[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

May 11



AFRICA:

Numbers of Africans Sentenced to Die Soars


More than 1,000 Nigerians languish on death row.

Governments in sub-Saharan Africa sentenced at least 1 083 people to death in 
2016 - more than double the 443 people condemned to die in 2015, according to a 
recent report by international human rights organisation Amnesty International.


The research shows that rising numbers of people sentenced to die in the region 
are largely driven by an upswing of such judgments in Nigeria, which handed 
down death sentences to almost 500 people in 2016.


Although the number of death sentences more than doubled, the region saw fewer 
actual executions - 22 people. The executions took place in 5 countries, the 
bulk of which were in Somalia. The other countries included Sudan and Botswana.


"Countries in sub-Saharan Africa that continue to hold on to the death penalty 
are showing utter disregard to the right to life of people and are on the wrong 
side of history as the world is moving away from the punishment," says Amnesty 
International's death penalty adviser Oluwatosin Popoola.


Amnesty's latest global survey on the use of the death penalty was released in 
April and shows that, globally, fewer countries are prescribing death 
sentences. It also argues that fewer people were executed in 2016 than in the 
previous year but cautions that reported rates of death sentences and 
executions are likely to be under-reported because many governments do not 
publish statistics on their use of the death penalty.


In Southern Africa, Botswana was the only country to execute anyone in 2016. It 
was that country's 1st state-mandated killing since 2013.


"Botswana's step backwards must not be replicated elsewhere in the region," 
Amnesty International's Southern Africa director Deprose Muchena warns in the 
report.


About 300 people across the Southern African region were sentenced to death by 
the end of 2016, the overwhelming majority of whom were in Zambia - 157 - 
followed by Zimbabwe - 97.


"African countries that still retain the death penalty can reduce this by 
abolishing mandatory death sentences, reducing the number of offences that 
provide for the death penalty and restricting the imposition of death sentences 
to the 'most serious crimes' as provided for by international human rights 
law," Popoola explains.


The report does not investigate the effects of capital punishment on the 
families of death-row prisoners, but says it can prolong the suffering of the 
victims' families and those condemned to die, says Popoola.


He says countries should ideally restrict the use of the death penalty with the 
aim of abolishing it in the future.


Popoola argues: "The death penalty diverts resources and energy that could be 
better used to work against violent crime and assist those affected by it.


"It is a symptom of a culture of violence, not a solution to it."

(source: allafrica.com)






INDIA:

India carried out no executions in 2016, Amnesty reveals in its annual death 
sentence report



India did not execute a single person last year despite the country imposing a 
total of 136 death sentences, which was significantly higher than the previous 
years, according to a report released on Tuesday by Amnesty International. 
"India recorded a total of 136 death sentences imposed in 2016, significantly 
higher than the previous years, whereas a significant decrease in the 
implementation of death sentences was recorded in Pakistan, by 73 %," Amnesty 
said its annual report on 'Death Sentences and Executions'.


India carried out no executions last year, but was among the few countries to 
hand out capital punishment for drug- related crimes and also amended its laws 
to introduce the death penalty for hijacking when it results into death, the 
Amnesty report said. "More than 400 people were believed to be under sentence 
of death at the end of the year. In May, the National Law University, Delhi, 
published an extensive study showing that most prisoners on death row were from 
economically vulnerable and socially disadvantaged groups," the report noted.


The human rights group recorded 1,032 executions in 2016, a 37 % drop 
worldwide, with China believed to have executed more than all countries 
combined but the figures remain a classified state secret. Despite the 
significant decrease world-wide, the overall number of executions in 2016 
remained higher than the average recorded for the previous decade, the Amnesty 
report said.


Of the total 1,032 executions, 87 % took place in just 4 countries - Iran, 
Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Pakistan. Pakistan's execution rate dropped from 326 
recorded deaths in 2015 to at least 87 the following year. The high number 
reported in 2015 followed the lifting of a 7-year moratorium on executions in 
December 2014 in response to a deadly Taliban attack on a school in Peshawar. 
The country then created military courts to try civilians suspected of 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

May 10




GLOBAL:

Links Between Islamism and Executions


People have, it seems, often been arrested or detained on the basis of a rumor; 
then convicted without trial, counsel or often even the chance to mount a 
defense.


As Amnesty International points out, "In many countries where people were 
sentenced to death or executed, the proceedings did not meet international fair 
trial standards. In some cases, this included the extraction of 'confessions' 
through torture or other ill-treatment".


The laws under which these people are sentenced to death are often not only 
vague and open to interpretation. Charges that warrant the death penalty, for 
instance, include being "corrupt on earth", "enemies of Allah on Earth", or 
alleged "crimes against chastity". What exactly does "corrupt on earth" or 
"enemies of Allah on Earth" mean?


Just how strict and brutal it is to enforce Islamic law, sharia, has now been 
revealed by Amnesty International.


Amnesty's study, which details the number of reported executions around the 
world, clearly maps out the most at-risk populations. Lands ruled predominantly 
by sharia are apparently the most vulnerable to multitudes of executions 
without fair trials. At the top of the list, with the most executions, are 
those nations that enforce Islamic sharia law. Despite many human rights 
violations, these nations, apparently undeterred, continue to execute their 
citizens.


Sharia makes those in authority infallible and untouchable. Therefore, whatever 
the government or those in power deem to be "just" can be carried out without 
question or consequence. Under sharia law and the Islamic penal code, 
executions can be carried out in sickening forms. Those convicted may be 
beheaded, hanged, stoned, or shot to death.


As disturbing as the numbers in the report may be, they do not represent the 
reality that the citizens in these nations across the world face every day. 
There is, evidently, a connection between radical Islamist governments and 
extremist groups. The report does not include the gruesome executions that are 
carried out on a regular basis by extremist Islamist groups and non-state 
fundamentalists, such as members of the Islamic State (ISIS) and their 
affiliated groups.


These executions include, as we have seen, slitting throats, burning alive, 
drowning alive and crucifixion.


If these acts were included in the Amnesty International report, the total 
number of executions committed under the authority of Islamist law would be far 
higher. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, for example, pointed out that 
the Islamic State executed 33 people in the 1st week of April alone.


The report also did not include the number of Westerners being shot, executed 
and terrorized by Islamist groups. Many of these, such as ISIS, Asaib Ahl 
al-Haq (AAH), Kata'ib Hezbollah (KH), the Badr Organization, Or Kata'ib al-Imam 
Ali (the Imam Ali Battalions), are funded and trained by Islamist governments 
and oil-rich, unaccountable leaders.


Mass executions are evidently also being carried out by both extremist Islamist 
governments and Islamist groups. A culture of executions, often extra-judicial, 
as in Pakistan, seems to run rampant within the borders of these countries. 
Without any consequences for this horrifying disregard for human life, the 
numbers will only increase.


In Pakistan, Asia Bibi, a Christian, sits on death row for "blasphemy." Asia's 
"crime" was to use the same water glass as her Muslim co-workers. "You defiled 
our water," the Muslim women told her.


Both Islamist governments and Islamist groups justify their brutal acts by 
referring to the "religious" Islamist legitimacy of their murders. Members of 
fundamentalist Islamist governments, to legitimize these types of atrocities, 
also exploit the right of "sovereignty": they point out that they belong 
independent state with a fully operating and "legal" judiciary.


In the Amnesty International report, the Iran ranked number one, per capita, in 
executing people. It also accounted for 66% of all officially recorded 
executions in the region. Again, this amount only represents those executions 
that were officially registered.


It is also critical to point out that the statistics Amnesty International 
provides were given by the very governments that carried out the executions. 
This method means that those in power were the ones to calculate and decide 
what number should officially represent their country. The unofficial number is 
thought to be even higher. There is nothing to stop governments from simply 
keeping the true number to themselves.


Executions carried out under the strict governmental laws of sharia and 
Islamist judicial systems can have even more grotesque characteristics. The 
high number of executions included children, some convicted before the age of 
18. Death sentences may frequently have lacked due process and what many would 
consider acceptable 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

May 9



TURKEY:

Turkey Reinstating Death Penalty Would Mean End of EU Accession Talks - 
Juncker-If Turkey goes through with reintroduction of death the penalty, it 
will mean the end of the country's talks on the accession to the European 
Union, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said in an interview 
with the Rheinishe Post newspaper on Monday.



Following Turkey's constitutional referendum on expanding presidential powers 
over the judicial and legislative branches of the government, held on April 16, 
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his readiness to reinstate the 
death penalty if the measure was supported by the people. Turkish protestors 
chant slogans and a man (C) holds a placard reading ''We want death penalty'' 
as former Turkish soldiers, accused of trying to assassinate Turkish President 
during the July coup attempt, are escorted by Turkish soldiers towards the 
courthouse in Mugla, western Turkey, on February. "It is the ultimate red line. 
If the introduction of death penalty becomes more than a rhetoric, it will be 
Turkey's clear renunciation of the European family. It will be equal to the end 
of the negotiations, because our Union is based upon respect for democracy, 
human rights and the rule of law, as well as upon the European Convention for 
the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. These values exclude 
death penalty," Juncker said.


Ankara signed an association agreement with the then-European Community in 
1963, and submitted a membership application in 1987. Talks concerning Turkish 
membership into the European Union began in 2005. On November 24, European 
lawmakers voted in favor of freezing EU accession talks with Turkey until it 
lifted restrictive measures in the country, set in place since a failed coup in 
July 2016.


(source: sputniknews.com)




***

Opposition MHP calls on AKP gov't to swiftly reinstate death penalty


Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli has issued a strong call 
to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to swiftly reinstitute the 
death penalty amid warnings from the European Union.


"Once again I declare my determination. The MHP is present with its full power 
for a proposal or a draft that will be prepared and accepted in parliament 
after discussions regarding the imposition of the death penalty," Bahceli said 
in a parliamentary group meeting on May 9. "It is waiting for this issue to be 
closed swiftly."


The reinstitution of the death penalty was brought to the agenda repeatedly 
ahead of the April 16 constitutional referendum, particularly by President 
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who promised to approve any constitutional amendment that 
would bring back capital punishment. Erdogan said the people were demanding the 
penalty from the government, especially after the July 2016 coup attempt.


"Is the death penalty a social demand? Yes. Will the ruling Justice and 
Development Party (AKP) support it? Yes. Will the president approve it if the 
law is conveyed to him? That is a 'yes' too. Then we should not wait, sing in 
someone else's tone or be late. Instead, we should show what Turkey is and will 
be by declaring to everybody her independence," he said, eliciting applause 
from party members in the group meeting.


The death penalty has not been implemented since 1984, while Turkey formally 
abolished capital punishment in 2004 as part of reforms to ease Turkey's 
accession to the European Union.


European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said in March that any return of 
the death penalty in Turkey would be a "red line" in the country's stalled EU 
membership bid.


Bahceli criticized Europe's position on the issue.

"Now some European countries say they will not allow a possible referendum 
concerning the death penalty.


"So much so that they argue and state that capital punishment is against all 
the values of European countries. So, is it a part of European values to give 
support to terrorist organizations?" he said.


(source: Hurriyet Daiy News)






IRELAND:

Garda assassinations and IRA executions during the EmergencyThe IRA shot 
dead 5 gardai during the 2nd World War. The State executed 6 IRA men



The 2nd World War was a conflict that claimed tens of millions of lives 
worldwide. Although Ireland adopted a neutral stance during the war, it would 
not be completely shielded from the effects of the brutal conflict. Rationing 
of basic items, including tea, sugar, petrol and tobacco took its toll on the 
Irish population, although this seemed like a small price to pay to keep 
citizens far away from the horrors of the front line of war.


Not everyone agreed with the policy of neutrality, however. Certain people, TD 
James Dillon foremost among them, argued passionately that Ireland was duty 
bound to support Britain and the Allies against the evils of Nazi Germany. 
Conversely, elements within the IRA stuck to the old 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

May 8




SINGAPORE:

Singapore to enforce death penalty for nuclear terrorism acts


A person who commits a fatal act of terrorism using radioactive material or 
nuclear explosive devices will face the mandatory death penalty under new laws 
passed in Parliament on Monday (May 8).


The legislation paves the way for Singapore's ratification of the United 
Nations' (UN) International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear 
Terrorism (ICSANT).


Second Minister for Home Affairs Desmond Lee said that while the likelihood of 
a nuclear terrorist attack in Southeast Asia was remote, the rise of terror 
group Islamic State means Singapore cannot discount such a scenario and must 
treat the threat seriously.


"Especially when many countries, including those in our region, use nuclear 
energy, or are actively exploring the use of nuclear energy," he added. "In 
February this year, Malaysian authorities arrested 8 people connected to the 
theft of Iridium-192, a radioactive material which can be used to make dirty 
bombs."


It will now be a criminal offence to intentionally and unlawfully use any 
radioactive material or nuclear explosive device, or use or damage a nuclear 
facility leading to the release of radioactive material, to achieve the effects 
of terrorism.


The penalties will be pegged at the same level as a murder offence in the Penal 
Code and therefore, in the event of death caused, lead to the gallows, said Mr 
Lee, adding that in any other case, life imprisonment will be the punishment.


The new laws also provide for extra-territorial jurisdiction - meaning any 
person outside Singapore who commits an act which constitutes a nuclear 
terrorism offence if carried out in Singapore, is deemed to have committed the 
act here, said Mr Lee.


"If taken into custody, the person would be charged, tried and punished 
accordingly in Singapore. This provision allows us to prosecute the offender in 
Singapore, if it is not possible or desirable to extradite him," he explained. 
"It ensures that perpetrators do not escape punishment, regardless of which 
country they are from, and where they committed the offences."


But Singapore must also facilitate extradition requests by the 109 other 
countries who are parties to the Convention, and provide mutual legal 
assistance with its domestic framework.


"WE TAKE THE POSSIBILITY SERIOUSLY"

Mr Lee later told the House that Singapore has, over the years, been preparing 
and developing to deal with the risks of nuclear terrorism.


"Agencies such as NEA (National Environment Agency) and SCDF (Singapore Civil 
Defence Force) have developed the necessary operational capabilities to deal 
with illicit use of nuclear and radioactive material in Singapore," he said. 
"MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) and NEA have also been working together to 
tighten security measures at premises storing high-risk radioactive material."


To begin with, Singapore has a strict regulatory regime put in place by NEA to 
make it hard for radioactive material to end up in the wrong hands, said Mr 
Lee.


"On import, valid permits are required for all cargo entering our port 
checkpoints - if necessary they will be subject to X-ray screening and 
radioactivity checks," he added.


"Thus far, we've not detected any breaches involving radioactive material in 
Singapore."


An inter-agency committee continually assesses the threat of nuclear terrorism 
in Singapore, and in the event of an attack, there will be processes to deal 
with possible scenarios.


"Should such an incident occur, MHA will coordinate a whole-of-Government 
response," Mr Lee outlined. "SCDF will render assistance to casualties and 
contain the radioactive material, assisted by our armed forces where necessary. 
NEA will provide technical advice to help mitigate harm. The police will 
investigate the act, find the perpetrators and take them to task."


He added: "Beyond efforts from agencies, Singaporeans will need to be prepared 
for an attack." Authorities may have to evacuate people from affected areas, 
and members of public may also need to be trained on how to reduce inhalation 
of harmful substances.


"There are no immediate threats, but we take the possibility seriously," said 
Mr Lee. "It is timely we put in place the necessary legal framework now and 
join the international community to combat terrorism in all its forms - 
including nuclear terrorism."


(source: channelnewsasia.com)






PHILIPPINES:

Countries urge PH not to revive death penalty; In Geneva, UN member-states 
remind a Philippine delegation that reviving the death penalty is against 
international laws which the country had signed



United Nations member-states on Monday, May 8, urged the Philippine government 
to abandon its plan to restore death penalty.


They reminded the Philippine delegation to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) 
being held by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, Switzerland, that 
the 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

May 7



INDONESIA:

Calls for Indonesia to Abolish Death Penalty


Indonesia expressed its commitment to address challenges that hamper its 
efforts to improve and protect human rights at home, during the 27th session of 
the United Nations Universal Period Review in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday 
(05/05).


While the country was praised for the improvements it has made on human rights, 
such as the ratification of various international conventions, the delegations 
of several countries raised their concerns and recommended that Indonesia 
should do more.


Indonesia accepted 150 of the 225 recommendations it received from 101 
delegations during the review, while undertaking to examine the remainder.


The country is expected to state its position on the pending recommendations by 
no later than September, during the 36th session of the Human Rights Council.


The recommendations touched on several issues, including the abolition of the 
death penalty, preventing discrimination against religious minorities, ensuring 
the right to freedom of expression, repealing existing laws on blasphemy and 
promoting women's rights and the rights of vulnerable groups.


Capital Punishment

Dozens of countries, including Australia, Germany and the United Kingdom, 
criticized Indonesia for its continued use of capital punishment for drug 
offenders and the perpetrators of major crimes, such as murder and terrorism.


During Indonesia's review on Wednesday, Justice Minister Yasonna Laoly, who led 
the Indonesian delegation along with Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, said the 
"death penalty is still part of Indonesia's positive law."


"[...] It is our conviction that the rights of the offender must always be 
weighed against the rights of the victims, their families and the broader 
rights of their community to live in peace and security, as stipulated in our 
constitution," Yasonna said.


He added that the firm action by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's 
administration against drug offenders is based on the fact that narcotics 
remain among the top-three on the list of major causes of death for the 
Indonesian youth.


Death penalty has never been removed from Indonesian law, and that Jokowi is 
just fast-forwarding the process of executing those already convicted for 
drugs-related crimes.


Furthermore, the minister said Indonesia has always applied necessary 
safeguards based on international standards, which are in accordance with a 
strict due process of law. He added that Indonesia's current practice of 
capital punishment does not contravene any international conventions.


(source: Jakarta Globe)






PAKISTAN:

Death penalty for rape


Rape is a crime everywhere in the world, no country or culture is exempt. 
Punishments for rape are invariably lengthy prison sentences and in some cases, 
death. Rape is an under-reported crime everywhere and consequently rapists 
everywhere go unpunished. It is a crime that happens so frequently that it 
rarely merits headlines - anywhere. But there are some rapes that have the 
capacity to shape the zeitgeist and the rape and appalling torture of a 
23-year-old medical student in New Delhi in 2012 is one such in the modern era. 
The victim died a fortnight later. 4 men were found guilty of the crime, a 5th 
accused, the bus driver, hanged himself in his prison cell. The men were 
sentenced to death and the Indian Supreme Court has now upheld the sentence on 
appeal.


This newspaper has consistently opposed the death penalty; but equally has 
supported the rule of law. There is nothing to suggest that the sentence within 
the canon of Indian law is anything other than legally sustainable. The father 
of the victim has called for the sentence to be carried out swiftly but there 
are going to be legal hoops to go through before the hangman does his job, and 
it could be some time before there is a final resolution.


The head of the New Delhi Commission for women said that at least 6 rapes a day 
were happening in the city alone every day, and that rapists were not afraid of 
the consequences of their actions as the Indian legal system is so sclerotic. 
The current case has taken 5 years to get this far and that despite being 
fast-tracked. Countless other women, alive and still seeking justice, wait in 
the wings of a system that is loaded against them. And what of Pakistan? There 
has been no rape case here that has aroused the world in the same way as in 
India but the same conditions pertain - women struggle to get justice, and not 
just for rape but for every other type of crime.


(source: Editorial, The Express Tribune)






MALAYSIA:

Reprieved death row mum's advice to accused drug smuggler Cassie Sainsbury - 
'never make a deal'



A Victorian mum-of-6 who sensationally escaped the death penalty in Malaysia 
has urged accused Aussie drug smuggler Cassandra Sainsbury to avoid doing deals 
with police for shorter jail time.


Emma L'Aiguille, who was spared the 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

May 6



GAMBIA:

Does Gambia Need The Death Penalty?


Justice Hassan Babucarr Jallow, is back as the Chief Justice of The Republic of 
The Gambia. It was he who, as Attorney General and Minister of Justice back in 
the 1980s abolished the death penalty in The Gambia. I am sure he is poised to 
do the same again, not least because the European Union will make abolition of 
the death penalty a condition of financial support to the new government. 
Abolition of the death penalty is also a matter of principle for many in 
Gambia's new government, not least because of the disgraceful and atrocious way 
that Yahya Jammeh killed those Mile 2 prisoners in 2012.


But the question must be asked: in a poor developing country like The Gambia, 
can we afford not to have the death penalty?


The question was brought to my mind yesterday and today by two pieces of news, 
one from Guinea when I saw a video of people killing three robbers who were 
forcefully taken from police custody by the vengeful crowd; and here in London 
when a man, who had already served 11 years for a previous murder, was sent to 
jail today for 15 years - for a 2nd murder of a 21-year old young father.


The initial impetus for the abolition of the death penalty was the argument 
that the conviction for murder may be arrived at wrongly (I think the last 
person to be hanged in UK has been pardoned because his innocence has been 
proved posthumously).


The 2nd argument against the death penalty is a simple moral one: the Bible 
says "thou shall not kill" and some argue that this applies to the state itself 
too.


The 3rd argument is that "the death penalty is counter-productive" - look at 
USA where the one Western country with the death penalty also has the highest 
homicide rate.


And finally, the 4th argument against the death penalty is that even the worst 
of people can be rehabilitated to lead a useful life and contribute to society. 
There was a famous murderer in Scotland whom I met many years ago at his 
Project working with youth offenders. He had married the daughter of a "Lord", 
a doctor and prison psychologist who had fallen in love with this murderer and 
did much to give him a new lease of life.


The 1st argument appears unanswerable - until we note that last month a USA 
grandfather was shot dead, deliberately, on facebook. So there are 
circumstances in which we can now be 100% certain that the murderer is the 
murderer.


The 2nd argument seems rather simplistic and has been defeated by theologians 
themselves who have justified the concept of the "just war" - which involves 
killing. It is interesting that NATO and the Western alliance have been the 
biggest killers (mass murderers) of civilians around the world in the last 70 
years or so.


The 3rd argument seems to conflate specific problems of the United States of 
America - a nation founded on the genocide of the native "Red Indians", violent 
and racist brutal slavery, and above all America's love of the gun culture. So 
USA is not a good example. We should ask instead: does the death penalty in 
Saudi Arabia, in Iran and China, for example lead to a less violent society? 
Will the violent killings of so many drug-dealers in the Philippines today 
rescue that country and save it from destruction at the hands of drug dealers?


The 4th argument may be answered by referring to today's sentencing in a London 
court: should the man sentenced today to 15 years in jail (a second sentence 
for a second murder) get a 3rd chance to kill someone else? Which brings me to 
the lynching of those men in Guinea by the mob: the mob believed that if the 
robbers had been left with the police and the courts, they would have bribed 
their way out and continued to terrorise the community. Some 2 weeks ago, the 
Kenyan police executed gang members in broad daylight in the area where I grew 
up (and where Justice Jallow has visited to see my alma mater): enter utube 
"police kill gang members in Eastleigh".


On a final note, looking after prisoners is an expensive matter - more so 
dangerous ones who have been sent to prison for life (it costs something like 
100,000 pounds per prisoner in UK - Dalasi 5,000,000 per prisoner). Can a poor 
country like The Gambia be able to look after, let's say, 100 death-row 
prisoners for life?


Like many Africans of my generation in the West I have been affected by the 
fact that here in the West black people get a row deal when it comes to the 
Justice System (or Injustice system!). Stories of black people wrongly 
convicted, and therefore murder by the state, are legion in the USA. So, I have 
a strong antipathy to the death penalty who whose abolition my life-long HERO, 
Dr. Angela Davies, has committed her life. That said, if I were a Justice 
Minister in The Gambia, I would probably have different considerations - not 
least the security of society when violent crime and murder is on the rise.


I leave it to the readers - since as an old 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

May 5



GERMANY:

Germany rules out Turkish death penalty referendum


The German government says it won't allow Turks living in Germany to vote in a 
possible referendum on reviving the death penalty in Turkey. President Erdogan 
is contemplating reviving capital punishment.


Government spokesman Steffen Seibert told reporters in Berlin on Friday that 
letting such a referendum go ahead in Germany was "politically inconceivable" 
because it "so clearly contradicts our basic law and European values."


Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan floated plans to bring back the death 
penalty following his narrow victory in last month's referendum to expand his 
powers.


Under Turkish law, Turkish nationals living abroad are eligible to vote in 
referendums and elections in Turkey. But Germany's Foreign Ministry has pointed 
out that all sovereign actions by other countries on its territory, such as 
referendums, first need to be approved by the federal government.


Erdogan has called for the death penalty to be reinstated

Germany allowed polling stations for Turkish nationals to vote in the April 
referendum on the presidential executive. No application for a referendum on 
the death penalty has yet been made by Ankara. If such a request were to be 
made, Seibert said the government would likely use its legal resources to 
prohibit a vote.


His comments echoed earlier remarks from the leading Social Democrat candidate 
in this year's federal elections, Martin Schulz. He told news magazine "Der 
Spiegel" that "we cannot allow voting in Germany on an instrument that 
contradicts our values and our constitution."


(source: Deutsche Welle)






SAUDI ARABIA:

Stop Execution of Young Man for Atheism in Saudi Arabia!


(see: 
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/471/732/427/save-man-from-death-in-saudi-arabia-for-quotatheism-and-blasphemyquot/)


Saudi Arabia has condemned a man to death for being an atheist.

Ahmad Al Shamri is a young man in his 20s who did what many of us do - he used 
social media to share his views on life, religion, and the world. But when he 
shared that he was an atheist, the authorities took notice and immediately came 
after him.


A Saudi Arabian court first sentenced Mr. Shamri to death in February 2015, but 
he appealed the verdict and has spent years in prison while waiting for the 
court to overturn the punishment. Now, the Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia has 
issued its final verdict. And it has ruled against Mr. Shamri, confirming that 
he will be killed for his beliefs.


We don't know when or how Mr. Shamri will be executed. We don't know how much 
time he has left. But we do know that no one should be murdered for their 
personal beliefs - whether those beliefs are about religion, politics, society, 
or any other topic on the face of the earth. Murder is murder, even when it is 
carried out by a government.


We are urging the Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia to rethink its decision and to 
spare Mr. Shamri's life! We must all band together and speak out strongly and 
loudly. Only a chorus of voices from the international community can save Mr. 
Shamri now.


(source: thepetitionsite.com)






IRAN:

Hangings Continue Unabated in Iran, Despite International Pressure


Over the past 5 years, there have been repeated calls by the international 
community for Iran to institute a moratorium on all executions within the 
country. Convictions were called into question based on faulty trials, lack of 
legal representation, and confessions obtained under duress or outright 
torture.


Individuals who are convicted of drug offenses are also at risk of receiving 
the death penalty, despite the fact that these offenses do not meet 
international standards for the death penalty.


"Iranian officials should end all executions and outlaw the use of the death 
penalty for drug offenders, which does not meet international legal standards," 
said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch in January 
2017. "Packing prisons with drug offenders and rushing to send them to death 
row without due process in highly flawed trials will just worsen Iran's justice 
problem while doing nothing to solve Iran???s drug problem."


Iran executed hundreds of people in 2016, with a majority of them for drug 
offenses. Their drug law mandates the death penalty for the trafficking, 
possession, or trade of as little as 30 grams of synthetic drugs or their 
chemical derivatives.


"The death penalty is a cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment that violates 
the right to life. Its use is abhorrent in any circumstances, but carrying out 
these executions would be particularly tragic, given ongoing discussions in the 
Iranian parliament that could lead to the abolition of the death penalty for 
non-violent drug offenses," said Phillip Luther, Research and Advocacy Director 
for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.


This is just one example of the individuals receiving 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

May 4



IRANexecutions

Iran's Rajai Shahr Prison: 8 Prisoners Including Women Hanged in 1 Day


On Wednesday May 3, 8 prisoners, including 2 unidentified women, were 
reportedly hanged at Karaj's Rajai Shahr Prison.


According to close sources, the majority of these prisoners were executed on 
murder charges. 5 other prisoners, including Mehdi Bahlouli, were returned to 
their cells after their execution sentences were halted.


The men who were executed were among a group of 11 prisoners who were 
transferred to solitary confinement on May 29 in preparation for their 
executions. Iran Human Rights had reported on these imminent executions.


Close sources have identified the men as: Maziar Alaie Bakhsh, Jabbar 
Mollahashemi, Shayan Shaddel, Mohammad Jegarki, Mahmoud Bayat and Ali Maleki.


"In September 2012, Ali got involved in a group fight situation to defend his 
little brother. At that time, he had accepted responsibility for the murder 
that occurred, in order to protect his brother," a family member of Ali Maleki 
tells Iran Human Rights."


The names of the 2 women who were also executed are not known at this time. A 
prisoner has reported to Iran Human Rights that these 2 women were transferred 
to Rajai Shahr Prison from Gharchak Varamin Prison. Close sources say that they 
were sentenced to death on murder charges.


Execution Sentences of 5 Prisoners Halted

5 prisoners, including Mehdi Bahlouli and Majid Agharahimi, were temporarily 
spared from execution.


Iranian official sources, including the media and the Judiciary, have not 
announced any of the executions or imminent executions mentioned in this 
report.


(source: iranhr.net)






IRAQ:

Death penalty for suspects charged with Islamic preacher's murder in Erbil


A court in Erbil has issued the death penalty for individuals charged with the 
murder of Islamic preacher Hoshyar Ismail in November last year, the family's 
lawyer said on Thursday (May 4).


Gunmen shot and killed Ismail at his home at around midnight on November 22 in 
Erbil. He died at West Erbil Emergency Hospital as a result of the gunshot 
wounds from the attack.


Following the attack, Erbil security forces detained 2 suspects on November 27.

The lawyer taking charge of the murder case on behalf of Ismail, Birzo Saeed, 
told reporters that Erbil court had sentenced the perpetrators to death 
according to Article 406 of Iraqi Penal Code.


The lawyer added that the case will remain open and a further investigation 
would be launched to see if other people were behind the murder.


The brother of the Islamic preacher, Kamal Ismail, said the family was "happy 
for the court's decision."


Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) representative, Bakir Qadir, who attended the 
trial told NRT that the Erbil court had carried out its job.


The perpetrators in the case admitted to the murder of Ismail and said no one 
else was behind the killing.


Head of KIU's Political Council, Hadi Ali, said last month that the 
perpetrators were known and from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).


The murder of Ismail led to overwhelming reactions from senior Kurdish 
officials and political parties at the time who called for a fair investigation 
into the incident.


Ismail, who was 40 years old, had a doctorate in philosophy in the 
interpretation of the Quran. He was a preacher for 13 years in the Kurdistan 
Region.


(source: nrttv.com)






QATAR:

Murdered teacher's mother 'relieved' as Qatari court upholds death sentence


The mother of a British primary school teacher murdered in Qatar 4 years ago 
has spoken of her relief after the killer had his death sentence upheld.


Badr Hashim Khamis Abdullah Al-Jabar was found guilty by a court in Doha in 
2014 of killing Lauren Patterson, 24, in the Gulf state a year earlier.


