Oct. 10
IRAN:
International call to save the life of a 22-year-old woman from execution
The Women's Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran urges all
international human rights and women's rights organizations and agencies to
take urgent action to save the life of Zeinab Sekanvan, a 22-year-old woman
imprisoned in the Central Prison of Orumiyeh, who is in the danger of imminent
execution.
Zeinab Sekanvand comes from a village near Makou (Western Azerbaijan Province,
northwestern Iran). She was forced into marriage when she was 15 due to her
family's poverty. After 2 years of painful life, she was arrested at age 17 on
the charge of killing her husband.
After her 5 years imprisonment, on October 3, Zainab was notified of the dead
penalty and since then she is on the death row.
(source: The Women's Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran)
*******************
Iranian child bride spared execution for killing abusive husband because she
was pregnant now faces being hanged after giving birth to a stillborn
An Iranian child bride could be hanged within weeks after she was sentenced to
death for allegedly murdering her abusive husband.
Zeinab Sokian was sentenced to death for the 2012 murder of her husband, when
she was just 17.
However, Zeinab married another prisoner while in jail and fell pregnant, and
as Iranian law prevents pregnant women from being executed her death sentence
was delayed.
However, on September 30 she gave birth to a stillborn child in Euromieh
central prison in northern Iran, meaning she could now be put to death within
weeks.
Zeinab, who hails from a small village in northern Iran, was just 15 when she
married her 1st husband.
Under Iranian law girls can marry at 13-years-old and boys at 15, although
international human rights organisations say both parties in a marriage should
be aged 18 or over.
During her trial, Zeinab claimed that her husband frequently beat and abused
her, a source told Human Rights Watch. However, her claims were dismissed by
the court.
The human rights organisation says that Zeinab was informed by authorities this
week her execution could take place in the coming weeks.
Iran passed legal reforms in 2013, which give judges the discretion to spare
children the death penalty if they do not understand the nature of their crime.
The law also entitles those sentenced to death prior to 2013 to a new trial -
but only if they request it.
Human Right Watch is calling for all pre-2013 defendents to face a new trial.
'The 2013 reforms aimed to prevent wrongful conviction of children for capital
offenses. If the Iranian government is serious about this goal, it should at a
minimum grant everyone facing the death penalty for alleged offenses committed
as children a new trial that conforms to international human rights standards,'
the organisation said.
'This includes Zeinab, an alleged victim of domestic violence, who may
otherwise imminently face the gallows.'
(source: Daily Mail)
**********************
Mother of an executed woman pledges to for abolishment of death penalty
Mother of Rayhaneh Jabbari who hanged in October 2014 for defending herself
against assault by a member of the Iranian regime's intelligence has pledged to
fight for abolishment of death sentence in Iran.
In a letter published in news networks, Mrs Sholeh Pakravan, wrote: "It's now 2
years full of ups and downs since Rayhaneh was executed. Today, I hate the
death penalty even more."
"2 years ago, I was totally focusing on preventing Rayhaneh from being
executed. Today, however, I'm living with the hope for an Iran without the
death sentence. I'm not afraid of anything for taking this path. I'm looking
the demon 'death sentence' (Iranian regime) right in the eye, waiting for the
right time to deliver it the final blow, so that all the gallows be relegated
to the museums."
In a reference to children killed in Iran while playing by hanging themselves
following watching public hangings in streets, she added: "instead of
'execution game', let our children play 'life game'.
"I understand every second the survivors of an execution go through. I
understand the meaning of responsibility and I knowingly accept it."
She continues: "I can't stand to see the youth, like my own children, mourning
the loss of their executed sisters or brothers. I can't stand to witness the
tears shed by fathers and mothers for their executed children."
She concludes: "I can't stand to see a human struggling in mid-air .. and then
the dead body be wrapped in a cover and sent to the cemetery. I shout with all
my heart NO TO EXECUTION."
(source: NCR-Iran)
BANGLADESH:
EU wants Bangladesh to abolish death penalty
The ambassadors of the European countries in Dhaka hope that Bangladesh will
implement the UN resolutions to abolish death penalty.
On the European Day against the Death Penalty and the World Day against the
Death Penalty, the ambassadors wrote a letter to the editors on Oct 10.
In the letter, they cited different UN resolutions that called upon States to
abolish death penalty completely or to enforce a moratorium on executions until
that happens.
