Nov. 7
RUSSIA:
Elena Berkova: Former porn star running against Putin wants death penalty for
sexual harassers----Celebrity said she was 'fed up with Weinsteins'
Berkova is 32 - 3 years too young to run for President, according to Russian
law Tim Stewart
A former adult film star running for the Russian presidency has pledged to
introduce the death penalty for sexual harassers.
Elena Berkova of Murmansk, now the 4th female candidate for the 2018 election,
said in an Instagram video that she was "fed up with Weinsteins", referring to
disgraced Hollywood executive Harvey Weinstein who faces dozens of allegations
of sexual abuse and harassment.
"The death penalty for harassment. We've got the Weinsteins, too," she told her
647,000 followers, wearing black glasses and lingerie.
In Ms Berkova's manifesto, she vowed to introduce sex education in schools,
make it impossible to get divorced and criminalise women who wear long skirts.
"Some of them [other candidates] are from show business, I ran for mayor of
Sochi and have taken part in politics, so I decided to run for the president of
Russia," the reality television star said.
"I plan to make divorce almost impossible for men, as these days women bear
almost all the responsibility for children.
(source: independent.co.uk)
IRAN:
4 Prisoners Scheduled for Execution For Drug Charges
4 prisoners who were sentenced to death on drug related charges were
transferred to solitary confinement in Urmia Central Prison in preparation for
executed.
According to a close source, on the morning of Monday November 6, four
prisoners were transferred to solitary confinement from ward 15 of Urmia
Central Prison (Darya) to be executed.
The prisoners were identified as Asghar Ranjbar, Hedayat Shirzad, Hassan
Bashoqi, and Ali Zare'.
"The prisoners were sentenced to death on the charge of possessing 5 to 200
kilograms of heroin or meth," said a close source to Iran Human Rights.
These prisoners were transferred to solitary confinement while after the bill
for the amendment to the drug law in Iran was approved, the executions of this
type were supposed to be stopped until further investigation of their cases.
(source: Iran Human Rights)
PAPUA NEW GUINEA:
Port Moresby police have warned against the vigilante torture or killing of
suspected sorcerers.----For those that torture and kill suspected sorcerers,
the penalty is DEATH!
Port Moresby police have warned against the vigilante torture or killing of
suspected sorcerers.
The warning now comes in the light of sorcery-related revenge killings in the
past week at Eight-Mile in Moresby Northeast.
The "witch-hunt" was led by the family of a young man from Wabag, Enga
Province, who claimed he had died as a result of black magic.
1 woman was tortured and killed and several homes torched as a result.
2nd-in-command of Gordon police station, chief sergeant Hanson Tokally said
yesterday that anyone who killed in the name of revenge or vigilante justice is
also guilty of murder and as such, would not be immune to the consequences of
the crime.
"People who torture and kill them (suspected sorcerers) are also guilty of a
criminal offence and they will be dealt with seriously.
There is a law and the law applies to everyone ... we cannot let them go free,"
Mr Tokally said.
"People have to be careful when they are in these kinds of situations.
We are talking about people's lives here. This might be according to our
traditional beliefs, but there has to be concrete evidence to prove that these
people were killed through sorcery.
"You cannot just go blindly accusing someone and attacking them. I know that
grieving relatives may want to take revenge, but we have to be careful in these
types of situations. Respect the law, and allow the law to take its own
course," he said.
Furthermore, amendments to the PNG Criminal Code in 2013 now facilitate for the
maximum penalty of death to be applied on those who commit the willful murder
of individuals accused of practicing sorcery.
Section 299A of the criminal code (willful murder of a person on account of
accusation of sorcery) states:
-- Any person who intentionally kills another person on account of accusation
that the person is practicing sorcery is guilty of willful murder and shall be
sentenced to death.
-- For purposes of Subsection (1), "sorcery" includes (without being
exhaustive and exclusive) what is known, in various languages and parts of the
country, as witchcraft, magic, enchantment, puripuri, mura mura dikana, vada,
mea mea, sanguma, or malira, whether or not connected with or related to the
supernatural.
Chief Sgt Tokally said investigations into the recent revenge killing are
ongoing and police are appealing to anyone with information regarding the case
to come forward.
(source: Post-Courier)
INDIA:
'Fed-up' DCW chief demands 'death penalty' for child rapists
Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chief Swati Maliwal on Monday said that she
was "completely heartbroken" and "fed up" with the increasing number of child
rapes in the capital.