His accomplice Muhammad Abdullah Hassan Abdul Aziz was jailed for 3 years for 
reportedly helping burn the body of the Briton, originally from Chislehurst, in 
south-east London.


Miss Patterson had been working at the Newton British School in the Qatari 
capital.


She disappeared in Doha on October 12, 2013. Local media reported at the time 
that she was last seen outside the city's 5-star La Cigale hotel.


On Sunday, an appeal court in Qatar upheld the death penalty, a spokesman at 
the Foreign Office said.


In a statement on Wednesday, her mother Alison said the family remained 
devastated but felt justice had been done.


She said: "Following Sunday's court hearing, I am feeling very emotional but 
relieved that the trial is now over.


"The family remain devastated by the senseless and tragic events of October 
2013, but due to the thoroughness of the judicial process in Qatar we now feel 
that justice has thankfully prevailed for Lauren.


"I would like to thank all those who have supported me during this difficult 
process and request that our family's privacy be respected at this time."


(source: aol.co.uk)






INDIA:

Indian court 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

May 3



IRANexecution

Prisoner Hanged on Murder Charges


On Sunday April 30, a prisoner was reportedly executed at Hamadan Central 
Prison on murder charges, and another prisoner was returned to his cell after 
his execution was temporarily halted.


Close sources have identified the prisoner who was executed as Imran 
Askardasht, 30 years of age. "He was charged with murder in 2010," a close 
source tells Iran Human Rights.


On the same day, a prisoner in Hamadan Central Prison, who is on death row on 
murder charges, had his execution sentence temporarily halted upon receiving 
consent from the plaintiffs on his case file. Close sources have identified 
this prisoner as Bakhtiar Leilinejad, 31 years of age.


Imran and Bakhtiar were both transferred to solitary confinement on Saturday 
April 29 in preparation for their executions.


(source: iranhr.net)






BANGLADESH:

Kishoreganj court sentences 4 to death for murdering 10-year-old boy


A Kishoreganj court has awarded the death penalty to 4 persons for the 
abduction and murder of a 10-year-old boy.


On Aug 12, 2014, Sakibul Hasan Tutul was kidnapped from a village in the 
district's Pakundia Upazila.


The abductors called the father Kamal Uddin on his phone and demanded Tk 1 
million in ransom. 2 days later, Tutul's body was found near his home, 
according to court documents.


On Wednesday, Kishoreganj's Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal 
delivered the verdict with the convicts on the dock.


Those received the death sentence are 'Dulal', 'Shohag', 'Aminul' and 'Dalim'.

Prosecutor AM Afzal said Tutul's father started the murder case accusing the 4.

(source: bdnews24.com)






EGYPTexecution

Egyptian authorities execute man convicted of raping and murdering 5-year-old 
girl in Minya governorate



Egyptian prison authorities executed Wednesday a 22-year-old man convicted of 
raping and murdering a 5-year-old girl in Upper Egypt's Minya governorate in 
March 2014.


Investigations in the case revealed that the convict kidnapped the girl, before 
taking her to an abandoned building in Maghaha village and raping her. He 
choked her with a cloth and repeatedly hit her in the head.


The convict's death verdict was upheld by the Court of Cassation in February 
2016.


The Minya governorate prisons department also executed Wednesday 5 people 
convicted of murder in Qena and Gharbeya governorates under tight security 
measures.


On Tuesday, an Egyptian criminal court referred to the Grand Mufti a death 
sentence issued against a man convicted of raping a 20-month-old child in the 
Nile Delta governorate of Daqahliya last month in a case known publicly known 
as "the diaper girl's case."


The court is expected to confirm the sentence on 2 June after the Grand Mufti 
gives his opinion, which is not legally binding, on the validity of the death 
sentence according to Islamic law.


The most famous case of the rape and murder of a child happened in the coastal 
governorate of Port-Said in 2013, when 2 minors kidnapped, raped and killed 
5-year-old girl Zeina Arafa, provoking rage and public outcry across the 
country.


The convicts in this case were sentenced by a criminal court to 20 years in 
prison. The court apologised to the public for not imposing capital punishment, 
as Egyptian law forbids issuing the death penalty to people younger than 18 
years old.


(source: ahram.org.eg)

*

Rapist of 2-Year-Old Girl Handed Death Penalty


An Egyptian Criminal Court gave a 35-year-old man, who had raped a baby girl in 
March, a death sentence, referring the case to Dar al-Iftaa.


The final verdict is to be issued on June 2.

Being the survivor's neighbour, the rapist narrated how he took her as she was 
playing in front of her house in Dakahlia governorate into an uninhabited room, 
removed her diaper before he raped her, and ran away when he found her 
bleeding. The year and 8 months old girl was transferred to a hospital to get a 
reconstructive surgery due to major damages in her vagina.


"My daughter can't utter the words mama and papa yet and all of this has 
happened to her. My heart is burning and there's nothing I can do for her," the 
mother of the raped child said, according to Egypt Independent.


The deputy of Egypt's al-Azhar, the largest Muslim beacon had called for anyone 
found guilty of molesting child to receive the death penalty, he told 
state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram.


In Egypt, all capital punishment sentences are referred to Dar al-Iftaa, a 
religious body giving rulings to the masses and consultation for the judiciary.


(source: egyptianstreets.com)






SOMALIA:

Somali boys executed killed for alleged terrorism


Somalia is under criticism following the execution of some children suspected 
to be members of the Al-Shabaab terror group.


5 boys, aged between 14 and 17, have been sentenced to death in the 
northeastern Puntland region for their alleged role 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

May 2



CHINA:

Supervising an Execution in China


A prosecutor offers a look into executions carried out in China.

"When he looked at me, I could see fear, uncertainty and hope in his eyes. The 
emotions flashed by so quickly, I would have missed it if I had not been paying 
attention."


An article written in Chinese by a prosecutor in China has been circulating on 
various blogs and WeChat. The author, credited as Nan Shiqin, in the piece 
describes his experience supervising the execution of a 23-year-old convicted 
murderer.


Nan comes face-to-face with the prisoner at a morgue, where the convict is 
executed by a firing squad. The aftermath of the death penalty is nothing like 
what television dramas show, writes Nan.


"There are no angry shouts from the prisoner, no family crying; the autopsy is 
quick, and the body is hauled onto a chaise from the morgue and taken away."


"I felt regret having to end the life of someone so young. At 23, his life was 
only just beginning. But I also knew that the law is ruthless because it needs 
to uphold the greater good," writes the prosecutor. "It was not an easy job for 
me, watching a young man give his life to atone for his crimes."


Death penalty data is a state secret in China, but according to an Amnesty 
International report in 2016, the country is the world's top executioner.


The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) pledged to abolish the death penalty in 1922, 
but Amnesty International estimates that thousands of executions and death 
sentences are carried out in China each year - despite the Supreme People's 
Court judgments database only recording 701 approved death sentences between 
2011 and 2016.


Amnesty International found 931 death sentences reported in Chinese media 
between 2014 and 2016, but only 85 of those cases were documented in the 
Supreme People's Court database.


The international human rights organization also reports that the majority of 
people sentenced to death between 2011 to 2016 were often unemployed or 
classified as "rural people or farmers," with more than half being the latter.


(source: thenewslens.com)






INDIA:

His Grandfather Executed Indira Gandhi's Assassin. Today, He's A 'Hangman'


Pawan Jallad has been a hangman for over 50 years now. Traditionally, in India, 
a son follows his father's footsteps, taking up the same line of work. Pawan's 
father was a hangman (called a 'jallad' in Hindi), and so was his grandfather. 
Despite the grisly task assigned to him as an executioner, Pawan loves his job. 
He has never imagined being anything else and has wanted to be a hangman since 
he was a child.


Pawan has been in the 'family business' since 1951. Proudly speaking about his 
family's legacy in this profession, he mentions how his grandfather hanged 
Indira Gandhi's assassin in 1987, an execution that 22-year-old Pawan 
witnessed. When asked if he is scared by the work he does, Pawan shrugs and 
shakes his head. To him, all he is doing is performing a duty. Whether someone 
is innocent or not is not for him, but the courts to decide.


India is one of the few countries where the death penalty still exists. In 
fact, in 2007, India voted against a UN resolution that opposed the death 
penalty. In the year 2015, more than 1600 executions were carried out across 
the world. In India, it is estimated that since 2001, over 270 people have been 
sentenced to death, but not executed.


Outside the metros and beyond the urban jungle live the sons and daughters of 
India's heartland. The 101 Heartland series tells their stories. It celebrates 
both unique communities and individual tales of hope, struggle, and reform. 
From the village of bouncers just outside Delhi to the fascinating story of Ram 
Kumar Tyagi, once a wanted man but now a coach for aspiring female wrestlers, 
101 Heartland tells stories for the heart, from the heartland.


(source: youthkiawaaz.com)






PHILIPPINES:

Death penalty revival dropped from priority bills


Congress on Tuesday appeared to have dropped bills seeking the revival of death 
penalty its priorities for passage this month.


Also excluded from the list of priority legislation were the lowering of the 
age of criminal responsibility, tax reform and postponement of the 2017 
barangay elections.


House Majority Leader Rodolfo Farinas explained leaders of the Senate and House 
of Representatives identified only 14 bills that could be passed by the end of 
May, in time for President Rodrigo Duterte's 2nd State of the Nation Address in 
July.


"We met -- the Speaker, the Minority Leader, the chairman of the [House] Ways 
and Means Committee. We met with our counterparts, namely the Senate President, 
Majority Leader Sotto, Senate Pro-tempore Ralph Recto and Minority Leader Frank 
Drilon," Farinas said.


Farinas said that in the case of the death penalty bill, there was no consensus 
among leaders of both chambers to make its passage a priority.


(source: abs-cbn.com)

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

May 1



SOUTH KOREA:

Hong says will execute criminals on death row


South Korean presidential candidate Hong Joon-pyo of the conservative Liberty 
Korea Party said he would revive capital punishment if elected, saying 
criminals are "going on the rampage."


"Because we no longer carry out death penalty, high-profile murder cases 
continue, such as the ones involving (serial killers) Yoo Young-chul and Kang 
Ho-soon," Hong said on campaign trail in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on Sunday.


Although death sentence continues to be handed down by court, South Korea has 
not executed criminals since 1997. It is categorized by global rights watchdog 
Amnesty International as a country that has "virtually abolished" capital 
punishment.


Nicknamed "Hong Trump" for his controversial remarks and ultra-conservative 
vision, the candidate is enjoying growing popularity, with polls putting him at 
3rd place with support of around 15 %.


The former state prosecutor and conservative party leader demanded the 
authorities send jailed former president Park Geun-hye to the hospital, saying 
she is "said to be in very poor condition" in a detention center.


The former conservative president has been taken into custody since March 31 
over a corruption scandal that brought an abrupt end to her 5-year presidential 
term.


Hong's party was formerly known as the Saenuri Party, founded and named by 
Park, but rebranded as the Liberty Korea Party since Park's impeachment.


(source: The Korea Herald)






PAKISTAN:

Pakistan SC declines early hearing of Asia Bibi caseSupporters of Asia Bibi 
protest against the blasphemy laws.



The Supreme Court of Pakistan has turned down the request for an early hearing 
of the case of a Catholic mother sentenced to death for blasphemy, that her 
supporters and rights activists hold hard-line Islamic lobbyists responsible 
for. Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar on April 26, declined a request 
for the hearing of the case of Asia Bibi in the 1st week of June made by her 
Muslim lawyer Saiful Malook. "Today I have been informed that the plea was 
declined by the CJP," Malook is reported to have told The Express Tribune.


Bibi, a 51-year old fruit picker from Sheikhupura, was convicted of blasphemy 
and sentenced to death in 2010 after an argument with a Muslim woman over a 
glass of water. Her supporters and rights activists maintain her innocence and 
insist she was falsely accused due to a personal dispute with the accuser. 
Successive appeals have been rejected, and if the Supreme Court bench upholds 
Bibi's conviction, her only recourse will be a direct appeal to the president 
for clemency.


"This is very unfortunate. Her husband became quiet when he heard the latest 
developments. We shall again apply for the hearing and keep struggling for 
justice," Joseph Nadeem, executive director of the Renaissance Education 
Foundation told UCANEWS. "There are many factors at work behind the slow pace 
of judiciary. Her case has been in the doldrums due to huge pressure. There 
will be a strong reaction if Bibi is freed. Opposing groups have made it a 
matter of honor and ego," Nadeem said.


The Renaissance Education Foundation has been supporting Bibi's family in 
Lahore since she was imprisoned for allegedly defaming Prophet Mohammed in 
2009. If Bibi's death sentence is upheld, she would be 1st woman in Pakistan to 
be put to death for blasphemy.


The last time her case was taken up by the Supreme Court, was on October 13, by 
a three-judge bench. However, one of the judges, Iqbal Hameed-ur-Rehman retired 
from the case because he said he was also a part of the bench in the case of 
the murder of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, who was assassinated by his 
bodyguard in 2011 for his support of Bibi. Judge Pervez Ali Shah fled to Saudi 
Arabia along with his family in 2011 after getting death threats for convicting 
Malik Mumtaz Hussein Qadri who confessed to murdering Taseer. Shahbaz Bhatti, a 
Catholic and federal minister for minorities, was also assassinated that year 
for supporting Bibi's released and recommending reform of the blasphemy law.


Analysts consider Qadri's 2016 execution a litmus test for processing 
blasphemy-related killings. Now, in the view of Bibi's former attorney, the 
current environment in the country is not conducive for the dispensation of 
justice in her case. "Our plight is that the socio-political atmosphere of the 
country has no space for discussion on blasphemy laws. The judges know what is 
happening outside as non-state actors show their strength on the roads 
demanding death for Bibi," said Naeem Shakir, a Christian lawyer. The 
sensitivity surrounding blasphemy laws has made it a political tool to threaten 
and put down others. The state has a weak narrative regarding this law and its 
functionaries usually try to evade questions regarding its misuse," he said.


Meanwhile, several Islamic clerics have renewed calls for the execution of 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide----INDIA, PAKIS., NIGER., SOMAL., IRAN

[Rick Halperin]

April 29




INDIA:

Kerala's curative plea seeking death penalty in Soumya murder case rejected by 
SC



An apex court Bench comprising of Justices Ranjan Gogoi, PC Pant and UU Lalit 
commuted the death sentence of the man, Govindachamy.


The Supreme Court rejected Kerala's curative petition that sought the death 
penalty for a convict Govindachamy, in the Soumya murder case.


"Having gone through the Curative Petitions and the relevant documents, in our 
considered opinion, no case is made out within the parameters indicated in the 
decision of this Court in Rupa Ashok Hurra Vs. Ashok Hurra & Anr., reported in 
2002 (4) SCC 388. The Curative Petitions are, accordingly, dismissed," a 
6-judge bench looking into this matter ruled.


The Kerala state government had filed the petition after the Supreme Court in 
its 2016 order had set aside the Kerala High Court judgment awarding the 
assailant Govindachamy the death penalty.


An apex court Bench comprising of Justices Ranjan Gogoi, PC Pant and UU Lalit 
had, in September last year, found Govindachamy guilty of rape. However, the 
bench had overturned the high court order sentencing him to death and instead 
awarded him a life sentence.


Interestingly, in November, the Supreme Court had initiated contempt 
proceedings against Justice Markandey Katju after the former SC judge had made 
personal remarks in 2 posts - on September 17 and 18 - on a social networking 
site against judges who had pronounced a ruling on the Soumya rape-murder case. 
A bench led by the same justices who had presided over the matter had claimed 
that the posts were, "a serious assault on judges, not on judgments."


Justice Katju had been invited by the Justice Gogoi-led bench to debate on the 
several "fundamental flaws" that it had allegedly committed in its September 15 
judgement on the well publicised Soumya murder and rape case in 2011. The bench 
commuted the death sentence of the man, Govindachamy, who had been convicted of 
these crimes.


Katju had commented in his posts that the SC had seriously "erred in law" in 
its judgment. His post had said, "This was a grave error in the judgment, not 
expected of judges who had been in the legal world for decades. Even a student 
of law in a law college knows this elementary principle that hearsay evidence 
is inadmissible."


However, In January 2017, the contempt proceedings were withdrawn, after 
Justice Katju tendered an unconditional apology to the judges in this matter.


(source: dnaindia.com)






PAKISTAN:

Pakistan top in death penalty executions in AsiaBangladesh 2nd


At least 130 executions were carried out in 11 Asian countries in 2016. The 
vast majority of them were executed in Pakistan. However there is no data 
available about executions in China, still believed to be by far the world's 
top executioner.


Overall the number of executions has decreased in the Asia pacific region due 
to a significant reduction in Pakistan. The total number of executions in the 
region fell from 367 in 2015 to 239 in 2016.


Although the number of executions in Pakistan has decreased from 326 in 2015 to 
87 in 2016, it still tops the list of the countries with highest number of 
executions in the Asian region. The range of those executed varied from 
prisoners tried by military courts to those suspected of undertaking terrorist 
activities.


Bangladesh executed 10 people in 2016. 8 out of the 10 were convicted of murder 
while 2 were tried by International Crimes Tribunal (Bangladesh) for the war 
crimes committed in 1971.


With secrecy around death penalties slightly lifted, Malaysia has seen an 
increase in the executions with 9 in 2016, compared to 6 in 2014 and 1 in 2015.


In Afghanistan where almost 600 people were under sentence of death by the end 
of the year, in 2016, 8 people were executed related to terrorist activities.


Indonesia executed 4 people in the year 2016, 3 of them foreigners and 1 
Indonesian. All 4 men were convicted of drug related offenses.


2 men who were executed had their clemency applications pending for a review 
when the executions were undertaken.


Singapore carried 4 executions in 2016 for murder and drug trafficking. 2 of 
the 4 executed were Malaysian nationals and 1 was Nigerian. The country has 
also issued new restrictive guidelines for reviewing the death sentences of 
those convicted.


Japan executed 3 people in 2016, 2 men and 1 woman. The country's Federation of 
Bar Association has called on the authorities to abolish the death penalty by 
the year 2020.


Taiwan executed 1 person within 3 weeks after his sentence was finalised.

(source: The Daily Star)

**

To the gallows: Court awards death penalty, life term to 2 in murder case


A court awarded death sentence and life term to 2 accused for their involvement 
in a murder case in Sargodha on Friday.


The judgment was announced by Additional District and Sessions Judge Saadat 
Hussain Malik.


The 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide----TURKEY

[Rick Halperin]

April 28


TURKEY:

Death penalty described as red line for Turkey


Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz says that for some European Union 
member states the last threshold to end membership talks with Turkey would be 
reinstatement of the death penalty by Ankara.


Kurz said at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Valletta, Malta that for 
Austria, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had already crossed many thresholds by 
jailing journalists and taking other repressive actions in the wake of a coup 
attempt last summer.


As such, he said, the EU's strategy to keep Turkey in the fold of acceptable 
democratic practices "was definitely not successful."


In the wake of a referendum victory expanding the powers of his office two 
weeks ago, Erdogan has been talking about reinstating of the death penalty. 
Capital punishment is barred in all EU nations.


(source: Associated Press)
___
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[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 28



VIETNAM:

8 sentenced to death in major Vietnam drug trialThe trans-national ring is 
believed to have trafficked nearly half a ton of heroin over a decade.



8 Vietnamese men were sentenced to death on Thursday for dealing heroin, but 
their female ringleader was spared by a Hanoi court and received life 
imprisonment.


The trans-national ring, headed by Dang Minh Chau, 44, is believed to have 
trafficked 420 kilograms of heroin between 2004 and 2015, according to the 
verdict announced by the Hanoi People's Court.


The incident that led to the arrests of Chau's ring in July 2015 involved 170kg 
(375lb) of heroin valued at nearly VND100 billion ($4.4 million), the court 
said.


Chau, 44, escaped capital punishment because she has a child who is under 3 
years old.


Another man was sentenced to 18 months for illegal possession of a weapon, 
while a woman got 12 months probation for haboring criminals, the court decided 
after a 4-day trial.


In July 2015, Nguyen Quoc Hung, a restaurant owner, was asked to deliver a gas 
tank filled with 112kg of heroin to a district on the outskirts of Hanoi. He 
was detained on arrival with several others after his car was spotted and 
searched by police.


As police widened the investigation, they found another massive stash stuffed 
in 2 LPG tanks at Hung's restaurant.


Vietnam has some of the world's toughest drug laws. Those convicted of 
possessing or smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 
kilograms of methamphetamine face the death penalty.


The production or sale of 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal 
narcotics is also punishable by death.


Although the laws have been strictly enforced with capital punishment handed 
down regularly, there is no sign that drug running is slowing down.


(source: vnexrpess.net)






SOMALIA:

EU Calls on Somalia to End Militant Executions


The European Union delegation in Somalia criticized on Thursday recent 
executions of extremists by the Somali military justice system and called on 
the government to issue a moratorium on the death penalty in the African 
country.


Somali military justice shot four al-Shabab radicals on Monday who were 
convicted of murdering dozens of people in an attack in the Southwest region in 
2016.


"While the EU condemns in the strongest terms all acts of terror and supports 
the application of robust sentences that follow due process, the EU also 
opposes on principle grounds the death penalty in all circumstances," according 
to a statement issued by the delegation.


Somalia has recently executed 2 policemen and a soldier found guilty of killing 
civilians.


"The European Union considers the death penalty to be a cruel and inhumane 
punishment, which fails to provide deterrence to criminal behavior," the EU 
office in Somalia said, adding that the death penalty makes any error of 
justice irreversible.


The EU delegation also called on Mogadishu to stop the trial of civilians by 
the military justice system and to be tried instead by civilian courts.


"We look forward to supporting the Somali authorities in adopting appropriate 
legislation to abolish the use of the death penalty," the statement concluded.


The application of the death penalty to al-Shabab members found guilty of 
perpetrating attacks is common in Somalia.


Al-Shabab, which declared its allegiance to al-Qaeda in 2012, controls part of 
the territory in the center and south of the country and aspires to establish a 
radical Islamic state in Somalia.


Somalia has been in a state of war and chaos since 1991, when dictator Mohamed 
Siad Barre was overthrown.


(source: Latin American Herald Tribune)






THAILAND:

Death sentence for Artur Segarra unlikely to end in execution, experts say why


Spaniard Artur Segarra, accused of the murder of compatriot David Bernat, was 
sentenced to death by a Bangkok court on April 21 and transferred to Bangkwang 
Prison, better known to some foreigners by its nickname "Bangkok Hilton." He 
was convicted of premeditated murder, robbery, kidnapping, extortion, torture, 
and falsification of documents, closing the case on a macabre crime that took 
place in January 2016.


Bernat, a 40-year-old entrepreneur, resided in Iran and frequently visited 
Thailand. He arrived in Bangkok on Jan. 19 for vacation and had a drink with 
Segarra that night. The 2 were friends from Bernat's previous trips to Bangkok.


They went to Segarra's house, in Huai Khwang, where Segarra murdered Bernat, 
supposedly for his money. His body appeared on the morning of Jan. 30, cut into 
pieces, in the Chao Phraya River.


Jassada Piyasuwanvanit, the court-appointed lawyer who defended Segarra during 
the trial lasted, said that the sentence was expected because "all the evidence 
was clear." Segarra is going to appeal, although that duty will fall to his 
first lawyer, Worasit Piriyawiboon. Segarra changed lawyers 3 times because 
they were not to his 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 27



ZAMBIA:

Zambia has 168 men and 2 women on death row


Yesterda's He was speaking in Kabwe today when he addressed hundreds of 
prisoners at Mukobeko maximum security prison


The Zambia Correctional Services says it has 170 inmates on death row. The 170 
comprises 168 males at Mukobeko Maximum Security Facility in Kabwe. The 2 women 
are confined to the female section.


Zambia Correctional Services Commissioner General Percy Chato said before the 
courts of law convicted and sentenced the 170 people to death for committing 
various capital offences, there had been no inmate on death row. The number had 
accumulated since July 16, 2015.


"As at July 16, 2015, there was no one on death row following the presidential 
clemency of 332 inmates by His Excellency Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, the Republican 
President. The number has risen since honourable courts have continued 
committing inmates to prison," he said.


Mr Chato, however, said in response to a Press query that no inmate on death 
row had been hanged since 1997.


Mr Chato said that the last Head of State to sign the death penalty which 
eventually led to the execution by hanging of eight inmates at Mukobeko Maximum 
Security Facility was Frederick Chiluba.


Dr Chiluba's successor Levy Mwanawasa refused to sign the death penalty during 
his reign, the precedent which subsequent presidents in Rupiah Banda, Michael 
Sata and Mr Lungu have carried on.


"There is no legal backing as to whether execution must not be carried out, it 
is on the Christian tenets since Zambia was declared a Christian Nation," Mr 
Chato said.


(source: Lusaka Times)

*

Zambian opposition fails to have treason case droppedUnited Party for 
National Development leader among those charged, Amnesty claims intimidation


Opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema failed in his bid to have treason charges 
against him and other United Party for National Development (UPND) officials 
dismissed on Wednesday.


Hichilema and 5 other defendants have been accused of treason over an incident 
on April 8 when they allegedly blocked President Edgar Lungu's motorcade as it 
passed through Mongu, a town 500 kilometers (310 miles) west of the capital 
Lusaka.


Judge Green Malumano agreed with defense lawyers about the lack of detail in 
the treason allegation -- it contains no information how the accused planned to 
overthrow the government -- but refused to quash the charge.


"Instead, I will allow the prosecutors to amend the charge and ... include 
covert activities the accused planned to undertake in order to overthrow the 
Zambian government," he told the court in Lusaka.


If the prosecution failed to include such detail, the count would be quashed, 
Malumano added.


The UPND defendants cannot be bailed while awaiting trial for treason, which is 
punishable by the death penalty or at least 15 years' imprisonment.


Outside the court, around 50 opposition supporters were arrested following 
clashes with police.


Amnesty International on Wednesday demanded Hichilema's immediate release and 
called for the government to drop the treason charges. The group's southern 
Africa director, Deprose Muchena, said the treason allegation was designed to 
harass and intimidate the opposition.


(source: aa.com.tr)






NIGERIA:

Death penalty in Nigeria: Constitutional but unconventional


Executing persons on the death row is an issue Nigerians don't take lightly. 
Whenever this issue is raised, the picture of Late Sani Abacha comes alive. He 
was reckoned to have ordered the execution of over 100 Nigerians during his 
reign in power. It was contended then that the trials which led to the 
convictions were not fair and independent (there is a high possibility that 
many innocent persons were executed). The height of this was reached when Ken 
Saro-Wiwa was killed. His unjust execution nailed the death penalty debate. 
Over the years, while the law regarding death penalty remained intact the 
attitude of presidents and governors has changed. For various reasons they have 
been reluctant to sign the death warrants rather they commute the death penalty 
to life imprisonment. This is a good practise.


Unfortunately, it seems the attitude of some governors is now changing. In 
2013, under the administration of Mr Adams Oshiomhole four people were 
executed. Last year as well, under the administration of Mr Godwin Obaseki, 3 
death row inmates were executed. Lately, Mr Adeniji Kazeem, Attorney General of 
Lagos, caused a stir when he said the state was considering going ahead with 
the execution of inmates on death row.


Mr Femi Falana (SAN) in a letter to Governor Ambode dated April 19, 2017, 
informed the Governor that the planned execution of death row inmates which 
includes the popular Rev. King, General Overseer of Christian Praying Assembly, 
would violate the judgment delivered by Mufutau Olokooba, justice of the Ikeja 
High Court, in 2012. The judge 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 26



PHILIPPINES:

Drilon: no resurrection of death penalty at the Senate


The bill seeking to revive the death penalty is already "dead in the Senate."

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said this Wednesday as the chamber is 
expected to tackle the proposal when the session resumes next week.


The chamber has failed to get a consensus on the bill, a priority anti-crime 
measure of President Rodrigo Duterte.


"It's dead and the chances of resurrecting it before we even bring it to a vote 
are very slim, if not zero, at least in this Congress," Drilon said in a 
statement.


He said the measure, a version of which was speedily passed at the House of 
Representatives in March, does not have enough votes at the chamber.


"By my own estimate, there are at least 13 senators who will block the passage 
of the death penalty bill, including the 6-member minority group and 7 from the 
majority block," Drilon said.


7 bills are currently pending at the Senate seeking to restore the death 
penalty for various crimes.


Sen. Manny Pacquiao, the revival's fiercest sponsor, has three proposals to 
impose the death penalty on convicts of aggravated rape, kidnapping and 
drug-related crimes.


Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian has 2: 1 seeks an amendment to the 2002 anti-drug law 
to impose the death penalty for drug sale and trading, and another for heinous 
crimes such as child trafficking, exploitation, pornography and rape.


Sen. JV Ejercito is proposing to revive the death penalty for a foreigner found 
guilty of drug trafficking in the Philippines.


Sen. Panfilo Lacson meanwhile proposed to revive the punishment as maximum 
penalty for those convicted of terrorism, plunder, bribery, treason, piracy, 
kidnapping, drug-related crimes, parricide, murder, infanticide, rape, and 
destructive arson.


Apart from the authors, Drilon identified Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto 
III and Sen. Cynthia Villar as those who have expressed support for the revival 
in media interviews.


Meanwhile, those opposed to the proposal other than Drilon are the other 
minority members: Senators Francis Pangilinan, the detained Leila De Lima, and 
Benigno Paolo Aquino of the Liberal Party (LP), Akbayan Senator Risa 
Hontiveros, an LP guest candidate during the elections, and Sen. Antonio 
"Sonny" Trillanes IV.


De Lima has a pending bill seeking to prohibit the reimposition of death 
penalty.


Drilon said another LP member, Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto, is 
also against the controversial measure.


"We are ready to lead the fight against the death penalty bill. We believe that 
a death penalty law was not and will never be an effective deterrence against 
crime," Drilon said.


"It will be detrimental to the poor who will be made victims of this cruel and 
inhumane punishment due to the inefficiencies of our judicial system," he 
added.


(source: abs-cbn.com)






SAUDI ARABIA:

Twitter goes wild over reported death penalty for 'atheism' in Saudi Arabia


Saudi Arabia has reportedly sentenced a young man to death for apostasy. The 
news has stirred up Twitter users, with some expressing sadness and sorrow, 
while others praised the move.


On Tuesday, a Saudi Arabian court dismissed an appeal from Ahmad Al Shamri, who 
had spent 3 years in prison over charges of "atheism and blasphemy," the 
Exmuslim website reports.


Al Shamri was in his early 20s and lived the city of Hafr Al-Batin in the 
country's Eastern Province, according to the website. He had reportedly 
renounced Islam and posted various videos reflecting his views on social media. 
The man was arrested in 2014, faced trial and was sentenced to death in 
February 2015.


After the appeal was rejected, social media users were split over the court 
decision, posting their comments under a trending hashtag, which can be 
translated from Arabic as "apostate from Hafar Al-Batin."


