August 28
BELARUS:
Belarusian authorities consider death penalty moratorium
The Belarusian authorities, together with representatives of the Council of
Europe, plan to develop a road map of this process.
4 people last year, and already 2 this year, were shot in the name of the state
through the death penalty. The number of those executed is not made public, nor
is the an exact figure given to the public.
Belarus allows for possible moratorium on the use of the death penalty or even
its abolition, said the other day a representative of the Directorate General
of Human Rights and the rule of law of the Council of Europe, Tatiana Termacic.
“So far, it’s been a question of working out a joint roadmap with the
Belarusian authorities on the abolition of the death penalty. We’ll see whether
this will be transformed into a specific media campaign later on,” said
Termacic.
The conference “Public Opinion and the Death Penalty” has brought together
representatives of Europe, government agencies and civil society in Minsk.
“The main goal is not to campaign but to inform citizens on this topic. But
what I can say for sure is that the number of supporters of the death penalty
has decreased in our country. Since 1996, 23 years have passed,” says
Alyaksandr Markevich of the House of Representatives Commission on Legislation.
In 1996, a referendum was held which left the death penalty in force. During
these 23 years, 2 generations have changed, and the state has carried out 199
sentences. The company “Satio” conducted a survey in April in the
middle-populated Belarusian cities. It was held at the request of the local
human rights organizations: 31% of respondents are “firmly for” the death
penalty, while another 40% – “rather for it”. Against are only 27%.
“Some questions can and should be put to the referendum, but the death penalty
is not one of such areas, as public opinion on this matter is very volatile and
emotional,” said the Chairman of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, Aleh Hulak.
It depends on the sources through which compatriots hear about the death
penalty. Instead of showing “death sentences” in the style of “for what”,
representatives of the European community urge the media to mention the
inhumanity and ineffectiveness of this type of punishment, which should be
removed from the law.
“If this step is taken, it will improve relations and remove many claims, which
the European Community has against Belarus,” adds Hulak. The application of the
death penalty does not allow Belarus to claim membership in the Council of
Europe, spoiling the political and investment climate of the country.
(source: belsat.eu)
IRAQ:
Iraqi court sentences 11 ISIS members to death for terrorist acts in Babil
Iraq’s Babil Criminal Court on Wednesday announced it had sentenced 11 members
of the Islamic State to death for their involvement in exploding a strategic
bridge in the Iraqi province.
The members confessed their membership to the jihadist group and participating
in a terrorist act in Babil (Babylon) Province, the Court’s press office
stated.P> “The terrorists confessed to carrying out an attack they called
‘Invading Fadhliya,’ on a strategic bridge in the area of ??Jurf al-Nasr, north
of the province, in 2014, which ended with a full explosion and led to the
death of three people, wounding 19 security members stationed nearby,” read the
statement.
It also mentioned that experts had estimated the cost and value of the
destroyed bridge at about 18 billion Iraqi dinars (US $15 million).
In addition to Babil, the Islamic State members admitted to committing other
terrorist acts in other locations at different times.
“The sentence for the convicts is handed down in accordance with the provisions
of Article IV/1 of the Anti-Terrorism Law,” the statement added.
Since 2017, the Iraqi judiciary had issued death sentences and life in prison
for hundreds of alleged Islamic State members, among them, foreign nationals.
The country has been highly criticized for its implementation of capital
punishment in recent years. The death penalty in Iraq was suspended on June 10,
2003, but was reinstated the following year.
International groups and human rights organizations, including the United
Nations and Human Rights Watch, say efforts by Iraqi authorities to accelerate
the implementation of death sentences could lead to the execution of innocent
people, pointing to major flaws endemic to the nation’s deficient criminal
justice system.
(source: kurdistan24.net)
IRAN----execution
Hamid Reza Derakhshandeh hanged in public in Kazerun
A man who killed the notorious Friday Prayer leader (Imam) of the city of
Kazeroun, southern Iran, was hanged in public this morning, August 28, 2019.