"EU also hopes that Bangladesh, as a Member of the United Nations Human Rights
Council, will take all necessary actions to implement the UN Resolutions, and
thereby fully contribute to the enhancement of fundamental rights and human
dignity in the world," read the letter.
The European Union, which is the largest trading partner of Bangladesh,
reaffirms its principled opposition to the use of the death penalty and
reiterates that capital punishment is "inhumane and unnecessary".
? "No legal system is flawless; any miscarriage of justice could lead to the
tragic loss of an innocent life," they wrote.
"The State, with its particular responsibility as the ultimate guarantor of
human rights for all , should not deprive anyone of his or her fundamental,
inherent and inalienable right to life."
Ambassador of EU delegation to Bangladesh Pierre Mayaudon, British High
Commissioner Alison Blake, Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of Denmark Jakob
Haugaard, Swedish Ambassador Johan Frisell, French Ambassador Sophie Aubert,
Italian Ambassador Mario Palma, German Ambassador Thomas Heinrich Prinz,
Spanish Ambassador Eduardo de Laiglesia y del Rosal, and Ambassador for
Netherlands Leoni Cuelenaere signed the letter.
The 28-country bloc, EU, never supports death penalty in any circumstances and
campaigns globally against the practice.
Despite a marked trend towards abolition and restriction of the use of capital
punishment, it says, the number of States maintaining death penalty in their
legal systems remains "high".
"Actively supported by countries from all regions, the EU uses all available
means in working towards the goal of abolishing the death penalty throughout
the world."
(source: bdnews24.com)
INDIA:
Death penalty vs reform: Supreme Court questions death row convict's claim for
reform
The Supreme Court rejected the argument of a death row convict that the state
should have given him an opportunity to reform in the rape-murder of a 4
year-old girl. "Even a terrorist or a Rakshas (demon) can be reformed. If a
terrorist who has killed 20 people in a blast and who does not have a criminal
record can be reformed, can't the court give him any relief for reformation?,"
a bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra, at the Apex Court, asked. "Can any
convict be granted relief because the state has failed to reform or failed to
prove that he can't be reformed?" the bench also asked while listening to the
review plea of Vasanta Sampat ?Dupare against the confirmation of his death
penalty.
Countering Dupare's argument, the Maharashtra government's counsel Nishant
Khatneswarkar argued that the state can't anticipate whether he will reform as
the offence is brutal in nature. The counsel pressed for dismissal of his
review plea. The hearing that went on for more than 45 minutes in open court
ended with the bench reserving its order.
In November, 2014, the bench handed down death penalty to Dupare,52, describing
rape of a child as "an anathema to the social balance" and the offender as a
"menace to the society".
Dupare in April 2008 had raped and killed the minor girl after luring her to
have chocolates in Nagpur, Maharashtra. He had crushed her head with heavy
stones and hid her body. Testimonies of various witnesses along with other
scientific and circumstantial evidence had brought home the guilt of the
accused.
(source: Daily News & Analysis)
SOUTHEAST ASIA:
Going backwards: The death penalty in Southeast Asia
Over the past year, Southeast Asia has witnessed significant setbacks with
regard to the abolition of the death penalty, FIDH said in a new report
published today, on the occasion of the 14th World Day Against the Death
Penalty.
The report, titled "Going backwards: The death penalty in Southeast Asia,"
provides an update on the status of the death penalty in the region since last
year's World Day. It also provides important recommendations to governments in
the region with a view to make genuine and tangible progress towards the
abolition of the death penalty for all crimes.
"Too many governments in Southeast Asia lack the vision and political will to
eliminate the death penalty - a barbaric practice that has no place in today's
world. It is imperative that all retentionist countries in Southeast Asia
immediately declare official moratoria on all executions as an initial step
towards the complete abolition of capital punishment."----Dimitris
Christopoulos, FIDH President.
Since October 2015, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore have all carried out
executions. It is unknown whether any executions were carried out in Vietnam,
where statistics on the death penalty continue to be classified as 'state
secrets.'
In the name of combating drug trafficking, Indonesian President Joko Widodo is
rapidly becoming Southeast Asia's top executioner. The Philippines, which
effectively abolished the death penalty for all crimes in 2006, is considering
reinstating capital punishment as part of President Rodrigo Duterte's
ill-conceived and disastrous 'war on drugs.'
