[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Jan. 20 UNITED KINGDOM/BAHRAIN: Britain urged to act as 2 face execution in BahrainUK government has been criticised for its links with the Bahraini Sunni monarchy. Bahrain could be poised to execute 2 prisoners who claim their confessions were extracted through torture. Mohammed Ramadan and Husain Moosa were sentenced to death in 2014 for their alleged involvement in a bomb attack that killed a police officer, but supporters say they were falsely accused and confessed under duress. Human rights organisations fear that the 2 men could be put to death in the coming days following the execution of 3 prisoners on Sunday (16 January), the 1st in Bahrain since 2010. The men, Ali al-Singace, Abbas al-Samea, and Sami Mushaima, were allegedly tortured to force a confession in the same police station as the current death row inmates. Activists have called on Britain to suspend its support for the Bahraini criminal justice system to avoid UK complicity in further human rights violations in Bahrain, a wealthy island state in Persian Gulf and a key British ally in the Middle East. Bahrain, which is ruled by a Sunni monarchy, has led a major government crackdown against its Shia majority in the 5 years since protests erupted in Manama during the Arab Spring. British foreign secretary Boris Johnson said in response to the executions that the UK is "firmly opposed to the death penalty", and that he has "raised the issue with the Bahraini government". But anti-death penalty campaign group Reprieve described Johnson's response as "woefully inadequate". The charity has sent a letter to UK Prime Minster Theresa May calling for the government to "immediately suspend its involvement with all actors within the Bahraini criminal justice system and Ministry of Interior". "Reprieve and other organisations have repeatedly called attention to the link between human rights abuses and the multiple UK-trained institutions in Bahrain." Human Rights Watch and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy were among other organisations to make similar appeals. The UK has spent more than 5 million pounds in Bahrain since pro-democracy protests rocked the kingdom in 2011. Last Friday (13 January), it emerged that the controversial aid programme, overseen by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO), is being bolstered by a further 2m pounds this year. Reprieve says that Britain's funding and training of police officers, prosecutors, judges, prison guards and oversight investigatory bodies in Bahrain has not lessened human rights abuses in the country. Maya Foa, director of the death penalty team at Reprieve, told IBTimes UK: "Reprieve and other organisations have repeatedly called attention to the link between human rights abuses and the multiple UK-trained institutions in Bahrain. It is disappointing that there has not been a change of position by the UK Foreign Office." As reported in the Observer, documents obtained by Reprieve reveal that Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons helped prepare inspections of custody facilities in Bahrain in 2014, including the notorious police station where the prisoners were allegedly tortured. The subsequent inspection report by the Bahraini Prisoners and Detainees Rights Commission failed to mention high-profile allegations of torture, including those of death row inmate Ramadan. Ramadan's torture allegations were also ignored for more than 2 years by the Ombudsman for the Ministry of Interior, a body receiving FCO-funded training from UK state-owned company Northern Ireland Cooperation Overseas (NI-CO), Reprieve claims. His case has been passed onto another NI-CO-trained watchdog, Bahrain's Special Investigations Unit, which previously ruled that one of the executed men, al-Samea, lied about his torture allegations. Britain is the biggest obstacle in preventing international scrutiny of Bahrain's human rights abuses, because it is playing a leading role in whitewashing Bahrain's crimes." Reprieve's Foa said the British-backed oversight mechanisms "refused to investigate or acknowledge the systemic and brutal torture of prisoners leading to coerced confessions", and that she was "seriously concerned" that they will fail Ramadan. Supporters of Ramadan, a father-of-3, say his arrest was a politically-motivated retaliation for his participation in pro-democracy marches. He was deprived of legal counsel in a trial based on evidence obtained under prolonged torture. Sayed Alwadaei, director of advocacy at the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, said that the FCO deeming Bahrain's torture watchdogs as "independent" is evidence that the UK is "misleading the international community". "Britain is the biggest obstacle in preventing international scrutiny of Bahrain's human rights abuses, because it is playing a leading role in whitewashing Bahrain's crimes," Alwadaei said. The UN High
