Nov. 8
MAURITANIA:
Mauritania appeals court set to review blogger death penalty case
In Mauritania, an appeals court is set to review on Wednesday the case of a
young blogger sentenced to death after posting a 2014 article challenging the
use of religion to support social injustice.
Mohammed Ould Mkhaitir was arrested almost 4 years ago after sharing his
critical views on the way Islam is wielded as a weapon to perpetuate what is
essentially modern-day slavery in the western African nation. He was initially
charged with apostasy and - although that charge was later reduced - the death
sentence remains.
Mkhaitir's case drew angry street protests from those calling for his execution
as well as those who wished to defend human rights and free speech. The social
and political instability surrounding the widely publicized case led to
frequent court delays and postponements.
On Friday, Mauritanian journalist Mohamed Diop reported that police authorities
prevented protesters calling for Mkhaitir's execution from marching in the
streets of Nouakchott.
The Human Rights Watch organization said Mkhaitir's parents fled the country
last December amid death threats that are common among human rights activists
who support the blogger.
"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, the regional HRW director. "It's good that the
appeals court is reviewing this case, but he never should have been charged in
the first place."
The Freedom Now organization has provided legal counsel to Mkhaitir in the
past, along with local lawyers, some of whom quit during the proceedings
because of the death threats. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and
other rights groups have appealed to President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz on the
blogger's behalf without success.
Aziz initially told Mauritanians that media content must respect Islam, and the
government "will do everything that is necessary to protect the Islamic
religion and to defend the Messenger of Allah."
(source: africatimes.com)
NIGERIA:
Ekiti Assembly approves death penalty for cultists
A bill seeking to prohibit the activities of secret cults on Tuesday scaled
third reading at the Ekiti State House of Assembly.
The substance of the bill, which is yet to be signed into law by the governor,
is the prescription of death penalty for those found guilty of breaching the
law in that regard.
Those aiding and abetting cultism would also bag life imprisonment if found
guilty. The new provision was an amendment to the law against cultism, enacted
by Ayo Fayose during his 1st tenure as governor of the state.
The law had provided a 7-year imprisonment for anyone convicted of cult
activities, whereas those aiding and abetting the act were to be imprisoned for
5 years.
The bill titled, 'Secret Cult (Abolition and Prohibition) [Amendment] Bill,
2017,' gained the lawmakerss attention following increase in cult activities at
the Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti which led to the killing of students
recently.
Before the passage, the House Leader, Akinyele Olatunji, recalled the killings
at the university due to cult activities.
"We will not allow any group to turn Ekiti into death trap area," he said,
while thanking the governor, Ayodele Fayose, for introducing the bill.
"We cannot fold our arms while some people would constitute themselves as a
menace and eliminating the lives of innocent people of this state," Speaker of
the house, Kola Oluwawole, said, while making his remarks on the bill.
"It is an everlasting sorrow for someone to lose his child or relative. The
bill will reshape the lives of our youth. It will 'touch' those who intend to
join any secret cults and those who have the intention to take another person's
life.
"Those people that we are representing will have peace of mind that their lives
and those of their children are safe. The bill considers very seriously the
negative consequences of such action because of the irreparable loss of lives."
(source: premiumtimesng.com)
SOUTH AFRICA:
How these UDF cadres ended up on death row - Michael Masutha----At handing over
of exhumed remains justice minister says he hopes racist tendencies deterred by
coffin case
Address by the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Michael Masutha,
MP, (Adv) on the occasion of the handing over of exhumed remains of 12 UDF
political activists in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape
Program Director
Families of our departed patriots
Premier of the Eastern Cape; Mr Phumulo Masualle
Executive Mayor of Nelson Mandela Metro; Mr Anthol Trollip
Deputy Minister of Defence and Military Veterans; Mr Kebby Maphatsoe
Eastern Cape MEC for Sports Arts and Recreation; Miss Pemmy Majodina
Provincial leadership of the ANC and alliance partners
Members of MKMVA
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
Molweni
At 6h00, on 6th April 1979, a young heroic son of our revolutionary struggle
from Mamelodi was hanged by the racist minority regime in Pretoria. Solomon
Kalushi Mahlangu walked to the gallows with unflinching courage and defiance in
the face of his own demise. As the hangman was about to end his life, he said
"Tell my people I love them and that they must continue the struggle, my blood
will nourish the tree that will bear the fruits of freedom". As if that was not
enough, the apartheid regime was so ruthless that they had no shame in putting
a rope around the neck of an 18 years old POQO cadre from Bhaziya in Mthatha,
Bhekaphantsi Vulindlela thereby mercilessly ending his life.