Slow or no progress towards the complete abolition of the death penalty for all
crimes has been observed in Brunei Darussalam, Burma, Laos, and Thailand -
countries that have attained, or are close to attaining, the status of de facto
abolitionist.
Across retentionist countries in Southeast Asia, a disproportionate number of
death sentences continues to be imposed for drug-related offenses. Countries
that have ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
(ICCPR) and that continue to impose capital punishment for drug-related
offenses are in contravention of their own international legal obligations.
Article 6 of the ICCPR reserves the death penalty solely for the "most serious
crimes," a threshold that international jurisprudence has repeatedly stated
drug-related offenses do not meet.
In many Southeast Asian countries, governments maintain a high degree of
secrecy over information concerning the use of the death penalty. This practice
is contrary to international standards on the use of the death penalty. UN
jurisprudence has found that the lack of transparency in the application and
imposition of the death penalty can result in inhuman or degrading treatment or
punishment under Article 7 of the ICCPR and Article 1 of the Convention against
Torture (CAT). Such secrecy also contravenes the public's right to information
under Articles 14 and 19 of the ICCPR.
The denial of fair trial rights and due process also remain a major concern in
connection with the prosecution of cases involving the death penalty. In July
2016, several inmates facing the firing squad in the latest round of executions
in Indonesia alleged that they had been convicted based on confessions obtained
through torture.
The 14th World Day Against the Death Penalty is raising awareness about the
application of the death penalty for terrorism-related offenses. All Southeast
Asian countries retain the death penalty for terrorism. However, the
application of such laws is subject to abuse and arbitrary application because
governments define this crime in very broad and vague terms. In addition, many
alleged violent acts of terrorism do not meet the threshold of the "most
serious crimes."
(source: fidh.org)
JAPAN:
Bar federation's call to end death penalty reflects global trend
The prospect of facing criticism, angry reactions and resistance did not
discourage the Japan Federation of Bar Associations from taking a bold and
major step.
The group of lawyers adopted Oct. 7 a declaration calling for an end to
Japan???s death penalty system by 2020, a decision reached by majority support
at the Convention on the Protection of Human Rights it organized in Fukui.
The JFBA has consistently taken a cautious stance toward the ultimate form of
punishment. During a convention of the same series held five years ago, the
federation pronounced that "a society without the death penalty is desirable"
and called for opening broad-based discussions on abolishing it.
On the latest occasion, the JFBA presented, for the first time, a
straightforward call for ending capital punishment.
A U.N. congress of experts on criminal justice will be held in Japan in 2020.
The target date in the JFBA's declaration was set with an eye toward that
congress.
We should solidify that pathway by sharing the results of the JFBA discussions
in our society.
Once carried out, executions are irreversible. But judges are only human, and
mistakes do occur.
A decision made 2 years ago to redo the trial for Iwao Hakamada, a death-row
inmate, is still fresh in our memory. 4 other death-row inmates had earlier
been found innocent after they were granted retrials.
Meanwhile, studies conducted in Japan and abroad have yet to verify the
hypothesis that the death penalty deters crimes.
The established trend in the international community is to abolish capital
punishment, with 140 countries having ended executions either institutionally
or practically. Capital punishment is maintained only in Japan and certain U.S.
states among the 35 member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development.
Japan is coming under increasingly exacting eyes, with U.N. committees having
recommended corrective action to Japan on repeated occasions.
Concerning this matter, thought should be given, before anything else, to
family members who have lost loved ones to crimes. Lawyers helping crime
victims are protesting the JFBA's latest move.
The declaration does not bind the thoughts and actions of individual lawyers.
There may, of course, be campaigns for maintaining the death penalty system.
We do hope the campaigners will not limit themselves to criticizing the
declaration but will also draw on their experiences in helping crime victims to
present their views about what is lacking in the currently available assistance
measures. They should also suggest what remedies would be necessary if Japan
pursues an end to capital punishment. Through these efforts, we hope they will
help deepen discussions.
The declaration also includes calls for reforming the system of imprisonment
involving compulsory labor in prison, as well as the suspended sentence system.
These proposals, which call for broadening the option of available punishments
to provide the most suitable treatment for those sentenced, were also discussed
previously within the government.
The shape of punishment should be reviewed in accordance with the
circumstances. We run the risk of lagging behind changing times and global
trends if we remain fixated on the current state of things and abandon further
thinking.
