[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
January 8 SOMALIA: 2 Al-Shabaab Assassins Executed For Killing Chief In Somalia 2 al-Shabaab assassins, convicted of killing traditional chief, have been executed in Somalia on Monday. The 2 were trying to escape from the scene of the killing of chief Hilowle Heefow Hussein in 2016 when they were nabbed by police. 25-year-old Hassan Al Hassan, and 22-year-old Abdirahman Isse Ali, were executed 2 weeks after 41-year-old Abdul Kadir Shaa’ir, described as a Seril Al-Shabaab bomber, was executed by firing squad. He was convicted of a series of bombings in 2017. Activists have challenged the death penalty in Somalia. The country is one of a few African nations that still apply the capital punishment. Most African countries usually commute death penalties to life imprisonment. (source: Africa News Network) PAKISTAN Military courts award death penalty to 345 terrorists since their establishment Since the establishment of military courts, cases of 717 accused terrorists were sent to them by the federal government and 646 of them have been finalized. The swift trial courts were set up through a constitutional amendment for a period of 2 years in January 2015 to stem the growing tide of militancy and terrorism. Their term was extended for another 2 years in January 2017, which has also ended now. According to the details available with this news agency, out of the 646 finalized cases, 345 terrorists were given death penalty and 296 rigorous imprisonment of varied durations, ranging from life imprisonment to a minimum duration of 5 years. 5 accused were also acquitted. Out of 345 sentenced to death, 56 terrorists have been executed after completion of legal process beyond military court decisions, which included their appeal in superior civil courts and rejection of their mercy petition both by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and the President of Pakistan. Those, who have been given death penalty, included masterminds, executers and abettors/facilitators. (source: brecorder.com) INDIA: Govt introduces amendments to POCSO Act in Lok SabhaThe Sections 4, 5, 6 of the Act are proposed to be amended to provide the option of stringent punishment, including death penalty, for committing aggravated penetrative sexual assault on a child. The Government on Tuesday introduced in Lok Sabha amendments to the POCSO Act, which provides for the death penalty for aggravated sexual assault on children, making it gender neutral and introducing provisions against child pornography and for enhancing punishment for certain offences. The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2019, seeks to protect children from offences of sexual assault, sexual harassment and pornography and provide for the establishment of Special Courts for the trial of such offences. The POCSO Amendment Bill, introduced by Minister of State in Ministry of Women and Child Development Virendra Kumar, also provides for stringent punishments for other crimes against those below 18 years of age. “The said Act is gender neutral and regards the best interests and welfare of the child as matter of paramount importance at every stage so as to ensure the healthy physical, emotional, intellectual and social development of the child,” said the statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill. The Sections 4, 5, 6 of the Act are proposed to be amended to provide the option of stringent punishment, including death penalty, for committing aggravated penetrative sexual assault on a child. The Act defines child as any person below the age of 18 years and the amendments are aimed at discouraging the trend of child sexual abuse by acting as a deterrent. Besides, Section 9 of the Act is being amended to protect children from sexual offences in times of natural calamities and disasters and in cases where children are administered any hormone or chemical substance to attain early sexual maturity for the purpose of penetrative sexual assault. The Bill proposes a fine of not less than Rs 1,000 for not destroying or deleting or reporting the pornographic material involving a child. In case of subsequent offence, the fine would be not less than Rs 5,000 crore. The offender can be further penalised with 3-year jail term or fine or both for transmitting, propagating, administrating such material. “In the recent past incidences of child sexual abuse cases demonstrating the inhumane mind-set of the abusers who have been barbaric in their approach towards young victims is rising in the country. Children are becoming easy prey because of their tender age, physical vulnerabilities and inexperience of life and society,” the Bill said. It said there is a strong need to take stringent measures to deter the rising trend of child sex abuse in the country. The proposed amendments make provisions for enhancement of punishments for various offences so as to deter the
