[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Oct. 7 NIGERIA: Prescribe death penalty for kidnappers, NUT urges N'Assembly The National Union of Teachers (NUT) has urged the National Assembly to passed into law the bill prescribing death penalty for kidnappers. This was stated by the NUT National President, Michael Alogba-Olukoya after the abduction of 2 teachers and 4 pupils from the Lagos Junior Model College, Epe on Thursday. Olukoya who spoke with Punch said, "It is a bad omen and the security operatives should swing into action. We believe in the ability of the Lagos State Governor, Akinwumi Ambode, to secure the release of the pupils, their teacher and the vice-principal. "Let us prescribe the death penalty for kidnappers. If anyone attempts kidnapping, let the person be killed. We have to go a little bit harsh on them. Yesterday, it was Kaduna and today it is Lagos. Now that bunkering and robbery are no longer viable, criminals have resorted to kidnapping. The Nigerian government has to rise to the occasion." 6 gunmen had stormed the school and kidnapped the Vice-Principal, Mr. A.O. Oyesola; the English Language/Civil Education teacher, Mr. Lukman Oyerinde; and 4 Junior Secondary School 1 pupils. (source: YNaija - The Internet Newspaper for Young Nigerians; ynaija.com) ZIMBABWE: And the Zimbabwean coalition against the death penalty The event will celebrate: --The Life and Dignity of all Zimbabweans --Zimbabwean Traditional Culture which found the death penalty abhorrent --The ZANU 1980 Manifesto declaring the party's intention of abolishing this colonial relic --The draft Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Abolition of the Death Penalty in Africa, drawn up while our President was Chairman of the AU and SADC Zimbabwe has not carried out any executions for over 10 years, putting it on the list of countries that have a de facto moratorium on executions. BUT Zimbabwe has not formally abolished the death penalty, and the moratorium does not spare condemned prisoners the horrors of awaiting execution on death row. This event will encourage all Zimbabwean to think about what the death penalty means. Is it a deterrent to murder? Are errors made in the trial and sentencing? - execution is irrevocable. Are more poor people condemned to death than rich people? Does putting people to death brutalise the whole of society? What impact do prisoners on death row have on the prison system? We hope that this event will encourage all Zimbabweans to work for the total abolition of the death penalty. (source: The Zimbabwean) SAUDI ARABIA: U.N. Body Calls on Saudi Arabia to End Execution of Children A U.N. human rights watchdog has called on Saudi Arabia to end "severe" discrimination against girls and to repeal laws it said allowed children to be executed by stoning or punished with amputations and floggings. The Committee on the Rights of the Child on Friday issued the conclusions of its review of the kingdom's record of compliance with the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child. States which ratify the pact are reviewed every few years. Children over 15 years are tried as adults in Saudi Arabia and can be executed, "after trials falling short of guarantees of due process and fair trial", the report said. The UN convention defines children as under-18s. "The possibility of imposing the death penalty on children is still in place and that is a very serious concern," Jorge Cardona, a member of the committee, told a news briefing. "But also the possibility of sanctions and mistreatment, including torture, such as the possibility of being flogged or other punishments that are especially harsh." Committee chair Benyam Mezmur said it had received consistent reports that the death penalty was applied for offences committed by under-18s. "It's a very serious issue and there are only four or five countries in the world that we engage with this issue on and unfortunately Saudi Arabia is actually one of them," he said, naming the others as Iran, Pakistan, China and the Maldives. The 18 independent experts who make up the committee also condemned air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition in the war in Yemen, which it said had killed and maimed hundreds of children. There was no immediate reaction from the Saudi government to the conclusions issued on Friday despite multiple attempts by Reuters to reach officials. Many of the recommendations have been repeated since Riyadh ratified the convention 20 years ago, Cardona said. Bandar Bin Mohammed Al-Aiban, chairman of the Saudi Human Rights Commission, who led a Saudi delegation to the committee's review, told the body that "Islamic sharia (law) was above all laws and treaties, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child", according to a U.N. summary of the review last month. But the