(source: Editorial, The Asahi Shimbun)
MALAYSIA:
Madpet hopes death penalty abolished by this time next year
On the 14th World Day Against the Death Penalty, Oct 10, 2016, Malaysians
Against Death Penalty and Torture (Madpet) urges Malaysia to expedite the
abolition of the death penalty, and to impose a moratorium on all executions
against the death penalty.
Nancy Shukri, the then-minister in the Prime Minister's Department, did say
that she hoped to take her proposal to amend the Penal Code and abolish the
mandatory death sentence to the Dewan Rakyat as early as March 2016. (The Malay
Mail, Nov 17, 2015)
A few days before that, attorney-general Apandi Ali said he will propose to the
cabinet that the mandatory death penalty be scrapped, so that judges are given
the option to choose between sentencing a person to jail or the gallows. (The
Malaysian Insider, Nov 13, 2016)
Malaysia was accorded a space of importance at the recent 6th World Congress
Against the Death Penalty, organised in Oslo (Norway) from June 21 to 23, 2016,
where the then-de facto law minister, Nancy Shukri, was expected make a
positive announcement about Malaysia's intention to abolish the death penalty.
Sadly, the minister could only confirm that Malaysia was still moving in that
direction, but she could not be more specific about exactly when these proposed
amendments would be tabled in Parliament.
Nancy told the World Congress that a government-backed study on the death
penalty had been completed and a paper is being readied by the
Attorney-General's Chambers. The study was conducted by the International
Centre For Law and Legal Studies (I-CeLLS). The consultant was then Professor
Dr Roger Hood, Professor of Criminology and Emeritus Fellow of All Souls
College Oxford. (The Star, June 22, 2016)
The minister also told Malaysiakini on the sidelines of the Sixth World
Congress that the study had been completed about 2 months ago. (Malaysiakini,
July 10, 2016)
Death penalty is no deterrent
Nancy Shukri had previously also said that empirical studies showed that the
death penalty had not led to "the deterring effect that such a penalty was
created". (The Star, June 22, 2016)
This was consistent with the facts the then-home minister, Hishammuddin
Hussein, revealed to the Malaysian Parliament in March 2012, which showed that
police statistics for the arrests of drug dealers under Section 39B of the
Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which carries the mandatory death penalty, for the
past 3 years (2009 to 2011) have shown an increase.
In 2009, there were 2,955 arrested under this section. In 2010, 3,700 people
were arrested, whilst in 2011, there were 3,845 arrested. (Free Malaysia Today,
March 19, 2012, 'Death penalty not deterring drug trade')
Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation vice-chairperson Lee Lam Thye also did
note in July 2013 that the death sentence had not deterred the drug trade.
Cases like that of Malaysian Umi Azlim Mohamad Lazim, 24, a graduate from a
poor Malay family of rice farmers, and young Malaysian Yong Vui Kong who were
once facing death for drug trafficking overseas, who since then had their
sentences commuted, have opened the eyes of most Malaysians to the fact that
many of the persons facing the death penalty for drug trafficking are really
'mules', many of whom are young people who have been tricked, or those who are
financially disadvantaged.
They are certainly not the kingpins of drug trafficking, and certainly do not
deserve to be hanged.
Mandatory death penalty
Currently in Malaysia, the death penalty is mandatory for about 12 offences,
while about 20 other offences are punishable by a discretionary death penalty.
Murder and Drug Trafficking carry the mandatory death penalty.
Likewise, the Firearms (Increased Penalties) Act 1971 provides for the
mandatory death penalty if firearms are discharged with intent to cause death
or hurt to any person, shall, notwithstanding that no hurt is caused for
offences like extortion, robbery, kidnaping, house breaking or house trespass,
and such mandatory death penalty would also increase the risk the death of
victims and/or potential witnesses.
It is all the more important for the mandatory death penalty be abolished where
no hurt/death results.
The mandatory death penalty must be totally abolished, and considering Malaysia
is on the verge of abolishing the death penalty, especially the mandatory death
penalty, it was most disturbing that Malaysia in 2016 have executed 4 persons,
who were convicted for murder which carried the mandatory death penalty.
Gunasegar Pitchaymuthu, Ramesh Jayakumar and Sasivarnam Jayakumar were executed
on March 25, 2016, whilst Ahmad Najib Aris was executed less than 3 weeks ago
on Sept 23, 2016.
