Jan. 29
EGYPT:
Mubarak urges world leaders to save him from death penalty
Egyptian daily reports ousted president sent 9 letters to Arab, Western states
asking to mount pressure on Egyptian authorities to release his family members,
not sentence him to death .
Susan Mubarak, the wife of ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak sent 9
personal letters dictated by her husband to a senior attorney, in order for him
to deliver them to heads of states which had good relations with Mubarak, Ruz
al-Yusuf Egyptian daily reported on Saturday.
In the letters, which were most likely addressed to the United States, France,
Britain, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Lebanon, the ailing Mubarak
pleaded with the leaders to mount pressure on Egyptian authorities to allow his
2 sons, Gamal and Alaa – who are also facing trial – and his wife to leave the
country without being sent to jail.
Mubarak also reportedly plead with American officials to dissuade Egyptian
authorities from sentencing him to death, claiming that the current rulers of
Egypt and his historic rivals – the Muslim Brotherhood – will not allow the
court to acquit.
The former Egyptian president is standing trial for his alleged involvement in
the deaths of civilians during the uprising against him at the beginning of
2011. Mubarak is accused of involvement in the deaths of 850 protesters as well
as charges of corruption and abuse of his power as the executive.
Mubarak's sons are also standing trial for alleged involvement in the killing
of protesters as well as corrupt activities. Some allegations of curroption
have been made against Mubarak's wife, but she has not been put on trial as of
yet.
(source: Ynetnews)
IRAN----execution
1 prisoner was hanged in western Iran
1 prisoner was hanged in the prison of Ilam, western Iran.
According to the state run Iranian news agency ISNA , the prisoner who wasn’t
identified by name, was convicted of murder and had once escaped from the
prison by blowing the prison wall.
(source: Iran Human Rights)
*****************
Guardian Council approves new penal legislation
The Guardian Council has approved the Islamic Penal Code legislation,
announcing that it does not contradict the principles of Shari’a or the Islamic
Republic constitution.
ISNA reports that Parliament made necessary reforms in the legislation, and the
newly approved law will replace the former.
Experts report, however, that the newly approved legislation remains unchanged
in terms of penal sentences like stoning, dismemberment and execution of
minors, and gender discrimination persists in many of its articles.
The organization, Justice for Iran, said in an earlier statement that approval
of this legislation would worsen the already dismal human rights situation in
Iran.
“After years of criticism from Iranian and international societies regarding
numerous points of blatant violation of human rights in Iranian laws, the
Islamic Parliament is on the verge of approving legislation that not only
disregards all the aforementioned criticism but in some cases makes the
situation even worse,” Justice for Iran announced in an earlier statement.
In recent years, Iranian penal sentencing has caused great outrage both in and
outside Iran, with stories of women sentenced to stoning for adultery, and
minors sentenced to death who are executed after reaching adulthood behind
bars. The rise in the number of executions in Iran has drawn criticism from
human rights groups, who have called on the United Nations to make every effort
to pressure the Islamic Republic into addressing these issues.
***************
Supreme court upholds death sentence for web programmer
Iran’s Supreme Court has approved the death sentence for Saeed Malekpour, an
Iranian web developer who has been jailed in Iran since 2008. Iranian
authorities accuse Malekpour of launching “obscene websites.”
IRNA reports: “Saeed Malekpour in Canada, with the support of an American
company, began the development of an obscene website in Persian, and in 2008,
after returning to Iran from Canada, he was identified and arrested.”
He was sentenced to death based on the charge of “spreading corruption on the
earth.”
Farideh Eftekhari, Malekpour’s wife, has told the media that her husband had
merely developed photo-uploading software that was used by a pornographic
website without his knowledge.
She told The Guardian: “Even if my husband's charges were true, which they are
not, it's hard to imagine why he should be sentenced to death. I think Iran is
trying to intimidate the opposition or any sign of protest by sentencing an
unprecedented number of prisoners to death.”
Malekpour was shown on Iranian state TV a year after his arrest, making
confessions which he has since retracted, insisting that he had been under
duress.
(source for both: Radio Zamaneh)
***********************
Iran media confirm Canada resident's death sentence
Iranian media on Sunday confirmed an Iranian man with Canadian residency has
had a death sentence against him reinstated by the supreme court on charges he
operated a pornographic website.
"The death sentence for Saeed Malekpour, in charge of a pornographic website,
has been upheld in the Supreme Court," Fars news agency said, without giving a
source for its information.
It said the ruling was reinstated after unspecified prosecution "deficiencies"
had been removed from Malekpour's case.
The report confirms information from foreign lawyers connected to the case.