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, ARK. KAN., NEB., WASH., USA
Oct. 7 TEXASnew execution date Kosoul Chanthakoumanne has been given an execution date for January 25, 2017; it should be considered serious. (sources: MC/Rick Halperin) *** Executions under Greg Abbott, Jan. 21, 2015-present20 Executions in Texas: Dec. 7, 1982present-538 Abbott#scheduled execution date-nameTx. # 21-October 19---Terry Edwards-539 22-November 2---Ramiro Gonzales---540 23-December 7---John Battaglia541 24-January 11---Christoper Wilkins542 25-January 25---Kosoul Chanthakoumanne543 26-February 7---Tilon Carter--544 27-April 12-Paul Storey---545 (sources: TDCJ & Rick Halperin) ARKANSAS: Jury in Arkansas killing out 9 1/2 hours, to return; suspect told police he was preparing for zombie apocalypse Jurors deliberated for more than 9 1/2 hours Thursday in the capital murder trial of a man accused of killing a 90-year-old woman but didn't emerge with a verdict as the evening wore on. Craighead County Circuit Judge Cindy Thyer told the jury of 6 men and 6 women to return to court today at 8:15 a.m. to continue their deliberations. Richard Jordan Tarver, 31, of Bay is charged in the July 3, 2015, slaying of Lavinda Counce, also of Bay. Prosecutors say Tarver entered Counce's home, forced her into the trunk of her car and then drove her to a cornfield east of the Craighead County town where he shot her. After the slaying, police say he drove her car to the NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital on U.S. 49 in Jonesboro and left it in the hospital parking lot, then walked to a friend's house behind the hospital and asked for a ride back to his Bay home. Tarver's wife, Samantha Tarver, testified Wednesday that her husband stayed with her all day that July 3, other than to go to a nearby Wal-Mart to buy cat food. Prosecutors contend that Tarver fatally shot Counce because he wanted to see what see what it was like to kill someone. Tarver confessed to the shooting when arrested July 17, 2015, and prosecutors played a 59-minute video of his confession during the trial. In it, Tarver said he had watched multiple episodes of the television program The Walking Dead the evening before the killing, and wanted to prepare for a zombie apocalypse by learning what it felt like to shoot someone. Randel Miller, a Jonesboro attorney defending Tarver, said Tarver concocted the confession because investigators threatened to arrest his wife and take away his children if he didn't admit to killing Counce. The jury began deliberations at 1 p.m. Thursday in Jonesboro, and at 3:25 p.m. they asked bailiffs if they could watch the confession video again. At 5:30 p.m., deputies took several boxes of pizza to the jurors. At 9:30 p.m., Thyer asked jury members if they wanted to go home for the evening, but jurors opted to stay for another hour before she released them for the evening. As jurors deliberated, attorneys milled around the courthouse. Tarver sat with his parents on a courtroom bench and joked with them. Tarver is also charged with kidnapping, residential burglary, abusing a corpse and possession of a defaced firearm. In his closing statement Thursday morning, Miller said Tarver was concerned about his wife when authorities entered his home on the evening of July 17, 2015, and arrested him. Samantha Tarver has several medical conditions, including dangerously low blood pressure, and her husband feared the stress of the arrest would harm her, Miller said. "'Please don't hurt my wife,'" Miller quoted Tarver as pleading with police that night. "'Please don't hurt my wife.' "It's important to understand his frame of mind," Miller said. Miller contended that Craighead County investigator Justin Rolland threatened Tarver that he would arrest his wife and turn his two daughters over to the state Department of Human Services. Miller told jurors that Rolland placed Tarver in a sheriff's vehicle and told him details of Counce's slaying. In the video confession, Tarver outlined specific items of the case. In his closing, Prosecuting Attorney Scott Ellington said there was no way Tarver would know so many details if he had not killed Counce. "You didn't see a false confession," Ellington told jurors. "You saw the most credible witness the state has. "What we all know about the death of Mrs. Counce comes from that video," he said. Ellington is seeking the death penalty. If the jury returns with a guilty verdict, it will then decide if Tarver should be executed or given a life sentence without parole. (source: arkansasonline.com) KANSAS: Court didn't let Carr brothers 'off the hook' The embellishment "the Kansas Supreme Court let the Carr brothers off the hook" is nothing
