July 31
INDONESIA:
Legal options to save Mary Jane Veloso's life 'very narrow'----Speed up
investigation to clear name of Catholic woman on death row in Indonesia,
advocates say
Lawyers for Mary Jane Veloso, the Philippines woman facing execution in
Indonesia, say a stronger push for clemency can be "potentially successful",
even while other observers say her options are quickly narrowing.
In an interview Thursday, Veloso's lawyers in Manila told ucanews.com that
appealing to Indonesian President Joko Widodo for clemency may be a "more
realistic" option than an outright pardon earned through legal channels.
Edre Olalia, Veloso's lead lawyer, said a pending Philippines court
investigation into allegations that Veloso was duped into being a drug mule may
provide a "strong legal basis" to prove her innocence.
But Olalia told ucanews.com that "the more important thing is the political and
moral basis that you cannot allow somebody who is innocent to be punished."
In 2010, an Indonesian court sentenced Veloso to death after she was caught
with 2.6 kilograms of heroin in her bag at the international airport in
Yogyakarta. In April, Widodo granted a temporary reprieve just before Veloso
was set to be executed.
Veloso, a devout Catholic, claimed that she was tricked into transporting the
heroin and blamed her friend, Cristina Sergio. Philippines justice officials
have filed cases against Veloso's alleged recruiters, including Sergio, with
the intent of investigating them for human trafficking and illegal recruitment.
Veloso's lawyers say there is reason to believe that the investigation will
eventually point a finger at Sergio. But it's unclear whether such a
development from a court in the Philippines will have any effect in Indonesia.
"It might not be effective" to make a 3rd legal appeal on behalf of Veloso in
Indonesia, Olalia acknowledged.
This week, Indonesian authorities welcomed the Philippines' ongoing efforts to
investigate the case. However, they also reiterated that Veloso was convicted
of smuggling by an Indonesian court of law.
Indonesian Attorney General Muhammad Prasetyo told media July 29 that freeing
Veloso would be "difficult", according to the Indonesian news website
Kompas.com.
\"This is because she has been proven [guilty of] smuggling narcotics into
Indonesia," he said.
The Attorney General office's spokesman, Tony Spontana, told ucanews.com July
30 that if the legal process in the Philippines finds new evidence, her legal
team would be welcome to appeal for a judicial review or clemency in Indonesia.
"But this won't free Veloso," Spontana said, insisting that the Indonesian
system has treated Veloso fairly.
"All her rights have been given to her: two appeals for a judicial review and a
request for clemency."
'All depends on him'
Church officials in Indonesia have spoken out against the death penalty in
general and advocated for Veloso in particular.
Father Paulus Christian Siswantoko is secretary of the Commission for Justice,
Peace and Pastoral for Migrant-Itinerant People of the Indonesian Bishops'
Conference. In an interview July 30, he said he is hopeful that the Philippines
legal system will find new evidence vindicating Veloso, which can then be
brought directly to President Widodo.
"All depends on him," Fr. Siswantoko said. "I believe that the president can
become a real statesman if he truly upholds the truth."
This week, a delegation of foreign affairs and justice officials from the
Philippines met with their counterparts in Indonesia to discuss Veloso's case.
Part of those discussions involved the practicalities of allowing Veloso to
testify in the Philippines??? trafficking investigation.
In the meantime, advocates for Veloso believe it is imperative that Philippines
officials prioritize and speed up the inquiry into Veloso's alleged
traffickers.
"Absent that, I don't see any big legal options," said Neri Colmenares, a human
rights lawyer and member of the Philippine Congress.
At the moment, he said, Veloso's legal options are "very narrow".
(source: ucanews.com)
CHAD:
Chad reintroduces death penalty with anti-terror law
Chad reintroduced the death penalty just 6 months after its abolition on
Thursday, as legislators passed a stringent anti-terror bill in the face of a
spate of deadly Boko Haram attacks.
After suffering 2 suicide bombings in a month, including one in a bustling
market in the capital N'Djamena, Chad has beefed up security in recent weeks.
It has already banned the wearing of the full Islamic veil, and on Thursday
local authorities in the capital imposed a ban on begging.
The government's draft law had raised fears among opponents and rights
activists that it might be used to curtail freedoms, and legislators took its
proposals much further, toughening sentences and giving the police greater
powers in cases of suspected terrorism.
