[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
July 15 LEBANON: Lebanon charges 3 over suicide bombings Lebanon's military prosecutor has charged 3 people, including 1 Syrians, with links to the Islamic State group and involvement in suicide bombings in a village on the Syrian border. A judicial source told AFP on Thursday that 1of the 3, a Syrian, had been arrested last week during the dismantling of an IS-linked cell suspected of planning attacks across Lebanon. The 2 others, one Syrian and another believed to be Lebanese, are still at large. The 3 are alleged to have links to 2 waves of deadly suicide bombings that hit the border village of Al-Qaa in a single day on June 27. 8 suicide bombers blew themselves up in the village, killing 5 people and wounding dozens. Al-Qaa lies on a main road linking the Syrian town of Al-Qusayr to the Bekaa valley in eastern Lebanon. Its 3,000 residents are predominantly Christian, but the Masharia Al-Qaa district is home to Sunni Muslims and some 30,000 Syrian refugees live in a makeshift camp on the edge of the village. The indictment accuses the 3 suspects of "murder and attempted murder of civilians, sowing terror and discord, and undermining stability." The charges carry the death penalty. The attacks were not claimed by any group, but bore characteristics of both IS and Al-Qaeda. At the end of June, the Lebanese army announced it had arrested 5 IS members accused of planning attacks in Beirut. Lebanon has been hit by a string of deadly attacks since the conflict in neighbouring Syria began in 2011. (source: Agence France-Presse) INDIA: Bilkis case: HC begins final hearing on appeals by 11 convicts The Bombay High Court today commenced the final hearing on the appeals filed by 11 people convicted in the 2002 Bilkis Bano gangrape case and also on the petition by CBI seeking death penalty for 3 of them. 11 men, who were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by a special court on January 21, 2008 for gangraping Bilkis and murdering 7 of her family members in the aftermath of the 2002 Godhra riots, had approached the high court challenging their conviction and sought quashing of the trial courts order. The prosecuting agency CBI had also filed an appeal in the high court seeking death penalty for three of the 11 convicts. A division bench of Justices V K Tahilramani and Mridula Bhatkar started final hearing on the appeals while rapping CBI counsel Hiten Venegaonkar for not being "prepared". "You (Venegaonkar) are not prepared. Please take proper charge of the case. Read the case papers over the weekend. Prepare a chart of witnesses, victims, deceased persons, convicts and acquitted accused," the bench said. The rap came after Venegaonkar while arguing kept fumbling and confusing names of the witnesses, victims and convicted people. During arguments when the court sought to know the cause of death of the 7 people, he said he did not know as the post-mortem report was in Gujarati. "How can you (Venegaonkar) say so? You should have prepared yourself before we start hearing the appeals," the court said. According to the prosecution, on March 3, 2002, Bilkis Banos family was attacked by a mob at Randhikpur village near Ahmedabad during the post-Godhra riots and 7 members of her family were killed. Bilkis, who was 5 months pregnant at the time, was gangraped while six other members of her family managed to escape from the mob. The trial in the case had begun in Ahmedabad. However, after Bano expressed apprehensions that witnesses could be harmed and CBI evidence tampered with, the Supreme Court had transferred the case to Mumbai in August 2004. (source: India Today) MALAYSIA: 'Secret' moratorium on executions in M'sia must be made public Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture (Madpet) is happy that Malaysia have in place a moratorium on executions, especially for those languishing on death row for drug trafficking. Edmund Bon Tai Soon, Malaysia's current Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) representative, was recently reported saying "...Malaysia's moratorium, I understand, is only for drug trafficking cases' (The Star, July 10, 2015). It must be noted that the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam), also did reiterate on March 29, 2016 their recommendation that a moratorium on the use of the death penalty be put in place in Malaysia. Madpet is of the opinion that this positive development should not be kept secret, but should have long been proudly announced by the Malaysian government. In fact, Nancy Shukri, the de facto Law Minister, should have proudly announced Malaysia???s moratorium on executions when she took the stage at the 6th World Congress Against Death Penalty in Malaysia. At the said congress in Oslo, Norway on June 21, 2016, the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department did state that Malaysia will soon be amending the laws to do away