Many social media users condemned Saudi Arabia, pointing out that the country 
is a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).


(source: rt.com)






IRAN:

More Than 30 Men Arrested For 'Sodomy' In Iran Face Death Penalty if Convicted: 
Reports



More than 30 men were arrested after a private party in the Bahadoran region of 
Isfahan, Iran was raided by the police, Iranian Railroad for Queer Refugees 
reported Thursday. Their charges are sodomy, drinking alcohol and using 
psychedelic drugs and they face the death penalty if found guilty.


The men, between the ages of 16 and 30, the Canadian charity reports, were 
rounded up late April 13 amid gunshots and beatings from police, according to 
the Jerusalem Post.


"IRQR received several reports in last few days and were able to confirm that 
police attacked guests and physically beat them. Police detained them all at 
the Basij (Revolutionary Guard Militia) Station and then transferred them to 
Esfahan's Dastgerd Prison. A few people managed to escape and we received 
reports that there were several 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 25



MALAYSIA:

Give judges discretion in death penalty


At present a mandatory death sentence is imposed in Malaysia for convictions of 
murder, certain firearm offences, kidnapping, drug trafficking and treason.


The mandatory death sentence in our penal system doesn't allow a judge to 
exercise his discretion in dispensing punishment.


Parliament must delete the word 'mandatory' for the death sentence in the 
Dangerous Drugs Act. Low level drug mules who traffic small amounts of drugs, 
mostly young girls who could have been deceived into carrying them, have been 
sentenced to death because of the mandatory provision.


The death sentence should be reserved for the big drug lords who rarely are 
caught. Hopefully, in time to come, the mandatory death sentences for other 
non-drug related crimes too will be left at the discretion of the judge.


There are 1,041 inmates languishing on death row in our prisons. The sentences 
have not been carried out as the appeals are still pending.


The death penalty should be abolished for low level drug mules caught for 
trafficking small amounts of drugs. These drug mules should be sentenced to 
community service.


Despite the mandatory death sentence for drug trafficking, it has not reduced 
cases of drug trafficking in Malaysia.


And despite all international flights into our airports reminding passengers in 
several languages of the mandatory death sentence drug trafficking, they still 
try to bring them in.


Many of our own young girls are also behind bars in other countries awaiting 
the death penalty for trafficking in drugs. There was a report of a father 
yearning for the return of his daughter who is in a prison in China for almost 
8 years for being a drug mule. Many of these young girls were offered free 
trips and vacations to exotic destinations by new acquaintances who ended up 
using them as drug mules.


Last year a drug mule aged 64 was released after 31 years in prison for drug 
trafficking. The woman was 33 when she was caught at the Subang International 
Airport in 1985 trying to smuggle drugs to Australia. She got the death 
penalty. She appealed but lost. However her sentence was commuted to life 
imprisonment by the Sultan of Selangor in 2003.


After 31 years behind bars the woman became religious, repented and learned 
skills to generate income after her release. Her husband and daughter were 
waiting for her outside the Sungai Udang Prison in Malacca when she walked out. 
A life sentence also allows for miscarriages of justice to be addressed, unlike 
if the death penalty had been carried out.


SAMUEL YESUIAH

Seremban

(source: Letter to the Editor, The Star)






IRANexecution

Prisoner Hanged on Drug Charges


A prisoner was reportedly hanged at Parsilon Prison (Lorestan province, western 
Iran) on drug related charges.


According to a report by the HRANA news agency, the execution was carried out 
on Saturday April 22. The report identifies the prisoner as Mehdi Mirzaie, 29 
years of age, sentenced to death on the charge of posession and trafficking 7 
kilograms of crystal meth.


Iranian official sources, including the media and Judiciary, have not announced 
this execution.


(source: iranhr.net)

**

Iran abolishes death penalty for drug trafficking


Iran's Parliament has abolished the death penalty for dealers, distributors and 
traffickers of narcotic drugs, replacing this punishment with lifelong 
imprisonment.


Representative of the Judicial Commission of the Parliament (Majlis) of the 
Islamic Republic of Iran, Hassan Nourozi announced about this while talking to 
journalists on April 23.


Under the changes, the death penalty for non-band drug traffickers and 
smugglers who were unarmed and had no previous execution or life imprisonment 
convictions will be converted to 25 to 30 years of imprisonment.


In November 2016, Nourozi indicated that there were about 5,000 prisoners 
between 20 and 30 years old on death row in Iran. Most of these individuals 
were 1st-time drug offenders.


The Islamic Republic has long been criticized by international community for 
its death penalties against drug traffickers. Iran executed hundreds of 
prisoners during 2016, the majority for drugs offences.


But, there has been a considerable drop in the number of executions in Iran in 
recent years. Earlier, the international human rights organization Amnesty 
International reported that the total number of executions carried out in Iran 
in 2016 decreased by 42 % (at least from 977 to 567) compared to the previous 
year.


Even though the death penalty has not been shown to be an effective deterrent 
for drug-related offences, there has been no progress toward the adoption of a 
bill to amend mandatory death penalty sentences for these crimes.


The UN human rights mechanisms have repeatedly and consistently expressed their 
great concern at this persistent trend, along with urging the Iranian 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 23



IRAN:

Iranian MPs to decide on limiting capital punishment


Iranian parliament's judiciary commission has agreed with a proposal on the 
abolition of death penalty for a group of convicts of drug-related crimes.


Under the bill, the drug-related death penalty will be abolished except for 
those involved in organized and armed narcotics offenses, Mehr news agency 
reported.


According to the bill, this group of convicts will face at least 25 years in 
jail instead of execution.


However, the bill still needs to pass the parliament and move through Guardian 
Council, the country's constitutional watchdog body, in order to become a law.


(source: azernews.az)






MALAYSIA:

Royal pardon, end to death penalty sought during coronation


Human rights lawyer P Uthayakumar has appealed for a royal pardon to commute 
death sentences and reduce jail terms for prisoners in conjunction with the 
official installation of Sultan Muhammad V as the 15th Yang di-Pertuan Agong 
tomorrow.


In a letter to Prime Minister Najib Razak today, he also asked that the death 
penalty be abolished, saying Malaysia was supposed to mature into a civil and 
developed society by 2020.


The lawyer asked Najib to advise the Royal Pardons Board to announce that 
prisoners facing death row, natural life and life imprisonment have their 
sentences respectively commuted to life imprisonment, maximum 20 years jail and 
15 years jail.


"To err is human and to forgive is divine. Prisoners deserve a second chance to 
make amends for their past mistakes," he wrote.


"In appreciation of this most precious 'earlier freedom' they would surely want 
to keep out of trouble. The state's compassion and guidance can therefore yield 
results. Please temper justice with mercy."


He said he was making the appeal after having gone through pain and suffering 
and "cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment" at Kajang Prison for 2 years on 
sedition charges.


"My saddest day in Kajang Prison was when one Mohamad was hanged in the wee 
hours of Friday the 14th day of March 2015 immediately after the suboh prayers 
(Muslim prayer at dawn)," he said


He also cited the hanging of the Batumalai brothers, Rames and Suthar, on March 
15, despite appeals and representations for a royal pardon.


Uthayakumar also asked that all prisoners on good behaviour while serving jail 
terms of 1 year or less for non-violent and non-sexual crimes be granted royal 
pardons and released.


He said 1st-time offenders, juveniles and women prisoners on good behaviour 
while serving terms of more than a year for non-violent and non-sexual crimes 
should be granted pardons and made to serve only 1/2 of their sentences while 
qualifying for parole.


He added that all other well-behaved prisoners of non-violent and non-sexual 
criminal cases be granted pardons and made to serve only 55% of their prison 
sentences while also being granted parole.


For 1st-time violent and sexual crime prisoners on good behaviour, he asked 
that they be granted pardons and made to serve only 60% of their prison 
sentences.


He also appealed for all laws on detention without trial, including under the 
Prevention of Crime Act 1959 involving commercial cases, be abolished.


(source: Free Malaysia Today)






NIGERIA:

LASG and death warrants


When he addressed the press last Tuesday, the Lagos State Attorney General and 
Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem, spoke of the preparedness of the 
state to decide on the death sentences passed on the General Overseer of 
Christian Praying Assembly, Chukwuemeka Ezeugo, a.k.a. Rev. King, and others. 
The cleric, in particular, had been tried for murdering a church member in 
2006. The death sentence passed by a Lagos High Court in 2007 was eventually 
affirmed by the Supreme Court in 2016, an inordinate 9 years after the lower 
court first determined the case.


The Lagos attorney general did not say why the state appears to be in a 
quandary over the signing of death warrants: whether the state should go ahead 
and simply affirm the Supreme Court decision and sign the death warrants, as 
some expect, or to commute the sentences to life, as a few, including 
international activists, have campaigned. Whatever the eventual decision, 
finally, Lagos at least appears poised to decide one way or the other. In the 
words of the attorney general: "Some people say out there that even if we 
commit these infractions and they sentence us to death, they will never kill 
us. It does send the wrong signal sometimes...I've heard the people from the 
British High Commission and other embassies complain even on our 
recently-passed anti-kidnapping law; but I must say, you must have to look at 
your own local factors and deal with them. We are going to move in that 
direction. I'm sure you will hear from me, but I'm not sure that I want to 
openly state and give you a date when we are going to take that action."


But judging from the drift of 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 22




IRAN:

27 Kurds executed in Iran for political, security reasons in 2016, says rights 
org



\The Kurdistan Human Rights Association said the government of Iran had 
executed 30 people in 2016 for political and security reasons, 27 of them 
Kurds.


The human rights group released a statement on Thursday (April 20) stating that 
27 of the 30 people executed by Iran due to state-claimed political or security 
reasons were members of banned Kurdish parties.


The other three were Ahwaz Arabs, the organization added.

The statement noted that individuals sentenced to death were "tortured to 
obtain forced confessions," in trials "that lasted less than 15 minutes and 
without any defense, [and] had been issued without a last meeting with their 
families."


The Kurdistan Human Rights Association said at least 530 people were executed 
by Iran's authorities in 2016.


Last year, Amnesty International said Iranian courts were often "completely 
lacking in independence and impartiality."


According to Amnesty, China, Iran and Iraq are the top countries to carry out 
executions, issuing death sentences after "unfair trials".


The organization also said authorities in some countries, including Iran, use 
the death penalty to punish political opponents.


According to Amnesty's statistics, Iran carried out 997 executions in the 
state's prisons in 2015, of which 393 of the executed were Kurds.


(source: nrttv.com)






NIGERIA:

Gallows preparation in Lagos prison suggests spate of executions imminent


The Nigerian authorities must immediately scrap plans to execute death row 
inmates in Kirikiri prison in Lagos, Amnesty International said today amid 
macabre reports from inmates that the prison's gallows were being prepared and 
one inmate had been isolated possibly in preparation for execution.


This follows a statement by the Attorney General of Lagos State during a press 
briefing on 18 April indicating that the state government would soon start 
signing execution documents.


"The indications that Kirikiri prison authorities may be gearing up for a 
string of executions are deeply alarming. The death penalty is an outdated and 
cruel punishment which violates the right to life," said Damian Ugwu, Amnesty 
International's Nigeria Researcher.


"We also have serious concerns as to whether many of the inmates on death row 
have received a fair trial. The Nigerian police are overstretched and 
under-resourced and tend to rely heavily on coerced 'confessions' rather than 
investigations. In some cases death sentences are handed down on the basis of 
statements signed under torture.


"The Nigerian authorities must halt these executions immediately and establish 
an official moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death 
penalty."


In 2016 Nigeria handed down 527 death sentences - 3 times more than it did in 
2015 - the highest recorded globally excluding China. Lagos State imposed the 
highest number of death sentences in 2016, 68 people, which was closely 
followed by Rivers State with 61, according to official records provided by the 
Nigeria Prisons Service.


This massive spike in death sentences puts the country at odds with the global 
trend towards abolition of the death penalty. As of today, 141 countries have 
abolished the death penalty in law or in practice.


On 23 December 2016 3 death row prisoners were put to death in Benin Prison, 
Edo state. Their executions were carried out despite the fact that one of them, 
Apostle Igene was sentenced to death in 1997 by a military tribunal, and never 
had an appeal.


Amnesty International is calling on the Nigerian government to commute all 
death sentences to terms of imprisonment and immediately establish an official 
moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty.


For years, the federal government has claimed to have a voluntary or 
self-imposed 'moratorium' but executions have happened nonetheless; including 
those in December 2016. This demonstrates the urgency of formally establishing 
a moratorium.


The authorities have not confirmed officially that they plan to carry out 
executions imminently at KiriKiri prison.


(source: Amnesty International)






THAILAND:

Spaniard sentenced to death by Thai court over killing of countrymanArtur 
Segarra found guilty of murdering and dismembering David Bernat in bid to 
access his savings



A Spanish national was on Friday given the death sentence after being found 
guilty by a Thai court of murdering fellow countryman David Bernat in Bangkok. 
The victim had traveled to the Asian country in January 2016 for a vacation. 
Hours after arriving, he met with Segarra to have drinks, and after midnight, 
the pair went to the condemned man's apartment. There he was held captive for 6 
days, until he was killed and dismembered by Segarra, according to the police 
investigation into the case.


Segarra will have 2 chances to appeal the sentence, at 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 21



PHILIPPINES:

Death penalty: No opting outIt never makes good sense to flaunt our 
violation of international law. After all, when rapacious neighbors dig into 
our pie and leave not even the crust to us, we seek relief by invoking our 
rights under international law.



The Philippine Senate recently received advice from a UN monitoring office that 
it could not, without violating international law, pass a bill that would 
return the death penalty into the country's statute books. I have repeatedly 
pointed this out.


We became parties to the Second Optional Protocol to the Covenant on Civil and 
Political Rights. Article 1 of the Protocol cannot be any clearer than it is 
succinct: No one within the jurisdiction of a State Party to the present 
Protocol shall be executed. By virtue of the Executive's ratification and 
Senate concurrence, the Protocol entered into force for the Philippines.


Of course, statutes can always be amended and repealed by subsequent acts of 
the legislature of equal rank. But treaties are not the same thing, because 
they are covenants we enter into with other States and, as in the present case, 
establish a regime that cannot be left to the unilateral disposition of one of 
the State-parties.


Treaties (and protocols are essentially treaties) are entered into by the 
sovereign power of a State to bind itself, in what can be reasonably 
characterized as auto-limitation of power. That, social contract theorists have 
always taught, lies at the heart of any organized society - whether it be a 
domestic society or a community of nations: auto-limitation of individual 
autonomy. So there is really no reason for us to be bawling about a derogation 
of our "sovereignty", and whining that our "freedom" has been compromised!


The incorporation clause of Article II of our Constitution makes the generally 
accepted principles of international law part of the law of the land. This is 
not empty rhetoric. It is a constitutional provision, and it has been held to 
be one of the self-executing principles found in Article II. One of the 
accepted principles of international law is that a treaty can be denounced (the 
"opt-out" mechanism) only when the treaty provides for it, otherwise, there is 
no way that a State-Party, having acceded to a treaty, can extricate itself 
from its obligations. Once more, this quite clearly results in a limitation on 
what our Legislature may or may not pass - but it is a limitation we took upon 
ourselves by acceding to the treaty.


In respect to human rights treaties (as well as in the case of other treaties, 
such as the settlement of territorial boundaries) there are no provisions for 
treaty-denunciation and it should not be too difficult to see why: Human rights 
have attained a status both of importance and urgency that they did not have 
prior to the Second World War.


It took the egregious violation and the shocking transgression of human rights 
on a scale that remains shocking to awaken the world to the primacy of human 
rights. And when States freely take upon themselves the obligations imposed by 
human rights treaties, then it is the better policy to disallow them from going 
back on their word.


Of course, the Philippines can strike a cavalier pose and pass a death penalty 
bill anyway. And under the flow of the municipal law system - the domestic laws 
of the Philippines - the trial courts will then sentence some persons to death 
and, after the exhaustion of all post-conviction remedies, the Bureau of 
Corrections will inflict the awful sentence.


Interdependent world

We can then congratulate ourselves about having dutifully executed our laws - 
except for one thing: We remain bound by our international obligations and 
fortunately, it is a highly interdependent world in which we live, the loud 
mouths of boastful leaders who claim we do not need the rest of the world 
notwithstanding!


Should we insist on passing a death penalty law and executing condemned persons 
under its provisions, we will then be in violation of our international 
obligation not to execute. This will allow the relevant monitoring Committee to 
receive reports of our violation and to require comment on the part of the 
government. If the international community is met with contumacy on our part, 
it has an arsenal of enforcement mechanisms. Iran heaved a tremendous sigh of 
relief after sanctions against it were lifted because whether autocrats accept 
it or not, sanctions can be burdensome, painful and really punishing.


No, it never makes good sense to flaunt our violation of international law. 
After all, when rapacious neighbors who are armed to the teeth dig into our pie 
and leave not even the crust to us, we seek relief by invoking our rights under 
international law. We take umbrage because our rights under international law 
shall have been violated.


But we cannot engage in double-speak. If we desire the guarantees and the 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 20



VIETNAM:

Beware Vietnam's Death MachineA closer look at capital punishment in the 
Southeast Asian state.



One Thursday in July 2013, Barack Obama and his Vietnamese counterpart, Truong 
Tan Sang, sat down in the Oval Office to discuss Thomas Jefferson. Sang brought 
to this historic meeting between the 2 nation's presidents a letter Ho Chi Minh 
had sent Harry Truman, prior to the Vietnam War, seeking cooperation with the 
United States. Uncle Ho's words, said Obama, were "inspired by the words of 
Thomas Jefferson." In fact, when the Proclamation of Independence was read by 
Ho in 1945, he chose to begin with an extract from America's Declaration of 
Independence, its principal author being Jefferson.


While a visit to the White House by the Vietnamese president was an occasion 
for historical reflection, the here-and-now was what really mattered. Indeed, 
diplomacy and trade were the main talking points, signaling the start of an 
emboldened relationship between the 2 nations. But the U.S. president did at 
least mention Vietnam's human right's record.


"All of us have to respect issues like freedom of expression, freedom of 
religion, freedom of assembly. And we had a very candid conversation about both 
the progress that Vietnam is making and the challenges that remain," Obama said 
after the meeting. Sang's only comment was that the 2 men "have differences on 
the issue."


Little reported afterwards was the execution of a 27-year old Vietnamese man 
named Nguyen Anh Tuan, a convicted murderer, which took place on August 6, just 
2 weeks after Sang's visit to White House. Tuan's execution was the 1st in 
years, and the 1st since Vietnam replaced firing squads with lethal injections 
in 2011. However, a ban on importing "authorized" lethal drugs meant it had to 
use untested domestic poisons. Tuan took 2 hours to die, reportedly in 
harrowing pain.


Between the date of Tuan's death and June 30, 2016, Vietnam executed 429 people 
(or an average of 147 executions per year; or 12 each month). Additionally, 
1,134 people were given death sentences between July 2011 and June 2016. The 
number remaining on "death row" is not known.


These figures only came to light after the public security ministry decided to 
release them in February. They are normally classified as state secrets and 
rarely revealed. Surprising many around the world who thought the numbers to be 
much lower, Amnesty International reported this month that Vietnam is now the 
world's third-most prolific executioner of prisoners. Only China and Iran are 
thought to have executed more people.


In June 2016, the Paris-based Vietnam Committee on Human Rights provided a 
lengthy report on the death penalty???s mechanisms in Vietnam, explaining that 
capital punishment is applied for 18 different offenses, down from 44 in 1999.


Like many of its Southeast Asian neighbors this includes harsh drug laws, and 
Vietnam metes out the death penalty for those caught in possession or smuggling 
100 grams or more of heroin or cocaine, or 5 kilograms or more of cannabis and 
other opiates. Other crimes, including murder and rape, also carry a death 
sentence.


After reforms during the 2000s, "the death penalty was effectively abolished on 
certain crimes, such as robbery, disobeying orders or surrendering to the 
enemy. But in other cases, crimes were simply re-worded to mask their 
appearance and deceive international opinion," the Vietnam Committee on Human 
Rights report reads.


Particularly troubling is the fact that the Vietnamese regime wields capital 
punishment for vaguely-defined crimes of "infringing upon national security," 
explains the report. These include carrying out activities aimed at 
overthrowing the people's administration (Article 109 of the reformed Criminal 
Code), rebellion (article 112), and sabotaging the material-technical 
foundations of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (article 114).


Returning to the recent execution figures, it is worth considering why the 
regime would choose to announce them in February - knowing the reaction they 
would cause - and whether they are not masking a far larger number of 
executions.


One problem is that they came with no information as to what the prisoners were 
being executed for. We might assume that most were for drug offenses or murder, 
as has been the case in the past, but it is by no means certain. That leads one 
to wonder whether any of the people executed were arrested for simply 
protesting against the regime.


Even if they weren't, capital punishment and human rights are by no means 
detached issues, as some claim. What is the connection between the drug 
trafficker, the murder and the human-rights activist in the regime's eyes? They 
are all a risk to national security. Indeed, in his famed essay, "Of Crimes and 
Punishments," Italian philosopher Cesare Beccaria described the death penalty 
as a "war of the whole nation against a citizen 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 19



TURKEY:

Turkey: death penalty incompatible with Council of EuropeAdoption would 
push Ankara outside the institution



"Rejection of capital punishment is a basic principle of the Council of Europe 
and its reintroduction would be simply incompatible with Turkey's continued 
membership in the organization". It is what the Luxembourg socialist 
parliamentarian Yves Cruchten, general rapporteur on abolition of the death 
penalty for the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe (Pace), said 
reacting to President Erdogan's declaration on the intention of holding a 
referendum to bringing back the death penalty in Turkey. "The parliamentary 
assembly of the Council of Europe (Pace) has helped turn Europe into a death 
penalty free continent, by making a moratorium on executions and a commitment 
to abolition a condition for accession" says Cruchten, underlining that Pace 
"will not accept any backsliding on this".


"President Erdogan should be under no illusion: reintroducing the death penalty 
would be simply incompatible with Turkey's continued membership of the Council 
of Europe" declares Cruchten.


(source: ansamed.info)






SINGAPORE:

Activists decry hurried execution of convicted drug courier


The following is a joint-press release by We Believe in Second Chances and the 
Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Campaign.


***

We Believe in Second Chances and the Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Campaign 
(SADPC) note with dismay that the execution of Jeefrey bin Jamil has been 
abruptly scheduled for this Friday, 21 April 2017. Jeefrey is now known as 
Jeffrey Marquez Abineno.


Jeffrey (aged 52) was convicted by the High Court of trafficking 45.26 grams of 
diamorphine into Singapore on 28 November 2014. His appeal was dismissed by the 
Court of Appeal on 2 December 2016. He appealed to the President of Singapore 
for clemency, but was refused a pardon on 17 April 2017 - the same day his 
family was informed of his scheduled execution.


We are alarmed by the speed at which Jeffrey's execution is to be carried out. 
In previous cases, there was more time between the President's rejection of 
clemency and the execution. We note with concern this decreasing window of time 
between notifying the inmate's lawyer and the scheduled execution. Families of 
death row inmates need time to make funeral preparations, inform their 
relatives, visit the inmate, and ready themselves emotionally. The inmate's 
lawyers need time to review their case and pursue other legal avenues where 
necessary. There should be a reasonable notice period, and at the very least a 
consistently enforced notice period, for the inmate's family and lawyers to 
plan ahead and make the necessary arrangements.


The death penalty is the harshest and most final punishment that a court can 
mete out to any individual. It is a punishment that has been abandoned by the 
majority of criminal justice systems in the world. Moreover, decades of 
research have not been able to prove that the death sentence is more effective 
than other forms of punishment in deterring crime and keeping society safe.


Furthermore, should Jeffrey's hanging on Friday proceed as planned, it would 
take place under a cloud of uncertainty over its international legality and 
legitimacy. Lawyers for 2 of Jeffrey's fellow death row inmates - Malaysians S 
Prabagaran and K Datchinamurthy - have commenced judicial review proceedings in 
Malaysia challenging Singapore's drug prosecution regime on grounds that it 
constitutes a breach of fair trial. Their case is now before the Court of 
Appeal of Malaysia. Should it succeed, Putrajaya would be compelled to 
institute legal proceedings against Singapore before the International Court of 
Justice (ICJ) for denying its citizens a fair trial.


This impacts Jeffrey's case substantially. If the ICJ ultimately rules that 
Singapore's current drug prosecution regime breaches the accused???s right to a 
fair trial, Jeffrey and his family would pay the high price of him being one of 
the last men hanged under a regime found to be in breach of customary 
international law.


We urge the Singaporean authorities to halt the execution of Jeffrey Marquez 
Abineno. The death penalty is irreversible. Once it is carried out, a wrongful 
execution is an injustice that can never be rectified.


(source: theindependent.sg)






BANGLADESH:

2 men bag death sentence in Bangladesh


A Bangladeshi court on Wednesday sentenced 2 men to death for crimes committed 
during the country's 1971 war of independence with Pakistan, officials said.


The Special War Crimes Tribunal handed down the penalty to Moslem Prodhan, 66, 
and Syed Mohammad Hossain, 64, for killings and atrocities carried out on 
civilians during the 9-month war.


Prosecution lawyer Tureen Afroz said 6 charges, including killing of unarmed 
civilians, were proved beyond doubt against the accused, who were members of an 
armed militia group linked to the 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 18



TRINIDAD:

The crucifixion and resurrection of Trinidad


Trinidad and Tobago is in a state of crisis due to the increased intensity of 
crime with little hope of a solution by those in authority who have been 
appointed to protect us. In the face of rising crime they tend to shift the 
blame on our attitude - a response that if not incorrect is insensitive to the 
victims of crime as well as their friends and family, co-workers and 
neighbours. The loss of law and order continues to erode our faith in the 
government as they continue to fail to convince us that they understand our 
fears and frustrations.


We as a nation are appealing for a positive programme for the restoration of a 
society of decency and order. The Government must assume a major role in the 
fight against violence and senseless killings. The Prime Minister must exert 
moral leadership, reinforcing the importance of respect for law and contempt 
towards those who continue to violate it by practising murder and other violent 
and heinous crimes. Harsher penalties must be imposed on convicted murderers 
and rapists.


The primary duty of any government is the safety and security of its citizenry 
and loss of law and order due to gang warfare is the most visible sign that the 
Government has failed. Those in authority and even citizens continue to make 
statements about the crime situation that make them appear to be siding with 
the supposed villains rather than their victims.


Who or what do we turn to in the face of this crisis? During this Easter season 
the resurrection of Christ provides a semblance of hope.


We are now called to be a resurrection nation; we will rise above kidnappings 
and murders. The tomb is empty and this directly means that our nation should 
also be emptied of all the murderers and criminals that create a barrier 
between us and peace. This will be achieved by enforcing the death penalty on 
convicted murderers and rapists and that will send a strong message to the 
nation that these crimes will not go unpunished.


The negative influences may never be completely destroyed because of the 
attitude of those in authority, but we as individuals can continue to dream and 
do all in our power to rise above all obstacles and live a life of success. 
Having recently been the victim of an arson attack against my home in Chaguanas 
I have decided to rise above the violence, pettiness, immaturity, senselessness 
and cowardice of my enemies and have decided to travel the world sharing the 
message to millions with speaking engagements and my very own motivational CD 
that we can positively impact the world by daring to dream and rising above the 
evil influences that are designed to destroy us and prevent us from living our 
dreams.


Simon Wright Chaguanas

(source: letter to the Editor Trinidad Express)






IRAN:

Halt imminent execution of 2 men arrested as teenagers


The Iranian authorities must urgently stop the imminent execution of two 
long-time death row prisoners who were children at the time of their arrest, 
Amnesty International said today.


One of the men, Mehdi Bahlouli, is due to be executed tomorrow morning in 
Karaj's Raja'i Shahr Prison, after more than 15 years on death row. He was 
sentenced to death by a criminal court in Tehran in November 2001 for fatally 
stabbing a man during a fight. He was 17 at the time of the crime.


The execution of the second man, Peyman Barandah, is scheduled to take place 
just three weeks later, on 10 May, in Shiraz Central Prison, Fars Province. He 
was arrested at the age of 16 and spent nearly 5 years on death row, after 
being convicted in August 2012, also for stabbing a teenager to death during a 
fight.


"Carrying out the executions of these 2 young men would be an outrageous breach 
of international human rights law that would cement Iran's position as one of 
the world's top executors of juvenile offenders," said Philip Luther, Amnesty 
International's Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North 
Africa.


"Mehdi Bahlouli has spent his entire young adult life on death row. His 
shocking ordeal epitomizes the cruelty of Iran's juvenile justice system which 
regularly sentences juvenile offenders to death in violation of international 
human rights law and then subjects them to prolonged periods on death row. The 
anguish and torment of living their lives in the shadow of the gallows also 
amounts to cruel and inhuman treatment."


Mehdi Bahlouli's family told Amnesty International that they received a call 
from the prison on Saturday informing them to attend for their last visit. He 
was transferred to solitary confinement on Sunday in preparation for his 
execution.


Iran's recently amended 2013 Islamic Penal Code gives judges the option to 
replace the death penalty with an alternative punishment if they determine that 
the juvenile offender did not understand the nature of the crime or its 
consequences, or his or 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 17



IRANexecutions

Execution of 2 Ill Prisoners in Tabriz and Intensified Deterioration of Prison 
Conditions



The mullahs 'anti-human regime on April 12 hanged 27-year-old Rahman 
Hosseinpour while suffering from mental illness in Tabriz prison. He was taking 
daily 30 tranquilizer pills and was imprisoned in the psychotherapy ward. On 
April 4 another ill prisoner detained in Tabriz prison was executed after 4 
years in prison. On April 11 in the same prison 2 ill brothers were attacked 
after going to the prison clinic and were later transferred to solitary 
confinement.


Execution of sick prisoners or their mistreatment is in violation of several 
international treaties to which Iran is a signatory member.


These crimes are a portion of the deteriorating situation of Tabriz prison and 
a growing pressure on prison inmates. 7,000 prisoners piled up in the prison, 
because of the lack of the most basic medical facilities, do not get medical 
visits even once a year. It has been more than 2 months that with the excuse of 
repairing the kitchen, prisoners get only rice and soup. Given that many 
prisoners ca not afford to buy food, they are suffering from malnutrition. 
There are not enough blankets or beds in terms of the number of prisoners there 
and half of the prisoners have to rest on bare ground without minimum 
facilities. Any objection by the prisoners is answered by repression and 
beating.


Gohardasht prison inmates also suffer poor food quality, lack of medical 
facilities and lack of heating system. Prisoners have to pay for all the 
facilities, from the cost of treatment to the food and residency at their own 
expense. Inmates of Section 10 of this prison do not have access to hot water 
for more than a year due to the breakdown of the heating system.


(source: Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran)






PHILIPPINES:

PH barred from reintroducing death penalty, UN reminds Senate


The Philippines is prohibited from reimposing capital punishment because of 
international treaties signed by the government, a United Nations (UN) body 
reminded the Senate.


