[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----OHIO, FLA., VA., DEL., CALIF., KY.
Jan. 29 OHIOstay of impending execution The execution for Michael Webb on Feb. 22 has been stayed. The state is once again refining its execution policies following a judge's ruling that criticized minor variations to Ohio's procedures, Attorney General Mike DeWine said Thursday. The announcement comes as another execution was temporarily placed on hold while the debate over these variations works its way through the federal courts. We believe we have a constitutional system, DeWine told The Associated Press Thursday. We want to make it a better procedure pursuant to the federal judge's order. Frost said the issue was not necessarily small changes to Ohio's policies, but whether those changes are made in the proper way. This is not to say that Ohio must perform all executions in a precisely identical manner, Frost said in a Jan. 11 ruling. All that is required is that Ohio apply the same overarching rules in every execution, with these rules allowing for necessary and approved non-core deviations. Frost has also said his rulings aren't a commentary on the constitutionality of Ohio's execution procedures. The Department of Rehabilitation and Correction could not immediately say Thursday what policies were being refined. DeWine said that even if the new procedures pass muster with Frost, there are no plans to withdraw an appeal pending before the U.S. Supreme Court. DeWine said there are large constitutional issues that the high court must decide. Frost on Thursday, without objection from the state, delayed the execution of a man who claims innocence in the 1990 arson death of his 3-year-old son. The 1-page ruling by Frost did not address the innocence claim but instead dealt with the issue of variations to the execution policies. Michael Webb, who was scheduled to die Feb. 22, has argued that a leading arson expert can prove the 1990 fire in southwest Ohio could have been set anywhere in the house, and not just near a closet or bathroom. Webb, 65, says that fact backs up his argument that someone else did it. He has asked the Ohio Parole Board for mercy, and the board will make its recommendation next week to Gov. John Kasich, who has the final say. Attorneys for Webb say his situation is the same as another inmate whose execution is on hold over challenges to Ohio's lethal injection process. Frost this month delayed the execution of Charles Lorraine of Warren, saying the state had failed to keep its promise of strictly following its execution policies. Frost was critical of deviations in an execution in November in which the inmate's medical chart wasn't properly checked and the documentation of the lethal drugs wasn't done according to the policies. (source: Associated Press) FLORIDA: 3 state lawmakers push separate measures to alter death penalty procedure If a killer is headed to death row, a jury needs to recommend it unanimously, contend three Florida legislators who are pushing bills in Tallahassee this session to change Florida law. The current requirement of seven out of 12 jurors isn't enough to condemn a person to death, they say. 3 bills — 2 in the House, 1 in the Senate — seek to amend current Florida law so that unanimity among jurors would be required when suggesting capital punishment to a judge. In Florida, a 1st-degree murder case has 2 phases — 1 to determine guilt and a 2nd proceeding for the jury to recommend a penalty. Florida is the only state that doesn't require juror unanimity for the recommendation. This is out of step with every other state in the United States, said Seth Miller, executive director of the Innocence Project of Florida. And frankly, it means that a number of people who shouldn't get the death penalty, get the death penalty here in Florida. With the leading number of death row exonerations in the U.S., Florida's need for capital punishment reform is pressing, Miller emphasized in a recent video sent out to email subscribers. There have been 23 death row exonerations in Florida since 1973. Illinois follows closely with 20, according to December 2011 figures from the Washington, D.C.-based Death Penalty Information Center. The legislation proposed for 2012 isn't a new concept. They highlight a suggestion made by the American Bar Association in a 2006 report, which advises: Florida should require that the jury's sentencing verdict in capital cases be unanimous and, when the sentencing verdict is a death sentence, that the jury reach unanimous agreement on at least 1 aggravating circumstance. 2 similar bills died in state House and Senate committee hearings during the 2011 legislative session. This year, Senate Bill 772, sponsored by Sen. Thad Altman, R-Melbourne; Senate Bill 352, sponsored by Sen. Oscar Braynon, D-Miami Gardens, and House Bill 29, sponsored by Rep. John Patrick Julien, D-North Miami Beach, all seek the same reform: the unanimous jury on
