June 27
BAHRAIN:
Bahrain cops accused of unrest slayings could face death
The defendants, who include one police lieutenant, were originally being tried
on manslaughter charges following the deaths of 3 men during separate
incidents.
3 Bahraini police officers on trial following the deaths of demonstrators
during unrest last year will now face murder charges, authorities have said,
meaning they could face the death penalty.
The defendants, who include 2 police lieutenant, were originally being tried on
manslaughter charges following the deaths of 3 men during separate incidents,
according to a statement from the country’s Information Affairs Authority
(IAA).
“Murder charges carry a sentence of up to life imprisonment or even the death
penalty,” said the IAA. “If convicted of murder, employees of the Ministry of
Interior are likely to receive the toughest penalties allowed by law.”
The officers’ trial resumes on July 10.
A Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) report said in November that
all 3 victims were shot from close range and confirmed their deaths were the
result of excessive force by police.
The report said 35 people died during the Gulf state’s unrest, which began in
February 2011 after revolts in Egypt and Tunisia. 5 people died due to torture.
Bahrain on Tuesday confirmed it would pay a total of US$2.6m in compensation to
17 families following the deaths during the Arab Spring protests.
“Disbursement of compensation to the families of 17 deceased persons has begun
in keeping with the implementation of the recommendations of the BICI,” said an
official statement, adding this amounted to US$153,000 per person.
(source: Arabian Business)
SAUDI ARABIA----execution
Saudi beheaded for kidnapping and raping a boy
Saudi Arabia on Wednesday beheaded one of its citizens after he was found
guilty of kidnapping and raping a boy, the interior ministry said in a
statement carried by the state news agency SPA.
Mohammed bin Ahmad al-Jubeiri, who kidnapped, beat and then raped a little boy,
was executed Wednesday in the kingdom's holy city of Mecca, the ministry said.
It did not give further details about the identity or age of the boy. It said
Jubeiri was also found guilty of consuming drugs and alcohol.
Jubeiri's beheading brings to 46 the number of people executed in Saudi Arabia
so far this year, according to an AFP tally based on official reports.
Under the AFP count, at least 76 people were beheaded in 2011, while rights
group Amnesty International put the number of executions last year at 79.
The death penalty in Saudi Arabia applies to a wide range of offences including
rape, apostasy, armed robbery and drug trafficking, as well as murder, as
stipulated by Islamic sharia law.
(source: Agence France-Presse)
MALAYSIA:
4 Sent to the Gallows for Trafficking Cannabis
2 brothers were among 4 drug traffickers handed the death penalty by the High
Court in Kuala Lumpur Wednesday for trafficking 22kg of cannabis 3 years ago.
Judge Tatuk Asmabi Mohamad when sentencing the 4 said the defence had failed to
raise reasonable doubts against the prosecution's charges.
He said the 1st accused Badrul Hisham Kamaruddi, 42 and his brother Mohd Amirul
24, from Kuala Lipis, Pahang, admitted that they had met an agent provocateur
(an agent employed by the police or other entity to act undercover to entice or
provoke another person to commit an illegal act) 3 times but to deal with snake
skins and not drugs.
2 other accused, Syed Mohamad Anis Alkaff Syed Osman, 55, and Azhar Ali, 47, in
their defence had said that they had come to Kuala Lumpur to buy a lorry.
"After listening to 13 witnesses from the prosecution and 4 from the defence,
the court felt the defence's denial was an after thought," said Asmabi.
(source: BERNAMA)
************
Death Sentence: Senior Citizen Fails In His Appeal To Set Aside Court's
Decision
A senior citizen failed in his appeal at the Federal Court to set aside the
decision of the Court of Appeal in affirming the death sentence imposed by the
high Court on him for murdering his younger brother.
A 5-member panel led by Court of Appeal President Tan Sri Md Raus Sharif
unanimously dismissed Joseph Che Suan @ Swan Ajuk's appeal against his
conviction and sentence.
Justice Md Raus, who presided over the case with Chief Judge of Sabah and
Sarawak Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Richard Malanjum, and Federal Court judges
Dato Bentara Luar Dato Hashim Dato Haji Yusoff, Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Embong and
Dato Jeffrey Tan Kok Wha, made the ruling after the panel agreed with the
decision of the High Court judge and the Court of Appeal judges.
The High Court had on Oct 2009, imposed the death penalty after ruling that the
prosecution has proven the case beyond reasonable doubt.
Joseph subsequently appealed to the Court of Appeal but the court on Jan 11,
this year, affirmed the death sentence.
The court held that the learned judge of the High Court was correct in finding
that there was no sudden fight.
Joseph had murdered his brother Julius Ajuk on Oct 17, 2006 at about 7am in
front of a rubber plantation hut in Kampung Sugiang, Ulu Kemabong, Tenom.
The offence falls under Section 302 of the Penal Code which provides the
mandatory death sentence.
Earlier, Counsel Hamid Ismail submitted that the learned trial judge and the
Court of Appeal had erred for not amending the charge to Section 304 (a) of the
Penal Code.
He said the charge should have been amended as in the course of the trial,
there was evidence that the death was pursuant to a sudden fight between the
deceased and the accused.
In rebutting the submission the prosecution said the High Court and Court of
Appeal were correct in making their decision as there was no evidence to
support the presence of a sudden fight.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Jamil Aripin appeared for prosecution.
(source: brudirect.com)
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