Hamid Reza Derakhshandeh had stabbed to death Mohammad Khorsand on May 29 as he
was returning from a religious ceremony at 3:30 in the morning.
The execution was carried out at the location of the murder.
Derakhshande, 47, had said he had punished the Friday prayer leader for
stealing from poor people. He never had a criminal record and said he had
sacrificed his life for the well-being of “those who had no bread to eat” and
“those who did not afford to pay back their loans.”
Hamid Reza Derakhshandeh, was tried on July 3, at a court in the city of
Shiraz, capital of Fars province.
The judge issued the verdict minutes after a single court session.
Rampant corruption and embezzlement in the clerical regime in Iran and lack of
justice have frustrated the people suffering under the poverty line.
They are taking the law in their own hands and paying price of it.
In 2007, Majid Kavousifar was also hanged in public for avenging a notorious
judge in Tehran.
Moment before his death, Kavousifar boldly waved to the crowds, saying, “I will
die a man.”
(source: Iran Human Rights)
******************
Iran Publicly Hangs Murderer of Friday Prayer Imam at Spot Where Cleric Was
Killed----Hamid Reza Derakhshandeh was executed at the scene where he killed
the cleric on May 29, IRNA reported, citing the chief justice of Fars province,
Kazem Mousavi.
Iran on Wednesday hanged in public a man convicted of murdering the leader of
main weekly prayers in the southern city of Kazeroun, state news agency IRNA
said. Hamid Reza Derakhshandeh was executed at the scene where he killed the
cleric on May 29, IRNA reported, citing the chief justice of Fars province,
Kazem Mousavi. Mohammad Khorsand suffered fatal injuries when attacked with a
"cold weapon" while returning from a ceremony during Ramadan, the Muslim holy
month of fasting, IRNA said.
The cleric had been the leader of Friday prayers in Kazeroun, the capital of
Fars province, since 2007.
After his arrest, Derakhshandeh stood trial and "confessed to the premeditated
crime in the presence of judicial authorities", Mousavi was quoted as saying.
The death sentence was upheld by the supreme court and carried out after the
cleric's family decided not to spare the life of the killer who refused to
express regret, Fars news agency reported.
Under Iranian law, a murder victim's family can spare a convict's life by
accepting blood money.
"Due to the sensitivity of the case and the public sentiments in this regard,
efforts were made for the case to be investigated promptly," Mousavi said.
Imams who lead Friday prayers in Iran are appointed by supreme leader Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei.
(source: news18.com)
************************
8 Prisoners Transferred to Solitary Confinement for Execution
At least 8 prisoners have been transferred to the solitary confinement of
Rajai-Shahr in the Iranian city of Karaj for execution.
According to IHR sources, At least eight prisoners have been transferred to the
solitary confinement of Rajai-Shahr in the Iranian city of Karaj for execution.
“Their families were called to the last meeting with the prisoners Tuesday
morning,” a source told IHR. Executions are usually carried out on Wednesdays
at Rajai-Shahr prison.
6 of them were sentenced to death for murder charges. Their names are listed as
Siavash Inanlou, Manouchehr Dehghan, Alireza Behrad, Ebrahim Yarmout-Oghli,
Ahmad Ghareh-Balaei and Reza Mousavi Borghani.
If they fail to win the consent of the plaintiffs, they would be executed.
According to the Iranian Islamic Penal Code (IPC) murder is punishable by qisas
which means “retribution in kind” or retaliation. In qisas cases, the plaintiff
has the possibility to forgive or demand diya (blood money).
In this way, the State effectively puts the responsibility of the death
sentence for murder on the shoulders of the victim’s family. In many cases, the
victim's family are encouraged to put the rope is around the prisoner's neck
and even carry out the actual execution by pulling off the chair the prisoner
is standing on.
2 others were sentenced to death for drug-related charges. Their surname is
Mirzaei. They were transferred from Ghezel-Hesar prison to Rajai-Shahr prison
for execution.
