[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Aug. 19 INDIA: President Pranab Mukherjee rejects mercy petitions of 3 more death-row convicts, taking his tally of rejections to 37 President Pranab Mukherjee rejected on August 7 mercy petitions from three death-row convicts, Shabnam, Jasvir Singh and Vikram Singh. The information about these rejections was uploaded on the website of the President's secretariat only today. While Shabnam's mercy petition was received in President's Secretariat from the Ministry of Home Affairs, on March 31, those of Jasvir Singh and Vikram Singh were received on June 23. Shabnam, along with her husband, Salim were co-accused in a murder case, that was tried against them on the allegations that they had committed murders of 7 persons who were the members of Shabnam's family during 14-15 April, 2008. Their death sentences were confirmed by the Supreme Court on May 15, 2015. Shabnam is lodged in Moradabad jail, while Salim is in Agra jail. Their only child, delivered by Shabnam in jail, has been given in adoption. Jasvir Singh and Vikram Singh, now in Patiala Central jail, were convicted and sentenced to death, for the murder of 16-year-old school boy, Abhi Verma, in 2005. The Supreme Court commuted Jasvir Singh's wife, Sonia's sentence to life term in the same case in January 2010. In August last year, a 3-member Bench headed by Justice TS Thakur dismissed their appeal, challenging the validity of Section 364A of the IPC, that provides for death penalty for the crime of kidnapping someone for ransom. (source: livelaw.in) KENYA: Kenyans want corruption declared capital offence, death penalty reviewed A section of Kenyans want corruption listed among capital offences and punishments reviewed to abolish sentences of death and life imprisonment. Regina Boisabi, Power of Mercy Advisory Committee vice chairman, said on Thursday that some were of the view that corruption should attract the highest punishment. Boisabi said they have visited 19 counties so far, in the project that began in June, seeking public views on correctional measures. "Some people are of the view that death and life imprisonment do not serve any good but there are those who still support them," she said. Crimes classified as capital offences are murder, robbery with violence, some military offences, treason and oathing for criminal activity by proscribed groups including terror groups. These are punishable by death or life imprisonment upon conviction. Some sexual and drug trafficking offences attract similar penalties but are not classified as capital offences. Boisabi explained: "The last time a death row convict was executed was in 1987, but judges and magistrates still convict people to hang because legally, death sentence is the only punishment prescribed by the law for convicts of such offences." She said about 3,000 inmates had been serving life and death sentences but some were released following presidential pardon. "The number changes every day depending on outcomes of judgments and appeal rulings delivered every day," she said at the Nairobi West Prison during a public debate on capital offences and capital punishments. Boisabi said more than half of the inmates in correctional facilities countrywide were petty offenders. Her sentiments were echoed by inmate Makau Masila who is serving a 9-year term at the prison. Macharia Njeri moved the forum with an account of his arrest on Tuesday and sentencing the following day. Njeri, who could not raise raise a Sh45,000 fine for a traffic offence, will serve 11 months Other prisoners suggested bond terms pegged on the offenders' financial capability. They also suggested that fines be paid in installments saying the inability to raise one-off payments forces them to "rot in jail". The public views will be used to form a policy on restructuring Kenya's correctional system and decongest facilities. (source: the-star.co.ke) SUDAN: 6 Sudanese activists associated with TRACKs charged with death penalty crimes After 86 days in detention without charge, 6 civil society Sudanese activists associated with Training and Human Development (TRACKs) have been charged under the Criminal Act Article 50 (Undermining the Constitutional System), Article 51 (Waging War Against the State), Article 53 (Espionage) and Article 65 (Criminal and Terrorist Organizations). The activists include Khalaf-Allah Al-Afif Muktar, Mustafa Adam and Midhat Afifaddin Hamadan. Arwa Al-Rabie, Imany-Leila Ray and Al-Hassan Kheiry, who had been released on bail, were also charged with these 4 crimes. Adam and Hamadan have also been charged under Article 14 of the Information Crimes Law. Following the filing of capital charges against six civil society activists associated with Training and Human Development (TRACKs), Freedom House issued the following statement: "Authorities in Sudan have charged Khalaf-Allah Al-Afif Muktar,
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, GA., FLA., ALA.