[Deathpenalty] [SPAM] death penalty news----worldwide
Jan. 29 EGYPT: Mubarak urges world leaders to save him from death penalty Egyptian daily reports ousted president sent 9 letters to Arab, Western states asking to mount pressure on Egyptian authorities to release his family members, not sentence him to death . Susan Mubarak, the wife of ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak sent 9 personal letters dictated by her husband to a senior attorney, in order for him to deliver them to heads of states which had good relations with Mubarak, Ruz al-Yusuf Egyptian daily reported on Saturday. In the letters, which were most likely addressed to the United States, France, Britain, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Lebanon, the ailing Mubarak pleaded with the leaders to mount pressure on Egyptian authorities to allow his 2 sons, Gamal and Alaa – who are also facing trial – and his wife to leave the country without being sent to jail. Mubarak also reportedly plead with American officials to dissuade Egyptian authorities from sentencing him to death, claiming that the current rulers of Egypt and his historic rivals – the Muslim Brotherhood – will not allow the court to acquit. The former Egyptian president is standing trial for his alleged involvement in the deaths of civilians during the uprising against him at the beginning of 2011. Mubarak is accused of involvement in the deaths of 850 protesters as well as charges of corruption and abuse of his power as the executive. Mubarak's sons are also standing trial for alleged involvement in the killing of protesters as well as corrupt activities. Some allegations of curroption have been made against Mubarak's wife, but she has not been put on trial as of yet. (source: Ynetnews) IRANexecution 1 prisoner was hanged in western Iran 1 prisoner was hanged in the prison of Ilam, western Iran. According to the state run Iranian news agency ISNA , the prisoner who wasn’t identified by name, was convicted of murder and had once escaped from the prison by blowing the prison wall. (source: Iran Human Rights) * Guardian Council approves new penal legislation The Guardian Council has approved the Islamic Penal Code legislation, announcing that it does not contradict the principles of Shari’a or the Islamic Republic constitution. ISNA reports that Parliament made necessary reforms in the legislation, and the newly approved law will replace the former. Experts report, however, that the newly approved legislation remains unchanged in terms of penal sentences like stoning, dismemberment and execution of minors, and gender discrimination persists in many of its articles. The organization, Justice for Iran, said in an earlier statement that approval of this legislation would worsen the already dismal human rights situation in Iran. “After years of criticism from Iranian and international societies regarding numerous points of blatant violation of human rights in Iranian laws, the Islamic Parliament is on the verge of approving legislation that not only disregards all the aforementioned criticism but in some cases makes the situation even worse,” Justice for Iran announced in an earlier statement. In recent years, Iranian penal sentencing has caused great outrage both in and outside Iran, with stories of women sentenced to stoning for adultery, and minors sentenced to death who are executed after reaching adulthood behind bars. The rise in the number of executions in Iran has drawn criticism from human rights groups, who have called on the United Nations to make every effort to pressure the Islamic Republic into addressing these issues. *** Supreme court upholds death sentence for web programmer Iran’s Supreme Court has approved the death sentence for Saeed Malekpour, an Iranian web developer who has been jailed in Iran since 2008. Iranian authorities accuse Malekpour of launching “obscene websites.” IRNA reports: “Saeed Malekpour in Canada, with the support of an American company, began the development of an obscene website in Persian, and in 2008, after returning to Iran from Canada, he was identified and arrested.” He was sentenced to death based on the charge of “spreading corruption on the earth.” Farideh Eftekhari, Malekpour’s wife, has told the media that her husband had merely developed photo-uploading software that was used by a pornographic website without his knowledge. She told The Guardian: “Even if my husband's charges were true, which they are not, it's hard to imagine why he should be sentenced to death. I think Iran is trying to intimidate the opposition or any sign of protest by sentencing an unprecedented number of prisoners to death.” Malekpour was shown on Iranian state TV a year after his arrest, making confessions which he has since retracted, insisting that he had been under duress. (source for both: Radio Zamaneh) *** Iran media confirm Canada