In a letter dated March 27, UN Human Rights Committee chair Yuji Iwasawa 
expressed "grave concern" over the passage of the death penalty bill at the 
House of Representatives and urged the Senate to "refrain from taking 
retrogressive measures."


Iwasawa reminded Senate President Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III that the 
Philippines is party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political 
Rights (ICCPR) and the 2 Optional Protocols.


Article 6 (2) of the ICCPR bars States from reintroducing death penalty once it 
is already abolished, whether through amending domestic law or acceding to the 
Second Optional Protocol. The same article provides that, "in those States 
which have not abolished the death penalty, the sentence of death can only be 
applied for the most serious crimes."


"The Committee is currently in session in Geneva. It expresses its grave 
concern at information it has received about the passage of a bill through the 
Houses of Congress to reintroduce the death penalty, for drug related offenses, 
in the Philippines. It understands that the Senate will consider this bill 
soon," Iwasawa wrote.


"The Committee reminds the State party about denunciations of the Second 
Optional Protocol, as set out in its General Comment No. 26 on Continuity of 
Obligations. The Second Optional Protocol excludes the possibility of 
denunciation by omitting a denunciation clause to guarantee the permanent non 
-reintroduction of the death penalty by States that have ratified it," he said.


The UN official added: "On behalf of the Committee, I call on the State Party 
to take its obligations under the ICCPR and the Second Optional Protocol 
seriously and refrain from taking measures, which would only undermine human 
rights progress to date."


In December last year, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al 
Hussein also wrote to Pimentel and House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, both allies 
of President Rodrigo Duterte. He warned that the Philippines would "violate its 
obligations under international human rights law if it reintroduced the death 
penalty."


"International law does not permit a State that has ratified or acceded to the 
Second Optional Protocol to denounce it or withdraw from it," Hussein then 
said.


Senators are divided on the fate of the death penalty bill in the upper 
chamber, where it is not a priority measure.


(source: globalnation.inquirer.net)






TURKEY:

Claiming victory, Turkey's Erdogan says may take death penalty to referendum

President Tayyip Erdogan told crowds of flag-waving supporters on Sunday that 
Turkey could hold another referendum on reinstating the death penalty, as he 
claimed victory in a vote that will hand him sweeping new powers.


Addressing crowds in Istanbul, Erdogan said he would "immediately" discuss the 
issue of bringing back 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 16



MALAYSIA:

Hotel manager gets death sentence for drug trafficking


A hotel manager was sent to the gallows by the Magistrate's Court here today 
after he found guilty of trafficking 82.38 gm of heroin last year.


Judicial Commissioner Muhammad Jamil Hussin passed the death sentence to 
Muhammad Firdaus Abdullah, 29, after the defence failed to raise a reasonable 
doubt on the prosecution's case.


The father of one was found guilty of committing the offence at 9.30am at the 
Machap rest and service area (north-bound) in Kluang on Jan 4 last year. The 
offence under Section 39B(1) (a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 provides for 
mandatory death penalty upon conviction.


In his judgment, Muhammad Jamil said the accused's defence was a mere denial 
and fabricated.


According to the facts of the case, a team of policemen spotted the accused 
carrying a suspicious package towards a white Honda car parked by the roadside. 
Upon inspection, four small packs of heroin weighing a total of 82.38gm, were 
found in the package.


Deputy public prosecutor Rasyidah Murni Adzmi prosecuted, while the accused was 
represented by lawyer Chandran Singh.


Throughout the trial, the prosecution and defence each called 6 witnesses.

Muhammad Firdaus appeared calm when the court passed the sentence, while his 
family members broke down in tears.


(source: themalaymailonline.com)






EGYPT:

Child Rapists Should be Executed: Al-Azhar Grand Sheikh's Deputy


Dr Abbas Shuman, the Deputy of Al-Azhar's Grand Sheikh, has called for the 
death penalty to be imposed on anyone found guilty of raping a child, reported 
Al-Ahram.


"The rape of children is terrorism punishable by execution," said Dr Shuman, 
adding that such crimes are alien to Egypt's society and culture and represent 
terrorism in its worst form.


Dr Shuman added that the raping of children is no less dangerous than bombings 
and other violence.


In the past few years, there have been several notable cases of child rape that 
have been widely reported in Egyptian media. In 2014, 2 teenagers were 
sentenced to 15 years in prison after being convicted of raping and killing a 
5-year-old child in Port Said before throwing her off an 11-story building.


Most recently, a 20-month-old girl was raped by a 35-year-old man in 
Al-Daqahliyah Government, leading to many in Egypt to call for greater 
punishment for child rapists.


(source: egyptianstreets.com)






NORTH KOREA:

North Korean soldiers who compared Kim Jong-un to a mentally ill child in 
extremely unwise joke are arrested and face death penalty



North Korean soldiers are facing the death penalty after spreading a joke 
comparing Kim Jong-un to a kindergartner.


Officers and soldiers from the 2nd army corps have been placed under arrest for 
mocking the North Korean leader, and are under investigation, a source has told 
Radio Free Asia.


The source said: 'News of cadres of the second army corps slandering Kim 
Jong-un reached all the way to the People's Army's General Political Bureau, 
and the arrested cadres are to be severely punished.'


According to UPI, other soldiers have referred to him as a mentally ill 
patient.


It comes as Kim Jong-un threatened nuclear justice during the Day of the Sun 
parades in the secretive state.


Kim, wearing a Western-style suit at Kim Il-sung Square, saluted formations of 
soldiers who yelled out 'long live' to celebrate the 105th anniversary of his 
grandfather's birth.


The dictator has accused President Donald Trump of provoking his nation towards 
armed conflict with a series of increasingly aggressive moves, including 
sending the USS Carl Vinson to the Korean peninsula.


Kim is said to be losing popularity with North Koreans, and is already 
unpopular with the country's soldiers.


US officials feared Kim Jong-un would mark the national holiday by launching 
North Korea's 6th nuclear weapons test, since the country has used previous 
holidays to showcase its military prowess.


The despot, who did not speak during the annual parade, flaunted prototypes of 
intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), which experts fear could one day be 
capable of striking mainland America.


One of Kim's top officials, Choe Ryong Hae, today vowed North Korea would 'beat 
down enemies with the power of nuclear justice'.


He told the packed-out square: 'If the United States wages reckless provocation 
against us, our revolutionary power will instantly counter with annihilating 
strike, and we will respond to full-out war with full-out war and to nuclear 
war with our style of nuclear strike warfare.'


(source: dailymail.co.uk)






PHILIPPINES:

Extended prison terms in lieu of death penalty eyed


Northern Samar Rep. Raul Daza has asked Congress to consider increasing the 
prison terms and scrapping parole privilege for persons convicted of heinous 
crimes, which are more acceptable alternatives to the death penalty.


Daza filed House Bill 4872 to 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 15



CANADA:

Canada should bring back death penalty


Every human living in and around Medicine Hat is an awesome person for making 
this a great city in which to reside and live. But I think it's about time we 
as humans start to talk about bringing back the death penalty.


There have been numerous murders involving children over the years. The accused 
seem to have more rights then the victims and their families, and yet the 
defence lawyers are trying now to delay, interrupt or slow down these trials. 
Victims??? loved ones have to be put through the wringer by bringing back some 
of these trials 2 to 3 times before the judge can make a proper decision.


We need a federal vote for the return of the death penalty in Canada. There 
were a couple of child murders in the last couple years in Calgary, involving 
very young children, along with 1 mother who was killed, and a youngster and 
his grandparents.


3 cheers for the inmates at the Calgary Remand Centre and Edmonton Remand 
Centre trying to make a male inmate realize what he did. He somehow has to pay 
for his crimes and he took 3 human lives including a young boy.


Let's do a vote sooner, not later, We need to protect society. It almost seems 
at times we are going backward when these crimes happen. All the rights seem to 
be on the suspect's side. The victims are long forgotten except by friends and 
family.


Bob Moss

Medicine Hat

(source: Letter to the Editor, Medicine Hat News)






IRAN:

Southern Azerbaijan: AHRAZ Publishes Report on Death Penalty in Azerbaijani 
Turkish-populated Cities in Iran (2015-2016)



The Association for the human rights of the Azerbaijani people in Iran (AHRAZ) 
published a report on the use of the death penalty in Azerbaijani 
Turkish-populated cities in Iran between October 2015 and October 2016. The 
death toll amounted to 588 citizens executed in the country, of whom 187 were 
hanged in the mostly Azerbaijani-populated provinces. Half of the executed were 
accused of drug trafficking, a quarter of adultery and the rest because of 
political and security reasons. AHRAZ listed a number of cases, specifying the 
charges.


Below is the report published by AHRAZ:

Report on the death penalty in Azerbaijan's cities in Iran (2015-2016)

From October 2015 to October 2016, totally 588 people were sentenced to death 
in Iran. Out of this number, 504 people were hanged and executed in this 
country. During this period, 187 people were hanged in the mostly Azerbaijani 
Turkish populated provinces such as West Azerbaijan (comprising 10% of the 
executed in this period), East Azerbaijan (8%), Ardabil (7%), Zanjan (4%), 
Qazvin (6%), and Hamadan (2%).


57% of the executed were accused of crimes related to drugs, 26% in relation to 
murder because of adultery, 7% related to political and security reasons, and 4 
% other cases.


39% of the executions in this period were reported by the Iranian domestic and 
official media and 61% were reported by non-governmental and independent media 
and institutions.


From January-March 2017, 34 people were hanged in the Azerbaijani populated 
cities in Iran such as Tabriz, Urmia, Ardabil, Zanjan, Qazvin, Maraghe and 
Maku, who were accused of the crimes related to drugs and murder. Some of the 
details related to these cases in this short period are mentioned below, as 
example:


A prisoner, called Rashid Javadi from Jolfa city was hanged in the Tabriz 
Central Prison on 7 January 2017 because of holding and carrying 106 grams of 
heroin.


Morteza Heydari from Malekan (East Azerbaijan Province) who was accused of 
positioning 3 kilos industrial drugs and 3.6 kilos of heroin was hanged in the 
Maraghe Prison in January 2017. At the time of reporting, 4 other prisoners are 
to be hanged soon in this prison. These people include: Iraj Ghafouri from Khoy 
City, accused of crimes in relation to drugs, Akbar Moradi from Maraghe City 
because of murder, Hoseyn Fatemi from Miandoab (Qoshachay) City as well as Ali 
Mostofi from Maraghe City.


On 18 January 2017, 3 prisoners accused of holding drugs as wells as a child 
accused of murder at the time of adolescence were executed in the Tabriz 
Central Prison. These prisoners included Parviz Solati, Qorban Lotfi, Ertekan 
Karimi, and Hasan Hasan Zadeh, 18 years old who committed murder at the time of 
15 years old.


A handicapped prisoner, named Qabl Ali Babir who had missed his 2 legs as well 
as another prisoner called Sina Hoseyn Pour, both accused of holding drugs, 
were hanged in the Urmia Central Prison on 21 January 2017.


Hashem Qaraqozlu from Qorveh, accused of holding drugs, was hanged in the 
Hamadan Central Prison on 29 January 2017.


Taher Saeidi, accused of holding drugs, was hanged in Maku Prison on 01 
February 2017.


Kuchak Naji, accused of crimes related to drugs, was hanged in the Urmia 
Central Prison, on 03 March 2017.


Morad Seyfi from Miandoab (Qoshachay) City, and Mr. Morad Payiz from Maraghe 
City 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 14



TURKEY:

Turkey Will Try to Return the Death Penalty After the Referendum, Erdogan 
Promised



The Turkish President Redzhep Tayip Erdogan said the government should propose 
a bill to return the death penalty if the constitutional changes to move to a 
presidential republic are approved on the referendum on Sunday.


At a rally in the eastern province of Erzurum, he said he would approve such a 
project if it passes in parliament but is ready to start a new consultation if 
it encounters resistance from lawmakers. "For the return of the death penalty 
requires a constitutional amendment, but if parliament does not approve, I will 
turn it to a public referendum, as we did on April 16. Let the public decide," 
Erdogan said, quoted by "Hurriyet".


"The day, which will be decided this would be April 16th ," he stressed the 
President and added that he would need a consensus from all parties to embark 
on the return of the death penalty. "Mr. Kilicdaroglu [the leader of the 
largest opposition Republican People's Party] says he would approve it. I hope 
that will not be denied when the time comes for it," Erdogan said.


(source: novinite.com)






JAPAN:

Top court upholds death penalty for woman for killing 3 men


The Supreme Court on Friday upheld the death sentence given to a 42-year-old 
woman for killing 3 men she met through an online dating service in the Tokyo 
area in 2009.


Although Kanae Kijima had pleaded not guilty to the murders, the top court 
ruled she killed all 3 -- Takao Terada 53, Kenzo Ando, 80, and Yoshiyuki Oide, 
41 -- between January and August of 2009.


Lower courts recognized Kijima, who has changed her surname to Doi while on 
death row, as the perpetrator, mainly based on circumstantial evidence, while 
rejecting the defense counsel's argument that the victims may have committed 
suicide or died by accident. The cause of death in each case was carbon 
monoxide poisoning.


In March 2012, the Saitama District Court found her guilty of murder and 
sentenced her to death as demanded by the prosecution, saying she bought coal 
briquettes and sleeping pills, prepared stoves and then stayed with each man 
until just before he died.


In March 2014, the Tokyo High Court upheld the death sentence, saying she 
committed the crimes to maintain a luxurious lifestyle.


(source: The Mainichi)






BANGLADESH:

EU calls on Bangladesh to abolish death sentence


The European Union delegation in Dhaka has urged the Bangladeshi authorities to 
introduce a moratorium on executions as the "1st step towards definitive 
abolition of capital punishment".


In a statement on Thursday, the EU's Dhaka office said capital punishment is 
"not a deterrent against crime and renders miscarriages of justice 
irreversible".


"The European Union universally opposes the use of capital punishment."

The call came following the execution of 3 militants for the 2004 grenade 
attack on a Sylhet shrine gathering, targeting the then British high 
commissioner Anwar Choudhury. Three people, including 2 policemen, were killed 
in the attack.


The envoy sustained injuries along with nearly 40 employees of the Sylhet 
district administration, including its chief.


Banned radical outfit Harkat-ul Jihad al-Islami leader Abdul Hannan aka Mufti 
Hannan and his accomplices Sharif Shahedul alias Bipul and Delwar Hossain Ripon 
were executed on Wednesday night after completing a long trial process.


The British High Commission in Dhaka earlier told bdnews24.com that bringing 
the perpetrators to justice was "right", but reiterated the UK's opposition to 
death penalty in all circumstances.


(source: bdnews24.com)






PAKISTAN:

Pak Army says 'no compromise' on Jadhav's death sentence


The Pakistan Army said Thursday there will be 'no compromise' on the issue of 
death sentence awarded to alleged Indian spy Kulbushan Jadhav by a military 
court.


The remark comes as Pakistan faces hostile backlash from India over the death 
penalty to Jadhav.


In a Corps Commanders' Conference presided by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) 
General Qamar Javed Bajwa, "The forum was also briefed about Kulbushan Sudhir 
Jadhav. It was concluded that no compromise shall be made on such anti state 
acts," according to an ISPR statement.


The statement said that the forum also reviewed national security environment 
and recent developments in the region.


"Forum reviewed progress of operation Radd-ul-Fasaad and provision of support 
to ongoing National Housing and Population census. COAS appreciated formations, 
intelligence agencies and Law Enforcement Agencies for successful execution of 
operations," the statement added.


Jadhav was awarded the death penalty on April 10 in an unprecedented decision 
that sparked a diplomatic spat between the 2 hostile neighbours.


Pakistan media reported yesterday that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and General 
Bajwa have agreed not to come under pressure from India over the issue.

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 13



UNITED KINGDOM:

How abolishing the death penalty led to more convictionsThe lesson from 
Victorian England is that juries convict more often when death is not an option


Though no one has been executed in Britain for over 50 years, until 1998 
someone convicted of high treason or "piracy with violence" could in theory be 
put to death. The law is now clearly against capital punishment, but Britons 
are not. Fully 1/3 would like the death penalty to be brought back; the leader 
of the populist UK Independence Party has suggested a referendum on the matter. 
Yet research presented at this week's Royal Economic Society conference 
suggests that if you really want to be tough on criminals, killing off capital 
punishment makes sense.


Anna Bindler and Randi Hjalmarsson, both of the University of Gothenburg, 
examined over 200,000 cases from the Old Bailey criminal court in London from 
1715 to 1900. During this period capital punishment was abolished for many 
offences, from counterfeiting money (in 1832) to robbery (in 1837). Making the 
necessary statistical controls, the authors looked at the change in the 
likelihood of conviction for offences that were no longer capital.


The paper suggests that when capital punishment was an option, juries were 
often reluctant to convict at all. They may have felt it was a little rum to 
send someone to the gallows for stealing a cow, so they downgraded the charge 
or acquitted the defendant. The authors find that juries were particularly 
reluctant to convict women.


Once death was off the table, however, jurors could convict with a clearer 
conscience. The paper finds that the abolition of capital punishment increased 
the chance of conviction for all crimes by around eight percentage points, with 
especially large effects for violent offences. The temporary halt of penal 
transportation during the American war of independence had a somewhat smaller 
effect on the likelihood to convict, suggesting that juries considered living 
in America to be a prospect slightly less awful than death.


Past research has found that would-be criminals are more put off by an 
increased likelihood of conviction than they are by more severe sentences. If 
so, then getting rid of the most brutal punishments could make criminal-justice 
systems work better. If the third of Britons who would like the death penalty 
reintroduced got their way, the country might inadvertently end up letting more 
criminals walk free.


(source: The Economist)






YEMEN:

Rebel court sentences Yemen journalist to death


A Yemeni court in the rebel-held capital has sentenced a veteran journalist to 
death on charges of spying for neighbouring Saudi Arabia, the press union and 
rebel media said on Thursday.


Since March 2015, oil-rich Saudi Arabia has been leading a deadly military 
intervention against the rebels and their allies in the kingdom's impoverished 
neighbour.


Yahya al-Jubaihi, 61, was convicted of establishing "contact with a foreign 
state" and providing Saudi diplomats in Sanaa with "reports that posed harm to 
Yemen militarily, politically and economically," the rebel-controlled Saba news 
agency reported.


Prosecutors alleged that Jubaihi had been receiving a monthly salary of 4,500 
Saudi riyals ($1,200) from Riyadh since 2010, 4 years before the rebels overran 
the capital, Saba added.


The Yemeni press union condemned the "arbitrary" sentence, accusing the rebels 
of "targeting the freedom of the press."


It said Jubaihi was a "veteran journalist with a long record of professional 
work across Yemen."


He was seized from his home on September 6, it added.

The rebels and their allies -- renegade troops loyal to former president Ali 
Abdullah Saleh -- have controlled all government institutions in Sanaa since 
they overran the capital in September 2014.


Rival bodies loyal to internationally recognised president Abedrabbo Mansour 
Hadi operate out of 2nd city Aden or from exile in Saudi Arabia.


The Aden-based information ministry said Jubaihi's trial was a "farce" and 
accused the rebels of looking to "settle political accounts... through a 
politicised judiciary."


Jubaihi wrote regular columns in Saudi dailies Okaz and Al-Madina, as well as 
in Yemeni newspapers.


He served at the government's press department in the 1990s and 2000s when 
Saleh was president and Hadi was his deputy.


Press watchdogs and human rights groups have been deeply critical of the 
rebels' treatment of journalists as the conflict in the Arabian peninsula 
country has escalated over the past 2 years.


In December, journalist Mohammed al-Absi, 35, died suddenly after publishing 
reports about alleged corruption. His family and human rights groups said a 
post-mortem found he had been poisoned.


Eight reporters were killed in Yemen last year, according to the International 
Federation of Journalists.


That made the country the 4th deadliest for journalists after Iraq, 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 12




BANGLADESH:

They turned into animalsObserves HC about killers of Sylhet boy Rajon, 
upholds death sentence of 4



The perpetrators had turned into a group of animal characters devoid of 
humanity when they tortured Sheikh Md Samiul Alam Rajon to death in Sylhet in 
2015, said the High Court yesterday as it upheld death penalty of four for 
having been directly involved in the killing.


Rajon had been refused water during the torture, the court said, and that 
demonstrated the "cruel", "inhuman" and "heinous" nature of the crime.


The death-row convicts are Qamrul Islam, Zakir Hossain alias Pavel, Saddique 
Ahmed alias Boro Moyna and Taz Uddin alias Badal. Except for Zakir, all are in 
jail.


Zakir has been absconding since the incident, said Assistant Attorney General 
Atiqul Haque Salim.


3 convicts -- Quamrul's brother Muhid Alam alias Muhit, Shamim Ahmed and Ali 
Haider -- were sentenced to 7 years in prison and 2 others -- Ayaz Ali and 
Dulal Ahmed -- to 1 year's imprisonment.


The bench of Justice Jahangir Hossain Selim and Justice Md Jahangir Hossain, 
however, commuted the life sentence of Noor Ahmed alias Noor Mia, who had 
filmed the brutal incident, to six months' jail.


Rajon's father Sheikh Azizur Rahman Alam, who was present in the courtroom 
during the delivery of the judgment, said he got justice.


"I thank the government and judges for ensuring justice. I hope sentences of 
the convicts will be executed soon."


The video footage captured by Noor and confessional statements of 2 convicts 
proved the accusations brought in the murder case, Atiqul Haque told The Daily 
Star.


The HC upheld a lower court's verdict sentencing 5 convicts to different terms 
on the grounds that they had tried to hide the body of Rajon, he added.


SM Abul Hossain, a defence lawyer for Quamrul and Muhit, said his clients would 
appeal to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, challenging the HC 
verdict, after receiving the full text of the verdict.


On July 8, 2015, Rajon was beaten to death by a group of brutes in Kumargaon 
Bus Stand area of Sylhet sadar, allegedly for trying to steal a rickshaw van.


Noor Ahmed filmed the horrendous incident and shared it on Facebook.

The 28-minute video footage went viral on the social networking site, which 
shows prime accused Quamrul Islam hitting the boy with a stick on his feet, 
joints of legs, shoulders and head.


A Sylhet court in November 2015 sentenced the four accused, including Quamrul, 
to death.


The High Court observed that if anybody is apprehended by public other than 
police or legal force over an allegation of committing crimes, he must 
immediately be sent to the nearest police station or police must be informed so 
that they arrest him and bring him to book.


"Taking a sudden decision on a mere idea can never bring appropriate result. In 
this case, it is claimed by the defence against victim Rajon that he tried to 
steal a van and for that some angry people killed him by beating him but that 
has not been proved by the evidence of either party.


"When an unusual incident takes place beyond expectation, then it is difficult 
to retain the situation under control. We must control the environment of our 
society having awareness and applying basic law, since otherwise society will 
get a negative message and mass people will take the law into their own hands 
ignoring the appropriate legal process. In such a situation, innocent people 
may be victimised even after having no fault of any crime. People should 
acknowledge from the present case that for such crime committed by perpetrators 
they are going to meet the gallows and other punishments."


"All of us including the state must be alert to keep the society safe from any 
kind of untoward incidents like Rajon's one," Justice Jahangir Hossain Selim 
said.


The judge said, "Most of the people of the country do not have the knowledge of 
the basic law due to lack of education. To bring the people under awareness of 
law and how to apply it, state owned media, electronic and print media 
organisations including journalists, all religious leaders and teachers should 
come forward to play a significant role".


"Social movement is also a very important factor in this regard and this 
awareness of law should be incorporated in the primary education," the court 
observed.


(source: The Daily Star)






JAPAN:

Death penalty highlights wider injustices in Japan's legal system


Japan's justice system is under increasing scrutiny following a historic 
declaration from the country's largest legal association to bring to light the 
country's high conviction rate and continuing use of executions.


The Japanese Federation of Bar Associations went further and called for the 
abolition of the death penalty, a move human rights activists hope will open a 
dialogue about this issue in the country.


Proponents argue that the use of capital punishment is reserved for only 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 12



AFRICA:

Amnesty International: Death sentences on the rise in Africa


More than 1,000 death sentences were handed down in Africa in 2016. That's 
according to the latest report by Amnesty International. Botswana was singled 
out for resuming executions.


DW: Could you briefly tell us the components of your report with a focus on the 
African countries?


First of all, it's quite important to highlight the major elements of the 
report itself. In 2016, Amnesty International recorded a 37 % decrease in the 
number of executions carried out globally. In 2016, we found that China was the 
world's top executioner. And progress towards abolition was recorded in all 
regions of the world.


In terms of sub-Saharan Africa, the use of the death penalty was mixed. On one 
hand, we recorded fewer executions; on the other hand, the number of death 
sentences rose dramatically to a staggering 145 % increase. At least 22 
executions were carried out in 5 countries compared to 43 executions in 4 
countries in 2015. In 2016, the countries that carried out executions included 
Nigeria, Botswana, Sudan, South Sudan and Somalia. Death sentences rose from 
443 in 2015 to at least 1,086 in 2016. And this was mainly due to an increase 
in the number of dead sentences handed out in Nigeria. Nigeria handed down 527 
death sentences and that's the highest we recorded excluding China in the 
world.


What could be the reason for this rise of the death sentences in Nigeria?

We are not exactly sure of the reason for this dramatic sharp increase in the 
number of death sentences handed down in 2016. However, I must note that we 
recorded a similar number of death sentences for Nigeria in 2014. So in 2015, 
there was a decrease and then it's gone back up again. It's very possible that 
a lot of [capital punishment] cases came to a conclusion in 2016 and judgments 
were handed down.


Amnesty says there is progress in abolishing the death penalty but more needs 
to be done


Botswana has been described as a model for democracy and good governance. Why 
do you think they have resumed executions?


Botswana is one of the countries in sub-Saharan Africa that still hangs on to 
the use of the death penalty. Although they do not carry out as many executions 
as some other countries like Somalia, they still hold steadfastly to the death 
penalty. It's unclear why they have resumed executions; they carried out 1 
execution last year. It's a country that consistently uses the death penalty 
and has refused to stay away from this cruel and inhuman degrading punishment.


Amnesty International works to end executions and opposes the death penalty. 
What's being done at the moment to scrap the death penalty?


Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception, 
regardless of the nature of the offence or the characteristics of the 
individual or the methods used by the states to carry out the executions. Since 
1977, we have been calling on all countries in the world that are yet to 
abolish the death penalty, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa to establish an 
official moratorium on executions as a fast step towards abolishing the death 
penalty.


(source: Oluwatosin Popoola is Amnesty International's Nigeria 
researcherDeutsche Welle)







NIGERIA:

Nigeria Records 2nd-Highest Number Of Death Sentences In 2016According to 
the human rights organization, 2016's figure represents a "massive and 
worrying" spike from 2015, when the country recorded 171 death sentences.



Nigeria handed down 527 death sentences in 2016, tripling 2015's figure and 
placing it 2nd only to China in death sentences recorded throughout the world 
in 2016.


Amnesty International Nigeria announced the figure in its 2016 global review of 
the death penalty published on Tuesday.


Lagos State recorded the most executions in Nigeria in 2016 with 68, followed 
closely by Rivers State with 61.


According to the human rights organization, 2016's figure represent a "massive 
and worrying" spike from 2015, when the country recorded 171 death sentences.


The group emphasized that Nigeria's sharp increase in death sentences puts the 
country at odds with the global decline in death sentences. In 2016, there were 
1,032 executions recorded worldwide, down from 1,634 in 2015 (a 37 % decline).


"By handing down more death sentences last year than any other country except 
China, Nigeria has tripled its use of this cruel and inhuman punishment and 
skyrocketed up the shameful league table of the world's death penalty 
offenders," said Damian Ugwu, Amnesty International's Nigeria Researcher.


"The danger of people being executed for crimes they may not have committed 
remains ever-present. Investigations show many death row inmates live in 
constant fear of execution in some Nigerian prisons."


The group stated that on December 23, 2016, for example, Apostle Igene, an 
inmate of Benin Prison, Edo State, was executed 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 11



BANGLADESH:

HC upholds death penalty for 4 in Rajon murder case


The High Court has maintained the maximum penalty a lower court had handed down 
to 4 men for clubbing 13-year-old Rajon to death in Sylhet.


Justice Jahangir Hossain and Justice Md Jahangir Hossain's bench delivered the 
verdict on the convicts' appeal and death reference in the Samiul Alam Rajon 
murder case on Tuesday.


Death sentences were upheld for prime accused Kamrul Islam, Moina, Tajuddin and 
Zakir.


The court also maintained 7-year imprisonment for Kamrul's brothers - Ali 
Haider, Muhit Alam and Shamim Ahmed - and 1 year jail sentence for Dulal Ahmed 
and Aiyaz Ali.


The life imprisonment sentence of Nur Ahmed, who had filmed the torture and 
killing of Rajon, was commuted to 6 months.


Rajon's father Sheikh Azizur Rahman Alam said he was satisfied with the 
verdict.


Rajon was tied to a pole and beaten to death on July 8, 2015 at Kumargaon bus 
station on the outskirts of Sylhet by several men who accused him of stealing a 
rickshaw van.


They recorded the incident on a mobile phone and posted the gory footage on 
social media, triggering a massive outcry across Bangladesh.


A Sylhet court sentenced Kamrul, Moina, Tajuddin and Zakir to death on November 
8 that year and fined them Tk10,000 each.


Nur was sentenced to life in prison and fined Tk10,000 for filming the video of 
the killing. Apart from them, Kamrul's brothers and Moina were given 7 years 
jail while Dulal, Aiyaz and Moina were given 1 year jail.


Moina was sentenced thrice in the case.

The death reference reached the High Court on November 10 last year. The court 
started appeals hearing on January 30 this year.


Appeals hearing concluded on March 12.

(source: Dhaka Tribune)






VITENAM:

'Alarming' executions in Vietnam: Amnesty


Secrecy around executions continues to plague some Southeast Asian countries, 
with newly released figures showing the "disturbing" use of the death penalty 
in Vietnam, Amnesty International says.


At least 1032 people were executed worldwide in 2016, while at least 3117 were 
sentenced to death, according to Amnesty International's global report released 
on Tuesday.


The figures, while alarming, are considerably less than the reality because 
they exclude the thousands of executions believed to have taken place in China.


This secrecy continues to plague some countries in Southeast Asia.

Like China, Amnesty says Vietnam continues to classify figures on the death 
penalty as state secrets.


However, according to the report, new information obtained this year reveal 
executions have been carried out at a higher rate than previously understood.


In February 2017, Vietnam media reported statistics by the ministry of public 
security showing 429 people had been executed between August 2013 and June 
2016, at an average rate of 147 executions a year.


"(This) placed Vietnam over a 3-year period as effectively the 3rd-biggest 
executioner in the world," Amnesty International's deputy director of global 
issues, James Lynch, told AAP, putting it behind China and Iran.


The figures raise as many questions as they answer - with no context provided 
as to what people were executed for, when they took place or the details of 
their cases' legal proceedings.