Aug. 19 TEXASimpending execution Jeff Wood's family trying to stop his execution A petition to stop a death row inmate's execution is now on the governor's desk. 42-year-old Jeff Wood never took a life, but the state is trying to take his next Wednesday. A petition to stop the death row inmate's execution is now on the governor's desk. Thousands of people have signed it, trying to grant him clemency. Now, Wood's family is speaking out since he can't. Steven Been came from San Antonio to Austin to fight. "I'm here to try to save Jeff, save my brother-in-law," Been said. "He's not a murderer and never was. He was my best friend." Thursday morning, he delivered the clemency petition with more than 10,000 signatures to the governor's office and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. "Everyone that knows the truth is really scared for him," Been said. Jeff Wood is set to be executed for his involvement in the 1996 shooting death of Kerrville gas station clerk Kriss Keeran. However, he did not shoot and kill Keeran. His friend, Daniel Reneau, was put to death in 2002 for that crime. Court documents show Wood drove Renau to the gas station. "What it was is that they had stopped there and Danny had told Jeff that he was going in for Gatorade," Been said. Been said Wood was sitting inside the truck when Renau killed the clerk. "He told me, 'Danny came running out with a gun in one hand and a cash box in the other, he pointed the gun at me and told me to come inside,'" Been said. "He's not a murderer and never was." People across the world have signed the petition, saying Wood was wrongly sentenced to death under Texas' law of parties. This law states that anyone involved in a crime resulting in death is equally responsible, even if they weren't directly involved in the actual killing. "To charge somebody else for the same crime that they did not commit, I don't agree with that," Been said. "It's wrong." Texas State Representative Jeff Leach, of Plano, agrees and said on Twitter "I simply do not believe that Mr. Wood is deserving of the death sentence." "I'm hoping that they let him go," said Bella Sanford, Jeff Wood's childhood friend. "I mean, 20 years on death row for a crime he didn't commit?" Wood's family and friends say there's still time for the parole board to recommend Wood's sentence be changed. "Hopefully, they'll have a heart and look into the case," Wood's nephew, Nicholas Been, said. If they do, Texas Governor Greg Abbott can accept or reject their recommendation. Without it, all he can do is issue a one-time, 30-day delay of execution. KVUE reached out to the Governor's office for a comment but did not hear back. (source: KVUE news) ** Stop the execution of Jeff Wood, in the name of Jesus Some folks will argue that the death penalty is necessary for the most heinous crimes, the "worst of the worst." But it is increasingly clear that when it comes to executions in America, we are not killing the worst of the worst. We are killing the poorest of the poor. One of the best determinants of who gets executed is not the atrocity of the crime, but the resources of the defendant. As renowned death penalty lawyer Bryan Stevenson has said, "Far too often, you are better off being rich and guilty, than poor and innocent." Jeff Wood is a perfect example of why it is time to abolish the death penalty. He is the next person facing execution in the United States - on Aug. 24. And, not surprisingly, it's happening in Texas. In addition to the resources of the defendant, another key determinant in who gets killed is where the crime is committed. Geography often determines who dies. Texas is the death state, accounting for roughly half of all executions. This year six of the 15 executions in the U.S. were in Texas, and every remaining execution of 2016 is in this one state. So what did Wood do that could now cost him his life? Wood didn't rape or torture anyone. He's not a serial killer or mass shooter. In fact, Wood did not kill anyone. He drove the getaway car as his co-defendant, Daniel Reneau, threatened to kill him for disobeying. Texas is 1 of 5 states that have a peculiar law called the "Law of Parties," which allows someone to be condemned for something someone else did. As absurd as it may seem in modern-day America, Wood is guilty by association. It is objectively clear in the case that Reneau orchestrated the robbery, shot the victim and forced Wood to drive the car away from the scene of the crime. Wood was not even inside the building when the crime was committed. And before this event he had no criminal record. Wood's health records dating back to childhood show that he suffers from intellectual disabilities. He was deemed not mentally fit to stand trial and was admitted into a mental hospital. The jury in Wood's case heard false and misleading testimony from a
