April 16
THAILAND:
Chalerm drug execution plan queried
Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung's proposal to execute condemned drug
convicts within 15 days of an unsuccessful appeal could violate the
constitution, an activist says.
Mr Chalerm has called for a legal amendment to speed up the execution process
of drug offenders if they have been sentenced to death by a court of first
instance and an appeal court. His statement was published on the Pheu Thai
Party's website last week.
The deputy prime minister said the proposed legal amendment is aimed at ending
drug trading networks in prison.
But Danthong Breen, chairman of the Union for Civil Liberty, said that such a
proposal could go against the constitution.
He questioned if the ruling party was aware that the proposal would be contrary
to the Thai justice system, which assures the right of all people to refer
their cases to the Supreme Court, and to submit an appeal for a royal pardon.
In addition, the proposal contradicts Thailand's 2nd National Human Rights
Programme (2009-2013), which includes an objective to abolish the death
penalty.
"It is also a measure which is in conflict with International Human Rights Law
and the Thai constitution," Mr Danthong said.
He cited a United Nations Economic and Social Council resolution in 1984,
stipulating that the deprivation of life by state authorities is a matter of
the utmost gravity.
It also stipulated that to determine whether a particular offence falls among
the most serious crimes requires interpretation and application of the relevant
international law rather than of the subjective approach opted for within a
given state's criminal code and sentencing scheme, said Mr Danthong.
These international laws highlighted that caution should be exercised when
considering executions, he said.
(source: Bankkok Post)
IRAN:
Iran hangs 8 drug traffickers
Iran on Monday hanged eight convicted drug traffickers in a prison in the
southern city of Shiraz, the Fars news agency reported.
The report did not identify those executed but said they had been convicted of
trafficking in a variety of drugs, including heroin, crack and synthetic
narcotics.
The London-based Amnesty International said in its annual review of death
sentences and executions worldwide published late March that Iran had executed
at least 360 people, 3/4 of them for drugs offences, up from at least 252 in
2010.
Last year, 277 people were hanged, according to an AFP tally.
In 2010, the rights group Human Rights Watch counted 388 executions, while
Amnesty International counted 252.
The Islamic republic is one of the world's main practitioners of capital
punishment, a distinction shared with China, Saudi Arabia and the United
States.
Iran says the death penalty is essential to maintain law and order, and that it
is applied only after exhaustive judicial proceedings.
(source: South African Press Agency)
CANADA/IRAN:
Ministers seek clemency for Canadian facing death penalty in Iran
Canadian officials issued an urgent appeal to the Iranian government Sunday,
fearing an Iran-born Canadian sentenced to death could be executed
“imminently.”
In a joint statement, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and Minister of State
of Foreign Affairs Diane Ablonczy said Canada was “gravely concerned” Hamid
Ghassemi-Shall’s execution “may be carried out imminently.”
Ghassemi-Shall went to Iran in 2008 to visit his ailing mother but was jailed
and sentenced to death for alleged crimes against the Iranian state.
“Canada urgently appeals to the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to
grant clemency to Mr. Ghassemi-Shall on compassionate and humanitarian
grounds,” their statement said.
Amnesty International says the dual national was sentenced to death in 2008 on
espionage-related charges.
“We urge Iran to reverse its current course and to adhere to its international
human rights obligations,” the ministers added.
(source: Vancouver Sun)
_______________________________________________
DeathPenalty mailing list
DeathPenalty@lists.washlaw.edu
http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/listinfo/deathpenalty
Search the Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/deathpenalty@lists.washlaw.edu/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A free service of WashLaw
http://washlaw.edu
(785)670.1088
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
