[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
June 1 IRAN: Man Charged with Corruption on Earth to Be Hanged in Public Tomorrow An unidentified man charged with "Corruption on earth" is reportedly scheduld to be executed in public in the city of Shiraz (Fars province, southern Iran) early morning on Thursday June 2. The public prosecutor of Shiraz confirmed the news to the state-run news agency, Mizan. In the report the public prosecutor claims the man was sentenced to death for creating an environment of instability in Shiraz by attacking the homes of residents at night and committing acts of rape. Over the past week, there were at least 2 executions carried out in public in the province of Fars. According to statistics gathered by Iran Human Rights, in the past several years, the province of Fars has been home to the most public executions in Iran. (source: Iran Human Rights) JAPAN: Uninformed 'confession' hoped to clear late Teigin Incident suspect Sadamichi Hirasawa was sentenced to death in part because of a one-off admission that he killed 12 people with poison and took money from a branch of Teikoku Ginko (Imperial Bank) in Tokyo in 1948. The Teigin Incident, as the crime became known, was one of postwar Japan's most sensational mass-murder cases. Hirasawa's lawyers, however, are attempting to reopen the case by using what they call his temporary confession as evidence to prove his innocence. In an appeal for a retrial filed with the Tokyo High Court last November, the lawyers submitted an expert opinion written by Sumio Hamada, professor emeritus of psychology at Nara Women's University, who closely examined interrogation records to conclude Hirasawa knew nothing about the crime for which he was accused and ultimately convicted. "Hirasawa turned to confess (to) the crime after denying his involvement, but the confession statements show he knew nothing about the crucial points - how he (allegedly) obtained the poison, how the victims died and how he used the (stolen) money. He did not have to conceal them once he admitted to the murder," Hamada said. "He even told interrogators that he found it difficult to make what he was saying consistent. It indicates Hirasawa struggled to draw the plot of the crime on the assumption that he himself was the culprit." "The records of Hirasawa's statements also show interrogators, for their part, had no doubts about his involvement in the crime," added Hamada, who has issued expert opinions by studying statements of crime suspects in many other high profile murder cases. "When inconsistencies emerged, the interrogators helped him make an adjustment without considering the possibility that he might be innocent." Following his arrest based on flimsy evidence in August 1948 - 7 months after the mass-poisoning - Hirasawa initially denied perpetrating the crime, only to own up to it one month later. Although he changed his plea again to innocent at the start of his trial, he received the death penalty, which was finalized in 1955. He sought a retrial, helped by his adopted son, Takehiko, but died in a Tokyo prison hospital on May 10, 1987, at the age of 95 following a 39-year incarceration. Takehiko, whose real father was a famous writer supporting Hirasawa, continued efforts to get his adoptive father exonerated posthumously. Takehiko, however, was found dead at his home in 2013 at the age of 54. With Takehiko's death, it was assumed the legal quest to exonerate Hirasawa was over. However, the late inmate's lawyers urged his relatives to take over the attempt to achieve justice, according to Keiichiro Ichinose, the chief lawyer. While only lineal relatives are allowed to pursue such action under the Japanese legal system, those of Hirasawa's had been reluctant to step forward due to social prejudice. Responding to the calls, one relative agreed to become the party to revive the retrial quest - the 20th appeal - and a civil group was formed in late May to support the unpaid effort to reopen the case. At a meeting to launch the group, Hamada said, "It must be difficult (for others) to comprehend . . . that a suspect (can make) a false confession, which may lead to a death sentence. But the Teigin and other criminal cases show a wrongly suspected person may have no choice but to behave as the real culprit amid daylong, day-after-day questioning, even when not facing violent pressure, such as torture." "I believe the 'confession' of Hirasawa can be proof of his innocence," Hamada told around 80 attendees. Another pillar of the latest retrial appeal is the psychological evaluation of the eyewitness testimony, including by survivors of the Teigin Incident, conducted by Surugadai University professor Satoshi Hara and other researchers. "The eyewitnesses were required to identify Hirasawa several months after the . . . Teigin Incident, but their memories must have been affected in the wake of massive reports
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, OHIO, IND., ARIZ., USA
