 1991, when Belarus became an independent country. 2 executions were carried out there last year, according to Amnesty International, and, currently, at least 6 men are believed to be on death row - under the country's laws, women cannot be sentenced to death. Those convicted - usually for homicides with aggravating circumstances - are kept in one of the high-security cells in the basement of Pre-trial Detention Centre 1, a jail set up in the building of a 19th Century castle, now partially collapsed, in the centre of the capital Minsk. Activists and journalists are rarely given any access. They're treated as if they're already dead. There they face gross human rights violations, including "psychological pressure", with agents often using "torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment", a report by Viasna, a local human rights group, said in 2016. Inmates are not allowed to lie or sit on the beds outside the designated sleeping hours, a former prison worker told the group, and spend most of their days walking around their cells. Even their right to send and receive letters is often said to be disrespected. "The conditions are appalling," said Aisha Jung, Amnesty International's campaigner on Belarus, who worked for a decade on the country's executions. "They're treated as if they're already dead." Gennady Yakovitsky, who lived in Vileyka, a town about 100km (60 miles) from Minsk, had been accused of killing his 35-year-old partner in their flat after 2 days of drinking with friends in July 2015, according to reports by human rights groups. After an argument, in which he allegedly struck her several times with his fists, they went to a separate room, where Yakovitsky fell asleep. What happened next he said he could not remember. When he woke up, he found her already dead, with a broken jaw and partially naked. He dressed her in her jeans that contained bloodstains that had not been there before, the reports claimed, and alerted the police. Three days later, he was arrested. Activists said that Yakovitsky faced psychological pressure during his first interrogation and that the people who were in the flat at the time gave contradictory testimony. "Some witnesses were drunk in court," his daughter said. "[Later] they said they couldn't remember what happened. No evidence was provided". Yakovitsky had already been sentenced to death for murder in 1989, but this was commuted to a 15-year jail term. Alexandra said the court in Minsk had used this as "the main proof" against her father. In January 2016, he was found guilty of a second murder, which he denied, and sentenced to death. On execution day, prisoners are told by a public prosecutor that their appeal for a presidential pardon has been rejected. Aleh Alkayeu, former head of the prison where the executions are carried out, told Viasna: "They trembled either from cold or from fear, and their crazy eyes radiated such a real horror that it was impossible to look at them." The inmates are blindfolded and taken to a specially-arranged room where access is restricted only to those allowed by the
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, PENN., ALA., LA., OHIO, ILL., OKLA., NEB., COLO.
May 15 TEXASimpending execution San Antonio lovers' lane killer denied clemency, both appeals 2 days before scheduled execution Death row inmate Juan Castillo lost two appeals and was denied clemency on Monday. Now, he's scheduled to die Wednesday in the Huntsville execution chamber. Through 15 years of darkness, June Castillo has seen flashes of hope. Once, a man showed up at her door claiming to have proof of her son's innocence. Another time, a stranger called to offer an apology from the "real" killer. There were the whispered prayers, and the cancelled executions. "You get so scared," she said. "The bad days come and you think, 'What am I going to do?' And then there's the good days - and then the devil hits again." And that's what it felt like on Monday when the 73-year-old's son - death row inmate Juan Castillo - was denied a bid for clemency, and lost 2 different late-stage appeals. Now, the condemned lovers' lane killer is scheduled to die by lethal injection on Wednesday. "It is deeply disappointing," Castillo's clemency lawyer Greg Zlotnick said late Monday, urging the governor to issue a 30-day reprieve so a legal team can continue fighting the case in court. The now-37-year-old was sent to death row in 2005 for the slaying of rapper Tommy Garcia, Jr. t2 years earlier. Prosecutors said Castillo and three others had teamed up to plan a robbery in a deserted San Antonio lovers' lane. It was Castillo's girlfriend, Debra Espinosa, who lured the 19-year-old musician to a secluded spot with the promise of sex and drugs, according to court filings. 2017 did not see a new low in executions, though they're still down significantly over past years. As they sat in the car making out, 2 men in ski masks - later identified as Castillo and his friend Francisco Gonzales - stormed the Camaro. They tore Garcia from the vehicle and Castillo shot him 7 times, according to court records. Afterward, Espinosa ran to a nearby house and started banging on the door for help. She and Gonzales were picked up not far from the scene. They both agreed to testify in exchange for a reduced sentence, while the 4th suspect - Gonzales' girlfriend Teresa Quintero - netted a 20-year term for robbery. But Castillo has long maintained that he didn't do it. In fact, he said, he wasn't even there. Before trial, he said he spent the night with a friend - though the man never agreed to testify, according to court records. And in the years since his conviction, some pieces of the case have become a little hazier. Investigators never had forensic evidence tying him to the scene, and one of the key witnesses against him - a jailhouse informant - recanted his testimony. In recent months, defense lawyers made that recantation a cornerstone of their appeals, including one that won him a stay of execution. But when the case was sent back to a lower court, the judge rejected it within a day, before the defense had a chance to weigh in. Last week, attorneys entered a filing poking holes in two other state witnesses and accusing prosecutors of withholding evidence. But on Monday, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals turned down that claim, hours after the Supreme Court rejected an appeal centered on the recanted testimony. Amanda Marzullo of Texas Defender Services, the non-profit legal group handling his appeals, expressed dismay at Monday's court outcomes. "There are serious issues with his case, which was no court has given meaningful review," she said. Wednesday's execution date is Castillo's 4th in a year. Last May's date was rescheduled after prosecutors failed to give 90-day notice to the defense. Then, a September execution was pushed back in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, and a December death date was called off in light of the jailhouse snitch. "I have cried so doggone much for the past month," June Castillo said. "I can't cry anymore." As of Monday evening, there were no pending appeals in the case. If everything continues as scheduled, Castillo will be the 6th man executed in Texas this year - and his mother plans to be there to watch. (source: Houston Chronicle) Texas inmate set to die this week loses Supreme Court appeal A 36-year-old San Antonio man set for execution this week for a robbery-slaying more than 14 years ago has lost an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Attorneys for Juan Castillo argued his due process rights were violated related to trial testimony from a jail inmate who said Castillo, while locked up awaiting trial, told him about killing 19-year-old Tommy Garcia Jr. The inmate years later recanted his testimony, submitting an affidavit saying he made up the story. State courts ruled the affidavit wasn't credible and the Supreme Court Monday declined to review Castillo's arguments. Castillo is set for execution Wednesday in Huntsville. The high court Monday also declined an