"I am fed up of child rapes in the capital. A few days ago, a brutally raped 1
1/2-years-old girl underwent surgery for 1 1/2 hours in the hospital. Even 3
days were not over and now a 7-year-old girl is gang-raped. She underwent a
surgery for 2 hours and I am going to spend the entire night with her in
solidarity," she said.
The 7-year-old girl was raped on November 4 in Delhi's Kanjhawala area. 2
juvenile boys lured her for a bicycle ride and committed the crime.
The Police arrested the accused on POCSO charges and sent them to juvenile
detention center. The victim is admitted in a critical condition in Bhim Rao
Ambedkar hospital.
'What's wrong with Delhi? Their eyes haunt me, they ask me thousands of
question which I don't have an answer for. Who will answer these questions,"
she asked.
Urging Home Minister Rajnath Singh to constitute a high-level committee,
Maliwal said "I need the system to ensure death penalty for child rapist within
6 months. Then only fear, deterrence will be created and people's mentality
will change."
"Since the last 2 years, I have been literally begging in front of the Central
Government to form a high-level committee which should be headed by Rajnath
Singh Ji, and include Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Ji, Delhi Police
Commissioner, Lieutenant governor of Delhi Anil Baijal Ji and DCW team. Meeting
should be conducted twice in a month to ensure the safety of women," Maliwal
said.
"All these rape victims and survivors are Nirbhaya of Delhi. I think we need to
come on roads again to protest and wake up the sleeping system," she added.
A few days ago, the 1.5-month-old girl Maliwal spoke about, was raped in South
Delhi. A 33-year-old man was arrested for the crime.
(source: siasat.com)
JAPAN:
apan's 'Black Widow' given death penalty for murders----Japan's infamous
"Poison Lady" used cyanide to rid herself of her lovers. Today she was finally
sentenced for her gruesome crimes.
A 1-time millionairess dubbed the "Black Widow" over the untimely deaths of
lovers and a husband was sentenced to death Tuesday, in a high-profile murder
case that has gripped Japan.
Kyoto District Court condemned Chisako Kakehi, 70, to the gallows for the
murder of 3 men - including a husband - and the attempted murder of another, a
court official said.
Prosecutors said she used cyanide to rid herself of her lovers, amassing a
reported one billion yen ($8.8 million) in payouts over 10 years.
The victims are among 6 men who died while in a relationship with Kakehi over
the past 20 years. All of them were between 70 and 80 years old and met Kakehi
between 2007 and 2013.
The woman's 3 other husbands, whom she married in the same period, have also
all died, but she has not been charged in their deaths.
Kakehi has become notorious over accusations, she dispatched a number of
elderly men she was involved with, drawing comparisons with the spider that
kills its mate after copulation.
Kakehi initially refused to speak when her trial began in June but later
stunned the court by admitting having killed her 4th husband in 2013.
She was arrested in 2014, after the 75-year-old retired salaryman, was found
dead at his home in Muko, a city near Kyoto.
"I killed my husband," Kakehi said from the witness stand in July this year.
"I have no intention of hiding the guilt. I will laugh it off and die if I am
sentenced to death tomorrow.
"I was waiting for the right timing as I wanted to kill him out of deep
hatred."
Kakehi has previously addressed allegations she killed her partners to cash in
on their insurance policies.
"I wasn't given any money after I married him," she said, according to news
reports.
"I felt like Isao was discriminating against me in comparison to the last woman
he was in a relationship with, and I got angry."
Kakehi's lawyers argued throughout the trial that she was not guilty of
murdering Isao Kakehi on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
Kyoto District Court said last year that medical examinations found that Kakehi
had early-stage dementia but was fit to stand trial.
Kakehi had relationships with many men, mostly elderly or ill, meeting some
through dating agencies, where she reportedly stipulated that prospective
partners should be wealthy and childless.
Reports say she subsequently lost much of the fortune through financial
trading.
Japan's criminal justice system has come under scrutiny in the wake of Kakehi's
arrest, with questions being asked as to why a number of her lovers' deaths
were not investigated as suspicious.
In several cases, autopsies were not carried out on their bodies - something
that could have found traces of the cyanide detectives now believe she used to
kill them.
Kakehi, who is also known as "The Poison Lady", is said to have stashed some of
the substance in a plant pot that she later threw out.
The police who earlier raided her home in Kyoto found traces of cyanide in the
rubbish, media said.
Cyanide was also found in the body of at least 1 of the men she was involved
with before her recent marriage.
