[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Sept. 17 JAMAICA: Jamaican senator suggests resumption of death penalty by hanging, but is quickly shot down A Government senator has nudged the Andrew Holness administration to make changes to the law that will allow Jamaica to resume hanging, but that suggestion was quickly shot down by Justice Minister Delroy Chuck. Though the death penalty remains on the books, there have been no hangings in Jamaica since 1988. Hanging was halted in Jamaica following the 1993 landmark Pratt and Morgan ruling by the United Kingdom Privy Council that it is cruel and inhumane to hang an inmate who has been on death row for more than 5 years. Charles Sinclair, one of 13 government senators in the Upper House, made it clear on Friday that he is ready to support legislative amendments that would allow Jamaica “to fit within the UK Privy Council decision in Pratt and Morgan”. “If we have to establish special courts to fast-track and ensure that the hearings go through and persons are given justice, so be it,” he said during a debate in the Senate on a bill that provides significantly higher fines for offences contained in 40 laws that fall under the justice ministry. “Whatever the amendments that need to be made, I will support it,” declared Sinclair, a prominent criminal defence attorney, to applause from his colleagues. But his suggestion appears to be a non-starter with Chuck, who acknowledged that he is personally “against hanging”. “It is unlikely that Jamaica will resume it. That’s the present status, which we are unlikely to disturb”, the justice minister told The Gleaner yesterday. Asked if he saw any merit in Sinclair’s proposal, Chuck was blunt. “No,” he responded. But Sinclair, in revisiting the hot-button issue, recounted that the last time capital punishment was put to a conscience vote in Parliament, a majority of lawmakers supported it. “When you listen to the commentary across Jamaica, a lot of persons support it … but it is not being used at all.” (source: stabroeknews.com) BELARUS: Parliament hopes for Belarus' PACE special guest status restoration The Belarusian parliament may have its special guest status at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in the nearest future, Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Vladimir Andreichenko said in an interview to the Belarus 1 TV channel on 16 September, BelTA has learned. In January 1997, Belarus lost its special guest status at the PACE. Its absence, however, does not hinder the country to develop cooperation with this international organization, the speaker of the House of Representatives said. “I would say it restraints to some extent but does not hinder. The main issue is the abolition of death penalty. This, however, does not mean we do not cooperate with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. I think we will have our status in this parliamentary organization restored in the near future,” Vladimir Andreichenko said. In his words, Belarusian MPs are regularly invited to attend meetings of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy. The committee is expected to sit in early October to discuss the elections in Belarus. The Council of Europe is a European intergovernmental organization comprising 47 states. It was established on 5 May 1949 and is headquartered in Strasbourg. The Belarusian delegation received a so-called special guest status at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in September 1992. In March 1993 Belarus applied for membership to the Council of Europe. In January 1997 the status was suspended. Nevertheless, cooperation with the Council of Europe continues in a number of areas. According to representatives of the organization, the main obstacle towards the restoration of the special guest status is the issue of death penalty. (source: belta.by) TUNISIA: Tunisia election: Outsider in lead stuns after most votes countedWith 2/3 votes in presidential race counted, conservative constitutional law professor Kais Saied takes the lead. Law professor and political outsider Kais Saied is leading Tunisia's presidential polls with 2/3 of the votes counted, the electoral commission said, after the country's 2nd free vote for head of state since the 2011 Arab Spring. Saied was on 18.9 % on Monday night, ahead of imprisoned media magnate Nabil Karoui, who was on 15.5 %, according to the electoral commission, ISIE. Prime Minister Youssef Chahed, a presidential hopeful whose popularity has been tarnished by a sluggish economy and the rising cost of living, could well turn out to be the election's biggest loser. ISIE figures showed him in 5th place with 7.4 % of the vote, trailing both Ennahdha party candidate Abdelfattah Mourou and former defence minister Abdelkarim Zbidi. "The anti-system strategy has won," ISIE member Adil Brinsi told
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, PENN., S.C., LA., OHIO, MO., USA