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Jan. 20 BANGLADESH: After Narayanganj verdict, Bangladesh should disband RABLack of accountability has created a rogue force For years, Bangladesh's Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has been deployed by successive governments not only to fight crime, but often as an in-house death squad, leaving a string of extrajudicial killings - often referred to as "crossfire" deaths, torture, disappearances, and arbitrary arrests in their wake. And for years, almost no members of RAB were held to account for these crimes. Until now. In a very rare verdict, on January 16 the Narayanganj District and Sessions court sentenced 26 people, including 16 members of RAB, to death for their role in a 2014 politically-motivated murder case. 9 other RAB members were sentenced to prison terms. Human Rights Watch opposes the death penalty and will urge it not be carried out. For too long, RAB officials have been shielded from prosecution by successive governments, some even justifying their crimes. But in this case, the court has found a local Awami League politician, Nur Hossain, crossed the line by contracting members of RAB-11, the unit deployed in the area, to abduct and kill his political rival, Nazrul Islam, also an Awami League official. On April 27, 2014, the verdict finds, Nazrul Islam was returning from court when, according to eyewitnesses, he was abducted along with 3 associates and his driver. His lawyer, Chandan Kumar Sarkar, who was following in another car, was abducted along with his driver. The killers were clumsy, failing to dispose of the bodies, which floated up in a river in Narayanganj, leading to public outrage. A government investigation concluded that members of RAB-11 had been involved in the murders. But those convicted are not the only ones responsible for the situation. The government has responsibilities too, because of the climate of impunity it has created. In recent cases, when RAB and other law enforcement agencies have disappeared people, witnesses say officers arrived claiming they were from the "administration," an open admission they worked for the state. Many of the disappeared people have later turned up dead. RAB is a mixed force of police and soldiers. Although formally led by a civilian officer, it is the army that controls RAB. Involving trained-to-kill soldiers in law enforcement is inherently risky, but the police also have their own problems with abuse. In recent years, members of the Detective Branch of the police has also been responsible for RAB-style serious human rights violations, including deliberately maiming suspects in custody by shooting them in the leg. The prosecution of RAB members is a welcome step towards ending violence and impunity. Yet it should not only happen when the victim is a ruling party member. While in opposition the Awami League called for the disbanding of RAB. Before taking office in 2009 prime minister Sheikh Hasina said she would reform RAB. This has not happened, so it is time for the government to take immediate steps to disband RAB and replace it with a rights respecting force. (source: Human Rights Watch) NIGERIA: Death Penalty for Kidnappers The Lagos State House of Assembly recently okayed death penalty for offenders under a new anti-kidnapping law. Tagged "A bill for a law to provide for the prohibition of the act of kidnapping and for other connected purposes," it will become law after Governor Akinwunmi Ambode's assent. The bill prescribes death sentence for kidnappers whose victims die in their custody. Kidnappers whose victims did not die in their custody will get life jail. The bill was passed following the adoption of a report presented by Chairman of the House Committee on Judiciary, Petitions, Human Rights and Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) Mrs Adefunmilayo Tejuosho. A copy of the bill soon to be sent to Governor Ambode for assent and the bill states that "Any person who kidnaps, abducts, detains, captures or takes another person by any means or tricks with intent to demand ransom or do anything against his/her will, commits an offence, and is liable on conviction to death sentence." The bill criminalises attempt to kidnap and stipulates life imprisonment for anyone who attempts to kidnap another person. Also, the bill is against false representation to release a kidnapped or abducted person. This attracts seven years' imprisonment. The lawmakers also approved 25 years imprisonment for whoever threatens to kidnap another person through phone call, e-mail, text message or any other means of communication. The bill provides that any person who knowingly or wilfully allows or permits his premises, building or a place to which he has control of to be used for the purposes of keeping a person kidnapped is guilty of an offence under the law and is liable to 14 years imprisonment without an option of fine. Nigeria
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----OHIO, NEB., UTAH, ORE., WASH., USA