June 1 TEXAS: Coryell County seeking death penalty in child death case A Gatesville man with a history of arrests for sexually abusing children was indicted on a capital murder charge Wednesday in the January death of a 2-year-old boy. Chet Shelton, 27, of Gatesville, was arrested and booked into the Coryell County jail after his arrest on Jan. 13. Coryell County District Attorney Dusty Boyd confirmed his office will be seeking the death penalty in any upcoming trial. According to an arrest affidavit, Shelton was tasked with babysitting the Gatesville toddler, Makai Brooks Lamar, for most of the day while the boy's mother worked a double shift at a local restaurant. The child's mother came home for a break from work and reported the child was fine at that time, the affidavit said. When the mother was back at work, Shelton said he found the child not breathing and took the child to a neighbor's home where a Coryell County Deputy Sheriff lived, according to the affidavit. The child died a few hours later at Coryell Memorial Hospital. Police almost immediately began treating the 34th Street home in Gatesville as a crime scene and began investigating the child's bedroom where they found bloody bedding and pillows. In the arrest affidavit, police highlight several inconsistencies with Shelton's story regarding what happened in the hours before Lamar's death, saying the child's mother ensured police Lamar always slept clothed and in a diaper. "When Shelton took the infant child to the neighbor's house for medical assistance, the infant was wearing no clothing, not even a diaper," the affidavit said. Perhaps most troubling are the injuries to Lamar confirmed by an autopsy in Dallas. The preliminary cause of death was labeled as blunt force trauma as the child had numerous injuries to his head and internal organs. The affidavit said the child had also been sodomized, causing "severe, distinct trauma" to the child. Shelton's criminal history includes 3 counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child in May 2007, 3 counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child in December 2007, 2 counts of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury in October 2010 and 4 counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact in May 2007. However, many of Shelton's most serious sexual crimes against children were eventually downgraded to injury to a child, which does not carry a sex offender registration requirement. Shelton is currently in the Coryell County Jail where he awaits his trial on at least $500,000 in bonds. (source: Killeen Daily Herald) OHIO: Seman attorneys challenge death penalty Attorneys today in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court argued three motions dealing with the death penalty in the Robert Seman case. Defense attorneys have challenged the constitutionality of the death penalty in Ohio as well as motions by prosecutors to dismiss jurors against the death penalty during jury selection and whether the indictments asking for the death penalty were worded properly. Judge Maureen Sweeney said she will issue her rulings shortly. Seman, 46, is accused of starting a fire March 31, 2015, killing Corinne Gump, 10 and her grandparents, William and Judith Schmidt at their Powers Way home. Seman was to go on trial the day of the fire for raping Gump. He faces 10 counts of aggravated murder with death penalty specifications. (source: vindy.com) INDIANA: Juror questionnaire work continues in death penalty case With jury selection set to begin in about 6 months, attorneys involved in a capital murder case involving a Gary police officer killed in the line of duty continue to work on preparing a questionnaire for potential jurors. "The questionnaire will be done very shortly," said lead counsel Rich Wolter Jr., who represents Carl Le'Ellis Blount. "We have had good dialogue with the state." Blount faces the death penalty if convicted in the July 6, 2014, shooting death of Gary police Patrolman Jeffrey Westerfield, 47, a 19-year veteran. Blount, 27, of Gary, has pleaded not guilty. During a brief hearing Wednesday before Lake Superior Court Judge Samuel Cappas, Wolter said discovery is ongoing and the defense team is waiting for additional information on the state's firearms examination. Wolter said a firearms expert has been hired by the defense to conduct a separate examination. Jury selection is scheduled to begin Jan. 9, and Blount's trial is scheduled to start Feb. 6. Westerfield was shot in the head in his police car on 26th Avenue near Van Buren Street as he followed up on a domestic disturbance involving Blount and his girlfriend early on July 6, 2014. Westerfield had communicated car-to-car for a description of Blount, who was on the phone with his half-brother when Blount said he had to hang up after seeing a police officer with his spotlight activated in the area, records state. (source: Gary
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