This sombre occasion should remind us of the words of the late President
Mandela when he summarised the death penalty and said "The death sentence is a
barbaric act ... It is a reflection of the animal instinct still in human
beings".
We are here today, at the friendly province of the Eastern Cape, the birthplace
of many late and living struggle icons, OR Tambo, whose 100th birthday we
celebrated on 27 October, Nelson Mandela, Govan Mbeki, Walter Sisulu, Chris
Hani, Steve Biko, Reverend Makhenkesi Stofile and the former President Thabo
Mbeki, to rededicate ourselves to the cause of Afrika, to establish contact
beyond the grave, with the great African heroes and assure these sons of the
soil that their struggle was not in vain. We have been here in Port Elizabeth
on several occasions to hand over mortal remains of PEBCO 3 and Thamsanqa Poto,
amongst others.
To you families of our departed comrades, after travelling hundreds of
kilometres from this province to Gauteng to witness the exhumation of their
remains, you must be relieved that at last you can now close the chapter in
this dignified and solemn occasion for your loved ones.
Today's event was preceded by the launch of the Gallows Exhumation Project, on
23 March 2016 at Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional centre in Gauteng. This was all
in recognition of the sacrifice of political prisoners who were judicially
executed between 1960 and 1990. This was also in appreciation of some of the
earlier political resistance initiatives against the colonial rule and
domination imposed on Africans here and elsewhere on the continent and around
the world .On that day we recounted the remarkable story of the brutal hanging
of Kgosi Mampuru II which was reported as far as the United States.
The New York Times of 19th December 1886 recorded that: "Mampuru was led naked
to the jail yard in the presence of 200 whites. The 1st rope broke when the
trap was sprung and Mampuru fell into a pit below. He was dragged out, however,
and another attempt to hang him was successful."
These cadres including Kgosi Mampuru II were eliminated by the racist regime
because they were black and it is quite disheartening that the racism they
fought against is still rearing its ugly head as clearly evident in the recent
coffin assault case. However we must commend the judiciary, NPA and law
enforcement for aggressively dealing with the case and hope that any racist
tendencies will be deterred.
Program Director
Allow me to also give an account of how these cadres ended up on death row.
All of these 12 UDF comrades were hanged for events or incidents that took
place during the period of intense political turmoil in the Eastern Cape in
1985 and 1986. They were all buried as paupers in unmarked graves in Mamelodi
cemetery in Tshwane within hours of being hanged. At the time the bodies of
hanged prisoners remained the property of the state and families were not
permitted to attend the burial. It means you were a prisoner of the state even
in death.
Today we are able to fully acknowledge and register our appreciation of their
role in the struggle for freedom. The 1980s was a period of detention, death,
imprisonment, banning of organizations and a state of emergency. Despite those
conditions, they decided that their mission was the freedom of their country
and its people from apartheid oppression.
Generations to come will know the outstanding heroism and bravery they
displayed. They will know how their families were harassed and persecuted by
the apartheid state by virtue of being related to them as fighters of freedom
and justice.
Lungile Rewu, age 19, and Sipho Mahala, age 21, were among 8 persons charged
with the murder of a 16 year old teenager on 2 November 1985 in Veeplaas in
Port Elizabeth during violent clashes between UDF and AZAPO supporters. The
teenager was suspected of being part of an AZAPO group sent to attack UDF
supporters. 1 of the accused absconded and 4 were discharged at the end of the
trial. Another was found guilty of common assault. Lungile Rewu and Sipho
Mahala were convicted of murder without extenuating circumstances and sentenced
to death on 20 May 1987. They were hanged 10 months later on 29 March 1988.
