Sept. 12
FRANCE:
France's final guillotine: 40 years since the end of the death penalty
On September 10, 1977, 40 years ago this week, France conducted its last
execution. 4 years later capital punishment was abolished, thus ending the
reign of the guillotine.
The man who was executed was Tunisian immigrant, Hamida Djandoubi. He was found
guilty of torturing and killing a woman in Marseilles, France.
It's said that he lit her on fire, then strangled her and left her body in the
countryside.
Djandoubi was believed to have been a depressed man who had lost part of his
leg in an accident.
The case generated a great deal of attention throughout France. But despite
Djandoubi's confession, the jury determined that there were no extenuating
circumstances and he would go to the guillotine.
Over the centuries, there were many versions of execution, but the most
infamous was the French guillotine.
The 1st person to have his head chopped off was highwayman Nicolas Jacques
Pelletier in 1792.
The execution was considered to be a success and the guillotine was continued
to be used on political prisoners, the highest profile being King Louis XVI on
January 21, 1793.
During the "Reign of Terror" from 1793 to 1794 the guillotine was taking heads
sometimes at a rate of 300 a day.
The last public execution by guillotine was in 1939.
Djandoubi was the last execution, earning himself a place in history.
(source: euronews.com)
BELARUS:
Belarus should decide on death penalty on its own
Belarus should decide on the issue of death penalty independently, Ivan
Simonovic, a delegate of the non-governmental organization International
Commission Against the Death Penalty, told the media, BelTA has learned.
A group of international death penalty experts is in Grodno on a visit on 12
September.
"We did not come here to tell Belarusians what to do. Belarus should deal with
this issue on its own. We are visiting Belarus' regions and discussing death
penalty issues as we meet with representatives of civil society, academic
community, and local authorities," Ivan Simonovich remarked.
According to the professor, the delegation comprises international experts of
different levels.
They have already met with high-profile officials of the Grodno Oblast
Executive Committee and local deputies. The delegation is set to talk with
students and professors of Yanka Kupala Grodno State University and hold a
press conference.
Read full text at:
http://eng.belta.by/society/view/opinion-belarus-should-decide-on-death-penalty-on-its-own-104793-2017/I
(source: BelTA)
IRAN----execution
Man Hanged on Murder Charges
Iran Human Rights has obtained information about an execution that was carried
out in Iran in late August. According to close sources, a prisoner was hanged
at Shirvan Prison (northern Khorasan) on Sunday August 27 on murder charges.
Close sources have identified the prisoner as Farrokh Hamadollahi.
"On July 2, 2012, Farrokh got involved in a fight in order to defend his
cousin. During the fight, he shoved an individual to the ground, and the
individual died after his head hit on the concrete pavement. Farrokh repeatedly
insisted that he did commit an act of murder, but the authorities sentenced him
to death anyway," an informed source tells Iran Human Rights.
Iranian official sources, including the Judiciary and state-run media, have not
announced Farrokh Hamadollahi's execution. At the present time, there are
roughly 750 prisoners in Shirvan Prison who are held under deplorable
conditions.
(source: Iran Human Rights)
SAUDI ARABIA:
Execution looms for teen tortured to "confess" to protest-related crimes
A young Saudi Arabian Shi'a man who claims he was tortured to "confess" alleged
crimes committed when he was 16 years old faces imminent execution, in the
latest shocking example of Saudi Arabia's ruthless clampdown on dissent, said
Amnesty International today.
The family of Abdulkareem al-Hawaj, now 21, were yesterday informed that the
Supreme Court upheld his death sentence for his alleged role in anti-government
protests. He has now exhausted all his appeals and faces execution as soon as
King Salman ratifies his sentence, which could happen at any time.
Al-Hawaj, who was sentenced to death in July 2016 after a grossly unfair trial,
denies participating in any of the acts attributed to him.
"Saudi Arabia's vicious crackdown on dissent appears to know no bounds. Its
latest victim, a child at the time of his alleged crimes, now faces death at
the hands of a repressive regime that uses the death penalty as a tool to crush
dissent," said Lynn Maalouf, Middle East Research Director at Amnesty
International.
"From his arbitrary arrest, to his torture in detention and unfair trial, the
conviction of Abdulkareem al-Hawaj has made a mockery of justice. King Salman
must step in to quash this sentence and order a retrial in line with
international fair trial standards, without resorting to use of the death
penalty."
Due to the secrecy surrounding the judicial process in Saudi Arabia, it is
unclear when the King would ratify the death sentence. Families are usually not
informed about the ratification process and the scheduled execution of their
relatives.
Abdulkareem al-Hawaj was sentenced to death last year for a range of offences
related to his alleged involvement in anti-government protests in the Shi'a
majority Eastern Province in 2012, when he was aged 16.
He had no access to a lawyer during his pre-trial detention and interrogations,
and said that he was held in solitary confinement for the first 5 months
following his arrest at a security checkpoint in 2012.
He also says he was beaten and threatened with the death of his family during
interrogations by officials in the General Directorate of Investigations.