Immediate moratorium on all executions needed now
We recall that Edmund Bon Tai Soon, Malaysia's current Asean Intergovernmental
Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) representative, was reported saying
'...Malaysia's moratorium, I understand, is only for drug trafficking cases...'
(The Star, July 10, 2015). It must be noted that Human Rights Commission of
Malaysia (Suhakam), also did reiterate on March 29, 2016 their recommendation
that a moratorium on the use of the death penalty be put in place in Malaysia.
Madpet believes that there must a moratorium on executions of everyone, not
just those convicted for drug trafficking.
Why the delay in the tabling of these amendments?
Madpet notes that Malaysia informed us that the study was completed in early
April or May 2016, and all that is needed if for the Attorney-General's
Chambers to draft and thereafter submit the proposed amendments to be tabled by
the government in Parliament, which we hope will happen soon in the upcoming
Parliamentary session this October 2016.
Therefore,
Madpet urges Azalina Othman Said, who replaced Nancy Shukri in mid-July as the
new de facto Law Minister, will expedite the tabling of the much needed
amendments that will abolish the death penalty.
Madpet also urges that Malaysia to announce a moratorium on all executions, not
just for drug trafficking, pending the tabling of amendments, that would see
the abolition of mandatory death penalty, and hopefully also the abolition of
the death penalty. As of May 16, 2016, there are 1,041 persons on death row.
Madpet also urges Malaysia to vote in favour of the upcoming United Nations
General Assembly Resolution calling for a moratorium of executions pending
abolition of the death penalty, or at the very least record a vote of
abstention.
Madpet reiterates its urging for Malaysia to abolish the death penalty, and
hopes that by the next World Day Against the Death Penalty, Malaysia will
proudly stand amongst countries that have abolished the death penalty.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(source: CHARLES HECTOR is coordinator, Malaysians Against Death Penalty and
Torture (Madpet)----malaysiakini.com)
INDONESIA:
Death penalty becoming more popular in Indonesia
Indonesia, 1 of only 25 countries in the world that still impose capital
punishment, has seen 35 people sentenced to death by the courts since the start
of the year, according to the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of
Violence (Kontras). That number could grow in the coming years, as the country
is mulling whether to widen the application of the ultimate penalty.
Marking the 14th World Day Against the Death Penalty, Kontras issued a report
that shows legal flaws in the application of capital punishment and in the
execution of 4 death row inmates this year. One bright spot is that some death
sentences have been overturned on appeal by the Supreme Court.
"This trend is likely to continue and may even get worse, given the
government's legal policies and plans to amend some laws," Kontras warned in
the report presented at a news conference on Saturday.
Puri Kencana Putri, Kontras coordinator for strategy and mobilization, called
the 4 executions in July "illegal" over flaws in the way they had been carried
out. All 4 legal cases had still been pending, Puri said, and none of the
convicts' relatives had been properly notified about the executions, as
required by the law.
"We even have credible reports to suggest that their isolation cells were
flooded knee-deep the night they were executed," Puri said, recalling strong
rain that morning at the high-security prison island of Nusakambangan, Central
Java, where the executions took place.
A separate recent report looks at how five leading newspapers in the country
reported on the execution of death row inmates this year. The Alliance of
Independent Journalists (AJI) Jakarta in its report criticized the media for
not being critical enough in reporting these executions.
The 35 new death sentences this year add to the already long list of people on
death row in Indonesia. In December 2014, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo
ordered that all 64 people on death row should be executed. 18 of them have
since met their death in 3 separate rounds of executions, including the latest
one in July.
In 2015, 26 people were sentenced to death at courts of first instance,
according to the Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (ICJR).
Kontras said that 25 of the new death sentences this year were meted to drug
traffickers. They include 24 non-Indonesians, from China ( 10 ), Malaysia (6),
Nigeria (4), Taiwan (2), and 1 each from the US and Pakistan.
The execution of convicts has become something of a hallmark of the presidency
of Jokowi, who has declared war on drug trafficking, an offense that carries
the ultimate punishment. 14 drugtraffickers were executed in 2015, but an
earlier plan to execute14 more in July was aborted at the last minute; instead
only 4 were sent to the firing squad.
Until today, the government has not explained the reason for the literally
11th-hour reprieve for the 10. Attorney General Muhammad Prasetyo insisted
their executions were simply being delayed.