Thobile Lloyd, age 27, and Siphiwo Lande, age 22, were among ten individuals
charged with murder. During the trial, eight of the accused escaped of whom 2
were recaptured. The 4 remaining accused faced charges regarding the killing of
2 men on 18 April 1985 and a policeman on 28 April 1985 in KwaZakhele in Port
Elizabeth. In the 1st incident, a large group of UDF supporters decided at a
people's court to execute certain individuals suspected of certain murders in
the community. In the 2nd incident, a policeman was abducted from his home and
also necklaced to death with car tyres. Thobile Lloyd was convicted of the 1st
2 murders and Siphiwo Lande of all 3. They were sentenced to death on 7 July
1987 and both were hanged 9 months later on 14 April 1988.
Kholisile Dyakala, age 33, and Zwelidumile Mjekula, age 36, were charged along
with 2 other individuals with the murder of a security guard at Coega in Port
Elizabeth on 9 June 1986 and robbery with aggravating circumstances. The state
alleged that the 4 men set out to rob the security guard of his fire arm and
shot him dead during the robbery. One of the accused was killed in an unrest
related incident prior to the trial and the 4th accused was acquitted.
Kholisile Dyakala and Zwelidumile Mjekula were sentenced to death on 14
December 1987 although Mjekula was only convicted on the basis of dolus
eventualis. The 2 were hanged 11 months later on 24 November 1988.
Benjamin Mlondolozi Gxothiwe, age 27, and a member of the Port Elizabeth Youth
Congress (PEYCO), was charged with the fatal shooting of a policeman on 25
December 1985 in Swartkops, Port Elizabeth. He was 1 of 6 individuals charged
for the murder as well as the theft of a firearm and a motor vehicle. Although
the court accepted that there was no evidence of premeditation to the killing
of the policeman, Benjamin was sentenced to death in September 1987 and was
hanged 6 months later on 25 March 1988.
Tsepo Letsoara, age 25, was 1 of 4 individuals charged with the murder of a
young woman on 7 October 1985 in Motherwell in Port Elizabeth. The young woman
was accused of being a police informer after she was detained under the State
of Emergency with a large group of youth but was released a day later while the
others were detained for over a month. Tsepo Letsoara was convicted and
sentenced to death in September 1987 while his co-accused were discharged. He
was refused leave to appeal his conviction and sentence and was hanged 6 months
later on 18 March 1988.
Ndumiso Silo Siphenuka, age 25, and Makhezwene Menze, age 44, were among 8
persons charged with the murder of an elderly farmer and his wife on 17 June
1985 at Kirkwood, Eastern Cape. The court charged that members of the Addo
Youth Congress met on 16 June 1985 and decided to launch an attack on the farm
the following day. All 8 accused were convicted of murder on the basis of
common purpose, but extenuating circumstances were found in the case of 4 due
to their young ages, and prison sentences were imposed on them. The remaining 4
were sentenced to death. 2 were later commuted to prison terms. Ndumiso
Siphenuka and Makhezwene Menze were hanged on 20 April 1989.
Raymond Welile Gwebushe, age 29, from Jansenville in the Eastern Cape, was
charged with the murder of a suspected police informant. On 6 April 1985, a
meeting of the Jansenville Youth Congress was held attended by several hundred
youth at which a decision was taken to execute the alleged informant. Raymond
was convicted of murder without extenuating circumstances and was sentenced to
death on 6 June 1986. The State President declined to grant mercy and he was
hanged on 19 August 1987.
Mangena Jeffrey Boesman, age 37, was 1 of 8 persons charged with the murder of
a school teacher on 19 October 1985 in the town of Sterkstroom, Eastern Cape. A
large group attacked the teacher's home as she was defying the longstanding
school boycott and was believed to be reporting incidents to the police.
Mangena Boesman and 2 fellow accused were sentenced to death on 21 October 1988
for her murder. His 2 fellow condemned received a reprieve seven days before
their execution. Mangena Boesman was hanged on 29 September 1989. He was the
last political prisoner to be executed.