"Secrecy is a huge concern, not only Vietnam but also Malaysia ... when new 
information comes to light it is disturbing, the number of executions were 
higher again than people had expected. The size of death row was higher than 
expected," Mr Lynch said.


"There needs to be a much more structured program of transparency about the 
imposition of the death penalty to allow for a more informed debate."


Also of concern in the region were calls by the Philippines government to 
reintroduce the death penalty as a measure to tackle crime and threats to 
national security.


It's a step backward for Southeast Asia, where the Philippines has been a key 
abolitionist.


(source: The Weekly Times)






INDONESIA:

Scores sentenced to death in Indonesia in 2016 but proposed law offers hope


More than 60 people were sentenced to death in Indonesia last year but proposed 
changes to the country's penal code could save the lives of future prisoners if 
they can demonstrate good behaviour.


In a sign Indonesia is slowly edging away from capital punishment, the House of 
Representatives is poised to pass a revised criminal code, which, a lawmaker 
told Fairfax Media, would "give hope" to those facing execution.


Indonesia's Law and Human Rights Minister, Yasonna Laoly, is optimistic the 
revised penal code will be passed mid-year. A clause would allow death 
sentences to be commuted to imprisonment if felons could show they had 
reformed.


However, it will provide little succour to the more than 215 people currently 
facing the firing squad - including British grandmother Lindsay Sandiford - as 
laws in Indonesia are not applied retrospectively.


The 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 11



IRANexecutions

Execution of a Prisoner After Heart Attack


In a heinous crime on April 5, 2017, a seriously ill prisoner was hanged in 
Esfahan prison. Houshang Servati was executed while 2 days earlier, after his 
transfer to solitary confinement, had suffered a heart attack. He had 5 
children.


The regime's henchmen keep persecuting and torturing prisoners to the last 
moments and their transfer to solitary confinement for the implementation of 
death sentence is accompanied by beating and insults.


On April 4, another ill prisoner was executed after 4 years detention in Tabriz 
prison. Before his arrest, he was exempt from military service because of 
mental illness.


In another development, on the morning of April 6, Gohardasht prison guards 
raided halls 30 and 35 of Ward 10 of the prison, insulted and humiliated 
prisoners and destructed their belongings, and took away their medications.


(source: Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran)



Prisoner Hanged on Rape Charges


A prisoner was reportedly hanged at Kerman Central Prison onrape charges. A 
report by the press department of the Judiciary in the province of Kerman has 
identified the prisoner as "V.F.", 32 years of age. The date of the execution 
was not mentioned in the report.


(source: iranhr.net)

*

Iran responsible for 2/3 of Middle East's executions in 2016: Amnesty 
International



Amnesty International today said that Iran was the Middle East and North Africa 
(MENA) region's leading executioner in 2016, putting at least 567 people to 
death. That number included at least 2 and as many as 7 children.


Iran was followed in the rankings by Saudi Arabia - which executed at least 154 
people - and Iraq, where at least 88 were executed.


Worldwide, the organization said that China executed more people than all the 
other countries in the world put together, with "thousands" of death sentences 
handed out each year.


China lists only 85 executions carried out between 2014 and 2016 in its state 
database, but Amnesty International found news reports of 931 individuals 
executed in that time. The organization said that figure still represents but a 
fraction of the total put to death.


Excluding China, however, countries from MENA carry out 83% of global 
executions.


"4 out of the world's top 6 executioners - Iran, Saudi Arabia and Iraq and 
Egypt - are from the MENA region and execution rates in these countries remain 
appallingly high." said James Lynch, Head of the Death Penalty team at Amnesty 
International.


While the number of executions in the region was down 28% from 2015, the 
organization said that year had seen an unusually high number of executions.


The number of people executed in Egypt doubled in 2016, from 22 to 44. The 
country is now ranked 6th worldwide for executions.


"Many MENA states justify their use of the death penalty by claiming that they 
are acting to counter grave security threats, despite there being no evidence 
that the death penalty deters violent crime," Lynch added.


The organization also said that death sentences in Iran, Saudi Arabia and Iran 
were often imposed after "grossly unfair" trials, many of which relied on 
"confessions" obtained through torture.


(source: albawaba.com)






JAPAN:

Rights group renews criticism of death penalty in Japan


Japan executed 3 people last year and imposed 3 new death sentences in what 
Amnesty International has also described as a secretive system.


A global report on death sentences and executions for 2016 cited the executions 
last March of Yasutoshi Kamata, 75, and Junko Yoshida, 56, and the November 
execution of Kenichi Tajiri, 45. All 3 were hanged, with Yoshida the 1st woman 
to be executed in Japan since 2012.


The figure was unchanged from 2015, when 3 prisoners were also hanged.

In its report, Amnesty said Japan imposed 3 new death sentences in 2016 and 141 
people remained on death row as of the end of the year. Of these, 129 had their 
death sentence finalized, it said.


The human rights group also renewed its criticism of Japan's practice of 
executing people with mental or intellectual disabilities, while highlighting 
that the country and the U.S. were the only members of the Group of 7 developed 
nations to carry out executions.


Amnesty said in November that "secretive executions can't hide the fact that 
Japan is on the wrong side of history when it comes to the death penalty."


"Executions in Japan are shrouded in secrecy with prisoners typically given 
only a few hours' notice, but some may be given no warning at all. Their 
families, lawyers and the public are usually notified about the execution only 
after it has taken place," it said.


Last October, the Japanese Federation of Bar Associations formally issued a 
declaration stating its opposition to the death penalty and calling for 
authorities to abolish the punishment by 2020 and 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 10



TRINIDAD:

Sense of hoplessness


People in Port-of-Spain may be well dressed, smell good, and outwardly look 
happy when in fact they are in serious pain experiencing a lot concerns, 
including distress and a sense of hopelessness, says Anglican Bishop Claude 
Berkley.


Calling on people not to lose hope and heart and to see the Easter season as a 
time of reflection of perspectives, Anglican Bishop, Claude Berkley said, 
"people will make a mess of things as is human nature, but get back on course 
and strive to make right." Delivering the sermon at yesterday's Palm Sunday 
service at Trinity Cathedral, Port-of-Spain, Berkeley said, "People are afraid, 
marginalised, and more and more people are on the breadline." "I am seeking to 
make representation to the HDC (Housing Development Corporation) for about five 
people right now," he said, "All of them with very, very sad stories." While 
today might be a confusing day, he said, it need not be.


Seeing Palm Sunday as a day of reflection on perspectives, he said, his 
perspective was that God is in control and continues to work with people to 
discern and take charge of their siuation.


"In that way we can work around the murders, disruptions, turmoils, economic 
hardships, marginalisation of people, the loss of faith, the hopelessness we 
see on the streets. We look for the creativity and imagination of what is 
available to us, so that we can transform our city of Port-of- Spain for the 
greater honour and glory of God," he said.


Shift in societal responsibility, he said, has created many of societies 
problems.


The breakdown of family life, influences of popular culture, the "Get rich 
quick, or die trying" notion and a number of new philosophies that engage 
living, he told Newsday after the service, have caused people to go off course.


"Now we are seeking to address that breach of good community living by exacting 
murder or the penalty of death on the persons. It is shown that the death 
penalty is a not a deterrent to those who are of that mind," he said.


He reiterated the church's position that the death penalty should be abolished 
and other means of treating those who would have run afoul of the law, be 
implemented.


Some injustices may be done by holding people who have committed offences, many 
years before they could be tried, he said.


Before talking about exacting justice, he said, the issues of detection and 
conviction have to be addressed.


While the death penalty was controversial, he said, "If you are carrying out 
the death penalty, you are doing what is forbidden.


Thou shalt not kill." Noting arguments in favour of not spending tax payers 
money to keep criminals in jails, Berkley expressed support for restorative 
justice.


People who commit crimes, he said, should go through the rehabilitative 
process, work and contribute to the well being of their victims.


(source: Newsday)






SAUDI ARABIAexecutions

3 Pakistanis executed by Saudi Arabia for smuggling heroinAmnesty reported 
158 death penalties in Saudi Arabia during 2015



Saudi Arabia on Sunday executed three Pakistani nationals convicted of 
smuggling heroin, bringing the number of executions in the kingdom to 26 this 
year.


The state-run SPA news agency said the 3 had been found guilty of "smuggling 
quantities of heroin in their stomachs".


It named the 3 men as Mohammed Ashraf Shafi Mohammed, Mohammed Aref Mohammed 
Anayt and Mohammed Afdal Asghar Ali. All 3 are Pakistani citizens.


SPA reported 153 people being executed in the ultra-conservative kingdom last 
year, a number confirmed by London-based rights group Amnesty International.


Among those executed was Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, a high-profile figure 
behind a string of Shiite protests in 2011 demanding reform in the Sunni-ruled 
kingdom.


Amnesty reported 158 death penalties in the country for 2015, the highest 
annual rate in the past 2 decades.


Saudi Arabia has a strict Islamic legal code under which murder, drug 
trafficking, armed robbery, rape and apostasy are all punishable by death.


(source: Agence France-Presse)






BANGLADESH:

High Court judges hear death row convict teenage Oishee's statement in chamber


In a bid to assess the mental health of teenage death row convict Oishee 
Rahman, High Court judges have heard her statement in the chamber.


Found guilty of murdering her parents, Oishee was brought to the court on 
Monday by the prison authorities on a previous order by the bench of Justice 
Jahangir Hossain Selim and Justice Md Jahangir Hossain.


At the beginning of the hearing, the court said that a report filed by doctors 
at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) says the teenage girl 
has been diagnosed with mental illness.


A petition over the matter has been filed and that's why the court ordered to 
produce her, it said.


Oishee was then taken to the chamber, where judges heard her for 15 minutes in 
presence of 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 9




PAKISTAN:

Waiting for the hangmanAnd at least 8,000 prisoners in Pakistan are simply 
waiting to die, whiling away an average of 11.41 years until they are either 
acquitted or executed



434 people have been hanged since the moratorium on death penalty was lifted in 
Pakistan. But the number of lives destroyed far exceeds this figure. When the 
state makes the decision to execute someone, it wrecks the lives of everyone 
who loves them.


The criminal justice system in Pakistan requires waiting. Waiting for things to 
move forward, waiting for verdicts, waiting for justice, which often isn't, as 
promised, served.


And at least 8000 prisoners in Pakistan are simply waiting to die, whiling away 
an average of 11.41 years until they are either acquitted or executed. Either 
way, whoever ends up on Pakistan's death row might as well get comfortable. 
They could be there a while.


Justice Project Pakistan has had clients that have spent well over 1/2 their 
lives as prisoners. Some were arrested before their 18th birthdays, making them 
in the eyes of the law, juveniles. Aftab Bahadur entered his prison cell as a 
15-year-old, wide-eyed teenager but left as 38-year-old in a body bag. Ansar 
Iqbal had spent 29 of his 43 years on this earth in prison before he was 
executed in June 2015. The time that Zulfikar Ali Khan spent on death row was 
enough to allow him to complete 33 diplomas and educate 50 other prisoners. In 
the 18 years, he was confined to a prison, the Government of Pakistan scheduled 
and postponed his execution 22 times.


All 3 of them did not deserve to be there.

This week, 'Intezaar' was staged by Ajoka Theatre Pakistan, Highlight Arts and 
Complicite, which offered its audience an insight into the lives that people 
like Aftab, Ansar and Zulfikar led locked in a prison. Their miserable 
existence contrasted heavily with their resilience and courage to inject some 
purpose into their otherwise meaningless lives.


There is a prisoner who can paint, another who can compose and sing, yet 
another who spends all his times studying and teaching others. But other 
inmates are there in violation of Pakistani and international laws: the 
juvenile offenders, the physically handicapped and mentally ill.


While there was some degree of artistic license at play here, none of these 
stories was fiction. When the play depicted the executioner attempting to hang 
a man paralysed from the waist down, they were talking about our client, Abdul 
Basit. The difficulty and inherent wrongness of hanging a man unable to stand 
was one experienced in actual life 2 years ago.


When the play showed us the story of a mute woman, prone to hysteria, it was 
not an embellishment but again, retelling of facts. Kanizan Bibi was held for 
11 days in police custody before being brought to the magistrate to confess. 
She was tortured so brutally and so relentlessly; she was hospitalised while in 
detention. Like her theatrical counterpart, Kanizan has not spoken a word in 
years, as a direct result of the trauma the torture put her through. 2017 marks 
her 27th year on death row.


The visual depiction of the very real consequences of our justice system forced 
the audience to confront what it really means to support the death penalty in 
Pakistan. And many turned away in shame, cringing that such violence is being 
committed in their name.


Conditions on Pakistan's death row expose prisoners to a high risk of the 
'death row syndrome,' a psychological disorder that inmates on death row are 
susceptible to when they are isolated. Suicidal tendencies, psychotic delusions 
and heightened anxiety (as a result of knowing of their imminent death) can 
cause prisoners to go insane. The wait to march to the gallows only exacerbates 
this.


Especially vulnerable are juveniles and individuals with mental illness or 
intellectual disabilities. The International Covenant on Civil and Political 
Rights considers the prolonged detention of the prisoner; the physical 
conditions of imprisonment; and the psychological impact of the incarceration 
on the prisoner as inhuman treatment. The United Nations Human Rights Committee 
has acknowledged that "the psychological tension created by prolonged detention 
on death row may affect persons in different degrees." Critical to this last 
factor are "personal circumstances of the prisoner, especially his age and 
mental state at the time of the offence."


These experiences of prisoners on death row are a testament to the need for a 
comprehensive and urgent response from the international community. As Pakistan 
heads for its first of many UN reviews this year, this must be kept in mind.


We have woken up to so many stories in the last year alone, of people being 
acquitted after they have been hanged, or dying in prisons waiting for their 
appeals. And for all of them, the wait has been long, illegal and utterly 
destructive.


(source: Opinion, Rimmel Mohydin; 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 8




INDONESIA:

2 Taiwanese arrested in Jakarta over drugs: CIB


Criminal Investigation Bureau officials and Indonesian police officers join 
hands at a news conference at the Jakarta Police Narcotics Division in 
Indonesia to signify their solidarity in a joint effort to fight illegal drugs. 
Photo: CNA, courtesy of the Indonesian police


2 Taiwanese were arrested last month in Jakarta for allegedly trying to smuggle 
almost 3.8kg of amphetamines into Indonesia, the Criminal Investigation Bureau 
(CIB) said on Wednesday.


Lai Chen-yu and Huang Ming-wei, both 24, were allegedly caught with amphetamine 
packets taped to their legs when they landed at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta 
International Airport on a flight from Taiwan on March 13, the bureau said.


The 3.776kg haul has an estimated street value of NT$4.6 million (US$150,322), 
it said.


The Jakarta Police Narcotics Division, together with CIB officials, announced 
the arrests at a news conference on Wednesday in the Indonesian capital.


Jakarta Police Chief Inspector General Mochamad Iriawan credited cooperation 
between Indonesian and Taiwanese police for the arrests.


"The Taiwanese police told us earlier about the 2 Taiwanese suspects. Their 
tip-off helped us track down the suspects' flight," he said.


CIB officials assisting in the investigation said that Lai was a language 
student at a Kaohsiung university, and that he had signed a confession after 
being questioned by Jakarta police.


"Lai said he was introduced by friends to a contact person for a drug ring, but 
he does not know the person's real name or identity," said Cheng Hui-ming, 
captain of the bureau's Third Investigation Unit.


Cheng said the contact told Lai he could make easy money and that Lai, who was 
unemployed, agreed to do so, with the promise that he would be paid NT$150,000.


"It is not worth losing your life getting involved in drug smuggling, because 
Indonesia has severe punishments against such crimes. [The 2 suspects] may face 
a minimum of 20 years in prison or be given the death penalty," Cheng said.


7 Taiwanese were sentenced to death for drug smuggling in Indonesia last year, 
he added.


3 of them were found carrying 2kg of amphetamines and were arrested at the 
airport. The other 4 were convicted for possession of 26kg of amphetamines in 
an Indonesian city, he added.


Since Indonesian President Joko Widodo assumed office in 2014, he has presided 
over the execution of 18 people convicted of drug charges, including 15 
foreigners, Cheng said.


Jakarta police officials said they are still trying to track down the 
ringleaders, and evidence point to collusion between Taiwanese syndicates and 
an Aceh-Jakarta drug network.


The 2 suspects were supposed to take the amphetamines to a restaurant in West 
Jakarta and hand them over to a man known by the initials of T.A.W., Iriawan 
said.


(source: Taipei Times)






INDIA:

SC: Death penalty breaches reformative theory of punishment  In its 262nd 
report, the bench noted, the Law Commission of India recommended abolition of 
the death penalty for all crimes other than terrorism-related offences and 
waging war.



The Supreme Court on Friday commuted to life term the capital punishment 
awarded to a murder convict, noting that death penalty "somehow breaches the 
reformative theory of punishment under criminal law".


A bench of Justices P C Ghose and Rohinton F Nariman also underlined that death 
penalty had in fact become a "distinctive feature" of criminal law in India, 
and that the apex court had been encouraging discussion and debate on the 
subject.


"Today when capital punishment has become a distinctive feature of death 
penalty apparatus in India which somehow breaches the reformative theory of 
punishment under criminal law..." said the bench.


It recalled that the top court had recently referred to the Law Commission to 
study the issue of death penalty in India to "allow for an up-to-date and 
informed discussion and debate on this subject".


In its 262nd report, the bench noted, the Law Commission of India recommended 
abolition of the death penalty for all crimes other than terrorism-related 
offences and waging war - offences affecting national security.


Making these observations, the court said it was not inclined to award capital 
punishment to the convict in the murder case. "Therefore, confinement till 
natural life of the accused respondent shall fulfill the requisite criteria of 
punishment in peculiar facts and circumstances of the present case," it held.


The court was hearing an appeal by the Maharashtra government, which had 
pressed for death penalty for one Nisar Ramzan Sayyed, who had in October 2010 
set on fire his pregnant wife and thrown his minor son into the blaze, causing 
their death. While the trial court sent Sayyed to the gallows, the High Court 
acquitted him for want of concrete proof.


The apex court, after taking note of the dying 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 7


EGYPT:

Rights group: 485 death penalties issued in Egypt

Some 485 Egyptians have been handed the death penalty between 30 June 2013 and 
the end of December 2016, the Egyptian Observatory for Rights and Freedoms 
revealed today.


In a report, the Swiss based organisation said that in 50 cases all processes 
have been exhausted, including appeals to the highest courts, and so the 
judgments are final and enforceable.


Entitled "No end in sight for the systematic injustice", the report said: "The 
trials of these cases lacked the basic standards of fair trials (...) the lack 
of an independence military judiciary contributed to this."


Thousands of political detainees throughout the country have been subjected to 
legal and legislative violations because they are referred to military courts, 
even though they are civilians.


The report criticised "the successive authorities in Egypt for legalising 
military trials of civilians after the revolution of 25 January 2011, and 
turning them into an integral part of the justice system, rather than an 
exception."


(source: Middle East Monitor)






GAZA:

Human Rights Watch blasts Hamas executions


Human Rights Watch on Thursday condemned Hamas, after the terrorist group 
executed three men in Gaza who were accused of "collaborating" with Israel.


In a statement quoted by AFP, the organization urged Hamas to stop the 
"barbaric" practice.


The executions were carried out after Hamas vowed revenge for the killing last 
month of one of its top terrorists, Mazen Faqha, which it blamed on the Israeli 
intelligence agency Mossad and its Palestinian "collaborators".


The men who were hanged on Thursday were not implicated in the killing of Faqha 
but were accused of past acts of "treason and collaborating," a Hamas interior 
ministry statement said.


In response , Human Rights Watch said, "The abhorrent executions by Hamas 
authorities of three men in Gaza deemed to be collaborators project weakness, 
not strength."


"Hamas authorities will never achieve true security or stability through firing 
squads or by the gallows, but rather through respect for international norms 
and the rule of law," it added.


Human Rights Watch cited data from the Gaza-based Palestinian Center for Human 
Rights as saying that Hamas had now executed a total of 25 Palestinian Arabs 
since violently seizing power in Gaza in 2007.


Hamas regularly claims to have captured "Israeli spies", and many times it 
tries them and sentences them to death.


Amnesty International has in the past called on Hamas to stop the executions of 
suspected collaborators, saying that the group "must immediately and totally 
cease its use of the death penalty."


In theory all execution orders in the Palestinian Authority's (PA) territories 
must be approved by PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who is based in Ramallah and who 
imposed a moratorium on executions several years ago.


Hamas no longer recognizes Abbas's legitimacy, and has in the past emphatically 
declared that the death penalty in Gaza can be carried out without his consent.


(source: Israel National News)






INDOENSIA:

Clemency plea for Hongkonger on death row in JavaChief executive's office 
steps in as man convicted of drug trafficking in Indonesia faces execution



Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's office has made a formal plea for clemency to 
the Indonesian authorities for a Hong Kong man who has been sentenced to death 
for drug trafficking.


With the clock ticking for 39-year-old Anika Lai Shiu-cheung on the 
Nusakambangan Island, the notorious "Execution Island" in Central Java, Leung's 
office confirmed it had recently sent a letter to the Indonesian consulate in 
Hong Kong asking for clemency. Details of the letter were not disclosed.


Consul general Tri Tharyat told the Post that the letter had already been 
forwarded to the Indonesian foreign ministry.


"After that, the consulate general will observe the process undertaken by the 
officials in Jakarta," the diplomat said.


Asked if he believed Lai's claims that he was beaten up by the Indonesian 
police and that he was innocent, Tri said Lai had already been given the 
opportunity to state his arguments in all 3 layers of legal proceedings - the 
lower, higher, and top courts.


"We have faith in the legal system. But I can't comment on the outcome of the 
proceedings," Tri said.


Lai's 69-year-old mother, Shiu Yuk-chee, is desperate to see her only child 
come home.


"He told me he did not do it," Shiu said. "He is an honest person. I believe he 
did not do it."


According to Shiu, the saga started in 2013 when a former colleague of Lai 
asked him to send a batch of preserved fruit from Hong Kong to Indonesia. Lai 
was told that he would be rewarded with HK$100,000 once the job was completed.


But the middleman who was supposed to receive the preserved fruit in Jakarta 
was nowhere to be seen when Lai arrived in the country. Stranded with a 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 6



GAZAexecutions

Hamas hangs 3 Gaza 'collaborators' with IsraelGaza's Hamas rulers hanged 3 
men they accused of collaborating with Israel Thursday following calls for 
revenge for the killing of 1 of their commanders last month, an AFP journalist 
reported.



Hamas says that the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad and its "collaborators" 
killed Mazen Faqha in the Palestinian territory on March 24, but has offered no 
evidence.


According to Hamas, Faqha formed cells for the Islamist group's military wing 
in the West Bank cities of Tubas, where he was born, and Jenin.


The men who were hanged on Thursday were not implicated in his killing but the 
Islamist group has pledged "radical measures" against Palestinians who 
"collaborated" with Israel.


Hamas has offered "collaborators" with Israel a chance to turn themselves in 
and receive clemency.


"The doors of repentance will be open for 1 week, from Tuesday, April 4 to 
Tuesday, April 11," the interior ministry said on Tuesday.


Hamas also tightly restricted movement out of the enclave following the 
assassination.


The measure remains in place despite calls from NGOs and human rights groups to 
lift it.


The restrictions have stopped male patients aged from 15 to 45 from using the 
territory's sole crossing for people to enter Israel to receive medical 
treatment, Human Right s Watch said.


Security checks and searches have increased, including roadblocks.

Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza have fought 3 wars since 2008. The 
enclave has been under an Israeli blockade for 10 years.


(source: al-monitor.com)






LIBYA:

Libyan Muslims Throw Alleged Gay Men Off Rooftop


A video of Muslim men throwing accused homosexuals from a rooftop in Libya was 
posted to Twitter by a local journalist on Sunday.


The killing was done as a form of punishment for disobeying the Sharia law, a 
strict interpretation of an Islamic set of principles, according to Tarek 
Fatah.


The authenticity of the video was unclear, but in the 45-second clip, apparent 
Muslims can be seen chanting "Allah-U-Akbar" as they throw 4 purportedly gay 
people off a rooftop.


The incident allegedly took place in Libya, and the date, as well as the 
victims' gender, were unknown.


Towards the end of the clip, a bystander walked toward the unmoving bodies.

However, it remained unclear if he was a part of the act since he stood on the 
sidewalk as the bodies dropped one by one.


Under Sharia law, homosexuality "is a vile form of fornication, punishable by 
death," according to TheReligionofPeace.com.


(source: Instinct Magazine)






INDIA:

Report over abolition of death penalty sent to all states: Govt


The Law Commission report which recommended abolishing death penalty for all 
crimes other than those related to terrorism, has been circulated to all the 
states for their views, the Lok Sabha was informed on Wednesday.


Quoting the Ministry of Home Affairs, Minister of State for Law P P Chaudhary 
said in response to a written reply to a question that as criminal law and 
criminal procedure are on the concurrent list of the Constitution, the report 
was circulated to all the states on October 13, 2015 for their views on the 
issue.


"The views of some of the states are awaited and they are being reminded 
regularly," he said.


2 government appointees in the law panel - then ex-officio members P K Malhotra 
(Law Secretary) and Sanjay Singh (Legislative Secretary) had given their 
dissent on the report. Besides them, Justice Usha Mehra (retd), the then 
permanent member of the panel too had opposed the report.


(source: The Free Press Journal)






BANGLADESH:

Youth gets death twice for killing child


A Rajshahi court sentenced a man to death penalty twice under separate sections 
for killing a child after abduction in 2014.


The death-row convict was identified as Ashik Mondol, 25, son of Akter Hossain 
alias Babu of Dighirparha village under Adamdeghi upazila in Bogra.


Judge Shiring Kabita Akter of Speedy Trial Tribunal of Rajshahi handed down the 
verdict on Tuesday afternoon.


The court also sentenced Ashik 17-year rigorous imprisonment and fined Tk 
40,000.


The convict was present at the court while delivering the judgment. Later, he 
was sent to Rajshahi Central Jail.


According to case statement, Ashik abducted Meghdad, 7, son of one Rashedul 
Islam of the area on Eid Day on July 29, 2014.


Later, he claimed ransom for his release over Rashedul's mobile phone. On 
August 2, 2014, Rashedul filed a case in this regard.


Police arrested Ahik on the following day and took in remand. Later, law 
enforcers recovered Meghdad's body based on information he provided.


(source: businessnews24bd.com)


NIGERIA:

Senate proposes death penalty for sea piracy


A bill seeking death penalty for anybody that caused death during sea piracy 
scaled second reading in the Senate on Wednesday.


The bill sponsored by Senator Nelson Effiong, 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 5




TRINIDAD:

Pritchard warns against death penalty quick fix


MARK PRITCHARD, Chairman of the United Kingdom All Party Parliamentary Group on 
the Abolition of the Death Penalty in Trinidad warned against trying to get a 
"quick fix" to the local criminal justice system and dealing with the problem 
of crime and violence facing the country, saying that danger existed both to 
the families of the victims as well as the defendants.


Noting the calls for the restoration of the death penalty, he said fixing the 
system needs to be done in a calm, objective, evidence-driven way and it is in 
the national interest as well as the international reputational interest of any 
country in the world which wants to fast track capital punishment to make sure 
that this is done in an evidence- driven way.


Pritchard was speaking with journalists during a news conference at the 
residence of the British High Commissioner in Maraval after a day of talks with 
"key actors" on the death penalty. He said he would "prefer to see an informed 
debate before any fast-tracking or changes in the law takes place and to see 
what is the latest data and statistical and academic analysis globally so that 
at least any changes or any fast-tracking is done in an informed way." He said 
he was impressed with the calibre of the people in the local criminal justice 
system as well as with the politicians he had met. He said there were some very 
able public servants and he believed that the majority of them would like to 
see any change in the law be an evidence- driven one and any debate be an 
informed debate and not "a rush to judgement, a rush to headlines and a 
fast-tracking of a process without due process and without evidence." Asked if 
he has stressed to the Government the danger of using the death penalty as a 
quick fix, Pritchard said he had done so but, the Government officials 
responded that it was the law of the land "but I think they also are conscious 
that any change in Government policy or fast-tracking of existing legislation 
would be more carefully and considerably received if those recipients 
internationally and in-country were to see that the Government had provided an 
imperical evidence base to that amendment to a law or a change to the law, to 
going round the law, if you can go around the law, whatever it might be. And I 
think it is important to listen to retired justices and chief justices and 
senior judges in this country and to listen to academics." He said while he was 
visiting from another country, if he were a citizen of this country, he would 
be pressing for an objective review which would try and understand what people 
are really thinking as opposed to what they think they are thinking based on 
data from 2011. He said that in addition to that review the Government should 
try and have an informed debate based on the best evidence and academic studies 
available.


British High Commissioner, Tim Stew, said that in tackling the backlog in the 
criminal justice system, a number of legislative measures needed to be put in 
place but this needed to be done as a package.


For one thing, he observed there is no plea bargaining in the system and said 
there was no reason why someone facing the death penalty would plead guilty and 
why their attorney would advise them to do so. He added that the mandatory 
nature of the death penalty also slows down the course of justice because if 
there were alternative forms of sentencing, perhaps having to do with the 
length of time the guilty person would spend in prison if that period was 
appropriate to the nature of the crime, would encourage plea bargaining and 
this would inevitably shorten the length of court cases and speed up justice. 
However, he said he would not advocate any one measure as the solution to the 
country's problems but what was needed was a package of measures and a 
programme of work which he said was already being developed with help from the 
United Kingdom to make the changes and speed up justice in Trinidad and Tobago.


(source: newsday.co.tt)






SAUDI ARABIA:

The lucrative business of pardoning death row prisoners in Saudi Arabia


Saudi Arabia has one of the highest execution rates in the world. However, in 
some cases, inmates facing the death penalty are spared if the victim's family 
agrees to pardon their crimes ... in exchange for a large sum of money. This 
practice, known as "diya", has become a dirty, if lucrative, business.


"Diya" is an Islamic concept that essentially equates to "a blood price", or, 
the amount of money that a murderer (or his family) must pay the family of the 
victim in order to obtain a pardon.


A video, which was filmed by a passerby on Sunday, March 26, shows an inmate 
who is on the verge of being beheaded in a public square in Taef, a town 
located in western Saudi Arabia.


Suddenly, however, a wave of excitement goes through the crowd: the execution 
has been pushed back 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 4




BAHAMAS:

Death Penalty Limitations


Re: 'Criminals Will Ravage Country Unless Death Penalty Enforced' (February 28)

It is absolutely mind-boggling that any reasonable person would tout 
enforcement of the death penalty as a worthwhile solution to crime.


Leaving out well-meaning considerations of ethics and religious beliefs etc, it 
has never been proven to lower crime rates significantly. Therefore, why 
continue to spout the crime-reducing benefits of a death penalty?