(source: Iran Human Rights)
MOROCCO:
Convicts Appeal in Case of Slain Scandinavian Hikers
An appeal opens Wednesday in the case of 24 men convicted over the beheadings
of 2 young Scandinavian women on a hiking trip in Morocco's High Atlas
mountains last December.
The appeal at the court in Sale, near Rabat, comes six weeks after three ISIS
group supporters were sentenced to death over the murders which have shocked
the North African country.
The other defendants, including the only non-Moroccan, Spanish-Swiss Muslim
convert Kevin Zoller Guervos, were handed jail terms ranging from 5 years to
life.
While those convicted are seeking lighter punishments, the family of
24-year-old Danish student Louisa Vesterager Jespersen is urging the court to
uphold the July 18 sentences, lawyers said.
Jespersen and her hiking companion 28-year-old Norwegian Maren Ueland, nature
lovers who were training to be guides, were on a Christmas holiday hiking trip
when they were killed.
The first hearing is expected to be taken up by procedural issues.
Prosecutors and social media users had called for the death penalty for all 3
main suspects, despite Morocco having a de facto freeze on executions since
1993.
Younes Ouaziyad, a 27-year-old carpenter who admitted to beheading one of the
tourists, asked in court for "God's forgiveness".
Third alleged assailant, 33-year-old Rachid Afatti, had admitted to filming the
grisly murders on his mobile phone.
Khaled El Fataoui, lawyer for Jespersen's family, aims to prove the state's
moral responsibility for the killings and to seek financial compensation.
The court, for its part, has ordered the 3 main accused to pay 2 million
dirhams ($200,000) in compensation to Ueland's parents, although El Fataoui has
said they did not have the means.
The defense team of those convicted has argued there were "mitigating
circumstances on account of their precarious social conditions and
psychological disequilibrium".
Coming from modest backgrounds, with a "very low" level of education, the
defendants mostly lived in low-income areas of tourist hotspot Marrakesh.
(source: aawsat.com)
PAKISTAN:
3 brothers awarded death sentence in murder case
The Hyderabad Model Criminal Trial Court on Tuesday awarded capital punishment
to 3 brothers in a double murder case.
The convicts — Rasheed, Siddique and Ishaque — belonging to the Khoso tribe,
were also ordered to pay a fine of Rs500,000 to the heirs of the victim, Shafiq
Khoso.
A 5th accused in the case, Saifullah, remained at large.
The murder case was registered at the Pabban police station of Hyderabad
district on Jan 3, 2015 on the complaint of Abdul Sami Khoso, the brother of
the deceased, a resident of Nawabshah.
Shafiq Khoso, a brick kiln worker, was killed over a monetary issue at his
workplace in an area falling within the Pabban police limits.
Rasheed Khoso was also accused of having killed his wife by strangulating her
on suspicion of her extramarital affair with the deceased.
(source: dawn.com)
BANGLADESH:
War crimes ‘71: Rajshahi Jamaat man gets death penalty
The International Crimes Tribunal-1 yesterday sentenced a Jamaat-e-Islami man
from Rajshahi to death for committing crimes against humanity during the
Liberation War in 1971.
Abdus Samad Musa alias Firoz Kha, 62, was “directly involved” in abduction,
confinement, torture and murder of at least 15 people in the district’s Puthia
upazila.
“He [Musa] got engaged in committing atrocious acts directing civilians as a
notorious loyal activist of Pakistani occupation army and later on got enrolled
in locally formed Razakar Bahini,” the tribunal said.
According to the investigators, Musa was involved with the Muslim League before
the war but joined Jamaat and then Razakar Bahini, an auxiliary force of
Pakistan army, as the war broke out.
He went into hiding after the war, most probably in India, but returned to
Bangladesh after the political changeover in 1975, the investigators also said.
“Crimes against humanity are the offences which detriment not only the victims
and their own communities, but all human beings. Such crimes indisputably cut
deep, violating the core humanity.