The Missing Persons Task Team (MPTT) and the TRC unit have exhumed 105 remains
of the freedom fighters, 24 identified and ready to be handed to their families
while 10 are awaiting DNA and forensic examinations. On the Gallows Exhumation
Project, out of 83 of those hanged, 37 remains of individuals belonging to both
UDF and PAC have been exhumed leaving us with 46.
During apartheid rule it was common for black people convicted of murdering
whites to be sentenced to death, but very rare for whites who murdered blacks
to be given the death sentence. A study of death sentences in 1 year found that
47% of blacks convicted of murdering whites were given the death sentence as
opposed to no death sentences at all for whites convicted of murdering blacks.
Between 1960 and 1990, at least 140 individuals were hanged for politically
motivated offences.
Our country has since changed this reality and established a society that
values human rights. As one of the leading nations in the promotion of human
rights, South Africa has taken a progressive stance to end the death penalty.
Our democratic constitution which has guided us for the past 20 years declares
the right to life as a fundamental human right. The Constitution also implores
us to uphold the dignity of all living human beings. We hope that the recovery
of these remains will go some way towards relieving the decades of pain
experienced by the families of those hanged, and at last allow them to be
buried with the dignity they deserve.
I must take this opportunity and express our gratitude to the provincial
government led by Premier Masualle and MEC Majodina for its support to this
project, national Department of Defence and Military Veterans,Nelson Mandela
Metropolitan Municipality, , Ekurhuleni Metro, Missing Persons Task Team and
our TRC unit under the leadership of Madeleine Fullard and Thapelo Mokushane of
the TRC Unit team for all the hard work that yielded these results.
As we proceed to take these cadres to be with their forebears, let us then be
reminded to constantly be on guard, to defend this democracy, for it did not
come cheap.
Masibakhaphe Ngesidima Ogatyeni, Otshangisa, Ombona, Omokoena, Ompondo, Osduli,
Omzangwa, Omsiya, Omgcina, Omadiba, Odlomo, Nocirha.
Ndiyabulela
I thank you.
Issued by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, 6 November
2017
(source: politicsweb.co.za)
JAPAN:
'Black widow' murder case casts shadow on lonely hearts among Japan's elderly
The sensational case of a serial killer, dubbed Japan's "black widow" and
accused of killing elderly men - all of whom she met through a matchmaking
service - has cast a shadow over a growing trend of elderly Japanese people
seeking partners.
The case of 70-year-old Chisako Kakehi - who repeatedly met, dated and married
elderly men, including her 4 victims - came at a time when elderly people have
become more and more interested in finding partners amid a rapidly aging
population and the spread of nuclear families in the country.
Kakehi was given the death sentence by the Kyoto District Court on Tuesday for
the murders of her 75-year-old husband Isao and common-law partners Masanori
Honda, 71, and Minoru Hioki, 75, as well as for the attempted murder of her
acquaintance Toshiaki Suehiro, 79, by having them drink cyanide between 2007
and 2013.
Kakehi had registered with a matchmaking service in the hope of meeting wealthy
men with an annual income of more than 10 million Yen ($87,900). She married or
was associated with more than 10 men and inherited about 1 billion Yen, though
she eventually fell into debt.
But there is a view that Kakehi's case may not deter elderly people from
falling prey to similar schemes, apparently due to an anticipated rise in
elderly people living alone and no conclusive measures to prevent a repeat of
such incidents.
"I will stay with you for the rest of my life," Kakehi wrote in an email to her
husband, which was read during her trial. The email was sent to him before his
death. It was apparent that immediately after meeting Kakehi through
matchmaking, he was smitten by her charms and determined to marry her.
At a court hearing, a man in his 80s who said he dated Kakehi around the time
of her husband's death took the stand as a witness.
"My wife died, and living alone was tough, so I wanted to live together (with
Kakehi)," the man recounted.
The 2 met through matchmaking, and in their 4th meeting, he entrusted her with
his house key. He eventually broke up with her, at the warning of local police,
who found the circumstances of her husband's death suspicious.
Still, the man had good words to say about Kakehi, describing her as a "good
woman."
According to a survey by a major marriage-hunting service company, there has
been a rise in the number of people of middle age or older who have remained
unmarried through their lives but are looking for partners. Of that age group,
many men aged 65 and older use websites and marriage consultation centers.