Reliance on the death penalty sounds like such an attractively easy and obvious 
solution. Furthermore, state-sanctioned homicide often has instant appeal to an 
apprehensive electorate (as long as it's done in private, of course). It grabs 
the imagination and fires up one's baser emotions very nicely.


But in order to improve our crime situation, we must also educate our young 
properly and use harsh approaches like tough love, community service in 
distinctive dress, curfews, aversion methods and public humiliation (such as 
caning) liberally. This should not only better their brutish lives but improve 
ours as well.


At present, far too many of our young people are actually too stupid to 
comprehend the meaning of a death penalty or any other kind of penalty - unless 
significant physical pain and/or degradation are involved (please spare me any 
references to slavery). Furthermore, the imbeciles are often so incredibly dumb 
that they frequently believe they are invincible and will not get caught. This 
lack of critical reasoning is carried over into adulthood.


On top of all that, they are too mindless to care. Many a bleeding heart will 
be shocked at terminology such as this. They might prefer to talk about 
poverty, lack of love in the home, low self esteem, culpability of the church 
and society etc. Others may even suggest formation of yet another committee to 
look into crime. Meanwhile, it's as if the Bahamian house is burning. When 
there is a fire, there is little point in discussing the problem. We have to 
put the fire out. Immediately.


It would be nice if all the aspects of crime could be handled with a simple 
solution, such as the death penalty, but unfortunately, as much as we would 
wish it to be, it simply is not the case. It never has been and never will be.


We tend to focus on homicides when talking about crime, but homicides are 
simply a final symptom of the widespread disease of lawlessness. Homicide is 
not the first and only crime performed by these dangerously silly, mental 
midgets. Homicide is frequently a result of the previous life of crime that led 
up to it. Therefore, we have to recognise the 'broken windows syndrome' as 
well.


It is now essential to make some hard, expensive efforts to guide/teach the 
rudiments of civilised behaviour forcefully to these cowardly and violent 
predators. If this also means passing appropriate laws, or an introduction of a 
mandatory National Youth Service etc, then we should do it. Also, we must stop 
overlooking crimes of friends, family, lovers and especially our professionals 
and other 'leaders'. We have to confront our failures and admit the only hope 
for our young, trigger-happy nitwits to become somewhat caring, productive 
citizens and improve their economic plight is to insist on, and enforce, 
improved academic or vocational education, as much as possible.


If a death penalty, along with praying and marching makes some people feel 
better, by all means continue. However, the limitations should be recognised.


Meanwhile, at the risk of sounding elitist, let's actually do the hard and 
costly work to do something constructive about the clear connection between 
crime and our young people's tiny, malicious, underdeveloped minds. Most of 
these young are worth salvaging. Not only is it essential for our self 
preservation but it is also our moral duty to try to do whatever is reasonable 
and necessary to accomplish that goal.


KEN W KNOWLES MD

Nassau,

March 31, 2017

(source: Bahamas Tribune)






BANGLADESH:

High Court commutes death sentences in Rakib murder


The High Court has commuted the death penalties handed to the convicts in the 
2015 murder of Rakib Hawlader, a motor workshop worker in Khulna.


On Tuesday, Justice Jahangir Hossain Selim and Justice Md Jahangir Hossain 
sentenced the 2 convicts -- Omar Sharif and Mintu Khan -- to life in prison.


They were slapped with a Tk 50,000 fine each. They have to serve 2 more years 
in jail in case of failing to hand over the money to Rakib's family.


"It has been found through evidence that the offenders tried to save the boy," 
said the court.


Both Rakib's father Nurul Alam Hawlader and the defence counsel will move to 
the Appellate Division against the verdict.


Rakib used to work at a motor workshop owned by Sharif in Khulna's Tutpara. 
Sharif and his uncle Mintu got enraged after he left the job.


On Aug 3, 2015, they inserted a high-pressure air pump nozzle 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 3



TANZANIA:

Bunge Committee Touts Review of Death Penalty


The Parliamentary Committee on Constitution and Legal Affairs has advised the 
government to review death penalty laws to allow death row prisoners who have 
been in prison for a long time to have their sentences commuted to life 
imprisonment.


The Committee Chairman, Mr Rashid Shangazi, said here yesterday that the review 
of the laws should also consider putting time limit for execution of the 
punishment and allow it to automatically change to life imprisonment if not 
implemented.


Mr Shangazi said that once his committee recommended for review of the 
punishment, but the MPs are now proposing for time frame of executing the death 
penalty and if not implemented it should change to life imprisonment.


"The number of prisoners who are on death row has been increasing, but the 
punishment has never been executed since the second phase government, why 
should we continue to have this punishment in place," Shangazi queried. He said 
delays in executing the punishment has been affecting death row prisoners and 
also it is against human rights of which Tanzania has signed various 
conventions to protect them.


"The Committee advise the government to go through the laws governing this 
punishment, it can recommend for a section that will set time limit of 
execution and allow it to change automatically to life imprisonment if not 
implemented within the given time."


Debating on 2016/2017 budget implementation and budget estimates for 2017/2018 
for the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, the lawmakers advised 
that the government should work on various issues among them death penalty and 
overcrowding in prisons.


The Minister for Constitution and Legal Affairs, Prof Palamagamba Kabudi, 
promised to work on all issues raised by the Committee. Statistics show that 
the number of Tanzanians on death row has reached 465 and the punishment has 
never been executed in the country since 1994.


Tanzania Commission for Human Rights and Good Governance reports show that only 
the late Mwalimu Julius Nyerere endorsed the punishment. According to Universal 
Periodic Review report, there are 465 death row prisoners in Tanzania among 
them 445 males and 20 females.


Human rights activists have been pushing for the abolishment of death penalty 
because it does not help the convicts to transform and it is against human 
rights as stipulated in the country's constitution.


(source: Tanzania Daily News)






PHILIPPINES:

Mary Jane remains in limbo 2 years later


Mary Jane Veloso of Nueva Ecija has remained in death row in Indonesia after 
she was saved at the last moment by appeals from international groups as well 
as Philippine officials. She was due to be executed for drug trafficking along 
with 2 Australians, a Brazilian, 4 Nigerians, and an Indonesian in April, 2015. 
But just hours before dawn, she was led back to her cell while the 8 other 
death convicts were executed by firing squad.


President Joko Widodo heeded appeals of those who said Mary Jane had been a 
victim of human traffickers and asked that she be spared so she could testify 
against them. Her case is pending to this day and she remains a death convict, 
unless she is granted a pardon by President Widodo.


In an interview last week, Widodo who had refused all requests for pardons in 
the last four years said he would consider a moratorium on executions, "but I 
must first ask my people." He appeared to have made 1 concession from his firm 
stand on the death penalty - only drug convicts from countries that implement 
the death penalty were executed in Indonesia last year.


Mary Jane may have benefited from this concession last year but if the 
Philippine Congress revives the death penalty this year, it will no longer help 
her. The bill reinstating the death penalty for drug crimes was swiftly 
approved last March 7 by the House of Representatives and has now been sent to 
the Senate.


In this connection, Bishop Ruperto Santos, chairman of the Catholic Bishops' 
Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Episcopal Mission for the Pastoral Care of 
Migrants and Itinerant People, said last January that If Congress enacts the 
death penalty bill into law and we start executing our own convicts, "we will 
lose any moral authority to ask for clemency for our Filipinos who have been 
sentenced to death abroad."


Thus 2 years after she was saved from execution at the last minute in April, 
2015, Mary Jane remains in limbo and her fate hinges largely on the decision of 
President Widodo and the Indonesian people whose views he will seek in a 
survey. It also hinges in part on our own government. If Congress revives the 
death penalty as sought by the new administration, it is not likely that she 
will be saved from execution much longer.


(source: Manila Bulletin)






BANGLADESH:

Bangladesh High Court upholds death penalty of 2 hardliners


The Bangladesh 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 2




TRINIDAD:

Hanging in disbelief


The Privy Council decided in 1993 in the case of Pratt and Morgan that 
execution could not lawfully take place more than 5 years after sentence. It 
was recommended that a capital appeal should be heard within 12 months of 
conviction and the entire domestic appeal process completed within 2 years.


I remain hanging in disbelief at any suggestion that the death penalty can be 
resumed simply by returning to case management that makes our murder cases 
Pratt and Morgan compliant.


On several previous occasions when the resumption of hanging ole talk has 
appeared I have written to explain that there are existing hindrances to the 
implementation of the death penalty in addition to Pratt and Morgan.


On this occasion, I emphasise that 2 of these hindrances arose out of a 
decision of the Privy Council given shortly after the execution of Dole Chadee 
and his associates.


The additional hindrances to the implementation of the death penalty are 
potential challenges to test the fairness of the Mercy Committee process and 
the state of conditions in prison. They are contained in Lewis and others v The 
Attorney General for Jamaica decided on September 12, 2000, referred to below 
as Lewis.


In addition, condemned persons have continued to petition international human 
rights bodies in order to obtain a recommendation that their sentences be 
commuted.


In The Attorney General for Barbados v Joseph and Boyce, the Caribbean Court of 
Justice (the CCJ) in a decision dated November 8 2006, agreed with an earlier 
decision of the Privy Council, although on different grounds, that a condemned 
person had a right to petition the relevant international human rights bodies 
and to have the reports of those bodies received and considered by the State 
prior to execution.


The Privy Council to whose jurisdiction our country has remained subject, has 
resisted any change in the Pratt and Morgan timetable to permit execution later 
than five years after sentence in order to accommodate delays in the 
determination of appeals to international bodies.


It did so even though the Board acknowledged that it might have been 
over-optimistic to expect that petitions to international human rights bodies 
could be dealt with in 18 months, particularly where petitions may be made to 2 
international bodies.


The CCJ has disagreed and said that the time for receiving the decision of the 
international bodies should not be open-ended.


Access to the international bodies was not an impediment in the case of Dole 
Chadee. He had already accessed the international bodies and they had rejected 
his petitions by the time of his 2 additional last-ditch appeals to the Privy 
Council in 1999 heard 0n May 10 and May 29, 1999, which were unsuccessful and 
followed by his execution on June 4, 1999.


At that time, challenges to the Mercy Committee process and prison conditions 
were not impediments, but the Privy Council then changed its mind in the Lewis 
case and departed from previous decisions that precluded matters concerning the 
Mercy Committee and prison conditions from being a hindrance to implementation.


It was acknowledged by Purseglove SC in an interview in this newspaper, last 
week, that "the Privy Council is looking all the time for reasons to stop a 
country executing".


In the 1st of Chadee's appeals, when the Privy Council gave its reasons it 
expressly stated that it had held in Thomas and Hilaire in March 1999 that 
prison conditions were not a constitutional ground, without more, for 
commutation of a death sentence. 18 months later, the Board changed direction 
in the Lewis case.


Regarding the change of direction by the Privy Council in Lewis, in a pungent 
dissent, Lord Hoffman said: "If the Board feels able to depart from a previous 
decision simply because its members on a given occasion have a 'doctrinal 
disposition to come out differently', the rule of law itself will be damaged 
and there will be no stability in the administration of justice in the 
Caribbean".


It is also worth repeating the following words of the Privy Council, per Lord 
Nicholls, which indicate that nothing short of a constitutional amendment can 
revive the death penalty for implementation: "If the requisite legislative 
support for a change in the constitution is forthcoming, a deliberate departure 
from fundamental human rights may be made, profoundly regrettable although this 
may be. That is the prerogative of the legislature. If departure from 
fundamental human rights is desired, that is the way it should be done. The 
constitution should be amended explicitly."


In response to the above realities our political leaders have, as is common, 
ducked confronting the real issues. On the death penalty question there has 
been little attempt at consultation with the country followed by genuine 
bi-partisan constitutional reform, if desired.


Political focus remains on periodic 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

March 31



PAKISTAN:

Man facing death penalty acquitted after 8 years


The Supreme Court on Thursday acquitted a man, who was awarded death sentence 
by a trial and a high court in a murder case, after 8 years in prison.


Abdul Baqi was convicted in the killing case of Muhammad Ali in Balochistan in 
2009. The trial court on the basis of a medical report and witnesses' 
statements had awarded him the death sentence. Later, the Balochistan High 
Court upheld Baqi's death sentence. The convict had challenged high court 
verdict in the Supreme Court.


A 3-member bench headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa after hearing the 
arguments of the prosecution and the defence counsel acquitted Abdul Baqi and 
set aside the BHC verdict.


The bench observed that there was a contradiction between the medical report 
and the statements of the prosecution witnesses. Justice Khosa said that in the 
charge-sheet it was written that an axe was recovered from the accused, but 
later it was added that a 'blood soaked axe' was recovered.


The court observed that the prosecution has failed to prove its case and 
ordered to release Baqi.


(source: nation.com.pk)






IRAN:

Mad mullah's give man death penalty for blasphemy


Iran's mad mullahs have sentenced a young man to death - for "insulting the 
prophet" on a social media app.


The Daily Mail reports that Sina Dehghan was just 19 when arrested by the 
country's fanatical revolutionary guard for insulting Islam on the LINE app.


But human rights activists claim the confession was tricked out of Dehghan who 
was told he would be released if he signed.


Once he signed, prosecutors allegedly reneged on the deal and in January, he 
was sentenced to die.


"During his interrogation, Sina was told that if he signed a confession and 
repented, he would be pardoned and let go," a source told the Center for Human 
Rights in Iran. "Unfortunately, he made a childish decision and accepted the 
charges. Then they sentenced him to death."


What exactly he did - and said - remains unknown.

Dehghan even confessed on camera, believing he was about to be sprung. Fanatics 
told his family to keep quiet and the matter would fade away.


That didn't happen.

"Unfortunately, the family believed those words and stopped sharing information 
about his case and discouraged others from sharing it as well," the source 
said.


Now, his lawyer has asked for a judicial review in a scramble to save the young 
man's life.


His co-defendants, Sahar Eliasi and Mohammad Nouri were also convicted of 
posting anti-Islamic material on social media.


Nouri was sentenced to death but his eventual fate remains unknown. Eliasi was 
sentenced to 7 years in prison but that was reduced to 3 on appeal.


Dehghan was a draftee in the military when he was arrested in 2015.

"They took him to his home and searched it while he repeatedly expressed regret 
and repentance," a source told CHRI.


(source: torontosun.com)


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March 30



THAILAND:

Village chief gets death for rape, killing girl


The Kalasin Provincial Court on Thursday morning sentenced to death a former 
village chief for the rape and fatal assault of an 18-year-old student and 
ordered he pay more than 2 million baht compensation to her family.


The court found Krittidech Rawengwan, 35, formerly village chief of Ban Si Than 
in Kamalasai district, guilty of rape and physical assault causing the death of 
Ruadeewan Polprasit on Dec 23, 2015.


Ruadeewan was travelling home from school when her attacker kicked and knocked 
over her motorbike, then dragged her into a rice field on the side of the Ban 
Si Than-Ban Non Muang road. She fought back and was able to fend off his 
attempts to rape her.


However, she was severely beaten during the attack and died from her injuries. 
A post mortem showed that her liver had been ruptured.


Krittidech was arrested on April 4, 2016 and the case was filed with the court 
on June 4, 2016. He was charged with rape and physical assault causing death.


Krittidech denied any wrongdoing through the trial. The court heard testimony 
from 40 prosecution witnesses in November last year and questioned 11 defence 
witnesses in December.


The court found him guilty as charged and handed down the death sentence. He 
was ordered to pay 2.39 million baht to the victim's family.


The courtroom was packed with Ruadeewan's relatives and neighbours.

(source: bangkokpost.com)






GAZA:

Gaza military court sentences 2 to death for drug offenses


In the 1st ruling of its kind since the creation of the Palestinian Authority 
(PA) in 1994, a military court in Gaza City sentenced 2 Palestinians convicted 
of selling drugs to death on March 18. The court condemned others convicted of 
the same charges to prison with hard labor. The sentences were welcomed by many 
Palestinians but slammed by human rights groups.


According to the charge sheet published by the Ministry of Interior, based on 
intelligence received, the Palestinian Anti-Narcotics Department arrested the 2 
while in possession of large quantities of drugs they had smuggled across the 
Gaza Strip???s southern border. A 2013 law on psychotropic substances allows 
for the execution of drug dealers in the Gaza Strip.


The head of the military court, Nasser Suleiman, told journalists on March 18 
that those condemned to death had previous convictions of drug dealing but had 
committed the same crime again, meaning that the previous punishments had not 
deterred them.


He said the military court was hearing 30 cases of drug dealing. The cases had 
been heard previously by civilian courts, but 3 months ago, they were 
transferred to the military court as drugs are considered a threat to public 
security. As the crimes involve smuggling through the border areas, said 
Suleiman, they should be under the control of the National Security Forces.


Gaza's Interior Ministry spokesman Iyad al-Bazm told Al-Monitor the drugs are 
primarily smuggled into the Strip from Egypt through its southern border and 
from Israel through its eastern border, and that security measures by the 
Interior Ministry had thwarted the delivery of large quantities of narcotics 
and resulted in the arrests of those selling them.


The Ministry of Interior said that by the 1st quarter of 2017, the ministry had 
seized about 1,200 packages of hashish and 400,000 Tramadol pills.


Bazm said that 2015 and 2016 saw a rise in drug smuggling into Gaza, and the 
ministry would not allow Palestinian society to be destroyed from the inside by 
such substances. Every effort would be made to protect the youth from the 
dangerous phenomenon, he added.


The head of planning at the Palestinian police's Anti-Narcotics Department, 
Hassan al-Swerky, told Al-Monitor that January saw the largest drug bust in 3 
years.


Swerky urged the court to carry out the death sentences as soon as possible to 
deter others thinking of smuggling such substances into Gaza. Despite the large 
quantities of drugs that have been seized over the past months, he claimed that 
addiction levels have dropped. Swerky declined to give figures for drug abuse 
in the Strip, saying only that rehabilitation centers and primary care clinics 
run by the Interior Ministry had successfully treated many addicts who checked 
themselves in for treatment.


Hundreds of activists and citizens in Gaza organized protest vigils on March 
19, calling for severe punishments for drug dealers and welcoming the harsh 
sentences.


Human rights groups, meanwhile, condemned the sentences.

"We are against the death penalty and the sentences issued on March 18, which 
represent an attack on the civilian judiciary by the military judiciary, 
because drug cases should be tried before civilian courts," Issam Younis, the 
head of Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, told Al-Monitor.


Younis called on the Gaza authorities to repeal the sentences and examine why 
those 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

March 29



BANGLADESH:

4 Lakshmipur men get death penalty in 2014 rape case

A Lakshmipur court has sentenced 4 men to death in a 2014 case of rape on a 
housewife in the district.


District and Session Judge AKM Abul Kashem delivered the verdict with the 
accused on the dock on Wednesday.


The 4 accused - Sana Ullah, 37, Abul Kashem Majhi, 32, 'Harun', 32 and Md 
Rahim, 27 - have also been slapped with a fine of Tk 20,000 each.


Prosecutor Abul Bashar said the victim was gang raped on the night of Dec 22, 
2014 at Kamalnagar Upazila. She regained consciousness after spending 5 days in 
hospital.


6 days into the incident, the victim's husband started the case at Kamalnagar 
Police Station accusing 5 people.


Police pressed charges against them on May 31, 2015.

One of the accused has been acquitted in the case, said advocate Bashar.

(source: bdnews24.com)






IRAQ:

Islamic State stones a youth accused of homosexuality in Mosul


The Islamic State group has sentenced a youth to death by stoning in the city 
of Mosul, on charges of homosexuality.


The terrorist group published photos on affiliated websites showing a number of 
IS Diwan al-Hisbah (accountability) members, while reading out death sentence 
according to Sharia, in the presence of a crowd of people, before carrying out 
the execution based on "the limits of Allah and Islam".


The photos revealed that the Islamic State militants started to throw the youth 
with stones, who was blindfolded, after throwing him from a building???s 
rooftop, but the exact time and location of the execution were not identified.


The incident is not the 1st of its kind in Mosul, where the terrorist group 
claims to implement the limits of God and Islam.


Earlier this year, Islamic State militants sentenced a man to death by throwing 
him from a high rooftop in Mosul, after accusing him of being homosexual, while 
used the same method to execute 4 people, including 2 of its own members, on 
charges of homosexuality and sodomy in Dor al-Toub area in central Mosul.


(source: iraqinews.com)

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March 28




BANGLADESH:

Dhaka court awards death penalty to 5 for killing Bangladesh's award winning 
journalist



A Dhaka court on Tuesday sentenced 5 persons to death for killing award-winning 
photojournalist Aftab Ahmed in 2013, a media report said.


The verdict was announced by Judge Abdur Rahman Sarder of Dhaka Speedy Trial 
Tribunal 4.


The convicts are Humayun Kabir, Habib Hawlader, Belal Hossain, Raju Munshi and 
Md Rasel, the Dhaka Tribune reported.


Of them, Rasel and Raju have been absconding since the case was filed.

The court also sentenced Sabuj Khan to 7 years imprisonment and fined him. If 
he doesn't pay, he will serve an extra year in jail.


According to the case details, on December 25, 2013, the 80-year-old 
photojournalist was killed at his house in Rampura here.


Aftab was awarded 'Ekushey Padak', the 2nd highest civilian award in 
Bangladesh, in 2006. He had an illustrious career during which he served as 
chief photographer for the Bangla newspaper The Daily Ittefaq.


(source: hindustantimes.com)






MALAYSIA:

Assigned lawyers will still represent those facing death penaltyChief 
Justice says this is important as it involves offenders' lives.



The judiciary will continue to assign lawyers to represent accused persons, 
including foreigners, who are facing the death penalty, Chief Justice Arifin 
Zakaria says.


"The government gives priority to this matter as it involves the life of 
accused persons," he told reporters after the launch of a coffee table book 
titled "Palace of Justice" by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department 
Azalina Othman Said.


Arifin, who retires this week, said this when asked if payments of legal fees 
to court-appointed lawyers were affected since the government had slashed 
allocations to ministries.


It is a practice that those who face charges carrying capital punishment must 
be represented by lawyers if they cannot afford to engage counsel.


Such lawyers appear during trial in the High Court and during appeals in the 
Court of Appeal and Federal Court.


Among the offences that carry the death penalty are murder, drug trafficking, 
kidnap and discharge of firearms.


Meanwhile, Azalina in a speech today said "something would be in store from the 
government" for Arifin after his retirement.


"I will make sure of this as long as I am the de facto law minister," she said.

When approached later, Arifin declined to comment.

To questions about his post-retirement plans, Arifin, who was interviewed by 
the media yesterday, said he would accept a consulting position at a law firm 
in a manner similar to that of other retired judges.


"Why not? You need some income and something to fill up the time. I need to be 
active, otherwise my mental capacity will be reduced," he had said.


(source: freemalaysiatoday.com)






JAPAN:

Death-row inmate convicted of killing 4 people in 1993 dies of illness


Gen Sekine, a former pet breeder on death row for killing 4 people in Saitama 
Prefecture in 1993, died Monday while in detention, a person familiar with his 
condition said.


The 75-year-old inmate - who was convicted of conspiring with his former wife 
Hiroko Kazama to kill 3 people in a financial dispute stemming from his dog 
breeding business - is believed to have died of an illness, according to the 
source. Kazama, 60, is also on death row.


Sekine, who was also convicted of a separate killing the same year, died at the 
Tokyo Detention House on Monday morning. He had collapsed there in November 
last year, according to the source.


In 1993, he murdered a 39-year-old company employee, a senior member of a crime 
syndicate and the man's driver by making them swallow poison capsules. He then 
dismembered their bodies before incinerating and abandoning the remains, 
according to a court ruling.


In the separate case, Sekine murdered a 54-year-old woman after selling dogs of 
foreign origin to her in a scam.


Sekine and Kazama were initially arrested in January 1995. In March 2001, a 
district court in Saitama Prefecture sentenced them to death for committing, in 
the words of its presiding judge, "cruelly ruthless and extremely heinous 
crimes."


The Tokyo High Court rejected the pair's appeal in July 2005, and the Supreme 
Court upheld the decision in June 2009.


(source: Japan Today)






UNITED ARAB EMIRATES:

British lord joins call to save Jennifer Dalquez from death row


A member of United Kingdom's House of Lords or upper parliament has called on 
the government of the United Arab Emirates to grant Filipina domestic helper 
Jennifer Dalquez clemency to save her from death row.


"It is clear from the evidence that her action was not pre-meditated, but a 
desperate response to an unprovoked sexual attack," Inderjit Singh, Lord of 
Wimbledon CBE, said in a letter addressed to UAE Ambassador Sulaiman Hamid 
Almazroui.


"I am writing to you to use your good offices to remove the threat of the death 
penalty and 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

March 27



INDIA:

December 16 gangrape case: Supreme Court reserves order on plea challenging 
death penalty to convictsThe convicts in the case appealed against the 
Judgement of Delhi High Court which considered the crime committed by them 
'rarest of the rare' and awarded them the death penalty.



New Delhi, March 27: The Supreme Court on Monday reserved its order in the 
Nirbhaya gangrape case on the petition filed challenging the death sentence to 
convicts. The matter is being heard by a three-judge bench including Justice 
Dipak Misra and Justices R. Banumathi and Ashok Bhushan. The convicts in the 
case appealed against the judgement of Delhi High Court which considered the 
crime committed by them 'rarest of the rare' and awarded them death penalty.


In an earlier development, the Supreme Court accepted the plea filed by amicus 
curiae Raju Ramachandran, which argued that the convicts were not given 
appropriate chances to represent their cases. He said that there was a 
violation of procedure with regard to the sentencing of the convicts - Akshay, 
Pawan, Vinay Sharma and Mukesh. The accused were asked to file their affidavits 
by February 23.


In December last year, amicus curiae Sanjay Hegde questioned the evidence 
produced by the prosecution in the gangrape case and came out with certain 
points putting a question on the merit of evidence. According to Hegde, 1 of 
the convicts, Mukesh, was not with the prime culprit Ram Singh when the offence 
was committed since their mobile locations were found to be different on that 
night.


The case also witnessed the suicide of the main accused Ram Singh in the Tihar 
jail. Similarly, another accused who was juvenile at the time of crime has 
already been convicted in August last year. The court awarded him a maximum 
sentence of 3 years in a reform house.


In December 2012, 6 people gang raped a 23-year-old physiotherapy intern in a 
moving bus in Delhi. The girl succumbed to her injuries in a Singapore hospital 
on December 29, 2012.


The rape case also stormed the streets of Delhi with protesters demanding 
women's safety in the capital city. After a long deadlock, the central 
government agreed to form a committee which revisited the laws related to the 
rape in India. The committee led by Justice JS Verma recommended a new law for 
the country.


(source: india.com)






MALAYSIA:

Lam Thye suggests moratorium on death penalty cases


The Government should consider whether its review of the mandatory death 
penalty for drug trafficking should include making it retrospective on pending 
cases, said social activist Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.


Lee said the proposal for the review under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs 
Act was timely as this could help prevent a "travesty of justice".


Judges, he said, must be given the discretion to mete out suitable sentences on 
a case by case basis, especially for drug mules.


"While supporting the review of Section 39B, I also hope that the Government 
will address the issue raised by lawmakers and legal practitioners, including 
whether the move, if approved, could have a retrospective effect on pending 
death penalty cases," he said in a statement here yesterday.


**

More than 1,100 people have received death sentence in Malaysia


More than 1,100 people have been convicted and sentenced to death by the courts 
up to Feb 21 this year, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid 
Hamidi.


"Based on statistics from the Prison Department, as of Feb 21 this year, a 
total of 1,122 prisoners have been found guilty and sentenced to death by 
court," said Dr Ahmad Zahid, who is also the Home Minster in a written 
parliamentary reply.


His reply did not state from when these convictions took place.

He was responding to a question from Kasthuri Patto (DAP-Batu Kawan), who asked 
the Ministry to reveal the statistics of prisoners who have been sentenced to 
death according to background and cases as of Feb this year.


Ahmad Zahid said a total of 16 inmates - 14 Malaysian and two foreigners - had 
been executed between 2014 and Feb 21 this year.


"From the total, a total of 15 prisoners have been sentenced to death for 
murder while the other one was due to a crime involving firearms," said Dr 
Ahmad Zahid.


Last week, The Cabinet agreed to review the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 to allow 
judges to use their discretion in sentencing offenders instead of imposing the 
mandatory death sentence.


Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said 
the review will enable judges to mete suitable sentences in marginal cases 
where offenders could be given jail sentences.


(source for both: thestar.com.my)






TAIWAN:

New bill to remove statute of limitations on homicideTaiwan's Ministry of 
Justice proposes to remove statute of limitations on homicide in new bill



In a landmark legal reform, Taiwan's Ministry of Justice recommended to 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

March 26




YEMEN:

Rebel court sentences Yemen president to death


A rebel court in Yemen's insurgent-held capital has sentenced President 
Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi to death for high treason in absentia, the rebel news 
agency has said.


Yemen on Sunday marked the 2nd anniversary of a Saudi-led coalition starting 
air strikes against the Huthi rebels in support of Hadi's government, after the 
insurgents overran the capital Sanaa.


The court found Hadi guilty of "usurping the title of president after the end 
of his term in office" in February 2014, "instigating attacks by Saudi Arabia" 
and "undermining the independence and integrity of the Republic of Yemen", the 
rebel-controlled Saba agency said late Saturday.


Six members of Hadi's government were also sentenced to death for treason, it 
said.


On Sunday, hundreds of thousands of Huthi supporters flooded the streets of 
Sanaa for a mass rally against Saudi Arabia's role in the war, an AFP reporter 
at the site said.


That came a day after former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who is allied to the 
Huthis, slammed Riyadh in a speech marking two years since the coalition's 
military intervention.


"Free Yemenis will continue to choose resistance, as long as the coalition led 
by Saudi Arabia continues to choose war," Saba quoted Saleh as saying.


Rebel leader Abdul Mali k al-Huthi said the Saudi-led coalition had been 
"living under the illusion that they can take Yemen in a week or a month... but 
have sunk into the mud," it said.


Hadi's forces have gained ground in southern Yemen since the coalition's 
intervention in March 2015, but the Huthis still control the capital and 
strategic ports on the Red Sea coastline.


More than 7,700 people have been killed and over 40,000 injured over the past 
two years, the United Nations says.


3 million people have been displaced and the country faces a serious threat of 
famine, it says.


al-monitor.com)






INDIA:

The death penalty is required to be retained in our book with certain 
amendments.



The proposed recommendation of the National Law Commission for abolition of 
death penalty, prima facie, appears to be based on three facts. First, most of 
the advanced countries in the world have abolished the death penalty being a 
cruel and inhuman sentence. Secondly, there is no rational foundation for 
awarding death penalty and the discretion of the judge varies from person to 
person. Thirdly, in our country the death penalty has not served as a deterrent 
measure as the heinous crime falling in the category of "rarest of rare" cases 
are committed frequently.


However, I am of the candid opinion that the death penalty is required to be 
retained in our book with certain amendments for 2 reasons. Firstly, it is not 
just a punishment given to the criminal concerned, but it also gives a strong 
signal to other like-minded people. Secondly, it works as a deterrent measure 
against such criminals who are the menace to society.