Jan. 20 OHIO: Judge excuses jurors in Seman case About 180 jurors Wednesday were excused in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court from having to serve in the capital murder case of Robert Seman. The jurors were excused for a variety of reasons ranging from financial hardship to health and age. About 220 jurors remain in the pool and will be reporting Feb. 3 for jury orientation in the case before Judge Maureen Sweeney. Seman, 48, of Green, could face the death penalty if convicted of the deaths of Corinne Gump, 10, and her grandparents, William and Judith Schmidt, during a March 30, 2015, arson at their Powers Way home just hours before Seman was to go on trial on charges he raped Corinne that carry a possible life sentence. Attorneys for both sides went over juror questionnaires and agreed on the jurors who were excused. The trial is expected to last several weeks, which could pose a hardship for someone with a medical condition or who has a job that does not reimburse people for jury duty. This is the 2nd time jurors have been called for the case. In September, jury selection was halted after it was discovered a potential juror was discussing the case with other potential jurors. Judge Sweeney declared a mistrial then and disqualified the entire jury pool, and a new jury pool was drawn. Judge Sweeney also is changing some of the procedures for the next group of jurors to come in to try and minimize juror misconduct. Jurors are being called for their 1st day of orientation on a Friday afternoon, when the courthouse is typically at its least busiest point of the week. Jurors also will be separated into small groups, and a deputy will be assigned to each group to ensure there is no misconduct. If Seman is found guilty with death-penalty specifications, a 2nd phase, or mitigation phase of the trial, will then take place. In that phase, defense attorneys will present evidence to the jury on why Seman's life should be spared. Only a jury can recommend a death sentence, although a judge can overturn that recommendation and instead give him a sentence of life in prison with no parole. (source: vindy.com) ** Psychologist: Death row man's brain 're-wired' by abuse With executions expected to resume this year in Ohio, a local man who has been on death row for nearly 2 decades is seeking a reprieve. At a day-long clemency hearing Tuesday, state parole board members heard a wide-range of arguments, including whether the jury in Ray Tibbetts' trial heard about his traumatic childhood. A clinical psychologist said years of persistent neglect and abuse had "re-wired" Tibbetts' brain. Another psychologist called Tibbetts' background "a recipe for disaster." Tibbetts, 59, has taken responsibility for the 1997 killings of his wife, Judith Sue Crawford, and the elderly, hearing-impaired man she cared for. Prosecutors focused on the brutality of the killings - pointing out that 67-year-old Fred Hicks, who used an oxygen tank to breathe, may have been asleep when Tibbetts stabbed him multiple times. 3 knives and a blade broken from a knife handle were left in Hicks' body. "There simply is no excuse for what he did," said Hamilton County Assistant Prosecutor Ronald Springman. Family members of both victims spoke at Tuesday's hearing in Columbus, via a video feed from the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office. They urged the parole board to recommend that the execution go forward. "Please, please, please," said Toni Strausbaugh, Hicks' niece. "So we can heal." What could happen? The parole board, made up of 6 men and 6 women, is scheduled on March 10 to recommend to Gov. John Kasich whether it believes a death sentence should be imposed. That recommendation is not binding, and Kasich will then decide whether to commute Tibbetts' sentence to life in prison without parole. Tibbetts is scheduled to die by lethal injection on April 12, although his challenge to the state's lethal injection process remains pending in federal court. The state was expected to resume executions this month - the 1st since 2014, when a man suffered during an execution. Tibbetts initially was scheduled to die by lethal injection in February. In December, Gov. John Kasich delayed the executions of Tibbetts and Ronald Phillips to allow time for the federal case to be appealed. Phillips, convicted in Summit County of raping and murdering a 3-year-old girl, is now scheduled to be executed Feb. 15. "This brief delay should provide the court time to resolve any pending legal issues," a Kasich spokeswoman said in a statement. The killings In November 1997, the bodies of Crawford - Tibbetts' wife of 5 weeks - and Hicks were found in Hicks' Over-the-Rhine home. Crawford cared for Hicks, a retired electrician who had emphysema, and both Crawford and Tibbetts lived in the home. Tibbetts says he has no memory of what happened, and there is only
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, PENN., VA., GA., FLA., ALA.