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----NEB., N.MEX., COLO., IDAHO, CALIF., USA
Aug. 19 NEBRASKA: Nebraska senators: Death penalty study validates repeal vote Nebraska senators who voted to abolish the death penalty say a recent analysis of the program's costs validates their argument that it's wasteful and ineffective. The death penalty opposition group, Retain a Just Nebraska, released a letter Thursday praising the study, which says capital punishment costs the state an estimated $14.6 million annually. The letter was signed by 27 senators who voted to repeal the death penalty, including Speaker of the Legislature Galen Hadley. Sen. Colby Coash, of Lincoln, a leading Republican opponent of capital punishment, says the 2015 vote to end the death penalty eliminated a wasteful government program that hasn't worked for decades. The Nebraska attorney general's office has disputed parts of the study, but conservative Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says he stands by his work. (source: KETV news) Economist defends $14.6M estimate on cost of death penalty in Nebraska Economist Ernie Goss defends his study that estimates the death penalty costs Nebraska $14.6 million annually in face of criticism from Attorney General Doug Peterson. Goss released the study Monday during a news conference held by Retain A Just Nebraska, a group working to uphold the legislature's repeal of the death penalty. Goss actually calls his cost estimate of more than $14 million conservative. "I think I've done a good job on this. I am very confident of the results. I stand behind those results," Goss tells reporters during a news conference in Lincoln Thursday. Goss says he includes all the data he used to reach his conclusion in the report, which is available both on his website and the website operated by Retain A Just Nebraska. Goss dismisses Attorney General Peterson's contention that he "grossly overstated" the cost of capital punishment. "I think if anything I am on the low side, but as I said I am confident of these results, statistically speaking and that's what economists do," according to Goss. "We don't speak anything else, but statistics." (source: Nebraska Radio Network) NEW MEXICO: Why New Mexico wants to restore the death penalty The governor of New Mexico is citing the recent high-profile killings of police officers in her state and elsewhere as a reason to bring back the death penalty. New Mexico's governor is reframing the death penalty debate as the proper response to recent police killings, including 1 officer killed Friday in her own state. This response to police killings bucks a national trend as many states and courts are backing away from the death penalty, in part due to practical constraints on cost and the drugs used in capital punishment. In New Mexico, the push for its return faces opposition from Democrats, which have the majority in the state legislature. But Republican Gov. Susanna Martinez said the shooting of a police officer in Hatch, N.M., on Friday, as well as several police killings elsewhere in the nation, prove the punishment is needed to deter society's grossest crimes, Dan Boyd reported for the Albuquerque Journal. "People need to ask themselves, if the man who ambushed and killed 5 police officers in Dallas had lived, would he deserve the ultimate penalty," Governor Martinez said Wednesday in a prepared statement. "How about the heartless violent criminals who killed Officer Jose Chavez in Hatch and left his children without their brave and selfless dad? Do they deserve the ultimate penalty? Absolutely. Because a society that fails to adequately protect and defend those who protect all of us is a society that will be undone and unsafe." New Mexico repealed the death penalty in 2009, and Wednesday's announcement marked the 1st time the governor had brought up the issue since it failed to pass a Democratic legislature in 2011. Third Judicial District Attorney Mark D'Antonio, whose office filed a murder charge against Officer Chavez' killers, said such crimes could be a good reason to discuss the death penalty again. "The death penalty should be the last resort for the worst of the worst and in certain situations like for cop-killers," he said in a statement. The new argument goes up against recent struggles even in generally conservative states to carry out executions, as one company after another has refused to sell its drugs to states for lethal injection, as the Christian Science Monitor's Patrik Jonsson wrote: Public opinion - as shown in polls as well as the frequency of death penalty convictions - has shifted. 56 % of Americans favored capital punishment in 2015, but that's down from 78 % just 20 years ago, according to the Pew Research Center. Last year, the US saw only 49 death sentences imposed, a 33 percent drop from the previous year, and down from a peak of 315 in 1996. 2/3 of last year's death sentences came from