I have come across the cases wherein the death penalty by sessions judge was 
confirmed by the High Court and even the SC upheld it. However, even after the 
rejection of the mercy petition by the President, the High Court again 
entertained a petition of death convicts challenging the capital punishment and 
stayed the death penalty. Naturally, the death convicts are interested in 
prolonging petitions hoping that courts would turn the death penalty into life 
imprisonment on the account of delay. This results in sending a message to the 
people at large that death penalty has no useful purpose.


I would have been happy if the Law Commission would have considered as to how 
the execution of death penalty can be expedited or how delay can be avoided. I 
will not say that once the sessions court has imposed death then it should 
expeditiously be executed. But certain time limit is required to be prescribed 
while deciding petitions challenging the death penalty. And there should be 
provision that if such appeals or mercy petitions are not decided in a 
stipulated time period then death penalty should stand rejected. But, it should 
not be taken out of the book.


(source: Advocate Ujjwal Nikam is a famous special public prosecutor who has 
represented the state or the CBI in cases such as 1993 Bombay bomb blasts, 
26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai and Gateway of India twin blasts. He has the 
record of securing maximum death penalties in MaharashtraAsian Age)


*

The legitimacy of Capital punishment


Law Commission felt time has come for India to move towards abolition of the 
death penalty. It hoped the movement towards absolute abolition will be swift. 
But it is difficult to agree with the Commission's majority opinion.


To be or not to be, is the question. To live, or to extinguish life? William 
Shakespeare's question posed in Hamlet in 1602 haunts policymakers across the 
world still: whether or not to award capital punishment.


The 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

March 24




PAKISTAN:

LHC acquits 2 death row convicts


A Lahore High Court division bench on Wednesday acquitted 2 convicts condemned 
to death in a murder case.


The division bench headed by Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan acquitted the convicts, 
Aneesur Rehman and Muhammad Naeem, while allowing their appeals against 
conviction.


During the hearing, the defendants' counsel submitted that there was no solid 
evidence which showed that the convicts were responsible for or associated with 
the murder. He pleaded the bench to acquit them after setting aside their death 
sentence. However, the prosecution opposed the request submitting that trial 
court awarded death penalty to the convicts on basis of eye-witnesses 
statements.


The bench after hearing arguments allowed the appeals and acquitted the 
convicts after setting aside their death sentence.


(source: pakobserver.net)






BANGLADESH:

Halt imminent executions of three men who tried to kill UK ambassador


Bangladesh must halt the imminent executions of 3 men sentenced to death for a 
grenade attack on the UK Ambassador, Amnesty International said.


Prison authorities in Bangladesh today confirmed that the executions of Mufti 
Abdul Hannan, Sharif Shahedul Alam Bipul and Delwar Hossain Ripon - all alleged 
members of the banned armed group Harkat-ul-Jihad (HuJI) - would be carried out 
soon. They were all convicted of and sentenced to death over an attack in 2004 
which injured the then-UK High Commissioner, Anwar Choudhury, and killed 3 
people.


"These executions must be stopped immediately. While those found responsible 
for crimes after fair trials should be punished, the death penalty is never the 
solution. It's dismaying that the Bangladeshi authorities are looking to take 
more lives in the name of fighting 'terrorism'," said Olof Blomqvist, Amnesty 
International's Bangladesh researcher.


"The death penalty is always a human rights violation and is in no way a more 
effective way to tackle crime than life imprisonment. Sending these men to the 
gallows will not make Bangladesh safer, it will only add to the death toll."


On 19 March 2017, the Bangladeshi Supreme Court rejected the 3 men's final 
appeals. Their only remaining option is now to seek a presidential pardon to 
stop the executions.


Bangladesh is among the minority of states globally that still implements the 
death penalty. In 2015, four people were executed in the country, while almost 
200 people were sentenced to death.


"We urge President Abdul Hamid to pardon these 3 men and spare their lives. 
Bangladesh should also immediately impose a moratorium on executions with a 
view to full abolition of the death penalty. More and more countries around the 
world are coming around to the fact that taking lives neither deters crime nor 
is an effective mean to deliver justice," said Olof Blomqvist.


Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception, 
regardless of the nature or circumstances of the crime; guilt, innocence or 
other characteristics of the individual; or the method used by the state to 
carry out the executions.


(source: amnesty.org)






MALAYSIA:

Malaysia to scrap mandatory death sentence for drug offencesGovernment 
agrees to give courts discretion in imposing death penalty for narcotics 
offences.--Close to 800 prisoners currently on death row for drug trafficking 
offences.



The Malaysian government has agreed to do away with the mandatory death 
sentence imposed for drug offences.


Azalina Othman Said, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, told 
Parliament that the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 will be amended to allow judges to 
exercise discretion when deciding on the appropriate sentence.


(source: ibtimes.co.uk)


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[Rick Halperin]

March 24



NIGERIA:

Cynthia Osokogu's Killers Get Death Penalty


A Lagos State High Court in Igbosere on Thursday ordered the hanging of Okwumo 
Nwabufo and Olisaeloka Ezike who were charged with the murder of a 
post-graduate student of Nasarawa State University, Ms. Cynthia Osokogu.


The judge said the convicts should be hung by the neck until they are dead.

Osokogu had been lured from Abuja to Lagos on July 21, 2012 by Nwabufo, whom 
she had met and befriended on Facebook.


Nwabufo had paid for the deceased's flight ticket from Abuja and lodged her in 
Room C1 at Cosmilla Hotel, Lake View Estate, Festac Town, Lagos, where he 
later, in collusion with Ezike, murdered her on July 22, 2012.


In the hotel room, the convicts had drugged Cynthia, who was 25 years old, by 
putting Rohypnol in her Ribena drink after which they chained her hands to her 
back and secured same with a padlock.


Rohypnol is legally prescribed for medical use in more than 50 foreign 
countries for the treatment of insomnia and as a pre-anesthetic. It may cause 
drowsiness, confusion, impaired motor skills, dizziness, disorientation, 
dis-inhibition, impaired judgment, and reduced levels of consciousness.


The deceased's legs were also chained while her mouth was stuffed with a 
handkerchief and part of the weave-on that she had on her head.


A tape was thereafter fastened across her mouth to secure the materials stuffed 
in her mouth.


The convicts then made away with her 2 Blackberry mobile phones, jewelry, a sex 
toy vibrator, her international passport, and a pair of shoes.


After the murder and their apprehension, the Lagos State Government on February 
8, 2013 arraigned Nwabufo and Ezike on 6 counts of conspiracy, murder and 
stealing, contrary to Sections 231, 221 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos 
State, 2011.


Arraigned along with them was a pharmacist, Orji Osita, who was accused of 
dispensing Rohypnol to the convicts without a doctor's prescription.


Also arraigned was the second defendant's brother, Nonso, who was accused of 
being in possession of the 2 stolen Blackberry mobile phones.


In a judgment delivered on Thursday, almost 5 years after the crime, Justice 
Olabisi Akinlade convicted Nwabufo and Ezike as charged by the state.


She, however, discharged and acquitted Osita and Nonso on the grounds that the 
state did not prove the charges of recklessness and negligence pressed against 
them beyond reasonable doubt.


In convicting Nwabufo and Ezike, the judge relied on the oral evidence of 10 
witnesses and the 17 exhibits tendered by the prosecution, as well as the 
confessional statements of the accused persons.


Among the witnesses were two receptionists at Cosmilla Hotel, who booked the 
convicts into the hotel on the night of July 21, 2012. Also called was the 
hotel manager and a pathologist, who gave the cause of Cynthia's death as 
asphyxia, and the policemen who investigated the case.


In her judgment, Justice Akinlade held that though there was no direct 
eyewitness, the circumstantial evidence placed before the court by the state 
were "cogent, complete, unequivocal, compelling and leads to the irresistible 
conclusion that the accused persons and no one else committed the crime".


"The 1st and 2nd defendants were positioned at the scene of the crime at 
Cosmilla Hotel. The circumstantial evidence against the 1st and 2nd defendants 
is compelling and cogent and leaves no doubt in anyone's mind that they killed 
the deceased.


"It is on record that the first and second defendants made a confessional 
statement describing how they caused the death of the deceased," the judge 
held.


After pronouncing them guilty, she sentenced them to 14 years imprisonment for 
conspiracy, 3 years imprisonment for stealing, and imposed the death sentence 
by hanging for the offence of murder.


Before handing down the sentences, the judge asked the defendants if they had 
anything to say.


Counsel for the convicts, Mr. Victor Opara and S. Eze, urged the judge to 
temper justice with mercy.


Opara said Nwabufo was a 1st-time offender, adding that the convict was a young 
man who had "tremendous energy to do something worthwhile with his life".


"I urge this court to grant him a reformative sentence," Opara pleaded.

But in her response, Justice Akinlade said: "I have listened passionately to 
the allocutus of counsel. Section 221 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State says 
clearly that a person who commits murder shall be sentenced to death.


"In judgment, justice is required not only for the victim, but also for the 
society.


"In their attempt to steal Cynthia's property, they stole her life. They were 
not even remorseful.


"But for the efforts of the police and the Ministry of Justice, we wouldn't 
have been able to do anything. This court cannot change the law."


Concluding her ruling, the judge said: "I pronounce the judgment of this court 
upon you, Okwumo Nwabufo and Olisaeloka Ezike, 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

March 23




MALAYSIA:

Azalina: Cabinet to review death sentence for drug offences


The cabinet has agreed that the mandatory death penalty for drug offences needs 
to be reviewed.


Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Azalina Othman Said told the Dewan 
Rakyat that the cabinet made this decision on March 1, after attorney-general 
Mohamed Apandi Ali gave them a presentation.


"The cabinet agreed and decided that amendments be made to Section 39B of the 
Dangerous Drugs Act by including additional clauses to give discretionary power 
to the courts to bestow other sentences, besides the mandatory death penalty, 
in certain situations," Azalina said today.


(source: malaysiakini.com)


**

China woman on death row fails in appeal


A 24-year-old woman from China, who was sentenced to death for trafficking 
1,397.1gm of syabu failed in her appeal against the sentence at the Court of 
Appeal.


Justices Datuk Lim Yee Lan, Dato' Abdul Rahman Sebli and Puan Sri Zaleha Yusof 
unanimously dismissed the appeal by Cheng Jin Hui after hearing submissions 
from her and the prosecution as the respondent.


The court held that there was nothing in the appeal record that warrants the 
court's intervention on the findings made by the High Court.


Cheng was June 9, 2016 found guilty by the High Court here and convicted of 
committing the offence at 11.25pm on July 6, 2014 at the passengers' 
examination area at the arrival hall in Terminal 2 of the Kota Kinabalu 
International Airport (KKIA).


The offence under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 carries the 
death penalty on conviction.


Earlier, counsel Ram Singh representing Cheng, submitted that it was a genuine 
case of an innocent courier who was asked to carry clothes samples to Malaysia 
by some African men in China.


Cheng did not realise the secret compartment inside the luggage contained drugs 
and she did check the content of the luggage and found nothing except clothes 
samples and her own clothes, submitted Ram.


Cheng's shock reaction could not be inferred as she knew drugs were inside the 
secret compartment of the luggage, he added.


Ram also submitted that the High Court judge misdirected herself when she held 
that there was trafficking of drugs as she had men's rea possession of the 
luggage and drugs inside the luggage.


The prosecution rebutted that Cheng was not an innocent courier.

Cheng knew the drugs were inside the luggage and her reaction of shock proved 
her conduct of mens rea in carrying the luggage with drugs inside, the 
prosecution submitted.


(source: dailyexpress.com.my)



INDIA:

Law Commission has recommended abolition of death penalty: GovtThe Law 
Commission in its 262nd report has recommended abolishing the death penalty for 
all crimes other than terrorism-related offences and waging war



The Law Commission has recommended that the death penalty be abolished for all 
crimes except those related to terrorism, Rajya Sabha was informed on 
Wednesday.


Minister of state for home Hansraj Ahir said the Law Commission in its 262nd 
report has recommended that the death penalty be abolished for all crimes other 
than terrorism related offences and waging war.


"As Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure are in the concurrent list of the 7th 
Schedule of the Constitution, the report has been circulated to all state 
governments and union territories for seeking their views," he said replying a 
written question.


(source: livemint.com)





BANGLADESH:

Mufti Hannan to seek presidential clemency


Convicted of killing in terrorist attack, the chief of Bangladeshi chapter of 
Harkat ul Islam, Abdul Hannan, will seek presidential clemency after the apex 
court dismissed his plea to review death sentence, prison authorities said on 
Wednesday.


Hannan, also known as Mufti Hannan, expressed his willingness to seek the 
pardon after officials read out the death warrant to the convict after the 
Supreme Court rejected his review against the conviction.


"Hannan He told us that he would file mercy petition to the president," senior 
jail superintended Mizanur Rahman said as the authorities were preparing for 
execution of the terrorist.


Inspector General of Prisons Brigadier General Syed Iftekhar Uddin told 
reporters that all preparations were taken to hang the militants.


The Supreme Court on Tuesday released full verdict that upheld its order 
confirming his death penalty for the 2004 grenade attack on then British High 
Commissioner to Bangladesh Anwar Choudhury.


Attorney General Mahbube Alam said that the execution of the convicted militant 
was a matter of time as the Supreme Court dismissed the review petitions of 3 
death-row convicts, including Hannan.


A court in Sylhet on December 23, 2008 sentenced Hannan and 2 of his associates 
- Bipul and Ripon - to death for carrying out grenade attack on the British 
envoy at a shrine in the north-eastern city.


Choudhury 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

March 22





BANGLADESH:

Ready to execute Mufti Hannan after receiving government order, says IG Prisons


Jail authorities say they are prepared to carry out the death sentences of 
Harkat-ul Jihad al-Islami (HuJI) chief Mufti Hannan and his two accomplices as 
soon as they get the government order.


"We are yet to receive the executive order to carry out the death sentences. 
The prison authorities, however, are always ready for the execution," Inspector 
General of Prisons Brig Gen Syed Iftekhar Uddin told a media briefing on 
Wednesday.


Mufti Hannan and 2 other HuJI activists, Sharif Shahedul Alam alias Bipul and 
Delwar Hossain alias Ripon have been awarded the death penalty for the 2004 
grenade attack on the then UK envoy in Sylhet.


HuJI leader Mufti Hannan and Bipul are being kept at the Kashimpur High 
Security Prison in Gazipur while Ripon is lodged at the Sylhet Central Jail.


On Tuesday, the Supreme Court published the verdict, rejecting their petitions 
for review of their sentences, which was read out to them on Wednesday.


After losing the last legal option, the 3 are now left with the only option of 
seeking presidential clemency by admitting guilt.


Kashimpur prison authorities said Mufti Hannan and Bipul hinted at seeking 
clemency while convict Ripon told Sylhet jail officials that he will give a 
decision later.


According to the jail code, they will now get 7 days to petition for pardon.

If the president rejects their pleas, the government will fix a date and prison 
authorities will start the process to execute the verdict.


In May 2004, then British High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury came under a 
grenade attack while coming out of the Hazrat Shahjalal's shrine in his 
hometown Sylhet.


Police's Assistant Sub-inspector Kamal Uddin died instantly. Constable Rubel 
Ahmed and one Habil Miah succumbed to their injuries in a hospital later.


The envoy was injured along with nearly 40 employees of the Sylhet district 
administration.


In December last year, the Appellate Division upheld their death sentences.

The trial court had sentenced 2 others to life imprisonment, who moved the High 
Court but failed to secure a verdict in their favour. Their sentences are 
upheld as they did not challenge it at the Appellate Division.


(source: bdnews24.com)



Immediately Suspend Imminent ExecutionsIssue Moratoriums on Death Sentences 
as Inhumane Punishments



The Bangladesh government should immediately halt the imminent execution of 3 
men convicted of a May 2004 grenade attack, which targeted the then British 
High Commissioner, Anwar Choudhury. Chowdhury survived the attack that took 
place outside the Hazrat Shahjalal shrine in Sylhet district, but was among 
dozens injured by the blasts. 3 police officers were killed.


On March 19, 2017, the country's apex court rejected the final review 
application of the 3 men on death row, all alleged members of the banned 
militant group Harkat-ul-Jihad (HuJI). The 3 men are: Mufti Abdul Hannan, HuJI 
founder, and 2 activists in the group, Sharif Shahedul Alam Bipul and Delwar 
Hossain Ripon.


"Criminals need to be punished, but Bangladesh is moving in the wrong direction 
by invoking the death penalty," said Brad Adams, Asia director. "Bangladesh 
should instead initiate an immediate moratorium on capital punishment because 
it is inherently cruel and irreversible, and should never be used, regardless 
of the crime."


The evidence against the three men is primarily based on their confessions, 
statements that magistrates say were freely given in front of them but that the 
men have said were forcibly extracted through torture in police custody. Human 
Rights Watch has previously documented numerous cases of torture to coerce 
confessions, and due process violations in the Bangladesh criminal justice 
system that have made it difficult for defendants to receive a fair trial, 
including in capital cases.


Noting that "custodial torture has become a persistent trend in Bangladesh," 
the country's National Human Rights Commission recently said that, 
"Indiscriminate order of remand for extracting confessions immensely 
contributes to a culture of custodial torture."


Court documents show that Hannan had spent 77 days, and Bipul and Ripon 40 days 
each, in police custody prior to giving their confessions. During this time and 
throughout their interrogation, the accused were not provided access to any 
legal representation. All 3 confessions were made during this period.


Bangladesh courts have accepted allegations in previous cases that torture 
takes place in police custody, and local, and international human rights 
organizations contend that the practice is widespread. Nevertheless, the 
appeals court stated that, "These confessions are natural, voluntary, 
inculpatory, and corroborative to each other," and were not "procured from them 
by means of coercion, duress, or torture."


The United Nations 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

March 22



BELARUS:

1st death sentence in 2017


FIDH and its member organisation in Belarus Human Rights Centre "Viasna" 
denounce the first death sentence in 2017 and regret the Belarusian authorities 
continue to ignore calls to render Europe a death penalty-free zone.


On 17 March 2017, 32-year-old Aliaksei Mikhalenya was sentenced to death by the 
Gomel Regional Court of Belarus for 2 murders committed with particular 
cruelty. Although Aliaksei Mikhalenya has the right to appeal the sentence in 
Supreme Court in Belarus, the appeal court rarely commutes death sentences and 
the chances to get the Presidential pardon are illusionary, as revealed in the 
joint FIDH-HRC report "Death penalty in Belarus: Murder on (Un)Lawful Grounds". 
As the report demonstrates, throughout investigation and trial, 
self-incrimination is used by the prosecution as the main evidence of guilt, 
whilst the right to an effective legal defence is systematically violated. In 
general, the application of death penalty in Belarus is accompagnied by severe 
human rights violations at each stage of the judicial proceedings and during 
detention.


"The UN has confirmed the violation of the right to life in 6 decisions 
concerning the use of death penalty in Belarus. The application of capital 
punishment is an indicator of authorities disrespect of international human 
rights bodies and human rights in general", commented Florence Bellivier, 
former President of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty.


Furthermore, considerable secrecy surrounds the application of death penalty in 
Belarus. Information concerning the death penalty is withheld from the general 
public, whilst information on detention conditions for death convicts and 
execution procedures is not publicly available. The exact number of persons 
convicted to death and executed in Belarus is unknown. The families of death 
convicts are neither informed in advance of the date of the execution, nor 
immediately thereafter, the body is never handed over to relatives and the 
location of the burial site is kept secret.


"The name of Aliaksei Mikhalenya was held secret until yesterday when human 
rights defenders communicated his identity. Withholding the identity precludes 
us from providing legal aid to the person concerned and to his family", said 
Andrei Paluda, coordinator of the campaign "Human rights defenders against the 
death penalty in Belarus".


Belarus is the only country in Europe that applies death penalty. For the 
duration of negotiations around EU restrictive measures against Belarusian 
officials and businesses, the executions had been on hold. However, upon the 
lifting of sanctions in February 2016, executions resumed and by December 2016 
reached their highest number since 2008: 4 convicts executed in secrecy in 
2016.


Being a founding member of the World Coalition against the Death penalty, FIDH 
and its member organisation HRC "Viasna" urge the EU and other actors to use 
all leverages at their disposal to put an end to the capital punishment in 
Belarus.


(source: FIDH)






PHILIPPINES:

When politics and principles clash on the death penalty


18 lawmakers who voted no to the RH bill under the 15th Congress voted yes to 
the death penalty measure under the 17th Congress. How did the Church mobilize 
against the 2 controversial measures?


PART 1: What happened behind closed doors to the death penalty bill?

Somber-looking nuns seated at the House of Representatives' plenary hall could 
only look from afar when 217 lawmakers gave their approval to reimpose the 
death penalty for drug convicts.


Under any other circumstances, the overwhelming number who voted for the return 
of capital punishment may have been surprising for the Philippines, a 
predominantly Catholic country.


But not during the time of President Rodrigo Duterte, who openly said Catholic 
bishops are "full of shit" as he accused them of corruption and indulging in 
sexual escapades.


Duterte, who has not been mincing words against the Church, continues to enjoy 
strong support from the poor even as his bloody war against drugs has resulted 
in more than 7,000 deaths since July 2016.


The President also has the backing of at least 267 lawmakers allied with the 
majority bloc, whose party whips made sure the controversial death penalty 
measure - House Bill (HB) Number 4727 - would be passed on 3rd and final 
reading on March 7.


Lawmakers and political analysts alike were not surprised when legislators who 
thumbed down the Reproductive Health (RH) bill in the 15th Congress gave their 
thumbs up to the death penalty in the current 17th Congress.


Is there even a Catholic vote under the administration of Duterte?

Principled voters?

There were a total of 18 lawmakers who voted no the RH bill but said yes to the 
death penalty bill.


The RH bill waited for 14 years before lawmakers in the 15th Congress, in a 
close vote of 133-79-7, approved it on 3rd 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

March 21




PHILIPPINES:

Don't misuse Bible to push death penalty, Philippines bishops say


Remember what Jesus' cross stands for, and don't misuse the Bible to justify 
the death penalty, the Philippines' Catholic bishops have said.


"To the people who use the Bible to defend the death penalty, need we point out 
how many other crimes against humanity have been justified, using the same 
Bible?" the country's bishops asked.


"We humbly enjoin them to interpret the Scriptures properly, to read them as a 
progressive revelation of God's will to humankind, with its ultimate 
fulfillment in Jesus Christ, God's definitive Word to the world."


Their words came in a March 19 pastoral statement on the death penalty signed 
by Archbishop Socrates B. Villegas of Lingayen Dagupan, president of the 
Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines. The statement was read at all 
Masses in the country on Sunday.


Jesus came not to abolish the law, but fulfill it, the bishops explained: 
"Jesus was never an advocate of any form of 'legal killing'. He defended the 
adulterous woman against those who demanded her blood and challenged those who 
were without sin among them to be the first to cast a stone on her."


The letter opened with a quotation from St. Paul's Letter to the Romans: "God 
proved his love for us that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."


The death penalty was abolished in the Philippines in 2006. At present 
President Rodrigo Duterte, who is also leading a brutal crackdown on drugs, has 
advocated its restoration.


In their letter, the Catholic bishops recounted the passage of a House of 
Representatives bill that would restore the death penalty.


"It was Ash Wednesday when members of the lower House, on the 2nd reading of 
the death penalty bill, outvoted by voice-voting the nays with their ayes. 
Ironically, they were captured on television shouting in favor of death with 
their foreheads marked with crosses made of ashes," the bishops said.


"Could they have forgotten what that cross meant?"

They questioned whether the legislators had missed that the crosses on their 
foreheads "were supposed to serve as a loud statement of faith in the God who, 
for love of us, chose to give up his life for our salvation, rather than see us 
perish."


According to the bishops, the saying of the Bible, "an eye for an eye, a tooth 
for a tooth" was challenged by Jesus, who advocated non-retaliation of evil for 
evil and justice founded on mercy.


"Even with the best of intentions, capital punishment has never been proven 
effective as a deterrent to crime," they continued. "Obviously it is easier to 
eliminate criminals than to get rid of the root causes of criminality in 
society. Capital punishment and a flawed legal system are always a lethal mix."


The statement also spoke about the victims.

"We are not deaf to the cries of the victims of heinous crimes. The victims and 
their victimizers are both our brothers and sisters. The victim and the 
opressor are both children of God," they said.


They said the guilty should repent and make reparation for their sins. The 
bishops offered love, compassion and hope to crime victims.


The death penalty will be applied more to the poor, who cannot afford adequate 
legal defenses, the bishops said.


"As a law, death penalty directly contradicts the principle of inalienability 
of the basic human right to life, which is enshrined in most constitutions of 
countries that signed the universal declaration of human rights," they said.


The Philippines bishops called for prayers for the country's legislators.

"Let us offer all our Masses for them, asking our Crucified Lord who offered 
his whole life, body and blood, for the salvation of sinners, to touch their 
consciences and lead them to abolish capital punishment once and for all," they 
said.


(source: patheos.com)






TRINIDAD:

Trinidad PM vows to bring back hangings after missing policewoman becomes 
latest murder victim



Following the discovery of the decomposing body of a 22-year-old policewoman 
who went missing last week, law enforcement officials have vowed to bring the 
killer to swift justice and Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has made it clear 
his government will be taking whatever steps are necessary to resume hangings.


Joseph's body was found by a fisherman in the Gulf of Paria near Port of Spain 
on Wednesday, 6 days after she disappeared.


It had been disposed of in a crocus bag, but it became snagged in the 
fisherman's net and he brought it to the surface. He will receive a $25,000 
reward that had been offered by Crime Stoppers for information about Joseph's 
whereabouts.


At least 3 people, including a woman who is said to have had an argument with 
Police Constable Joseph days before she disappeared, have been detained by 
police in connection with the murder.


1 of the men is the 36-year-old father of the female suspect's child. He was 
reportedly 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

March 20




TURKEY:

Erdogan vows to reinstate death penalty as referendum opponents face 'attacks 
and imprisonmentIn the build up to the referendum, the Turkish President 
promised he will introduce the death penalty in a campaign that has caused a 
diplomatic furore



Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Saturday that he will reinstate 
capital punishment "without hesitation", ahead of the referendum on 16 April 
that could lead to a radical extension of his powers.


Speaking at a televised rally in Canakkale, the leader of the Justice and 
Development Party (AKP) promised that he would sign a bill on the death 
penalty, stating: "I believe, God willing, that after the 16 April vote, 
parliament will do the necessary concerning your demands for capital 
punishment".


His controversial comments come over a decade after Turkey completely abolished 
the death penalty in its efforts to join the European Union.


This isn't the first time the premier has introduced talks about reinstating 
capital punishment. He raised the idea after last year's failed coup of 15 
July, suggesting it would bring justice to the families of the victims.


As the referendum approaches, Erdogan has been leading an inflammatory, 
anti-western campaign that saw him pushing a political narrative that depicts 
Turkey as a great nation that is being undermined by an imperialist Europe.


He attacked German chancellor Angela Merkel again on Sunday, accusing her of 
using "Nazi measures", according to Agence France-Presse. In a televised 
speech, he said: "You are right now employing Nazi measures," using the 
informal 'you' in Turkish in what has become an intense diplomatic dispute. He 
previously launched a scathing attack on Germany for stopping rallies in 
advance of the constitutional referendum, in which he repeatedly referred to 
Germans as 'Nazis'.


He erroneously labelled the Dutch as "Nazi remnants" in a desperate bid to 
appeal to voters in the Turkish diaspora. The Netherlands is home to 
approximately 397,471 people of Turkish origin, who make up 2.4 % of the total 
population. Most of them hold dual nationality and are therefore eligible to 
vote in the Turkish referendum.


A 'yes' in the referendum would rewrite the constitution and transform Turkey 
from a parliamentary system to an executive presidency, giving Erdogan 
unprecedented control to appoint ministers, pick senior judges, and dismiss 
parliament. Erdogan's campaign has understandably been met with criticism, with 
Turkey's main opposition leader, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, urging Turks to vote no in 
the referendum, saying its approval would undermine democracy.


European institutions have also expressed concerns over the campaign. A Council 
of Europe inquiry noted there is an "excessive concentration of powers in one 
office."


According to the Associated Press, figures opposing the referendum in Turkey 
have faced threats, violence, arbitrary detentions, a lack of TV airtime and 
even sabotage in the campaign.


The AKP leader's shift towards an autocratic government has led to accusations 
of being 'dictatorial' by critics.


Erdogan came under fire in January after using Hitler's government as an 
example of an effective presidential system. He defended his argument that 
putting all political power in the hands of the presidency would be a success, 
by saying "there are already examples in the world [...] you can see it when 
you look at Hitler's Germany. There are later examples in various other 
countries."


The rocky campaign and talks of introducing a death penalty will undoubtedly 
cause long-term damage for ties between Turkey and European countries, and 
could end Ankara's efforts to join the EU.


(source: independent.co.uk)



Juncker warns Turkey death penalty is 'red line' issue


European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker has warned Turkey that any return 
of the death penalty would be a "red line" in the country's stalled EU 
membership bid.


"If the death penalty is reintroduced in Turkey, that would lead to the end of 
negotiations," he told Sunday's edition of Germany's Bild newspaper, calling it 
a "red line".


Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday he expected parliament to 
approve the restoration of capital punishment after next month's referendum on 
controversial consitutional changes to expand his powers.


Mr Juncker nevertheless said he was opposed to a complete halt to all 
membership negotiations with Turkey.


"It makes no sense to try to calm (Erdogan's) nerves by stopping negotiations 
that are not even taking place."


German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel went even further, saying in an 
interview with Der Spiegel: "We are farther away than ever from Turkey's 
accession to the EU."


Turkey abolished the death penalty in 2004 and the European Union has 
repeatedly made clear that any move to restore it would scupper its membership 
bid.


However Turkish ministers 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

March 19



GAZA:

2 given death penalty for Gaza drug smuggling


A Hamas military court on Sunday sentenced 2 Palestinians to death for drug 
smuggling in the Gaza Strip, in the 1st punishment of its kind in the enclave.


"The Gaza military court announced the death penalty for 2 civilians from 
Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, for selling narcotics," the Hamas-controlled 
interior ministry said in a statement.


It said a 3rd suspect was sentenced to hard labor.

Authorities have seized drugs with a street value of around $1 million (900,000 
euros) over the past few months, the ministry said.


They seized 1,250 packets of cannabis and 400 pills of Tramadol -- a powerful 
opiate-based painkiller -- in January alone, it said.


Until Sunday, only people guilty of spying for Israel or murder had received 
the death penalty in Gaza, controlled by Islamist Hamas since 2007.


All Palestinian death sentences in theory have to be approved by president 
Mahmoud Abbas, but Hamas has long refused to accept his legitimacy.


The Palestinian Center for Human Rights says around a dozen death sentences 
have been passed down in Gaza since the start of 2017.