Shadi Sadr, a British-based lawyer with the advocacy group Justice for Iran,
told AFP on January 19 that he had been told of the renewed death sentence by
Malekpour's sister.
The capital punishment had been annulled by the Iranian supreme court in June
last year. No public explanation has been given as to why it was reinstated.
Malekpour, a 36-year-old computer programmer, was found guilty in December 2010
of "designing and moderating adult content websites," "agitation against the
regime," and "insulting the sanctity of Islam," according to his supporters.
The Canadian government and Amnesty International have called for Malekpour's
immediate release.
Malekpour's supporters say he developed a program that allows photographs to be
posted to the Internet, which was used without his knowledge for the creation
of porn sites.
A resident of Canada since 2004, Malekpour was arrested in Iran in 2008 while
visiting his dying father.
(source: Agence France-Presse)
SAUDI ARABIA/IRAQ:
Kingdom, Iraq not to execute each other's prisoners
Saudi Arabia and Iraq have agreed in principle to put on hold execution of
prisoners on death row in the two countries for at least two months until a
final agreement to swap prisoners is reached.
This was reported by local daily Al-Eqtisadiah on Friday quoting an official
source at the Iraqi Embassy in Riyadh.
Muhammad Al-Obaidi, in charge of bilateral relations in the embassy, described
the agreement to be only in principle and said no official papers were signed.
"This agreement in principle to put on hold execution of prisoners would
automatically terminate when the 2 countries sign a final agreement to exchange
prisoners," he said.
There are 113 Saudi prisoners in Iraq including 6 on death row after being
charged with the crimes of illegally entering the country and carrying out
terrorist operations there. There are 138 Iraqi prisoners in the Kingdom of
whom 11 were sentenced to death after they were found guilty of carrying out
terrorist operations in the country.
The Iraqi diplomat did not reveal when the 2 countries reached the agreement in
principle but said that according to it, Iraq will not execute the 6 Saudi
prisoners on death row.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the National Society for Human Rights Mufleh Al-Qahtani
said the 2 sides were very serious in their intent to sign a final agreement to
exchange prisoners, especially those sentenced to death.
"There are some procedural matters currently delaying the signing of the final
prisoner swap accord but the agreement might be signed within the next 2
months," he said.
Al-Qahtani said the society recently received a delegation from the Iraq
Embassy and discussed with it the affairs of Saudi prisoners in Iraq. "We have
got serious and favorable response from the Iraqi side," he added.
(source: Arab News)
NIGERIA:
Nigeria to hang a man for stealing car radio
A Nigerian High court on Friday sentenced a car mechanic to death by hanging
for stealing a car stereo back in June 2002.
"This is an offense of armed robbery for which I have no discretion. The
penalty is death and I am not in a position not to impose it," said presiding
Justice Fred of Oleh High Court in Delta State. "To this end, the accused
person is sentenced to death by hanging in the neck until he is dead."
Prosecutors say the accused, Patrick Ekeh, along with 2 others, robbed a car
stereo from Johnson Unuerho on June, 29th 2002, while armed, at Okpara Inland
within Isiokolo judicial division, Vanguard Media reported.
Unuerho, a University Lecturer with the College of Education Warri, told the
court that "he tip-toed to the window, opened the blind gently and saw the 1st
accused person, Patrick Ekeh and another member of the gang now deceased before
shouting for help."
No other information is given about the now deceased gang member or
circumstances of his death.
The other accomplice, Gabriel Iyerowho, a driver, was discharged and acquitted.
About Iyerowho's acquittal Justice Fred explains, “I uphold defense of alibi of
the 2nd accused persons. It ought to have been investigated by the police but
was not. And besides, he was not one of those sighted by [Unuerho] when he took
a peep through the window of his house and so no evidence fixing him at the
scene and sufficient to dislodge the alibi raised by him."
How is it armed robbery when the victim peeped "through the window of his
house" and is thus separated from the gun?
According to Nigerian law, under the Robbery and Firearms (special Provision)
Degree 1984,armed robbery falls under 2 categories, both punishable by death:
1. If the offender is armed with any fire arms or any offensive weapon or is in
company with a person so armed;
2. If the offender wounds or uses any weapon on any person at, immediately
before or immediately after the robbery.
Those outraged with this verdict have already taken to Twitter with the
#StopThisInjustice to make their voices heard.
"I don't care what their obsolete penal code says," tweeted Nedu. "That
judgement is repugnant to good conscience!"
Online Nigeria News puts it this way: "When our politicians and so called
leaders are stealing millions and chopping our subsidy money, a motor mechanic
has been sentenced to death by hanging for armed robbery."
(source: Digital Journal)
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