June 1 MALAYSIA: Man Faces Death Penalty For Weed Charge in Malaysia A federal contractor has been sentenced to death in Malaysia for allegedly trafficking several dozens of pounds of cannabis. Dickson Levy Maria George, 29, was handed down his sentence from High Court Judge Datuk Dr Sabirin Ja'afar. Dickson had been accused of of trafficking 31 pounds (14.49 kilograms) of cannabis on May 9, 2013. The law under which he was charged - the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1952, Section 39B - carries a mandatory death sentence if the accused is convicted. Malaysia is known for its strict attitude in regards to drug policy, which stems in part from it being a Muslim nation. "Generally speaking, Muslim countries and secular authoritarian regimes, especially in Asia, have the heaviest penalties for drug offenses, including long prison sentences for possession and execution for trafficking," says Reason Magazine Senior Editor Jacob Sullum. "But don't lose sight of the fact that the United States stands out among liberal democracies for the harshness of its drug policies, which include routine arrests of drug users and rigid, Draconian sentences based on drug weight." (source: merryjane.com) INDONESIA: Former Indonesian president 'rejects' death penalty The 3rd president of Indonesia has publicly revealed he opposes the death penalty as the country prepares for a third round of executions of drug offenders. In a sign of growing dissent over capital punishment within Indonesia, former president Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie said he had arrived at the conclusion that no man had the right to take someone's life. "It is God's prerogative right," the 79-year-old, who ruled Indonesia following the fall of Suharto, said at the launch of the book Politik Hukuman Mati di Indonesia (The politics of the death penalty in Indonesia) in Jakarta. "So if you ask: 'Habibie, what is your comment on capital punishment?' The answer is that I reject it." Another round of executions will take place after the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in June, according to the Attorney-General's office. The announcement followed weeks of febrile speculation that the end was imminent for up to 15 drug offenders on death row, as firing squads prepared on Indonesia's death island, Nusakambangan. Last year, President Joko Widodo moved swiftly to execute 14 drug offenders - including Australians Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan - citing a drug emergency. The death penalty is widely supported in Indonesia, with media polls typically showing about 75 % approval. Joko last week authorised judges to sentence child sex offenders to death following a national outcry over the gang rape of a 14-year-old girl in Sumatra. But the anti death-penalty campaign is gaining momentum. Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly and popular Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, known better as Ahok, both oppose capital punishment. Former Indonesian judge Professor Jimly Asshiddiqie told the book launch he regretted he had been unable to convince a fellow judge to abolish the death penalty in a landmark Constitutional Court case in 2007. The case, brought by Sukumaran and Chan and others, claimed the death penalty was inconsistent with the guarantee of the right to life in the constitution. Professor Asshiddiqie, who was chairman of the Constitutional Court at the time, said unfortunately the case came at a time when there was huge public anger about drugs in Indonesia. He voted with the majority - 6 votes to 3 - to uphold the death penalty. However he confessed to the book launch that he actually agreed with the dissenting judges who believed the death penalty was unconstitutional. "Actually I will share with you the secret ... I was with them," he said. Professor Asshiddiqie said the constitutional court, established in 2003 as part of reforms following the Suharto regime, was a new institution at the time. "I didn't always agree with the court's ruling but I also rarely made dissenting opinions," he said. "Because those who make dissenting opinions are the ones who will make it into newspaper headlines." But Professor Asshiddiqie, who was a key player in the anti-death penalty lobby in Jakarta in the lead-up to the executions last year, said he regretted not being able to persuade a 4th judge the death penalty was unconstitutional. "Because if in 2007 we managed to have 5 (judges support) the abolishment of capital punishment ... the history of capital punishment would surely have been changed." Meanwhile the Indonesian government is scrambling to assist Indonesian migrant worker Rita Krisdianti, who has been sentenced to death in Malaysia for carrying 4 kilograms of methamphetamines. The foreign ministry has appointed a team of lawyers to file an appeal. Human rights lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis, who represented Chan and Sukumaran, said the Indonesia's