They also found paraphernalia for administering drugs and medical books at an
apartment she kept south of Kyoto.
Her lawyers reportedly plan to appeal to the higher court, suggesting that the
high-profile trial could continue.
(source: news.com.au)
NIGERIA:
Fed Govt gets wake-up call on 600 death row Nigerians in Asia
The Legal Assistance and Defence Projec (LEDAP) has berated the Federal
Government for not showing interest in the plight of over 600 Nigerians on
death row in foreign countries.
The National Coordinator of LEDAP, Mr. Chino Obiagwu, expressed this concern
during a media chat in Lagos on the occasion of the World Day Against the Use
of the Death Penalty.
The theme of this year's World Day Against the Use of the Death Penalty is
"Poverty and the Death penalty".
Obiagwu said while there is a growing concern by rights activists over the
rising number of Nigerians who are awaiting execution in South-East Asian
countries for various offences, the Nigerian government hasn't paid any
attention to their plight.
He pointed out that the number of Nigerians, who are facing the death penalty
in foreign countries, most of which are for drugs-related offences was
startling.
According to him, "South-East Asia alone, has over 600 Nigerians who have been
condemned to death, and are awaiting execution in various prisons".
He said: "Why this is a worrisome development that deserves the attention of
the Federal Government of Nigeria, most of the convicts never had the benefit
of proper legal representation.They were therefore, subjected to summary trials
and convicted and sentenced to death, without being given the benefit of legal
counsel".
The National Coordinator of LEDAP contended that abolition of death penalty in
law and practice, should be the desire of the government, "as death penalty is
cruel and inhumane treatment, and has no place in modern society".
He lamented that the application of the death penalty is discriminatory in the
country as it has become a punishment exclusive to the poor in society.
LEDAP contended that the reason for the discriminatory outlook, is due to the
fact that the rich have the resources to settle the police or afford the best
lawyers, who ensure that they are not convicted.
He remarked that because of the firm belief of the group on abolition of death
penalty, LEDAP has continually fought legal battles with the federal and state
governments, on the need to ensure that fundamental rights of citizens are
safe-guarded and the death penalty is abolished.
He said within the last 2 years, the group has secured acquittal for 18 death
row inmates in different prisons in the country on appeal, a development which
he said lend credence to the unreliability of the criminal justice delivery
system, on capital offences.
The group urged state governors not to sign any death warrants, as it
constitutes state murder.
"With the high number of criminal convictions overturned on appeal, continued
execution is risky, as innocent people may be wrongfully killed.
"LEDAP strongly believes that in its practical application, the death penalty
is discriminatory, as there is hardly any rich or influential person in
society, who is sentenced to death", he added.
(source:: thenationonlineng.net)
*******************
Experts Divided Over 2,194 Death Row Prison Inmates
The 2,194 death row inmates in Nigerian prisons as at November 2017, has
attracted divided opinions from lawyers and other criminal justice analysts.
In the Nigerian prison with about 70 % of the about 74,000 inmates awaiting
trial, the number of death row inmates is about 4 % of the prison population.
There is the suggestion that the number is rising because state governors are
not signing the execution orders, or commuting the sentences through the
prerogative of mercy. Yet there is the view that the country's criminal justice
system is skewed against the poor members of society.
Analysts are quick to point at the case of Emeka Ezeugo, alias Reverend King,
as one of the few prominent citizens to be handed the death sentence. While
others point to the application of the law vis-a-vis the gravity of the offence
as the major factor responsible for the increasing number of death row inmates.
The Nigerian criminal law recognizes capital punishment for offences of murder,
treason, treachery, and armed robbery, while some states have enacted capital
punishment for kidnapping. Section 221 of the Penal Code and Section 319 of the
Criminal Code provide capital punishment for murder, while sections 37 and 38
of the Criminal Code prescribe punishment by death for treasonable felony.
During the 15th World Day Against Torture recently, the Avocats Sans Frontiere
France (ASFF) otherwise known as Lawyers Without Borders, said its records
showed that most individuals "on death penalty row are from disadvantaged
groups."
ASFF's Angela Uwandu, who spoke on the theme, 'Death Penalty and Poverty' in
Abuja, noted that poor offenders cannot hire the services of experienced
lawyers to defend them in court, thereby denying them their right of defence.
"Although the right for appeal in death penalty cases is fundamental according
to the Nigerian constitution, most persons who have been sentenced to death are
unable to challenge their convictions on appeal due to the exorbitant costs of
appeals at both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court systems," she said.