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Aug. 19 CANADA: 5 reasons to fear that the death penalty isn't, well, dead Here in Canada, the death penalty was abolished by Parliament in July, 1976 - exactly 40 years ago this summer. Then-Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's speech helped push through the close vote, at a time when most Canadians favoured capital punishment. Apart from Louis Riel's famous execution by hanging in 1885, try naming one of the 710 Canadians put to death between 1867 and 1976. Indeed, 40 years is a long time ago. What's more, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared this February that Canada will no longer let citizens sit on death rows in other countries. So all of this can make it feel as though the death penalty is becoming historical - something that ignorant people used to do, but modern, educated people eschew outside countries like the United States. Certainly, as Alicia von Stomwitz points out in her Observer interview with Dead Man Walking author Sister Helen Prejean, there's plenty to reject about the death penalty - especially if you're a Christian. Realistically, though, just because Canada doesn't condone the death penalty presently doesn't mean it won't ever come back. Here are 5 reasons to fear that the death penalty isn't really dead in Canada. 1. Most Canadians favour it In July 2016, Abacus Data released a poll that shows 58 % of Canadians and 59 % of Americans believe that the death penalty is morally acceptable. Considering that the 2 countries have opposite approaches to the death penalty (it's illegal in Canada, and legal and common in the U.S.), the moral similarity stings. Perhaps, though, if Canadians were actively executing prisoners, we would lose our stomach for it. 2. If Quebec separates, even more Canadians will favour it Just 51 % of Quebecers say they find the death penalty morally acceptable. That relatively low number depresses the pan-Canadian statistic of 58 %. Sadly, Abacus didn't release full regional results for the poll. But it reported that 63 % of Albertans approve of the death penalty. So if Quebec separates, Parliament may find itself representing a population that overwhelmingly approves of the death penalty. 3. Emerging far right governments love it Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte's "tough on crime" campaign promise has resulted in nearly 1,000 executions of drug suspects by police in just 3 months. North Korea's Kim Jong Un has reportedly executed 70 people since 2011 - 7 times as many as his predecessor. And in the U.S., Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump, who has rarely mentioned the death penalty during his campaign, has strongly supported it in the past. Today, there are nearly 3,000 prisoners are on death row in America. Since January, 15 people have been executed by lethal injecting in the country. Though the overall number of countries actively executing prisoners has plummeted to just 58, the swing to the right internationally doesn't bode well for the trend. 4. 1976 didn't kill it in Parliament - or in the media Ending the death penalty in Canada took decades; the 1st Parliamentary attempt was in 1914. Similarly, reintroducing it may take decades and multiple efforts. In 1987, the House of Commons narrowly voted down a bill that would have reintroduced the death penalty. In 2012, the National Post's letters editor asked if it was time to bring back the death penalty, and many wrote in to support it. Among the letters was this fairly representative snippet by Toronto's Ron Fawcett: "Our permissive society has created an environment of violence and fear, marked by teenage rioting, sexual predation and brutal killings. Bringing back the death penalty for serial killers and those who kill women and children is the right thing to do." 5. The usual pro-life arguments against it are not atheist-friendly Leaders in the anti-death movement have been Catholic for the most part - consider both Pierre Trudeau and Sister Helen Prejean. In the U.S., self-identified Christians are far less likely than "average" Americans to support the death penalty. Furthermore, Christian Millennials are half as likely (just 32 %) than the average to support capital punishment. But the arguments of the sacredness of human life, the judgement of God and the commandment to not kill may not have much impact among non-Christians. So as religious affiliation continues to decline, will the appetite for capital punishment indeed surge? (source: Pieta Woolley is a writer in Powell River, B.C.ucobserver.org) ___ 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
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----CONN., FLA., N. MEX.