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
June 1 SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Arabia on course to execute more than 100 people in first 6 months of 2016 as use of death penalty rises The rate of executions so far this year has been higher than 2015, which set a 21-year record Saudi Arabia could be on course to put more than 100 people to death in the first 6 months of this year after a dramatic surge in executions. The death of a Nigerian man convicted of murdering a police officer on Sunday brought the total for 2016 to at least 95 people and humanitarian organisations fear the rate of killings will continue. "Executions in Saudi Arabia have been surging dramatically for 2 years now and this appalling trend shows no sign of slowing," said James Lynch, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Amnesty International. "The steep increase in executions is even more appalling given the pervasive flaws in Saudi Arabia's justice system, which mean that it is entirely routine for people to be sentenced to death after grossly unfair trials." Saudi Arabia on course to double number of beheadings this year Now 21, Amnesty says he was sentenced to death based on "confessions" allegedly extracted through torture, in a violation of international human rights standards. He was arrested aged 17 after taking part in anti-government protests and tried by a counter-terrorism court for a series of offences such as attacking security forces and committing armed robbery. 2 other young men, Abdullah al-Zaher and Dawood al-Marhoon were sentenced to death a few months afterwards, on a list of similar offences, and Amnesty International is among the groups calling for the convictions to be quashed. The British Government said it has "regularly raised" but that under Saudi law they were considered to have been adult at the time of their alleged crimes. Reprieve, a legal charity, said juvenile offenders were also among those executed in January, including a man thought to be 14 at the time of his arrest following demonstrations. The organisation said that if maintained, the current pace could see more than 320 prisoners killed by the end of this year. Saudi Arabia was among the "human rights priority countries" highlighted by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in a recent report, although the British Government has been criticised for its close relationship and lucrative trade deals with the state. The report said that as the principle of capital punishment is enshrined in Saudi Arabia's Sharia law, abolition is unlikely in the near future, and that 2015's rise in executions was partly due to long-running legal cases being concluded. "We condemn and do not support the death penalty in any circumstances and that includes Saudi Arabia," David Cameron said in April. "We always make representations on the death penalty." (source: The Independent) IRAN: Call to revoke young man's death sentence The Iranian Resistance is calling for the cancellation of a death sentence issued for Mohammad Reza Haddadi, aged 15 at the time of his alleged crime, and requests from all human rights organizations, especially the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN Human Rights Council, UN Special Rapporteur on Arbitrary Executions and UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran to take urgent action aimed at forcing the cancellation of this criminal execution. Haddadi has been held in Adel Abad Prison of Shiraz, central Iran, for the past 13 years. Moreover, three prisoners in the cities of Shiraz, Kavar (located 51 kilometers south of Shiraz) and Nour (in Mazandaran Province, northern Iran) were hanged through the span of May 28th to the 30th. 2 inmates were also hanged on May 31st in Noshahr Prison (northern Iran). Therefore, the number of executions in Iran reached 73 in the month of May. Executions, lashing and torture, especially against the youth, reflect the increasing fear sensed by the fascist regime ruling Iran regarding an imminent eruption of anger and social protests. These developments reveal that the mask of moderation used by the criminals ruling Iran is nothing but a deceptive plot. (source: Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran) *** Saving young lives from execution in Iran To mark 1 June - International Children's Day - Raha Bahreini from our Iran team describes how Amnesty has managed to raise awareness about the death penalty and save juvenile offenders from the gallows in Iran. It starts with a panicked phone call. Our contact tells us that a juvenile offender (a person aged below 18 at the time of their crime) has just been transferred to solitary confinement - the final step before execution. This is often our 1st glimpse of this young person and the desperate situation they are in. Why? Because the families of those on death row often fear reprisals if they publicize the plight of their loved ones. They sometimes