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Oct. 7 UNITED KINGDOM: Muslim preacher who endorses beheading of gay men gives lectures in LondonHe also suggested burning gay people to death, throwing them off a cliff, and crushing them under a falling wall Islamic cleric Shaykh Hamza Sodagar who has previously called for the brutal slaughter of gay men is currently conducting lectures in the UK. On Monday, Sodagar started his classes at the Islamic Republic of Iran School in Maida Vale, north-west London, and will carry on until 12 October. According to Mirror, the school is a small independent mixed Muslim school catering to students aged 6 to 17 and is run by the Iranian government. Sodagar is born and raised in Washington D.C. and has spent the past 14 years in Iran studying Islamic law and principles, reports Express. His violent views towards the gay community were revealed in a video believed to have been recorded sometime in 2010. In the clip, he preaches about the death penalties that should be used to punish gay men. "If there's a homosexual man, the punishment is 1 of 5 things,' says Sodagar. 'One - the easiest one maybe - chop their head off, that's the easiest. Second - burn them to death. Third - throw them off a cliff. Fourth - tear down a wall on them so they die under that. Fifth - a combination of the above.' Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell has urged the Home Secretary to 'revoke the visa' of the preacher. 'In a free society, Hamza Sodagar has a right to believe that homosexuality is sinful but not to preach about ways to kill lesbians and gay men,' Tatchell said. 'Many people with far less extreme views, who have never advocated violence, have been banned from entering the UK. Calling for death to LGBT people crosses a red line.' He added: 'The Home Office was wrong to grant him a visa and should now revoke it. The cleric should be ordered out of the country.' According to a speaker biography, Mr. Sodagar regards himself as a 'role model' for 'young Muslims all around the world.' The event is organised by a group called the Ahlulbayt Islamic Mission, which also hosted Mr. Sodagar in 2014. 'Ahlulbayt... is a pro-Iranian regime organisation,' Tatchell warned. 'Iran has the death penalty for homosexuality.' (source: Gay Star News) PAKISTAN: Asia Bibi Blasphemy Case: Rights Groups Urge 24/7 Prayer as Christian Mother Faces Last Chance to Overturn Death Sentence A Christian charity is urging believers worldwide to unite in prayer for Asia Bibi, the Pakistani Christian mother who has suffered in prison since she was arrested in 2010, as she faces her final chance to overturn the decision which sentenced her to death under the country's blasphemy laws. Next week, Bibi will have her final appeal heard by the Supreme Court, according to International Christian Concern (ICC), which notes that the hearing is the final legal avenue available to avoid execution. Advocate Said-ul-Malook, Bibi's lawyer, told the persecution charity, "I will appear before the Supreme Court of Pakistan and argue her case while she will remain in prison...I hope the result will be an acquittal." As the deadline looms, religious freedom charity Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) is urging supporters to join in a 24-hour prayer movement on October 12 to pray for her release: "She needs our prayers now more than ever," CSW said. The organization has asked believers to pray that Bibi would not only be acquitted, but that she would have strength and restoration during and after the hearing. It is also asking for prayers for Bibi's lawyer; for the wider Christian community who may face a backlash whatever the outcome of the appeal; for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Pakistan to maintain calm in the country; for justice for others accused of blasphemy; and that the government would urgently amend the blasphemy laws. Critics have argued that Pakistan's blasphemy laws are often misused to "settle personal scores" with minority groups such as Christians and Ahmadis. "Pakistan has never executed anyone for blasphemy, but some people accused of the offense in the past have been lynched by crowds," BBC News wrote. "Lawyers, judges and those seeking to reform the blasphemy laws have also been threatened, attacked or even killed." As earlier reported, Bibi was first arrested in 2009 after getting into an argument with two Muslim field workers when the women refused to drink from a bucket of water she had touched because she was not Muslim. In turn, Bibi was accused of defiling the name of the Prophet Muhammad, a serious charge which carries the death penalty. Later the women told a local cleric that Bibi had blasphemed against Islam by saying: "My Christ died for me. What did Muhammad do for you?" She was sentenced to death in 2010 by a local court in Punjab, but her death sentence was suspended 5 years later. If Bibi's final appeal is overruled, her
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----VA., W.VA., ALA., TENN., NEB., N.MEX., USA