The company has also started a new service catering to middle-aged and elderly
people in recent years.
Novelist Hiroyuki Kurokawa, who wrote a book in 2014 about a woman who was
angling for inheritance by repeatedly marrying and dating elderly men, said,
"At marriage consultation centers, elderly men are popular."
Kurokawa, 68, discussed the psyche of elderly men, who have a short time left
and assets to spare.
"A man, who lives on his own and far from his family, would want (someone) to
be with him, even if he knew his partner is only out for his money," said
Kurokawa, a recipient of the renowned Naoki Prize for popular fiction.
While the case brought to light the tactics of a scheming wife and serves as a
cautionary tale, Kurokawa warned that there is no "preventive measure" to
ensure that a similar incident does not occur.
"Elderly people living alone will increase due to a longer average life span.
Those becoming 2nd wives are also on the rise," he said.
(source: Japan Times)
INDIA:
3 Men Get Death Penalty For Killing Woman, Son After Raping Her In
Rajasthan----The 3 convicts were booked in December 2012 by Udhyognagar police
in Rajasthan's Kota on charges of robbery, gang-rape and murder
3 people have been sentenced to death for raping a 30-year-old woman and
killing her along with her minor son after a robbery in December 2012 in
Rajasthan's Kota. The Schedule Castes and Schedule Tribes special in Kota also
imposed a fine of Rs. 75,000 on the three convicts.
The 3 were booked in December 2012 in Udhyognagar police station in the city on
charges of robbery, gang-rape and murder.
Judge Girish Kumar Agrawal convicted Kapil Anna and Imran Dillhi Wala, both
residents of Udhyognagar in Kota, and Tipu Sultan Aabeed of Tonk district,
Special Public Prosecutor Kamal Kant Sharma said. The three convicts are
between 22 and 25 years old, he said.
The 3 were also sentenced to life imprisonment.
Police said the 3 men broke into the house of Shiva Koli at night and looted
jewellery, cash and other items. They gang-raped Shiva's wife, who was sleeping
with her minor son in the room, the special public prosecutor said.
The 3 convicts then shot dead the woman and her son and escaped after placing
the boy's body in a box, he added.
Udhyognagar police had on December 6, 2012 filed a case and then arrested the 3
men after investigation. They have been in jail since.
35 witnesses have been produced before the court, the prosecutor said.
(source: ndtv.com)
BANGLADESH:
CTG GANG RAPE IN 2005----HC commutes death penalty of 3
The High Court yesterday commuted the death sentence of three convicts to life
imprisonment in a case filed for gang rape of a Brac employee at Banshkhali in
Chittagong in 2005.
The convicts are Md Shofi Alom, Md Kalu and Md Abul Hossain. Kalu is now on the
run, Deputy Attorney General Md Bashir Ullah told The Daily Star.
The bench of Justice Bhabani Prasad Singha and Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam
delivered the verdict after hearing the death reference and appeals filed by
the convicts against the trial court verdict that had sentenced them to death,
he said.
Bashir said the 30-year-old health official of Brac was a mother of three
children. She was gang raped by the convicts in Jaldi area in Banshkhali on
June 12, 2005.
The Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-1 of Chittagong on
January 5, 2015 sentenced the 3 to death, he said, adding that the HC commuted
their death sentence to life imprisonment on the grounds that the 2 convicts
were in condemn cell for a long time and death sentence for rape is harsh.
(source: The Daily Star)
INDONESIA:
\Alleged killer of Depok housemaid might get death sentence
The alleged killer of domestic worker Samsiah, 40, in Depok, West Java, is
threatened with the death penalty, according to an official.
"The threat is a death sentence or lifetime imprisonment," Depok Police's
criminal unit head Comr. Putu Kholis Aryana said on Wednesday as quoted by
kompas.com.
Separately, the Depok Police's head Herry Heryawan said the suspect was upset
with Samsiah because the latter urged him to pay his debt to her.
"The suspect and the victim argued because the latter asked him to give back
her money," said Herry. After the argument, the suspect allegedly committed
violence against the pregnant woman. Samsiah was found dead on Nov. 5.
(source: The Jakarta Post)
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