Feb. 6
SAUDI ARABIA:
Amnesty reports rise in S Arabia executions
Amnesty International (AI) is gravely concerned at the recent increase in
executions in Saudi Arabia.
8 people have reportedly been executed in less than a week bringing the
total number of executions documented by AI to at least 31 in 2004.
The 8 include 4 Pakistanis, 3 Iraqis and 1 Saudi Arabian.
While AI does not know how many people face the death penalty or who are
sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia, the organisation fears that there are
many people currently detained, who may be at risk of imminent execution.
This includes 3 women, Majda Mostafa Mahir, Sit Zainab Binti Duhri Rupa
and Sarah Jane Dematera, sentenced to death in connection with murder,
after grossly unfair trials in which their basic rights were denied.
"Our organisation has continuously appealed to King Fahd of Saudi Arabia
to commute their sentences, including most recently last month," AI
officials said.
(source: Hindustan Times)
INDIA:
Capital punishment for 5 in Madhya Pradesh
A Madhya Pradesh court has sentenced to death 5 people in connection
with the murder of 7 members of a family here.
The Bhind district sessions judge, Subodh Kumar Jain, pronounced capital
punishment for Suresh Soni, Mahipal Singh Narbaria, Punjab Singh Narbari,
Manikchand and Sonelal in the 8-year old case.
The 5 accused were charged with the murder of a constable of the Special
Armed Force (SAF) of Madhya Pradesh police, Gulab Singh, and 6 others of
his family in 1997. Singh's daughters were raped before being murdered.
2 of the accused, Sonelal and Manikchand, have already died.
Mahipal Singh Narbaria, who had a long-standing dispute with Gulab Singh,
had hired Sonelal, a person with criminal history, to eliminate the family
members in September 1997.
4 persons including a woman were acquitted in the case.
(source: Indo-Asian News Service)