Oct. 7 VIRGINIA: Judge delays sentencing for Halifax County man facing possible death penalty James Lloyd Terry will have to wait a few more weeks before learning his fate. On Thursday, the Commonwealth and Terry's attorney delivered their respective closing arguments, concluding a 4-day sentencing phase. Judge Joel Cunningham said that it would not be appropriate to hand down a decision Thursday without having had a chance to review the arguments made by both sides. Cunningham now has to decide whether Terry will receive life in prison without parole or the death penalty for raping and beating to death 84-year-old Charlotte Rice in her South Boston home on April 14th, 2011. Both Terry and Rice's families declined to comment after court was adjourned Thursday. Judge Cunningham will deliver his decision at 9:30 a.m. in Halifax County Circuit Court on October 31. (source: WSLS news) WEST VIRGINIA: Petition Created To Publicly Hang Benjamin Taylor, Who Raped 9-Month-Old To Death Benjamin Taylor, 32, has been arrested and is being held on a $2 million bail in Southern Regional Jail, West Virginia. The man has been charged with the rape and beating resulting in the death of 9-month-old Emmaleigh Barringer, daughter of his girlfriend, with whom he lived. The baby's mother has 3 older children who were apparently unharmed by Taylor. On the morning of October 3, Amanda Adkins awoke early, around 4 a.m., after going to bed about 6 hours earlier. After awakening, she discovered the baby was not in her crib. She began a frantic search which ended when she found Emmaleigh naked, bleeding, battered and unresponsive in the basement of her home near Ripley, WV. She immediately called 911, but when paramedics arrived, Emmaleigh was not breathing. Although they were able to regain Emmaleigh's pulse, she was placed on a ventilator and was soon pronounced brain dead. She had head trauma and had lost massive blood from the brutal sexual assault, which responding police characterized as "the worst sexual assault they had ever seen", according to Fox 43. Benjamin Taylor, according to Facebook information, has apparently been Amanda Adkin's boyfriend sine July. He apparently has an infant son of his own with another woman, but the baby did not live with him and is reportedly unharmed. Within hours of the discovery of Emmaleigh, Taylor was arrested and taken to jail, where his charges were soon upgraded to murder after the family had made the difficult decision to take Emmaleigh off life support. The infant girl died immediately. Meanwhile, as local residents and people across the country struggle to make sense of what happened, Benjamin Taylor's Facebook page has been scrutinized. His bio says "dead inside", but it is unclear when he wrote that bio. His Facebook page says he is a laborer. Hate posts fill his page from distressed and enraged individuals, some who knew him, and some who didn't. Most wish death upon him in descriptive brutal manners. One Facebook post that was posted by Taylor not long before the brutal rape of Emmaleigh said "Real mean love other men's children like their own." Over 300 people have commented, many of them calling for the public hanging of Benjamin Taylor. While the death penalty is outlawed in West Virginia, a petition to Congress that was created yesterday that calls for his public lynching has already received 2,000 signatures. Many people describe the brutal things they would like to inflict upon Taylor, and many express concern that his own infant son has been sexually assaulted by him, although there has been no actual evidence of this. Many of Taylor's Facebook posts are about drugs or sex, which has disgusted the public at large. One woman wrote that she hopes he will be tortured for the rest of his life for what he did to Emmaleigh. "His horrible and evil actions proves evil has no boundaries and no shred of morality or humanity. That defenseless child had to live the last moments of her life conscious in excruciating pain wondering what she did wrong to deserve that or why it was happening to her screaming in pain underneath her killer with zero comfort or love. Your evil actions caused a small innocent baby to die a horrific death. She had her whole life ahead of her and has people who love her that now have to carry the pain and suffering you have caused. You have done something that cannot ever be justified or be undone. If you do live through your prison experience and are released no one here will ever forget or let you live without being reminded of what you have done to that baby." (source: inquisitr.com) ALABAMA: Exonerated death row prisoner tells his storyRegaining Life For 30 years, Anthony Ray Hinton spent his life in a tiny cell on death row in Alabama's Holman Correctional Facility for a crime he did not commit. Now, after being exonerated just over a year ago,