“The offences committed by the accused therefore gravely aggrieved all human
beings, we conclude,” it added.
Tribunal’s Chairman Justice Md Shahinur Islam and members Justice Amir Hossain
and Justice Md Abu Ahmed Jamadar read out the summary of the 174-page verdict
in presence of Musa, the prosecution team, investigators, defence and
journalists.
Prosecutor Zahid Imam expressed satisfaction as they were able to prove all 4
charges.
Mofizul Khalifa, son of a victim, said “We have been waiting for this day. We
are happy now.”
Defence counsel Abdus Sattar Palwan, however, said his client did not get
justice and would file an appeal with the higher court.
According to the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973, a war crimes
convict can file an appeal with the Supreme Court within 30 days from the date
when the verdict is pronounced.
With the latest judgement, the war crimes tribunals have so far delivered 39
verdicts against 89 people. Of them, 63 have been sentenced to death.
CHARGES AND PUNISHMENT
The tribunal found him guilty in 4 charges and sentenced him to death for all
the charges. However, death sentences would naturally be merged, the tribunal
said.
According to the 1st charge, the convict was involved in looting, arson,
abduction, confinement, torture and murder of 4 people of Damdoma, Shukdebpur,
Bashbari and Gotia in Puthia.
Musa took part in the abduction, confinement, torture and murder of 6 civilians
of Gondogohali, Chakpolashi, Bairagibazar and Bashbari in the same upazila,
reads the 2nd charge.
According to the third charge, Musa directly took part in the killing of 4
Santal men at Santal Para of Paschimbhag in the same upazila.
Musa was involved in the killing of one person in Dhokrakul village of the
upazila, reads the last charge.
(source: The Daily Star)
KENYA:
Former Robber Restarts His Life at Age 42 He walked to prison a young,
energetic 28-year-old in 2005 and stumbled out a wizened man of 42 a month ago.
Nicholas Ouma Obonyo is lucky to be alive and free.
Sentenced to death for robbery with violence, he spent his first 4 years as an
inmate in "ConA" (Condemned Block A) at Kamiti Maximum Security Prison awaiting
his date with the executioner before President Kibaki commuted all death
sentences to life imprisonment in 2009.
"I spent these four years in solitary confinement thinking of my last days. I
never went out until that year when debate started on whether the country
should retain capital punishment," says the man from Rabar, Siaya County.
"We used to be taken out individually for a few minutes in the sun. It was a
very depressing time. The wardens only spoke to me about execution."
WILD PARTYING
Obonyo was sentenced to death on January 17, 2001 after being in remand for a
year. He exhausted his appeals in 2005.
"The plain truth is, I was not a good man. I was a criminal. I thought I was
having the time of my life. It was all about drink, bhang and women," he says.
He had a good life in Eldoret and owned a garage. "I was known for kuchafua
meza (buying drinks for friends). I'd spend up to Sh10,000 in one night. My
friends would look for me in the evening for the usual wild drinking sprees,"
he recalls.
"I thought my friends loved me and would do anything for me."
It reached a time he drank so much that he often missed work. Customers noticed
and began disappearing one by one.
"My customers were agitated because I was taking too long to complete work. I
went broke because I never used to save anything," he recalls.
SHADY JOBS
One afternoon in 1996, an unexpected client appeared at the garage. He wanted
Obonyo to switch the engine of one vehicle to another.
Days later, he came back with another car, this time to have its colour
changed. Thereafter, the peculiar but handsome-paying jobs just kept coming.
Tasks were performed. No questions were asked. Soon his garage was full with
this man's vehicles.
"The man gave his name as Kamau. He was bossy and kept switching cars like
socks. He seemed to have a hole full of money," Obonyo says.
"I was curious but never asked. Kamau became my best customer and even joined
by band of drinking buddies."
Obonyo says he readily agreed when Kamau told him one day to drive him around
with 2 of his friends.