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----OKLA., NEV., CALIF., WASH., USA
January 8 OKLAHOMA: In 2019, Questions Of Efficacy, Morality Continue Over New Execution Protocol State officials have been working to replace lethal injection with nitrogen gas now going on 4 years. As time has gone on and inmates continue to wait questions are mounting about the process and whether Oklahoma will even have another execution. Oklahoma has been working to start using nitrogen hypoxia, the process of replacing oxygen with nitrogen until an inmate dies. Executions have been on an indefinite hold since 2015 following the problematic executions of Clayton Lockett, Charles Warner and Richard Glossip, which became national news and a statewide embarrassment. The executions of Lockett and Warner, while completed, are generally considered to have been botched. Lockett writhed in the execution chair for nearly 45 minutes, moaning and straining against his restraints. Warner could be heard saying his body felt as if it were on fire. It was later discovered the wrong drug was used as a part of the lethal 3-drug cocktail to execute Warner. Glossip, who was sent to the execution chamber 3 times, has been waiting to be put to death after the state discovered the same incorrect drug was about to be used in his execution. At the time Gov. Mary Fallin’s then attorney Steve Mullin told Fallin she should move forward with the execution to avoid the exposure of problems with Warner’s execution. The Oklahoma Department of Corrections spokesman Matt Elliot says the DOC is still working with the Attorney General's office to write the new hypoxia protocol saying "That process is ongoing. We will update the public once it is complete..." Supporters of the new method say it's more humane than previous methods of execution, akin to falling asleep and used by prominent self-euthanasia groups nationwide which promote it as a painless process of death. Opponents, point to warnings from national veterinary associations which advise against killing animals this way and that nitrogen use is still experimental, not used officially anywhere in the world. Oklahoma is the only state to make hypoxia the primary method. Alabama and Mississippi both have it listed as an alternative but none of the three states has a working protocol. There are also still many unknowns to using nitrogen, including how the state will administer the gas. Some methods suggest building a chamber in which gas is exchanged or by using a "death mask," likely like those used in hypoxia training for pilots. Then there's whether it's effective or can be repeated exactly. When done in training, the Federal Aviation Administration warns symptoms can differ widely; generally, not something seen as a positive in a process meant to be done with accuracy. “The rate of individual onset will vary day-to-day due to other physiological or psychological stressor,” a narrator can be heard saying during an FAA training video about hypoxia. “Oklahoma kind of acted 1st and thought 2nd when it came to nitrogen hypoxia,” said Robert Dunham. Dunham is the Executive Director of the Death Penalty Information Center, a non-partisan group focused on executions. He said lawmakers' rush to have a new method in place and lack of evidence it will work could mean Oklahoma will remain without the death penalty for quite a while. “The issue just zipped through the legislature without any scientific examination. So, the question is, is it going to work? Is it something that's going to be acceptable for killing human beings and nobody really has the answer to that,” Dunham said. Support of the death penalty using any method has been on the decline both nationwide and in Oklahoma for several years. Support in Oklahoma officially dropped below 50 % in 2016. Likewise, Dunham said the use of the death penalty as a sentence has waned. Both Attorney General Mike Hunter and Governor-Elect Kevin Stitt have said despite concerns of efficacy and a decline in public support they plan to continue to move forward with executions in Oklahoma once the protocol is finished. (source: news9.com) NEVADA: After Years of Delays and No Execution Date in Sight, a Death Row Inmate Takes His Life Unlike most death row inmates, Scott Raymond Dozier wanted to die. Convicted of the 2002 killing and dismemberment of a Las Vegas man, Mr. Dozier waited for years while his lawyers appealed his death sentence. But he found the wait more agonizing than the prospect of execution. 2 years ago he abandoned their efforts and urged a judge to set a date. The state of Nevada pressed to execute him, too, in a new lethal injection chamber. Still, the delays continued, the last 6 months ago. Mr. Dozier grew increasingly despondent, those who knew him said Monday. On Saturday afternoon, Mr. Dozier, 48, threaded a bedsheet through an air vent in his cell at the state prison in Ely, Nev., and hanged himself, prison