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----FLA., CALIF., USA
July 15 FLORIDA: New video shows murder suspect escaping Broward County Courthouse Deputies are searching for a murder suspect who escaped the Broward County Courthouse. Authorities say Dayonte Resiles slipped out of his jail jumpsuit and handcuffs and escaped at 9:30 a.m. from the courthouse in Fort Lauderdale. Courthouse officials say he was in the process of being unshackled when he broke free. The courthouse is on lockdown, according to the Broward County Sheriff's Office. Deputies are reviewing surveillance video and K-9 units can be seen searching the courthouse. Resiles was last seen wearing a white T-shirt and black shorts. Authorities say he killed a woman in Davie in 2014. Police found her in her home with her hands and feet bound. She had multiple stab wounds. He was in court for a hearing over whether the death penalty applies to his case, according to media reports. (source: WWMT news) CALIFORNIA: Abolish the death penalty; Vote yes on Proposition 62 California's death penalty has been a failure on every level. Capital punishment is barbaric, unfairly applied and does not prevent crime any more effectively than the prospect of life in prison. Since it was reinstated in 1978, the state has spent more than $4 billion on just 13 executions: Imagine if, instead, the money had been spent on education, on rehabilitating young offenders or on catching more murderers, rapists and other violent criminals. That's how to reduce crime and prevent more people from becoming victims. Proposition 62 in November would make California the 20th state to abolish the death penalty in favor of life in prison with no chance of parole. It's time. No, past time. Vote yes. A competing ballot measure, Proposition 66, aims to remedy some of the costs and delays in the current system by speeding up the process of killing convicts. Speed is the hallmark of places like China, where the average length of time on death row is estimated at 50 days. It is the opposite of what nations concerned with actual justice would do. In the United States, for every 10 prisoners who have been executed since the death penalty was reinstated in 1973, 1 person on death row has been set free. One in 10. California has 748 inmates on death row, and the likelihood of uncovering mistakes continues to grow with advances in DNA and other forensics. Why not just lock up killers for life? Costs will plunge. The guilty will never see the daylight of freedom again. District attorneys throughout the state argue that the death penalty is a tool to condemn society's most vicious criminals. But this claim flies in the face of actual evidence: For every year between 2008-2013, the average homicide rate of states without the death penalty was significantly lower than those with capital punishment. Those same district attorneys have unfairly applied the death penalty in California. In the past 10 years, Riverside County has condemned murderers to death row at more than 5 times the statewide rate. Residents of Alameda County are nearly 8 times as likely to be sentenced to death than residents of Santa Clara County. And juries in California are much more likely to recommend a death sentence for a black defendant than a white defendant. The independent Legislative Analysts Office estimates that abolishing the death penalty would reduce state costs by $150 million every year. The money could be used to prevent crime by, as one example, solving more homicide and rape cases, putting away predators who otherwise would claim more victims. It could be used for education -- lack of a high school diploma is one of the best predictors of a life of crime -- and for addiction and mental health programs that keep people out of the penal system, giving police more time to deal with serious crime. Donald Heller wrote the 1978 proposition that brought back capital punishment. He now favors abolishing it. He knows that it costs California $90,000 a year more per prisoner on death row than it costs to jail our worst criminals for life. No other Western nation has the death penalty. California shouldn't share the values of places such as North Korea, China, Pakistan, Libya, Iran and Saudi Arabia. It should shed this dehumanizing and costly practice -- and not speed it up, as Proposition 66 aims to do. That would actually magnify the inequity and sometimes outright injustice in the death penalty's application. Vote no on Proposition 66 -- and vote yes on Proposition 62. Abolish the death penalty in California. (source: Editorial, Mercury News) USA: Mike Pence's Stance On The Death Penalty Rubs A Growing Number Of Americans The Wrong Way With Donald Trump's recent announcement of Mike Pence as his 2016 running mate, people are rushing to scrutinize the Indiana governor's policy positions and voting record. One position that has not received much attention,
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