"The death penalty is discriminatory and is used disproportionately against the
poor. Legislations prescribing the death penalty will ultimately put the
economically disadvantaged population at higher risk of death penalty. The
death penalty is not a deterrent and is not a solution for crimes like
kidnapping, as is wrongly assumed by several state legislatures," Uwandu
averred.
In the same vein, the Executive Director, Citizens United for the
Rehabilitation of Errants (CURE), Sylvester Uhaa, expressed worry over the
preponderance of persons of poor background who could not afford good legal
representation in the death row inmates. He also faulted politicians who
believe the death penalty is a solution to crime.
"The argument that capital punishment is a deterrent to crime is flawed because
studies in many jurisdictions show it does not. The death sentence is an
emotional response to crime, an act of vengeance and retribution," he said.
"But in actual sense they are not because they fail to address the root causes
of violent crimes in our society. More so a fundamentally and deeply flawed
criminal justice system in Nigeria which lacks the basic elements of justice
cannot demand the death penalty, as this would lead to the killing of innocent
people," he added.
But the second vice president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Onyekachi
Ubani, said the death penalty remains part of the Nigerian law even though most
state governors have shied away from giving effect to the law. He explained
that if the country wishes to remove capital punishment, that can only be done
through the National Assembly.
"I am in favour of obeying what the law says. If the law says execute, you
execute. For now, that is the law, so the governors must carry out all that is
required for the amendment of the law in order to escape carrying out that
responsibility," Ubani said.
He also agreed that the criminal justice system in Nigeria is skewed against
the poor who have no money to hire good lawyers, explaining that they don't get
the best from the pro bono services provided by some lawyers.
Also, human rights lawyer, Hameed Ajibola Jimoh, said where the judge has
decided on the law, he becomes 'functus officio' and only the state can now
confirm that sentence.
"As our Administration of Criminal Justice System is, anyone found guilty
should be dealt with according to the laws of the land and that is the core
principles of rule of law," he said.
On the argument that death row inmates are mainly poor persons, Jimoh said
being guilty of crime is a matter of social status, stressing that "even the
society will not be secure if some of those genuinely guilty persons are
released to the society. Definitely, poor persons without moral upbringing are
more prone to committing crimes than the rich."
For its part, the Nigerian Prisons Service, through its spokesman, Francis
Enabore, said it is focused on providing safe and human custody to the inmates.
"It is the prerogative of state chief executives to either sign execution
warrants or commute the sentences to terms of imprisonment for those that have
exhausted their appeals," he said.
(source: Daily Trust)
MAURITANIA:
Quash Blogger Mkhaitir's Death Sentence
press release
Mauritanian authorities should quash the death sentence for a Mauritanian
blogger, Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mkhaitir, and drop all charges against him that
violate freedom of expression, Human Rights Watch said today. The Court of
Appeals in Nouadhibou is due to review the case on November 8, 2017.
Prosecutors charged Mkhaitir with apostasy for posting an online article in
January 2014 questioning the use of religion to legitimize ethnic and caste
discrimination in Mauritania. After 3 years of judicial proceedings,
Mauritania's Supreme Court in January set aside a ruling by the Court of
Appeals that upheld the death sentence and referred the case to a new panel of
judges for review.
"Mauritania has no business charging anyone with 'apostasy,' much less
sentencing a blogger to death for such an absurd charge based on an article he
wrote," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human
Rights Watch. "It's good that the appeals court is reviewing this case, but he
never should have been charged in the first place."
Human Rights Watch raised concerns about the conviction, lengthy procedure, and
extreme sentence Mkhaitir is facing for a speech offense with Justice Minister
Mohamed Ould Daddah during a meeting in Nouakchott on October 19. "Mkhaitir is
entitled to a fair trial in line with our international commitments," he told
Human Rights Watch. "I hope that he will be tried by the end of the year."
It has almost been four years since Mauritanian authorities arrested Mkhaitir
after the Mauritanian news website Aqlame published his blogpost on the
marginalization of certain groups in Mauritania. He spent 12 months in pretrial
detention, and a court sentenced him to death in December 2014 for "speaking
lightly" of the Prophet and heresy.
In 2016, the Court of Appeals in Nouadhibou lowered the charges from "apostasy"
(zendagha) to "disbelief" (ridda) but maintained the death sentence. The
defense appealed the case to Mauritania's Supreme Court, which set aside the
lower court's decision on January 31, 2017, and sent the case back to a new
panel of judges from the same Court for a new hearing.