Jokowi has publicly rebuked any attempt at intervention by foreign leaders who
asked for a stay of executions for their citizens, citing Indonesia's
sovereignty. This did not stop European leaders from telling him to stop the
executions when he visited Germany, Britain, the Netherlands and Belgium in
April.
Indonesia's appetite for the blood of criminals has not stopped there. In the
current debate to reform the penal code, politicians are advocating expanding
the use of capital punishment to acts of treason, terrorism and
terrorism-related activities, genocide, corruption, endangering flight safety,
extortion and intimidation. With reports of sexual abuse against children, some
politicians have also asked to add this to the list of crimes punishable by
death.
The AJI Jakarta report studied 5 Jakarta-based newspapers - Kompas, Republika,
Tempo, Media Indonesia and The Jakarta Post - on how they reported the
executions this year. The report said all but Republika had taken an editorial
position opposing the death penalty, but the study found this to be in
contradiction to the tone of their reporting, which supported the death
penalty.
(source: The Jakarta Post)
********************
Watchdog Urges Govt to Cancel Death Executions
The People's Coalition for the Abolition of Death Penalty (Koalisi HATI) has
urged the government to implement a moratorium on executions of drug convicts
because it violates human rights and has no deterrent effect on drug offenders.
"Death penalty gives no solution for drug trafficking [issue]," said Bahrain,
Director for Advocacy of Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (LBH), at his office on
Sunday, October 9, 2016. The Joko Widodo administration has executed 14 drug
inmates so far. However, data from the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) shows
that drug trafficking continues to rise.
"Data from the BNN revealed that there were 1.7 million [drug] users in 2015.
After the 2nd round of executions, it has gone up to 5.9 million people,"
Bahrain said. He has called on the government to change sentences given to
death row inmates.
Aside from calling for a moratorium on death penalty, Koalisi HATI has also
urged President Joko Widodo to establish an independent team to investigate
into wrongful convictions, citing inconsistent approach and lack of
transparency in implementing the death penalty.
Head of Indonesian Advocacy for Fellowship of Victims of Drugs Totok Yulianto
argued that death penalty is often adopted by the government as the last
resort. "In Soeharto era, [death penalty] was adopted on political crimes. In
Jokowi era, it is adopted on drug crimes," he said.
According to Totok, the government will find another avenue if it is committed
to evaluating the real problems. "Such evaluation has never been done," he
said.
In 2014, the government pushed for the death penalty. President Joko Widodo
also planned to rehabilitate 100,000 drug users. It turned out that only 21,000
had been rehabilitated, Totok said. Consequently, the government has resorted
to the death penalty in 2016. "President Jokowi tries to cover up his failure
by [resorting to] death execution," he said.
(source: tempo.co)
**********************
Australian man could face death penalty after Bali drug arrest
An Australian man arrested in Bali on drugs charges could possibly face the
death penalty after police allegedly found hashish at his home in Sanur.
The 48-year-old Australian, identified by police as Giuseppe Serafino, is
believed to be from Perth.
Mr Serafino was arrested, along with a British journalist, at around 12.30pm on
Saturday after officers found a small bag containing what they believed to be
at least 7 grams of hash at the address, head of the drugs squad at Denpasar
Police Station, Gede Ganefo, said.
The Australian consulate in Bali is now making arrangements to visit Giuseppe
Serafino.
Police say the man has been living at the address in Bali for the past 5 years.
After questioning, Mr Ganefo said the Australian man told them he had obtained
it from his 54-year-old British friend, referred to as 'DM'.
The 48-year-old was told to set up a meeting with DM, who he arranged to see at
On On Bar in Sanur at 4.30pm.
Upon searching his body, police allege they found a small satchel wrapped in
aluminium foil with what they suspected to be hash inside.
Officers then went to DM's house where they found another satchel inside a
boxing glove.
In total, police allege they discovered at least 10 grams of hash in the Brit's
possession, as well as a bong.
They said he told them he got it from a man but he didn't know his identity or
address.
Police say Mr Serafino is a bar owner and "entrepreneur" and the British man is
a journalist residing temporarily in Sanur.
Earlier on Sunday, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said they were
trying to confirm reports of the arrest of an Australian man in Bali.
A spokesperson later said they had been made aware of his detention and that
"our Consulate-General in Bali is making arrangements to visit the man and
stands ready to provide consular assistance".
(source: Yahoo News)
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