Feb. 18
PAKISTAN:
Death awarded to 2 in murder cases
A sessions court awarded death sentence to 2 accused in separate murder cases.
According to the prosecution, Raza Abad police had booked Zahid Iqbal and his
female accomplice on the charge of killing his wife in 2014 over a domestic
dispute.
Additional Sessions Judge Azfar Sultan Abrar awarded death sentence to Zahid
Iqbal under Section 302-B of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) while his female
accomplice was acquitted by giving her benefit of doubt.
The convict was also directed to pay Rs 400,000 as compensation to legal heirs
of the deceased. Otherwise, he would have to undergo an additional imprisonment
of 6 months if he fails to pay compensation.
Similarly, Additional Sessions Judge Yasir Hayat also awarded capital
punishment to accused Muhammad Ejaz of Chak No 153-RB under Section 302-B of
PPC. According to prosecution, Sahianwala police had booked Muhammad Ejaz on
charge of killing his real brother Fida Hussain over a property dispute in
2013.
The convict was also directed to pay Rs 4 lakh as compensation to the legal
heirs of the deceased.
(source: Pakistan Point News)
SWEDEN:
Sweden grants citizenship to scientist sentenced to death in Iran Sweden has
granted citizenship to a Stockholm-based scientist being held in Iran under
sentence of death, the Swedish foreign ministry confirmed on Saturday.
Ahmadreza Djalali, a medical doctor and lecturer at the Karolinska Institute in
the Swedish capital, was arrested in Iran in April 2016 and later convicted of
espionage, having been accused of providing information to Israel to help it
assassinate several senior nuclear scientists.
Iran's Supreme Court upheld the death sentence in December and Tehran
prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi said Djalali had confessed to meeting agents
of Israeli intelligence agency Mossad to deliver information on Iran's nuclear
and defence plans and personnel.
"We know that he has been granted citizenship by the Migration Board. We
continue in our consular work for Djalali and request consular access to our
citizen," a Swedish foreign ministry spokeswoman said.
"We have been in regular contact with Iranian representatives, requested access
to Djalali and presented Sweden's view of the death penalty, which we condemn
in all its forms. Our demand is that the death penalty is not carried out,???
the spokeswoman said.
Djalali had been on a business trip to Iran when he was arrested and sent to
Evin prison. He was held in solitary confinement for 3 months and tortured,
campaigning group Amnesty International has said.
Amnesty said Djalali wrote a letter from inside prison in August stating he was
being held for refusing to spy for Iran.
75 Nobel prize laureates petitioned Iranian authorities last year to release
Djalali so he could "continue his scholarly work for the benefit of mankind".
(source: Reuters)
SUDAN:
Abolish law on death penalty, body tells S. Sudan MPs
The Centre for Peace and Justice (CPJ), a South Sudanese human rights body, has
urged lawmakers the raise a motion calling for abolition of the death penalty
from the country's transitional constitution.
In a statement, CPJ???s executive director, Tito Anthony said lawmakers needed
to be pushed to ensure the death penalty is scrapped off.
"Rights to life are one of inalienable and inherent rights that cannot be
terminate or restricted, at any time and place or for any reasons," said Tito.
"People will not learn the lesson from what they have done if you just sentence
them to death, you need to punish someone for at least years in jail so that
the jailed person will be able to transform himself [or herself] to a better
person once released," he added.
According to Tito, a jail sentence is not to punish individuals, but meant to
transform any arrested person to a better person in society.
A South Sudan court on Monday sentenced the former spokesman of the rebel
leader, Riek Machar to death, citing multiple provisions in the constitution as
the basis upon which the verdict was reached.
Dak was facing several charges, including accusations of treason, several
months after was unlawfully transferred from Kenya to South Sudan in November
2016. He spent over 7 months in solitary confinement before finally being
charged with abetment, treason, publishing or communicating false statements
prejudicial to South Sudan, and undermining the authority of or insulting
President Salva Kiir.
The lead-defence lawyer in the case, Monyluak Alor Kuol described the verdict
as a political decision.
"I do call on president kiir not to sign the death warrant of James Gatdet, for
it a political case that can be handle with the peace Revitalization, in fact
Gatdet should be release be now as to show government commitment to Cession of
Hostilities Agreement," said CPJ's executive director.
(source: Sudan tribune)
EGYPT:
Egypt's House refutes European Parliament's decision on death penalty
The House of Representatives on Saturday refuted a decision taken by the
European Parliament on death penalty in Egypt.
"The decision reveals ignorance of the reality of the situation in Egypt," a
statement by the head of the parliament's Committee of Foreign Relations Tarek
Radwan read.
"It also overlooked lengthy discussions with EU lawmakers, the European
Commission and the EU member states on various issues of common concern,"
Radwan said.
"The decision, which includes fabricated data that undermines the credibility
of one of Europe's most prominent institutions, represents an impenetrable
interference in Egypt's internal affairs", said the senior lawmaker.
In view of the death penalty's gravity, the Egyptian laws have provided several
guarantees to those facing such punishment in a fair trial offering them an
opportunity to defend themselves in accordance with international standards,
the statement said.
The Egyptian law limits the death penalty to the most serious crimes, and
states that such sentence requires the unanimous opinion of all judges of the
criminal court that hears the case, it added.
The Egyptian law affirms that all death penalties have to be issued in the
defendant's' presence and to be heard by the Court of Cassation, Radwan said.
The law also provides that a person who has not attained the age of 18 at the
time of crime will not be sentenced to death, the statement read.
It also allows the President of the Republic to consider a pardon or replace
the sentence within 14 days, it added.
The provisions of Egyptian law on the death penalty are consistent with the
international standards and controls embodied in article 6 of the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights signed by Egypt, he added.
(source: Egypt Today)
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