Some Mauritanian activists have noted that there has been an outpouring of
protests over the article on religious grounds. Over the last 2 1/2 years,
thousands of protesters have gathered on a number of occasions to call for
Mkhaitir's execution. On November 3, Mohamed Diop, journalist for the
Mauritanian news agency Alakhbar, reported that police authorities prevented
protesters calling for Mkhaitir's execution from marching in the streets of
Nouakchott and arrested four of them.
Mauritanian human rights activists who have publicly supported Mkhaitir have
received death threats, Aminetou Mint Ely, a prominent women's rights leader,
told Human Rights Watch. In December 2016, Mkhaitir's parents fled the country
and sought asylum in France stating that they could no longer live in
Mauritania under permanent threats.
Mauritania's prosecution of Mkhaitir for his writing violates the international
law guarantees protecting free speech, such as those enshrined in the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Mauritania has
been a party since 2004. The Mauritanian constitution guarantees freedom of
opinion, thought, and expression. Restriction of speech, and in particular
criminal prosecutions, should only be used as last resort, for a justifiable
reason, when the law is clearly defined and the restriction is proportionate.
Mkhaitir's speech, given it could not conceivably be construed as incitement to
violence or hatred, should never have been subject to prosecution.
Both United Nations and African human rights standards on the right to life
encourage states to move toward abolition of the death penalty and in those
states that retain the death penalty make clear it should be limited to the
most serious crimes and can only be imposed after a fair trial. The African
Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights has stated that: "In those States which
have not yet abolished the death penalty it is vital that it is used for only
the most serious crimes - understood to be crimes involving intentional
killing."
Mauritanian prosecutors should drop the charges against Mkhaitir, Human Rights
Watch said, and Mauritanian legislators should repeal penal code provisions
that violate freedom of expression, including Article 306, which provides the
death sentence for apostasy.
(source: Human Rights Watch)
EGYPT:
British woman 'facing death penalty' in Egypt for carrying painkillers pleads
for help in secret message from cell----Laura Plummer made 'honest mistake' by
travelling with tramadol for boyfriend who was suffering back pain after car
crash
A British tourist imprisoned in Egypt after flying into the country with
painkillers for her boyfriend has pleaded for help in a secret message passed
from behind bars.
Laura Plummer, 33, from Hull, said she had "no idea" she was breaking the law
when she entered the country with 290 tramadol pills and naproxen in her
suitcase.
She fears she could face the death penalty for drug trafficking for bringing
the medication for boyfriend Omar Caboo, 33, who had been suffering severe back
pain following a car crash.
In a note from her prison cell, she said: "Please help me get out of this
hellhole.
"I don't know what's happening. I'm scared. I had no idea that what I was doing
was wrong. I thought I was doing a good deed."
The message was passed to The Sun, which reported Ms Plummer was being kept
with 25 women in a 15ft-by-15ft cell.
Her sister Jayne Sinclair, 40, said: "She's absolutely petrified."
Ms Plummer was arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking at Hurghada
International Airport on the Red Sea coast on 9 October.
She had packed 29 strips of tramadol, each containing 10 tablets, and some
naproxen ahead of flying to visit Mr Caboo. The medication, which reportedly
had a street value of just 23 pounds in Egypt, was supplied by a friend who had
been prescribed them in the UK.
Tramadol is widely prescribed in Britain but Egypt, in common with many other
countries, has strict rules on any drugs containing opioid analgesics. The drug
cannot be brought into the country without prior permission from the Ministry
of Health.
Ms Plummer reportedly signed a 38-page statement in Arabic which she believed
would allow her to leave the airport, but has been incarcerated ever since.
Her brother, James Plummer, 31, said the family has been told she could face up
to 25 years in jail, with 1 lawyer even mentioning the death penalty.
Her brother said bringing the tablets into Egypt had been an "innocent, honest
mistake", adding: "It's just blown out of proportion completely."
Ms Plummer's mother and sisters have flown out to visit her amid fears for her
welfare. They said her hair was falling out due to stress, she was suffering
from an ear infection, and she was still wearing the clothes she travelled in.
"They say she's unrecognisable," said Mr Plummer. "When they seen her, she's
like a zombie, they said.
"I don't think she's tough enough to survive it."
More than 11,000 people have signed a petition calling for her release.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are supporting a British woman and her
family following her detention in Egypt."
(source: Independent.co.uk)
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