Aug. 19 CONNECTICUT: Ex-Connecticut death row inmates transferred to Pennsylvania 2 former death-row inmates convicted of killing a mother and her 2 daughters during a 2007 Connecticut home invasion have been transferred to separate facilities in Pennsylvania. Joshua Komisarjevsky and Steven Hayes were convicted in the slayings of Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her 2 daughters in a home invasion in Cheshire. Both were recently resentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled the death penalty in the state was unconstitutional. State prisons officials gave no reason for the Aug. 16 transfers, other than saying it was done as part of an interstate corrections compact for "reasons of safety and security." The compact, in effect since 1973, allows for the transfers between states. The state Correction Department says both men will be housed out of state for an indefinite period of time. (source: Associated Press) FLORIDA: Prosecutors to seek the death penalty in face-biting attack The Martin County Sheriff's office says authorities will seek the death penalty or life in prison for a 19-year-old college student who detectives say was caught biting the face of a man after stabbing him and his wife outside their Florida home. A statement from sheriff's spokeswoman Trisha Kukuvka Friday says Austin Harrouff will be charged with 2 counts of 1st-degree murder in the deaths of 59-year-old John Stevens and his 53-year-old wife, Michelle Mishcon. He also will be charged with attempted 1st-degree murder in the stabbing of their neighbor, Jeff Fisher, who tried to intervene. Harrouff is still hospitalized and the sheriff has suggested that he won't be formally charged until his release, so that his family has to keep paying the bills until then. His attorney, Robert Watson, did not immediately return a call and email seeking comment. (source: Associated Press) NEW MEXICO: A Single Police Officer's Killing Is a Terrible Reason to Bring Back the Death PenaltyThe governor of New Mexico uses emotional response to call for new executions. Gov. MartinezN.M. State GovernmentNew Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez wants to get ahead of those using the recent killings of police officers to transform their occupation into an "identity" to be protected by hate crime laws. Exactly 1 officer in New Mexico has died in the line of duty this year - Jose Chavez, shot to death during a traffic stop. A fugitive from Ohio has been charged with murder in Chavez's death. Martinez wants to use this death and the recent killing of a child as an excuse to restore the death penalty in New Mexico. But she would only want to use the death penalty for those who kill cops or children. From a statement to the Albuquerque Journal this week: In a statement Wednesday, the two-term Republican governor told the Journal, "A society that fails to adequately protect and defend those who protect all of us is a society that will be undone and unsafe. "People need to ask themselves, if the man who ambushed and killed 5 police officers in Dallas had lived, would he deserve the ultimate penalty? How about the heartless violent criminals who killed Officer Jose Chavez in Hatch and left his children without their brave and selfless dad? Do they deserve the ultimate penalty? Absolutely." Martinez, a former prosecutor, is preparing legislation to introduce next year. The Journal notes that she actually already tried to restore the death penalty in 2011 and failed, so this is obviously an existing position that's looking for a news hook to advance. The Journal also notes that the entire legislature is up for election this year, and so the timing of this announcement is clearly intended to make this a campaign issue. So far, overall police deaths while on duty are down when compared to 2015, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page, but yes, deaths from gunfire are up significantly when compared to last year. In 2015, 39 officers were killed by gunfire. We're already at 36 for 2016. That is, nevertheless, a remarkably small number, and it's absurd to even consider the idea of reinstalling a punishment method that has undoubtedly led to the government-ordered deaths of innocent people as an emotional response to the deaths of a single police officer and an 11-year-old girl. And even if New Mexico were to restore the death penalty only in the cases of the murders of police officers and children, the hate crimes example I mentioned up at the top is instructive. Once the state of New Mexico has the ability once again to execute people for crimes, there's absolutely no reason for anybody to believe that the penalty will stay limited to such a small group of offenders. It's unlikely that anybody who pushed forward the concept of hate crime laws would envision that they'd be applied based on somebody's occupation