Eventually he wrote and signed a "confession" that appears to be the sole basis
for his conviction.
"Rather than sending Abdulkareem al-Hawaj to his death based on a statement
possibly obtained through torture, the Saudi authorities should be
investigating the claims that he was tortured by security officers," said Lynn
Maalouf.
"The authorities must also immediately establish an official moratorium on
executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty in Saudi Arabia."
Saudi Arabia is a state party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child,
which strictly prohibits the use of the death penalty for crimes committed by
persons below the age of 18 at the time of the crime.
Background:
Amnesty International has recorded a worrying increase in death sentences
against political dissidents in Saudi Arabia since 2013, including the Shi'a
Muslim minority.
The organization has documented the cases of at least 33 members of Saudi
Arabia's Shia community who are currently facing the death penalty. All were
accused of activities deemed a risk to national security. 3 others who remain
on death row awaiting execution, Ali al-Nimr, Abdullah al-Zaher and Dawood
al-Marhoon, were also arrested for alleged offences committed when they were
under 18 and have said that they were tortured to make them "confess".
Saudi Arabia is one of the world's most prolific executioners and uses the
death penalty for a wide range of offences such as murder, drug-related crimes
and terrorism. At least 85 people have been executed in Saudi Arabia since the
start of 2017, including 44 in the past 2 months.
Last week, the family of another man on death row, Said Mabkhout al-Sai'ari,
who was convicted on murder charges, learned that he will be executed on 13
September. The court sentenced him to death despite concluding that there was
not enough evidence, relying on the statements of the victim's father, who
swore 50 times in court that he believed Said Mabkhout al-Sai'ari was
responsible for the murder of his son even though he was not present at the
crime scene.
(source: Amnesty International)
MALAYSIA:
S'wakian and Filipina escape death
A Sarawakian and a Filipina, who were initially charged with drug trafficking,
were sentenced by the High Court here on a lesser charge of drug possession.
Stage technician Andy Lim Shau Seng, 32, was jailed 15 years and ordered to be
caned 10 times after he pleaded guilty to an amended charge of having 664.9gm
of syabu at 4.30pm on Aug 29, 2016 in front of Kedai Fook Yuen in Gaya Street,
here.
Filipina businesswoman Rubiah Lahani Abdul Rahman, 34, was handed 5 years' jail
on an alternative charge of having 56.43gm of syabu at 4.10pm on May 17, 2016
at the KFC outlet in Karamunsing Complex, here.
Earlier Monday, Lim was brought before Judge Datuk Nurchaya Arshad for ruling
on the main charge against him for trafficking the drugs, which carries the
death penalty under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act.
However, the court amended the charge to possession under Section 12(2) of the
Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, punishable under Section 39A(2) of the same Act,
which carries imprisonment for life or not less than 5 year, if convicted.
Counsel Kitson Fong, representing Lim, applied for a lenient sentence on the
grounds that it was Lim's 1st offence and that his guilty plea had saved time
and expenses.
Fong also asked the court to give Lim a chance to turn over, saying his arrest
caused him to evaluate his life and that he felt remorse.
However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Gan Peng Kun said drug offences were a major
problem for the nation and demanded a deterrent sentence.
He added that by pleading guilty was not entitled to a lesser punishment and
proposed a jail term of between 15 years and 20 years, and whipping
accordingly.
Meanwhile, Rubiah had, on Aug 29, admitted to an alternative charge offered by
the prosecution following a representation from her counsel.
She was initially scheduled to stand trial the said day on the original charge
of trafficking the drugs.
Counsel Hairul V. Othman, representing Rubiah, in her mitigation, told the
court that Rubiah, who is married to a local and has 3 children, has been
staying in the State for 20 years.
Hairul submitted, among others, that at the time of the arrest there were
another man and woman who actually played a bigger role in the case, which set
her up to be the scapegoat notwithstanding that she also knew what she was
into.
Rubiah was at fault considering that she could make some money working with the
said 2 persons, who were also arrested at the same time with her and were only
detained under the Dangerous Drugs (Special Preventive Measures) Act 1985, said
Hairul.
By pleading guilty proved that Rubiah had repented and being responsible of her
own act even if she did not do it alone, said Hairul, who applied for the
sentence be just and fair in a form of reasonable minimum period of
imprisonment.
(source: Daily Express)
VIETNAM:
7 Vietnamese arrested for transporting drugs from Laos to Vietnam
Vietnamese police on Monday detained 7 people from Vietnam's northern Dien Bien
province for transporting a total of nearly 5 kg of opium from Laos to Vietnam.
Among the 7 detainees, Chang A Thao, born in 1980 in Dien Biens Muong Nhe
district, was caught red-handed when transporting the biggest amount of opium
-- 1.5 kilogram, the provincial police said.
The detainees crossed borders to work as manual laborers in Laos and then used
their wages to buy opium and come back to Vietnam for resale.
According to the Vietnamese law, those convicted of smuggling over 600 grams of
heroin or more than 2.5 kg of methamphetamine are punishable by death. Making
or trading 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal drugs also faces
death penalty.
(source: xinhuanet.com)
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