Beyond capital punishment for the most serious cases, penalties for lesser
terror offences were increased to life from the current maximum of 20 years,
and the duration for which suspects can be held by police without charge will
be increased from 48 hours to 30 days, renewable twice.
Lawmakers passed the law unanimously, with 146 votes for and zero against,
including zero abstentions. At least 40 or so deputies were absent, however, in
a national assembly dominated by the ruling party of President Idriss Deby, who
has held power since 1990.
Chad has helped spearhead a major regional offensive launched in early 2015 to
fight the Nigerian militants, and N'Djamena is now set to host the headquarters
of a new, more efficient multinational task force created in the face of a
fresh surge of attacks.
Boko Haram 'windfall' for government
Opposition leader Saleh Kebzabo declared he was "relatively satisfied" with the
law, as deputies had amended one article derided for an overly vague definition
of terrorism.
A provision to safeguard freedom of expression and human rights was added to
the final draft.
"No one wants terrorism," Kebzabo had said earlier, adding that the fight
against Boko Haram has come as a "windfall to the Chadian government" and
"allows for the organisation of repression before the presidential vote" slated
for next year.
In June 2005, a constitutional revision adopted following a controversial
referendum scrapped the limit to 2 5-year presidential terms. Itno was
re-elected in 2006 and again in 2011.
Chad has taken steps to increase security since suicide attacks struck a school
and a police building in N'Djamena in June, killing 38 people, and again in
July, killing 15 in a market.
On Thursday, authorities in N'Djamena banned begging in the capital a week
after two girls who were begging blew themselves up in neighbouring Cameroon.
In a country where Muslims make up 53% of the population - with Christians
accounting for 35% - the ban on the veil, including the face-covering burqa,
prompted mixed reactions.
The tough prohibition was a first in Africa, but several regions of Cameroon
and Niger have since followed suit.
On Thursday, N'Djamena mayor Ali Haroun also ordered bars to shut at 22:00,
except on Saturdays and on the eve of public holidays, when they are allowed to
stay open until midnight.
In Cameroon, a 12-year-old girl suicide bomber killed 20 people last Saturday
night in an attack on a bar in Maroua, which is situated southwest of the
border from N'Djamena.
Raids and arrests by the security forces have shot up in recent months, with
reports of hundreds of people detained in N'Djamena alone.
Amnesty International has condemned the "total impunity" in which serious
rights violations take place in Chad.
"Human rights defenders, journalists and trade unionists were victims of
harassment, intimidation, arbitrary arrest and detention," the London-based
rights group said in its annual report for 2014-2015.
(source: news24.com)
*****************
Chad reintroduces death penalty for acts of terror
MPs in Chad have voted to reinstate the death penalty for acts of terrorism 6
months after it was abolished.
The unanimous vote by 146 of the 189 members of parliament present followed
recent attacks by Boko Haram Islamist militants from neighbouring Nigeria.
Officials in the mainly Muslim nation have already banned the full Islamic veil
in response to suicide bombings.
Chad has been instrumental in helping Nigeria recapture territory from the
insurgents earlier this year.
Opposition and civil liberties groups have criticised the new anti-terror
legislation that was passed on Thursday evening, saying it could be used to
curb civil rights.
A boosted multinational task force set up to tackle Boko Haram becomes
operational on Friday and will be based in Chad's capital, N'Djamena.
The 8,700 troops from Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria will be able to cross
borders to pursue the insurgents, Nigeria's army spokesman Col Sani Usman told
the BBC.
Nigeria's new President Muhammadu Buhari has made the multinational force
central to his government's strategy in tackling the insurgency.
Although the militants have lost their strongholds, they are still active and
there has been an upsurge in suicide attacks since he took office in May.
On Friday morning, a bomb blast killed at least five people in north-eastern
Nigerian city of Maiduguri, which Mr Buhari has made the base of his military's
headquarters.
Witnesses told the BBC that a female suicide bomber blew herself up on a
tricycle "loaded with explosives" targeting grocers heading towards Gamboru
market.
(source: BBC news)
ITALY:
Italian anti-death penalty group names Pope Francis 'abolitionist of the year'
An Italian anti-death penalty group has honored Pope Francis with the prize
"Abolitionist of the Year" for his strong position against the death penalty
and other forms of "inhumane and degrading" punishments.