Sept. 17 TEXASimpending executions Stephen Dale Barbee's exertion is scheduled to begin at 6 pm CDT, on Wednesday, October 2, 2019, at the Walls Unit of the Huntsville State Penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas. 52-year-old Stephen is convicted of the murder of 34-year-old Lisa Underwood, and her 7-year-old son Jayden at their Fort Worth, Texas home on February 19, 2005. Lisa was also 7-months pregnant at the time of the murder. Stephen has been on death row in Texas for the last 13 years. Stephen was a year away from graduating high school, when he dropped out, however, he eventually obtained his GED. Stephen lost both his siblings when they were each 20 years of age, resulting in a downward spiral for a time. However, he eventually got his life back on track, working as a police officer and operating a tree-trimming and concrete cutting business with his ex-wife, Theresa, from whom he was divorced. Stephen was also a member of a local church, where he worked with children. Lisa Underwood, a bagel shop owner in Fort Worth, Texas, met Stephen Barbee, a customer, and the 2 eventually started seeing each other. In July 2004, Lisa became pregnant and believed Barbee was the father (DNA tests would later prove Barbee was not the father). Barbee married another woman at the end of 2004. On February 19, 2005, Lisa’s family and friends held a baby shower for her, but she never arrived. They contacted the police who began investigating her disappearance. Police checked our her home, which did not appear to have been broken into. However, Lisa’s blood was discovered throughout the living room. Police also visited Theresa (Barbee’s ex-wife), to inquire about Barbee’s whereabouts. Theresa urged Barbee to turn himself in. On the day of Lisa’s disappearance, unbeknownst to Fort Worth detectives, Barbee was stopped by a deputy sheriff along a service road. Barbee was observed to be wet and covered in mud. He gave a false name to the deputy and fled on foot. On February 21, 2005, Lisa vehicle was discovered in a creek, about 300 yards from where the deputy had stopped Barbee. The windows were down and in the rear of the vehicle, police discovered cleaning solution. Later that day, police tracked Barbee, his current wife, and another co-worker, Ronald Dodd, to a job site in Tyler, Texas. All agreed to go to the Tyler police station for questioning. In his first interview with police, Barbee stated that he had not seen, nor heard from Lisa in months. After his initial statement, Barbee asked to use the bathroom, and while in there, confessed to a detective that he killed Lisa. Barbee said he started a fight with Lisa and held her face down on the carpet until she stopped breathing. He then held his hand over Jayden’s mouth and nose until he stopped breathing. Barbee attempted to defend himself, saying he was just trying to calm them down, however, evidence showed that both bodies had been severely beaten. He said he committed the crime because he thought Lisa was going to ruin his family and his relationship with his wife. This confession was not recorded. Barbee then gave another, recorded, confession to the police, however this confession was not allowed to be presented at the trial. The day after confessing, Barbee took police to the location of the 2 buried bodies. A few days later, Barbee recanted his confession. Barbee was convicted and sentenced to death on February 27, 2006. Please pray for peace and healing for the family of Lisa and Jayden. Please pray for strength for the family of Stephen Barbee. Please pray that if Stephen is innocent, lacks the competency to be executed or should not be executed for any other reason, that evidence will be presented prior to his execution. Please pray that Stephen may find peace through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Randy Ethan Halprin is scheduled to be executed at 6 pm CDT, on Thursday, October 10, 2019, at the Walls Unit of the Huntsville State Penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas. 42-year-old Randy is sentenced to death for his part in the murder of 29-year-old Police Officer Aubrey Hawkins on December 24, 2000, in Irving, Texas. Randy has spent the last 16 years on death row in Texas. Randy was born in Texas. He was raised in the Jewish faith, including having a Bar Mitzvah when he was 13. He dropped out of school after the 11th grade. Randy would work as a laborer and perform maintenance prior to being arrested. In 1997, Randy was convicted and given a 30-year sentence for severely beating an 18-month-old child he was babysitting. The child suffered two broken legs, two broken arms, and a skull fracture. When he confessed, Randy claimed that he was upset that the child wouldn’t stop crying. Randy was serving his time at the John B. Connally Unit, a maximum security state prison near Kenedy, Texas, when he joined six other inmates - 38-year-old