July 15 RUSSIA: Politician demands terrorists get death penalty in the wake of Nice attack Leader of the Just Russia political party Sergey Mironov has reiterated the need to impose capital punishment on terrorists and their accomplices in the wake of the truck rampage in Nice. "Amid the growing worldwide terrorist threat facing civilization, now more than ever the death penalty must be meted out to those who carry out acts of terror and their accomplices," he said in a statement posted on the party's Telegram account. "However, it is more important to pool together the efforts of the international community to survive and emerge victorious in this ruthless war." Mironov offered his condolences to the victims' families. Last November, Mironov forwarded a bill on the death penalty for terrorists to the government and Russia's Supreme Court. He suggested amending Article 205 of the Russian Criminal Code with regard to imposing the death penalty as a distinct punishment for committing, preparing, and aiding and abetting the organization of terrorist attacks. However, the Cabinet and the Supreme Court rejected the bill. At the moment of Thursday evening's attack, thousands were strolling along Nice's Promenade des Anglais, leaving a festive firework display commemorating Bastille Day, when a truck rammed into the crowd at full speed. According to the latest reports, 84 people have been killed, while several dozen sustained injuries. The Russian Foreign Ministry said a Russian woman was killed in the attack, and another Russian woman was wounded. (source: tass.ru) THE MALDIVES: Gangs, extremists: Maldives' secrets come out as 1st person is put on death row in 60 years "I believe in the capital punishment," said Mohamed Kinanath Ahmed. It's a startling admission from a man whose brother has been sentenced to death for the murder of a parliamentarian. If the penalty is carried out, 22-year-old Hussain Humam Ahmed will become the 1st person in the Maldives to be executed in more than 60 years. Ever since the Supreme Court ruled against him in June, several members of the local media and civil society in the country, along with international organisations like the United Nations, European Union and Amnesty International, have been lobbying for suspension of the sentence. In part, theirs is a principled opposition. The death penalty, they say, fails to serve as a deterrent for criminals. In 2014, the government overturned a 6-decade moratorium on death penalty and passed a new regulation on it. But death for murder is specified in shariah (Islamic law), notes Kinanath, and is just as valid as cutting off someone's hands for thievery - the ruling against theft in Islamic law. "At the same time, the law adds that for the sentence to hold, guilt has to be proven without doubt," he said. "In case of this murder, Humam was perfect to be framed. They used to show our pictures on the TV. They called us 'the most dangerous persons in Male'". Dark side of the tropical country The tale of the 2 brothers touches upon a little-known aspect of Maldivian capital: its criminal gangs, fuelled and financed by religious extremists and political interests. In the years that the country built itself as a haven for sun-starved tourists, residents of the capital city of Male and nearly 200 other inhabited islands were ignored. Citizens were also warned against the corrupting influence of the West by the ruling elite - a class that now earned in the American dollar. Humam and Kinanath grew up in a slum hidden behind the rows of glittering buildings that line the seafront. The family of 6 shared a single room, and often quarrelled with their step-grandmother, who lived next door. When not in school, the brothers spent their time on the beaches and streets, hungry for solace, money and power. Kinanath dropped out of school in his mid-teens and formed a gang with his friends. They drank alcohol, sold drugs and settled rivalries with other gangs using machetes. Before long, he was tapped by politicians who recognised his potential as a mercenary. "They made it difficult for us to get out of it," Kinanath said."They would give us money, supply us with drugs, bail us out if we go to jail ... If they do something for you, you were expected to do something for them." At his home, Kinanath showed me all of Humam's mark sheets since kindergarten. "Humam was far better at studies than I was," said Kinanath. The younger sibling had indeed performed well in most subjects, be it languages or Islamic studies. As he entered his teens, a rival gang, seeking to settle scores with Kinanath, assaulted Humam and left him with a bloody face. Until then, Humam had only witnessed gang culture from the fringes. This would leave a lasting impact. His teachers noticed that there was something amiss. At the end of Class 8, one of them wrote in his quarterly
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----PENN., GA., FLA., ARK., CALIF.