"Hands off Cain" on Friday cited Francis' moves to remove from the Vatican
criminal code life sentences, which he called "a death penalty in disguise."
The pope has frequently lashed out against the death penalty, calling it
"inadmissible" no matter the offense.
The Italian group in its annual report said the number of executions carried
out worldwide rose to 3,576 last year from 3,511 a year earlier, with China
carrying out 2/3 of the total. China was followed by Iran with at least 800 and
Saudi Arabia with 88. It said 33 people were executed in the U.S.
(source: Associated Press)
SAUDI ARABIA----execution
Saudi executes Syrian for drug trafficking
Saudi Arabia on Thursday beheaded a Syrian for drug trafficking, bringing to
108 the total number of executions this year, the interior ministry announced.
Qassem Mohammed al-Hilal had been convicted of importing a "large amount of
amphetamine pills" into the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom, said a ministry
statement carried by state news agency SPA. Authorities resumed executions.
Qassem Mohammed al-Hilal had been convicted of importing a "large amount of
amphetamine pills" into the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom, said a ministry
statement carried by state news agency SPA.
Authorities resumed executions last week after a pause for the Muslim fasting
month of Ramadan and the Eid al-Fitr holiday that followed it.
The number of locals and foreigners put to death this year is up sharply from
87 during the whole of 2014, according to AFP tallies.
But this year's figure is below the record 192 that human rights group Amnesty
International said took place in 1995.
Human Rights Watch has accused Saudi authorities of waging a "campaign of
death".
Echoing the concerns of other activists, the New York-based group said it had
documented "due process violations" in the legal system that make it difficult
for defendants to get fair trials even in capital cases.
Under the kingdom's strict Islamic sharia legal code, drug trafficking, rape,
murder, armed robbery and apostasy are all punishable by death.
The interior ministry has cited deterrence as a reason for carrying out the
punishment. It has also talked of "the physical and social harm" caused by
drugs.
(source: al-monitor.com)
NEW ZEALAND:
Dancing with the death penalty a Stage Challenge winner for Horowhenua College
Horowhenua College students had something very right with their Stage Challenge
production of Dead Wrong, which topped entries from throughout the country for
concept. Teens exploring the dark implications of the death penalty debate
through acting and dance have won a national prize.
The Horowhenua College team won the top Stage Challenge Award of Excellence for
concept, in a decision announced Friday .
A student team developed the theme, choreography and story themselves, then
drove the production, so the award reflected directly on the teens' own
creativity and dedication.
Director and year 13 student Faith Courtney said the planning group wrote a
story set in the 1950s about a family man caught by police near a murder, then
framed and found guilty.
In a dramatic ending, as he was being strapped into the electric chair, his
lawyers discovered new evidence that proved his innocence.
However by the time the process to stop the execution was begun it was too
late, and the father had been killed.
"We wanted to choose something with impact, to make everyone think about it,
and give everyone goose bumps too," she said.
"We thought it would be effective."
About 100 students took part, and many were still thinking over their own views
about the death penalty.
"There was a lot of discussion."
Before the 1st Stage Challenge heat in Palmerston North in May, Horowhenua
College student choreographers Brooke Parata and Kristy Tarrant said it had
been rewarding to see their production come to life on stage.
"It's been a lot of hard work, and a lot of hours, but it's definitely been
worth it," Parata said.
"Probably the hardest thing was we all had different visions, and putting that
on stage together, it's very difficult," Tarrant said.
The dances included ballet, rock and roll and hip hop.
Previous Horowhenua College Stage Challenge productions also tackled tricky
topics, including teen suicide and drink driving.
Last year the college's team picked up a handful of awards and came second in
the Palmerston North round for a production about human trafficking. In 2010
they placed 2nd nationally for their portrayal of Kiwi author Janet Frame's
journey through the mental health system.
National-level judging was done by video, with awards for soundtrack, drama and
concept.
Stage Challenge event manager Sarah-Jane Laing said the Horowhenua College
team's final performance was "captivating, with great detail," and effective
use of lighting.
National production judge, David Artis, said the team told the story
"beautifully", and had put together a great concept "absolutely perfectly".
(source: stuff.co.nz)
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