AUTO THEFT
They ended up in Miti Moja-Matisi, Kitale. Little did Obonyo know the men were
on a mission to steal a car.
"They alighted and returned later with another car, saying it had some problem
with the gear and that I needed to drive it back and repair it," he says.
"When we got back to Eldoret, they gave me Sh15,000 as an appreciation for
driving them."
He says they later told him that he was a good person and would like to hire
him to be driving them.
And that is when Kamau told Obonyo where the vehicles were coming from. "He
told me they targeted nice-looking vehicles in rural areas to steal," he says.
Soon, he was in. If they weren't pursuing a car to steal, Obonyo's nights were
spent on the Eldoret-Nairobi road. He stole from trucks at gunpoint.
"There were networks through which we got tips on what vehicles to target ...
mostly those transporting tyres as those were easy to sell," he says.
"Our notoriety grew. We were even being hired by businessmen to hijack vehicles
belonging to their rivals. We operated around Timboroa, where the winding road
tends to slow vehicles down. The forest was a good hideout."
40 DAYS UP
Tired of the work it took to sell stolen goods, Obonyo and his group switched
to robbing vehicles transporting money for banks in 1999.
Just 6 months into it, all was over for Obonyo. Drunk and in pursuit of money
being taken from a wholesale shop in Siaya Town to a bank, Obonyo was the
pointman.
"We were still drunk and high on drugs from a night of revelling. Someone had
tipped us off the moment the courier stepped out of the shop. It was a woman
and I thought it was going to be easy," he says.
"I pointed the gun at the woman and ordered her to drop the bag. She hesitated.
I grabbed the bag but she grabbed my jacket. She screamed when I hit her and I
started to run.
"A person pounced on me and then a crowd followed. Not long, stones were flying
my way. I fell unconscious and woke up in a police cell."
Reality then struck. Even after spending hundreds of thousands of shillings on
booze, Obonyo could not afford a lawyer.
"My wife had nothing. From the thousands of shillings I made, I only used to
leave her with Sh1,000," he says.
He has been at the Eldoret, Kamiti, Kibos, Kodiaga, Naivasha, Shimo la Tewa,
King'ong'o and Manyani prisons.
(source: allafrica.com)
ZAMBIA:
Court of Appeal quashes Pemba man’s death sentence
The Court of Appeal has quashed a Pemba man’s death sentence and reduced his
offense from murder to manslaughter for causing the death of his three-year-old
step daughter.
In this case, Christopher Simonga was convicted for murdering his disabled step
daughter.
It was alleged that on January 8, 2017, Simonga, in the company of his wife and
step daughter, were coming from a farm where they went to do some piece work,
when his wife asked him to help carry the child as she was tired.
Simonga did not use a Chitenge to strap his step daughter and while walking
back home, he heard that his cattle had gone astray and decided to run after
them.
While running, his step daughter fell to the ground and fractured her neck.
When his wife got to the accident scene, she found her daughter failing to
breath and decided to call the elders from the village.
However, the child died while Simonga ran away.
He was later arrested and charged with murder.
However, in his defence, Simonga told the lower court that the child’s death
was an accident.
But his wife had told the court that Simonga could have twisted the child’s
neck because he had intentions to kill her.
The lower court then convicted and sentenced him to death, describing his
behaviour as gross negligence.
The court stated that it was reckless to run with a child with a disability.
Simonga appealed against his sentence stating that the court erred when it
convicted him of murder instead of manslaughter despite the prosecution failing
to prove malice aforethought.
Court of Appeal judge Judy Mulongoti said the failure by the prosecution team
to call a doctor to testify on what could have caused a fractured neck was
fatal.
Judge Mulongoti said the court misdirected itself when it convicted Simonga of
murder instead of manslaughter.
“We find merit in this appeal and we quash the conviction and substitute it
with manslaughter. We set aside the death penalty and substitute it with 25
years with hard labour,” said Judge Mulongoti.
(source: diggers.news)
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