Jan. 20 TEXAS: Nueces County judges have more capital murder cases than capable lawyers to appoint Nueces County has too many capital murder defendants and not enough defense lawyers. When appointing lawyers to indigent defendants accused of the most serious offense, state district judges rely on approved attorneys to lead the defense. But Nueces County has seen an uptick in capital murder defendants. Meanwhile, only 4 lawyers in the county are on the list of attorneys who can be "first chair," meaning they're the lead attorney on a case. "I mean, we are out of attorneys," 347th District Judge Missy Medary said during a judges' meeting Wednesday. Medary is the 5th administrative judicial region judge and maintains the attorney list for the 11-county area. More lawyers on the list are from more southern counties, including Hidalgo and Cameron. Judges may appoint those attorneys, but the costs for travel and lodging on top of the attorneys' pay would cost the county "a ton of money," Medary said. A local lawyer may make tens of thousands of dollars off a single capital murder case, though it may take about 2 years to resolve either in a trial or a plea deal. A lead attorney is paid $200 per hour. Judges are trying to entice more local lawyers to apply for the list. But it's a hard sell, said some of the lawyers who are on the list. Capital murder cases can decimate a solo practitioner's practice because of the volume of work. "It's so time-consuming to do it right," said Jim Lawrence, who has been a defense attorney for decades. Add to that the pressure of your client's life being on the line. In Texas, capital murder carries two punishment options: the death penalty or life in prison without parole. "Dealing with a person's life is an emotional strain, to say the least," Lawrence said. In 2016, Corpus Christi police charged 10 people with capital murder. Each one is entitled by law to a first and second chair lawyer, a private investigator and a mitigation expert. All but one defendant said they couldn't afford to hire an attorney and the county provided lawyers. Nueces County has 6 lawyers on the list of approved second chair attorneys. Second chair attorneys are paid $150 per hour. Defense lawyer Eric Perkins, who is approved to be a first chair attorney, said part of the problem is police and prosecutors charge suspects with capital murder in cases that - in some lawyers' opinion - don't rise to the level of capital murders. In some cases, the charge was downgraded to something less severe. But in the beginning, a judge has to appoint a lawyer approved to handle capital murder defenses. Perkins was on the defense team who represented Daniel Garcia, who in 2014 killed store clerk Mostafa "Ben" Bighamian during an attempted robbery. His co-defendants a man who wielded a knife in the store and a woman who drove the getaway car were charged with capital murder and appointed a multi-person defense team. Garcia was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison but prosecutors dropped the charge against the others. Arturo Navarro pleaded guilty to murder in exchange for a 45-year prison sentence. Del Victoria Cavazos pleaded guilty to robbery and tampering with evidence for 20 years in prison. There are multiple defendants in 3 killings last year. 2 men are charged with capital murder in the March 25 shooting of a couple in a car, 4 men are charged with the same offense in the Sept. 1 shooting at a gun shop, and 3 men face the same charges in the Dec. 18 shooting of an elderly man in his home. "A case that is probably not a death penalty case is draining huge resources for no good reason," Perkins said. (source: Corpus Christi Caller-Times) PENNSYLVANIA: Where does death penalty stand in Pennsylvania? The Bucks County district attorney said the investigation into the Abington Township couple accused of raping and murdering 14-year-old Grace Packer is far from over. "On its face, this case is obviously very, very heinous factually, but the aggravating factors that we have to consider are really really specific," said DA Matthew Weintraub. Weintraub said the death penalty is a definite possibility for Grace's adoptive mother, Sara Packer, and her boyfriend, Jacob Sullivan. The case has received national attention and immense public outcry for justice, but if the couple does receive the death penalty, will they actually be executed? Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli said probably not. "Essentially, it's been suspended by Gov. Wolf. Gov. Wolf has taken the position that the warrants will be signed, and they have been signed, but he immediately thereafter issues a reprieve," said Morganelli. Morganelli said death warrants continue to be issued, like that of convicted Pittsburgh cop killer Richar Poplawski on Wednesday. The governor will not stop giving reprieves