July 15 PENNSYLVANIA: Death penalty sought for couple The Elk County district attorney is pursuing the death penalty for a Ridgway boy's aunt and uncle. Scott Murphy, 25, Ridgway, and Kristy Murphy, 35, Ridgway, are charged with homicide. Police say they were in charge of O'Ryan Murphy, 5, in December when he died from trauma to the head. Records show that DA Shawn McMahon filed notice on June 28 that seeks death due to aggravating circumstances. If the Murphys were convicted, a jury would likely decide their punishment, according to court administrator Martha Masson. (source: wearecentralpa.com) GEORGIAexecution Georgia executes John Wayne Conner for 1982 murder Georgia has executed John Wayne Conner by lethal injection for the 1982 murder of J.T. White during a drunken fight over Conner's girlfriend. Conner was put to death at 12:29 a.m. Friday - 34 years and 1 day after he was convicted in Telfair County. He is the 6th murderer executed in Georgia this year - a record for the 4 decades the current death penalty law has been in place. The U.S. Supreme Court denied a stay shortly before midnight, clearing the way for the lethal injection of pentobarbital. The punishment had been scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, but the appeals process was still playing out. Conner ate his last meal after spending several hours earlier in the day with 3 relatives, 3 friends, 2 members of the clergy and 4 from his legal team. At 3 p.m. he was given a physical and then his wait began. A federal court rejected an appeal from Conner's legal team Thursday afternoon. The Georgia Supreme Court said no to mercy Thursday morning, and the State Board of Pardons and Paroles denied clemency on Wednesday. Conner, then 25, and White, 29, had spent the evening of Jan. 9, 1982, at a party but wanted to keep drinking once they returned to Conner's house in Milan. They walked to a neighbor's house in search of a ride to the liquor store, but the neighbor refused. Walking back to Conner's house, the 2 got into a fight because White said he wanted to have sex with Conner's girlfriend, Beverly Bates. Conner beat White with a quart bottle and an oak tree branch. Conner quickly went home to get Bates so they could leave town. Planning to go to Gainesville, Conner and Bates stopped at the ditch where he had left White just to make sure he was dead. Conner beat him with a tree limb and then stabbed him with a stick. Conner and Bates were arrested the next day in Butts County. Conner's lawyers told the Parole Board and wrote in appeals to the court that Conner had learned to be violent from his father. Based on that they asked for mercy, arguing that evidence about his upbringing was not presented to the jury that sentenced him to death. They said Conner grew up in a household where there were stabbings, shootings, alcohol and drug use, and some sexual abuse. In the years since, they said, he has done well in prison and is reformed. District Attorney Timothy Vaughn, the head prosecutor in Telfair County, reminded the board, however, that Conner had killed 3 people in 10 years, though he was sentenced to die for only 1 of them. At 15, Conner was convicted of manslaughter for fatally shooting another teenager, Randy Smith. Conner also was convicted of murdering another friend just months before he killed White; he was sentenced to life in prison for killing Jesse Smyth. Conner becomes the 6th condemned inmate to be put to death this year in Georgia and the 66th overall since the state resumed capital punishment in 1979. Conner becomes the 15th condemned inmate to be put to death this year in the USA and the 1437th overall since the nation resumed executions on January 17, 1977. (sources: myajc.com & Rick Halperin) FLORIDA: U.S. judge delays bail ruling in Spaniard's retrial for murder A Florida judge on Thursday said he would decide in the coming days whether to grant bail to Spaniard Pablo Ibar, whose death sentence for a 1994 triple murder was vacated earlier this year by that state's Supreme Court. Broward County Circuit Court Judge Raag Singhal said in the hearing that he would issue the ruling via "electronic order" in a period of between 24 hours and a week. The judge also said that on Aug. 5 he would evaluate 2 motions filed by the defense: 1 to have the death sentence in Ibar's case declared in violation of the Florida Constitution and the other to suppress the testimony of a witness who identified the defendant as one of the perpetrators of the triple homicide. One of Ibar's attorneys told EFE they were confident their client would be released while awaiting the retrial, but prosecutors oppose allowing Ibar to go free on bail, arguing that he would pose a risk to the community. State prosecutors will once again seek the death penalty for Ibar, who has been behind bars for nearly 22 years, 15 of them on death row.