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, PENN., FLA., ALA., OHIO
January 8 TEXAS: 2020 trial in county death penalty case A 19-year-old Houston man will stand trial in a brutal Texas County murder in August 2020, it was decided during a conference call Friday. Andrew J. Vrba is charged with 1st-degree murder, armed criminal action and abandonment of the corpse of Joseph M. Steinfeld, 17, who was transitioning to a female and killed in September 2017 north of Cabool. Steinfield went by the name, “Ally.” Vrba could face the death penalty. Prosecutors said they are ready to hold the trial, but Vrba’s lawyers say their workload is so heavy they wouldn’t be able to mount a defense under the summer of 2020. Vrba is represented the Missouri Public Defenders Office. 2 attorneys who specialize in capital cases, Thomas Jacquinot and Patrick Berrigan, both of Kansas City, are assigned to the Vrba case. They also represented Craig Wood, who was convicted of killing 10-year-old Hailey Owens in Springfield, in a high-profile Missouri case. Holden set Vrba's trial to begin Aug. 3, 2020, in Greene County. He set aside 3 weeks: 1 week for jury selection and 2 weeks for the trial, according to court records. The case had been set to be heard in Steelville on a change of venue, but the judge assigned to the case was defeated in an election last year. Holden will next meet with attorneys on May 6 for a pre-trial conference. 3 others were also charged with murdering Steinfeld north of Cabool at a trailer. Isis Schauer, 19, of Houston, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. As part of the plea agreement, the charge against Schauer was lowered from 1st-degree murder to 2nd-degree murder. She is appealing the sentence. She cites ineffective counsel and that her plea was not voluntary or knowledgeable. Briana Calderas, 25, of Cabool, will stand trial the week of Feb. 25 in Pulaski County Circuit Court at Waynesville. She is charged with 1st-degree murder, armed criminal action and abandonment of a corpse at her residence where authorities said the crime occurred. She could face life in prison without a chance of probation or parole. A 4th person, James T. Grigsby, 26, of Thayer, pleaded guilty to abandonment of a corpse and was sentenced to 4 years in prison in July 2018. Texas County Prosecutor Parke Stevens Jr. said the lengthy incarceration for Vrba raises concerns about the cost of housing the suspect in Greene County. Vrba will likely be held in Texas County unless the county agrees to pay board bill to Greene County. At the conference, Stevens and Judge Calvin Holden also agreed that the county prosecutor could talk to the Texas County sheriff about possibly arranging some sort of deal in which Greene County inmates could be housed in Texas County while Vrba is in Springfield to offset costs. (source: Houston Herald) PENNSYLVANIA: Holly Grim homicide: Michael Horvath trial pushed back to October Jury selection in the case of Michael Horvath, the Monroe County man accused of kidnapping and killing Holly Grim of Lower Macungie Township, will not begin until October, prosecutors confirmed Monday. Horvath, 51, was in Monroe County Court Monday morning for a pretrial hearing. His attorneys are challenging the science behind cellphone data collection, which police say shows Horvath was near Grim’s home on the day she disappeared. Monroe County Judge Margherita Patti Worthington said she will rule on the motion before Horvath’s trial. Grim’s disappearance is one of the most closely watched missing person cases in Lehigh Valley history. Police say that in November 2013, Horvath kidnapped Grim from her trailer in the Red Maples Mobile Home Park, then took her to his Ross Township home where he killed her and disposed of her body. Police say they found evidence that Horvath was stalking Grim, his coworker at Allen Organ Co. in Macungie, and that he had books and videos on “hunting humans” in his home. Horvath was arrested on Oct. 13, 2016. He's charged with homicide, abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence and obstruction of the administration of law. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Horvath is being held in the Monroe County Correctional Facility without bail. Michael Horvath is charged with homicide in connection with the death of Holly Grim, a Lower Macungie woman who went missing in 2013. Although investigators believe Grim was kidnapped in Lower Macungie, they say evidence points to Horvath killing her and burying her body on his property. That’s why the trial is being held in Monroe County. Police in October 2016 announced that Grim's skeletal remains were discovered in a 4-by-4-foot area at the bottom of an embankment behind Horvath's house, covered by about a foot of dirt. In court Monday, defense attorney Chandra Bleice argued that she needed more information about how police gathered cellphone evidence in the case so that she could call an expert at trial to dispute