(source: The Daily Star)






BANGLADESH:

Mufti Hannan's death penalty upheld


The appellate division of the Supreme Court on Sunday upheld the death penalty 
of 3 men of banned militant outfit Harkatul Jihad al Islami (HuJi), including 
its chief Mufti Abdul Hannan, in a case filed for the grenade attack on the 
then UK envoy in Bangladesh Anwar Choudhury in 2004.


A 3-member bench of the Appellate Division led by chief justice Surendra Kumar 
Sinha passed the order after dismissing the review appeal of the HuJi chief.


On 7 December last, the Supreme Court upheld the death penalty of the 3 HuJi 
men.


On 11 February last year, a High Court bench, comprising justice M Enayetur 
Rahim and justice Amir Hossain, delivered the verdict upholding the death 
sentence of 3 of the accused - Mufti Abdul Hannan, Sharif Shahedul Alam and 
Delwar Hossain - and life-term imprisonment of 2 others - Mufti Hannan's 
brother Mohibullah and Mufti Moinuddin - handed down by the lower court.


Anwar Choudhury and 51 others were injured while 3, including 2 police 
officials, were killed in a grenade attack at Hazrat Shahjalal (RA) shrine in 
Sylhet on 21 May 2004.


Later, 2 cases - 1 for murder and another under the Explosive Act - were filed 
in connection with the grenade attack.


After investigation into the case, charges were framed against four people, 
including Mufti Hannan, on 31 July 2007.


The Divisional Speedy Trial Tribunal of Sylhet on 23 December 2008, awarded 
death sentence to Huji leaders Hannan, Sharif Shahedul Alam Bipul and Delwar 
Hossain Ripon while Mufti Muhibur Rahman (Hannan's brother) and Mufti Mainuddin 
were awarded life term, and fined Tk 10,000 each in the murder case.


(source: prothom-alo.com)






IRANexecutions

3 Prisoners Hanged


Iranian authorities have hanged a prisoner at Dizel Abad, Kermanshah's central 
prison, and 2 prisoners at Choubindar, Qazvin's central prison.


According to close sources, a prisoner was hanged at Kermanshah's central 
prison on the morning of Monday March 13. The prisoner has been identified as 
Mohammad Reza Samadi Nasb, sentenced to death on drug related charges.


"Mohammad Reza was arrested in 2013 on the charge of trafficking 2 kilograms of 
crystal meth, but he always insisted on his innocence and claimed the charges 
against him were false," a source close to Mr. Samadi Nasb's cas file tells 
Iran Human Rights.


According to a report by the state-run news agency, Rokna, 2 prisoners were 
hanged at Qazvin's central prison on the morning of Tuesday March 14. The 
report identifies the prisoners as: Reza, 31 years of age, charged with 
possession of 400 grams of heroin and 890 grams of crystal meth; and Mehdi, 
charged with murder of a relative.


(source: Iran Human Rights)

**

Marjan Davari's mother speaks out against the death penalty


In an interview on March 17, 2017, the mother of Marjan Davari called for 
abolition of her daughter's death sentence.


Ms. Davari's mother said, "Marjan did not deserve the death penalty. I don't 
know what happened in the middle of the way that the page turned ... As a 
mother I am burning. I hope that not only my own daughter but other youths 
would not go on the stool."


Marjan Davari, 50, a researcher and translator, was arrested on September 24, 
2015, when the Path of Knowledge Institute was shut down and its instructors 
arrested. She received a death sentence on March 12, 2017.


(source: NCR-Iran)






PHILIPPINES:

CBCP to lawmakers: Christ was never for 'legal killing'


As the Senate considers the revival of capital punishment, leaders of the 
Philippines' Catholic Church on Sunday urged legislators not to use the Bible 
to defend the death penalty, which they say runs against the teachings of Jesus 
Christ.


In a 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide----GAZA, BANG, IRAN, PHILIP.

[Rick Halperin]

March 19



GAZA:

2 given death penalty for Gaza drug smuggling


A Hamas military court on Sunday sentenced 2 Palestinians to death for drug 
smuggling in the Gaza Strip, in the 1st punishment of its kind in the enclave.


"The Gaza military court announced the death penalty for 2 civilians from 
Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, for selling narcotics," the Hamas-controlled 
interior ministry said in a statement.


It said a 3rd suspect was sentenced to hard labor.

Authorities have seized drugs with a street value of around $1 million (900,000 
euros) over the past few months, the ministry said.


They seized 1,250 packets of cannabis and 400 pills of Tramadol -- a powerful 
opiate-based painkiller -- in January alone, it said.


Until Sunday, only people guilty of spying for Israel or murder had received 
the death penalty in Gaza, controlled by Islamist Hamas since 2007.


All Palestinian death sentences in theory have to be approved by president 
Mahmoud Abbas, but Hamas has long refused to accept his legitimacy.


The Palestinian Center for Human Rights says around a dozen death sentences 
have been passed down in Gaza since the start of 2017.


(source: The Daily Star)






BANGLADESH:

Mufti Hannan's death penalty upheld


The appellate division of the Supreme Court on Sunday upheld the death penalty 
of 3 men of banned militant outfit Harkatul Jihad al Islami (HuJi), including 
its chief Mufti Abdul Hannan, in a case filed for the grenade attack on the 
then UK envoy in Bangladesh Anwar Choudhury in 2004.


A 3-member bench of the Appellate Division led by chief justice Surendra Kumar 
Sinha passed the order after dismissing the review appeal of the HuJi chief.


On 7 December last, the Supreme Court upheld the death penalty of the 3 HuJi 
men.


On 11 February last year, a High Court bench, comprising justice M Enayetur 
Rahim and justice Amir Hossain, delivered the verdict upholding the death 
sentence of 3 of the accused - Mufti Abdul Hannan, Sharif Shahedul Alam and 
Delwar Hossain - and life-term imprisonment of 2 others - Mufti Hannan's 
brother Mohibullah and Mufti Moinuddin - handed down by the lower court.


Anwar Choudhury and 51 others were injured while 3, including 2 police 
officials, were killed in a grenade attack at Hazrat Shahjalal (RA) shrine in 
Sylhet on 21 May 2004.


Later, 2 cases - 1 for murder and another under the Explosive Act - were filed 
in connection with the grenade attack.


After investigation into the case, charges were framed against four people, 
including Mufti Hannan, on 31 July 2007.


The Divisional Speedy Trial Tribunal of Sylhet on 23 December 2008, awarded 
death sentence to Huji leaders Hannan, Sharif Shahedul Alam Bipul and Delwar 
Hossain Ripon while Mufti Muhibur Rahman (Hannan's brother) and Mufti Mainuddin 
were awarded life term, and fined Tk 10,000 each in the murder case.


(source: prothom-alo.com)






IRANexecutions

3 Prisoners Hanged


Iranian authorities have hanged a prisoner at Dizel Abad, Kermanshah's central 
prison, and 2 prisoners at Choubindar, Qazvin's central prison.


According to close sources, a prisoner was hanged at Kermanshah's central 
prison on the morning of Monday March 13. The prisoner has been identified as 
Mohammad Reza Samadi Nasb, sentenced to death on drug related charges.


"Mohammad Reza was arrested in 2013 on the charge of trafficking 2 kilograms of 
crystal meth, but he always insisted on his innocence and claimed the charges 
against him were false," a source close to Mr. Samadi Nasb's cas file tells 
Iran Human Rights.


According to a report by the state-run news agency, Rokna, 2 prisoners were 
hanged at Qazvin's central prison on the morning of Tuesday March 14. The 
report identifies the prisoners as: Reza, 31 years of age, charged with 
possession of 400 grams of heroin and 890 grams of crystal meth; and Mehdi, 
charged with murder of a relative.


(source: Iran Human Rights)

**

Marjan Davari's mother speaks out against the death penalty


In an interview on March 17, 2017, the mother of Marjan Davari called for 
abolition of her daughter's death sentence.


Ms. Davari's mother said, "Marjan did not deserve the death penalty. I don't 
know what happened in the middle of the way that the page turned ... As a 
mother I am burning. I hope that not only my own daughter but other youths 
would not go on the stool."


Marjan Davari, 50, a researcher and translator, was arrested on September 24, 
2015, when the Path of Knowledge Institute was shut down and its instructors 
arrested. She received a death sentence on March 12, 2017.


(source: NCR-Iran)






PHILIPPINES:

CBCP to lawmakers: Christ was never for 'legal killing'


As the Senate considers the revival of capital punishment, leaders of the 
Philippines' Catholic Church on Sunday urged legislators not to use the Bible 
to defend the death penalty, which they say runs against the teachings of Jesus 
Christ.


In a 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

My postings to this listserve will resume on March 19


***



March 9



JAPAN:

Man convicted of killing 2 in Osaka has death sentence reduced to life in 
prison



The Osaka High Court commuted a death sentence for a man convicted of 
indiscriminately murdering a man and a woman here in 2012 to a life prison term 
in a ruling on March 9.


"Considering that the crime was not carefully premeditated, it cannot be said 
the death penalty is unavoidable," Presiding Judge Hiroyuki Nakagawa said, 
while recognizing that the accused was mentally competent to be held 
responsible for his actions.


The Osaka District Court had sentenced the defendant -- Kyozo Isohi, 41 -- to 
death in a lay judge trial, as demanded by prosecutors.


The defense counsel, which had appealed the lower court ruling to the high 
court, told the court that their client heard a voice saying "Stab" due to 
auditory hallucinations caused by the aftereffects of his use of stimulants in 
the past, and pointed to the possibility that he was of diminished capacity.


Therefore, the degree of his capacity to take responsibility for his actions 
and sentencing were key points of contention in the case.


In its ruling, the high court deemed that the outcome of a psychiatric test on 
Isohi, which concluded that the effects of his auditory hallucination were 
limited, was rational, and recognized that he was competent to be held 
responsible for the crimes he is accused of committing.


"His auditory hallucinations only contributed to the defendant's decision and 
action to carry out the crimes," the presiding judge said.


Nakagawa then discussed whether the death sentence handed down by the lower 
court was appropriate.


Pointing out that Isohi bought a knife he used in his attacks shortly before 
the incidents, the presiding judge determined "it cannot be recognized that the 
accused had carefully premeditated the crimes."


Nakagawa noted that in all the past cases of fatal indiscriminate attacks in 
which the defendants were sentenced to death, courts recognized that the crimes 
were carefully premeditated. The judge then pointed out that because of this it 
is difficult to hand down a ruling that deviates from the judicial precedent.


Furthermore, Nakagawa said it was necessary to take into account the 
defendant's auditory hallucinations, which he said may have had certain effects 
on his actions, in sentencing.


The presiding judge then concluded that he has "no choice but to hesitate to 
choose the death penalty for the defendant even though the bereaved families of 
the victims requested a harsh penalty for the accused."


According to the ruling, Isohi stabbed Shingo Minamino, 42, a producer at an 
event organizing company, and Toshi Sasaki, 66, a restaurant operator, on a 
street in the Higashishinsaibashi district of Chuo Ward, Osaka, on June 10, 
2012.


(source: mainichi.jp)






IRANexecutions

5 prisoners hanged in Iran


Official and unofficial sources have reported on the executions of 5 prisoners 
in various Iranian prisons. The executions were carried out between Saturday 
and Sunday.


3 prisoners hanged at Ghezelhesar Priso--Alborz Province, northern Iran

According to close sources, on the morning of Saturday March 4, a prisoner was 
hanged at Hamedan Central Prison on murder charges. The prisoner has been 
identified as Bahman Faridi, 35 years of age.


There are currently 22 prisoners in Hamedan Central Prison who are in imminent 
danger of execution after their death sentences were confirmed. 9 of these 
prisoner are in danger of execution for murder charges, the rest of the 
prisoners are sentenced to death on drug related charges.


A prisoner hanged at Hamedan Central Prison--Hamadan province, western Iran

According to the human rights news agency, HRANA, 3 prisoners were executed at 
Ghezelhesar Prison on drug related charges. The executions were reportedly 
carried out on Sunday March 5. Sources close to Iran Human Rights have also 
confirmed these 3 executions. The prisoners have been identified as Isa 
Charami, Mostafa Ghorbani, and Mehdi Jafari.


A prisoner was hanged in public in Buin Zahra count--Qazvin province, northern 
Iran


The Iranian state-run news agency, Mehr, has reported on the execution of a 
prisoner in public on Sunday March 5 in Buin Zahra (Qazvin province, northern 
Iran). The prisoner was reportedly on death row on murder charges. The report 
confirmed the execution by quoting the press department of the Qazvin 
Judiciary. According to the report, the execution was carried out in front of a 
crowd of people.




4 Prisoners Executed


2 prisoners were hanged at Garmsar Prison (Semnan province, northern Iran) on 
drug related charges and 2 prisoners were hanged at Urmia's central prison 
(West Azerbaijan province, northwestern Iran) on murder charges.


According to the human rights news agency, HRANA, the 2 prisoners at Garmsar 
were 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

March 8




IRAN:

Imprisoned Spiritual Leader Facing the Death Penalty Again for His Personal 
Beliefs



Imprisoned spiritual thinker Mohammad Ali Taheri has again been tried for the 
charge of "corruption on earth" despite being cleared of the same charge in 
2015, his sister Azardokht Taheri told the Center for Human Rights in Iran 
(CHRI).


If convicted, the founder of the banned Erfan-e Halgheh spiritual group could 
be issued the death penalty.


"We are very worried. The authorities have no respect for their own rulings. My 
brother was acquitted of 'corruption on earth,' but according to his lawyer 
(Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabaee), that charge was brought up again in court on 
February 27 (2017) even though the trial was supposed to be for the charge of 
'engaging in medical practices,'" Azardokht Taheri told CHRI on March 2, 2017.


The day after his trial, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) 
station aired a propaganda video featuring alleged former students of Taheri 
calling for his execution for his alleged promotion of "anti-Islamic" views.


"This program was shown to deceive the public," said Azardokht Taheri. "Mr. 
Taheri has many students and they have always said that they got good results 
from his courses. Why weren't they interviewed?"


"Nowhere (in the video) does Mr. Taheri say he has done anything wrong," she 
added. "They aired only bits and pieces of his statements. We're worried that 
it was aired for sinister reasons."


In the heavily edited interviews, Taheri's "students" claim he taught 
anti-Islamic ideas and encouraged them to distance themselves from God and 
Islam. One woman said her daughter stopped praying after attending his classes.


The video also included clips from Taheri's lectures, all of which included no 
statements against Islam.


Some scenes also appeared to be taken from his taped interrogation sessions, in 
which he refuses to express regret for his personal beliefs.


Mohammad Ali Taheri, 60, was due to be freed in May 2016 after the completion 
of his 5-year prison sentence for "insulting the sacred" and "immoral contact 
with women."


In February 2015, he was again interrogated about alleged heresy in his books 
and sentenced to death for spreading "corruption on earth," but the Supreme 
Court rejected the verdict in December and opened his case for reconsideration.


His latest trial was held at Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court presided by 
Judge Mashallah Ahmadzadeh.


Iran's security establishment has come down hard on Taheri and supporters of 
the Erfan-e Halgheh spiritual group, viewing it and any other alternative 
belief system, especially those seeking converts, as a threat to the prevailing 
Shia order.


(source: iranhumanrights.org)



U.N. Special Rapporteur Concerned About the Continued Practice of Public 
Execution in Iran



Ms. Asma Jahangir was appointed as Special Rapporteur on the situation of human 
rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran by The Human Rights Council of the U.N., 
during its 33rd Session. After completion of her study, she said she regrets 
that her study does not reveal any notable improvement in the situation of 
human rights in the country.


She says that the situation in areas like independence of judiciary and 
lawyers, freedom of expression, and use of arbitrary detentions continue to be 
of serious concern.


Human rights organizations tracking executions in Iran estimate that at least 
530 executions took place in 2016. The majority of these executions were for 
not the "most serious" drug-related offences. Drug offenders are often deprived 
of basic due process and fair trials. They are held in long periods of 
incommunicado and pretrial detention, lack adequate access to a lawyer and/or 
to a proper defence, there are allegations that drug offenders are subjected to 
beatings and coerced confessions which are later used in revolutionary courts 
to secure their death sentences. The recently amended Criminal Procedure Code 
which mandates that all death sentences, including those for drug offences be 
reviewed by the Supreme Court does not seem to have led to any significant 
change in this respect.


The Special Rapporteur was also concerned about the continued practice of 
public execution. It is reported that some executions took place in public 
places in the presence of children, this has however been denied by the State 
Party.


The Islamic Republic of Iran has reportedly executed the highest number of 
juvenile offenders in the world during the past decade. Despite an absolute ban 
on the practice under international law, the Iranian penal code continues to 
explicitly retain the death penalty for boys of at least 15 years of age and 
girls of at least 9 years for qisas (retribution in kind) or hudud crimes, like 
homicide, adultery or sodomy. As a result of the 2013 amendments to the penal 
code, judges are now required to assess the mental 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

March 7



IRANexecutions

18 Executions Including 2 Women and 1 in Public and Mass Arrests


The Iranian regime hanged 18 prisoners over the past 3 days in various cities. 
On March 6, 2 young prisoners in the prison of Sari, 2 other prisoners, 
including a 70 year old man in Orumiyeh Central Prison and 2 others in the 
prison of Garmsar were hanged.


The day before, a prisoner was hanged in public in Buin Zahra (Qazvin province) 
and 3 in Ghezel Hessar Prison in Karaj. On March 4, 8 prisoners were hanged in 
Rasht, Orumiyeh, Shahroud and Hamedan prisons. 2 of the 4 prisoners executed in 
Rasht were women.


At the same time arbitrary arrests under false pretexts have broadened across 
the country. An all-women's party was raided and its organizers arrested, 34 
young men and women were arrested in Ahwaz, 14 people were arrested in Sepidan 
(Fars Province), and 13 people were arrested in Bandar Anzali (northern Iran) 
were among the arrests made in recent days


. The goal of the wave of executions and arbitrary arrests is to intensify the 
atmosphere of fear and to prevent the spread of social protests, whose 
increasing trend has frightened the mullahs' regime.


(source: Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran)






KENYA:

Mechanic sentenced to death for robbing woman 3 phones worth Sh21,000


A 22-year-old mechanic was on Monday sentenced to death by a Kibera court for 
robbing a woman at her house in Kaberia, Riruta.


Sospeter Simiyu was found guilty of the offence committed on November 14, 2014, 
and will therefore be hanged.


Together with another man who was not in court, he robbed Zipporah Wangui of 
her 3 mobiles valued at Sh21,000.


Principal magistrate Barbara Ojoo said the prosecution had proven beyond doubt 
that Simiyu robbed the victim.


Police said he cut the victim on her left hand using a machete, causing her to 
sustain serious injuries.


Ojoo said that Wangui narrated to the court how the accused had entered the 
house at 3 am and robbed her.


She told the court that she was sleeping at the time Simiyu and his accomplice 
stormed her house.


"They took the 3 phones and cut my left hand," Wangui earlier told the court.

In mitigation, Simiyu asked the court to be lenient to him, adding that he was 
remorseful.


Ojoo, in her ruling, said the seriousness of the offence warrants a death 
sentence by hanging.


Robbery with violence is punishable by death in the Kenyan penal code.

The law states that a person is guilty of robbery if he or she uses or 
threatens to use violence while stealing.


However, there is a debate on the relevance of death penalty since the last 
person was executed in 1987.


(source: the-star.co.ke)






NIGERIA:

Bauchi approves death sentence for kidnapping


Kidnapping in Bauchi State is now punishable by death or life imprisonment as 
Gov. Mohammed Abdullahi signed into law a bill in that direction.


The state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Ibrahim Umar, made 
this known on Tuesday while briefing newsmen in Bauchi.


He said that Abdullahi also assented to bills on fisheries and accidents.

Umar said that the governor assented to the bills on Monday.

"Whoever is guilty of the offence of kidnapping shall be punished with life 
imprisonment.


"If the victim dies as a result of the kidnapping, the offender shall be 
punished with death."


According to Umar, whoever seizes, confines, tricks, abducts or carries away 
anybody and holds to ransom or otherwise with or without a weapon, commits the 
offence of kidnapping.


Umar said that the state government also signed into law a bill for provision 
of free emergency treatment to accident victims within 24 hours of occurrence.


He said that the government would provide for each public hospitals, an 
accident and emergency unit, intensive care unit and a blood bank equipped with 
personnel and effective communication gadgets.


"The law stated that the state government shall provide funds and logistics for 
joint patrol of the hospital management board and Federal Road Safety Corps for 
rescuing accident victims in the 3 senatorial districts of the state.


"Any government hospital that fails to accept an accident victim shall have its 
officers on duty that day punished according to civil service rules, including 
a reduction in rank," he said.


He said that the law applied to all accidents including domestic fire, 
industrial fire, plane crash, flood disaster, snake bite, dog bite, rainstorm, 
bomb blasts and gunshot.


The attorney-general also said that the governor assented to the state 
Fisheries and other Related Matters Bill.


According to him, the law is to regulate fisheries in order to promote a 
healthy lifestyle and ensure that fishes would be free from contamination.


Lagos State has also approved death sentence for kidnapping.

Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode on Feb. 1, assented to the state's Kidnaping Prohibition 
Bill, 2016, which provides 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

March 6



INDIA:

December 16 gangrape: SC to hear convicts' plea challenging death sentence


The Supreme Court will hear the plea on Monday by the December 16 gang rape 
convicts challenging the Delhi high court's order.


The matter is being heard by the apex court bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra 
and Justices R Banumathi and Ashok Bhushan.


The convicts -- Akshay, Pawan, Vinay Sharma and Mukesh -- have challenged the 
HC order that sentenced them to the gallows after noting it was a rarest of 
rare case.


Earlier, the trial court also had sentenced all the 4 convicts to death 
penalty.


On February 3, SC accepted amicus curiae Raju Ramachandran's submissions that 
there have been violation of procedure with regard to the sentencing of the 4 
convicts. The accused were required to file their affidavits by February 23.


6 people gangraped a 23-year-old physiotherapy intern in a moving bus on 
December 16, 2012. The woman succumbed to her injuries at a Singapore hospital 
on 13 days later.


One of the accused, Ram Singh hanged himself in prison, while another convict 
-- a juvenile at the time of the crime -- will serve the maximum sentence of 3 
years at a reform home.


On December 3, amicus curiae Sanjay Hegde questioned the evidence produced by 
the prosecution in the gangrape case, and pointed out questions on the merit of 
evidence.


According to Hegde, one of the convicts, Mukesh, was not with the prime culprit 
Ram Singh when the offence


(source: Hindustan Times)






NIGERIA:

Rev King: Birthday on death row


This is what happens when death row becomes a place of life. A full-page 
congratulatory communication published in THISDAY on February 27 was a 
remarkable reminder that Rev. Chukwuemeka Ezeugo, better known as Rev. King, 
has not been hanged despite a Supreme Court ruling.


Under the banner, "Congratulations to our Daddy G. O.", the communication 
began: "We the entire members of St. Faith Women (The Daughters of the Kingdom 
of God) heartily rejoice with our lovely Daddy G.O. His Holiness, The Most 
Honourable Dr. Rev. King, Founder/General Overseer of CPA Church Worldwide on 
the occasion of his birthday which comes up today, Sunday the 26th day of 
February 2017." This happened because King has not been hanged.


The advertisers continued: "Daddy, you are the light of the world. A nation 
without you is in total darkness. Daddy, you are a wonderful counselor, prince 
of peace, a great deliverer, our redeemer, a hope for the down-trodden. You 
have proven to us beyond reasonable doubt that truly salvation belongeth unto 
the Lord and your blessing is upon your people." This happened because King has 
not been hanged.


Things happen when a death row convict is still alive a year after what was 
supposed to be the final judicial pronouncement on his case. More things were 
said about King in the advert space: "Widows, widowers, barren, the sorrowful 
have found joy, freedom, salvation from you. You alone singlehandedly taught us 
how to live a holy and righteous life. Barren in our midst have conceived and 
are mothers in their respective homes. You have delivered so many of us from 
inability to get married. So many of us whom you delivered from mammy-water 
group, ogbanje group, witches and wizards groups are happy today because we 
located you. Some of us who were bound with chains, feathers, shackles, 
handcuffs, spiritual iron belt of Satan, etc. have been freed from our 
respective prisons where Satan kept us for decades. Today, we are enjoying our 
freedom."


Perhaps not unexpectedly, the promoters got more enthusiastic as the promotion 
progressed. They said: "Era of poverty, suffer-suffer have become a thing of 
the past in our lives. So many of us you healed from cancers, fallopian tube 
blockages, moving objects, bleeding, HIV/AIDS, barrenness, fibroid, etc. are 
blessed to have met with our maker face to face." This deification of King 
happened because he has not been hanged. What followed was straight out of the 
realm of unreality: "Daddy, it has been proven beyond measure that you are 100% 
innocent of the conspiracy levelled against you. So many hidden truths have 
been exposed according to your messages. No amount of gossips, scandals, 
hatred, can deter us from following you." This attempted revision of reality 
happened because King has not been hanged.


How did King become a death row prisoner? King's trial began at the Lagos High 
Court in Ikeja on September 26, 2006. The cruel cleric was accused of the 
murder of a member of his church, Ann Uzoh, and attempted murder of 5 other 
members. He was said to have set the deceased and the others ablaze after 
bathing them with petrol for alleged immoral behaviour.


Uzoh died from her burns on August 2, 2006, 11 days after the savagery. The 
trial judge, Justice Olubunmi Oyewole (now a Justice of the Court of Appeal), 
who delivered his judgement on January 11, 2007, found King guilty and 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

March 5



INDIA:

Lower courts handed more death sentences


While local courts handed 136 death sentences last year, almost twice the 
numbers given in 2015, acquittals by higher courts tripled, a new study has 
found.


The "Death Penalty in India: Annual Statistics 2016" prepared by the 
Delhi-based National Law University (NLU) also said that there are 397 
prisoners on the death row in India.


The country's sessions courts appeared more inclined to award death sentences 
as there was a 94% rise in death penalties in 2016, a substantial jump compared 
to 2015 when there were only 70 judgements awarding the capital punishment.


Also, considering the significant number of acquittals and commutations by the 
higher courts, questions have been raised over the local courts' rationale in 
handing death sentences.


In 2016, high courts commuted 44 death sentences, as against 15 in 2015, while 
the Supreme Court commuted 7 death sentences against just 1 in the year before.


Also, the high courts acquitted 14 people last year - against 3 the year before 
- and confirming the sentences of 15, while the apex court freed 3 death 
convicts as against none in 2015.


A Private Member's resolution moved by CPI MP D Raja in the Rajya Sabha earlier 
had said that the Supreme Court itself has "admitted to errors and miscarriage 
of justice due to arbitrary application of death penalty".


(source: Deccan Herald)






BANGLADESH:

Death upheld for lone convict in Shazneen murder


The Supreme Court has upheld death penalty for domestic help Shahidul Islam 
alias Shahid rejecting his review petition in a case filed over the rape and 
murder of Shazneen Tasnim Rahman.


A 3-member Appellate Division bench headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar 
Sinha passed the order Sunday morning, Shahid's lawyer Monoj Kumar Bhowmik 
confirmed to the Dhaka Tribune.


Shazneen, a 15-year-old Scholastica student and the youngest daughter of 
Transcom Limited Chairman Latifur Rahman, was raped and killed in her Gulshan 
house on April 23, 1998.


The Criminal Investigation Department of the police investigated the 
sensational murder and pressed charges against the 6 on December 12, 1998. The 
trial began on July 9, 2000.


On September 2, 2003, the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal 
sentenced all the 6 accused including Shahid to death. The others are Syed 
Sajjad Mainuddin Hasan, a contractor who was appointed to repair the house; 
Sajjad's assistant Badal; carpenter Shaniram Mandal; and 2 maids - Estema 
Khatun Minu and Parvin.


After hearing their appeals, the High Court on July 10, 2006 acquitted Shaniram 
but upheld the death sentences for others.


On August 2, 2016, the Appellate Division and upheld the death sentence for 
Shahid, and acquitted the 4 others. Shahid then filed a petition seeking review 
of the judgement.


The lone convict may seek presidential clemency after the full verdict of 
Sunday's order is published. If Shahid does not seek clemency admitting the 
crimes or if the mercy petition is rejected, he will be executed as per the 
tribunal's order.


(source: Dhaka Tribune)






PHILIPPINES:

Makabayan condemns death penalty bill


The Makabayang Koalisyon ng Mamamayan or the Makabayan bloc in the House of 
Representatives condemned the course of the death penalty bill after this was 
approved on 2nd reading Wednesday evening.


Bayan Muna party-list representative lawyer Carlos Isagani Zarate, in a 
statement, said the pro-death penalty majority did not only cut short the 
period of the interpellation but also the period to propose individual 
amendments.


"This effectively deprived House members, including those from the Makabayan, 
to exercise their rights and register their strong opposition, as well as those 
of their constituents," Zarate said.


Zarate said the Makabayan bloc is vehemently against the measure even with its 
supposedly watered down version, as the death penalty bill is deliberately 
anti-poor, as shown on the data of the human rights groups and the government 
during the administration of former President Fidel Ramos.


He added that this will be no different from the current spate of 
extra-judicial killings (EJKs) wherein 99 % of the victims were poor.


"This patently anti-people bill opens the door for creeping death penalty 
legislation through subsequent amendments of existing penal laws that can lead 
to more crimes being added to those punishable by death," he said.


Zarate said it will just be the start of the installment imposition of the 
death penalty on other crimes, which people have to be cautious of and 
watchful.


The Makabayan bloc appealed that the House members have the right to 
interpellate and to propose amendments, whatever is the interpretation or the 
opinion of those in the majority.


"Whatever amendment will be proposed by any member will eventually be put to a 
vote," Zarate said.


(source: sunstar.com.ph)

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

March 4




JORDANexecutions

Jordan hangs 15 convicts at dawn, most in years


Jordan hanged 15 death row prisoners at dawn on Saturday, its information 
minister said, in a further break with the moratorium on executions it had 
observed between 2006 and 2014.


10 of those put to death had been convicted of terrorism offences and five of 
"heinous" crimes including rape, Mahmud al-Momani told the official Petra news 
agency.


All were Jordanians and they were hanged in Suaga prison south of the capital 
Amman.


King Abdullah II had said in 2005 that Jordan aimed to become the 1st Middle 
Eastern country to halt executions in line with most European countries.


Courts continued to hand down death sentences but they were not carried out.

But public opinion blamed a rise in crime on the policy and in December 2014 
Jordan hanged 11 men convicted of murder, drawing criticism from human rights 
groups.


Opinion hardened after the murder by the Islami c State group of captured 
Jordanian pilot Maaz al-Kassasbeh whose plane had crashed in a jihadist-held 
region of Syria in December 2014 while serving with a US-led coalition.


Grisly footage posted in February the following year of him being burnt alive 
in a cage outraged the public.


Swiftly afterwards, Jordan hanged 2 people convicted of terrorism offences, 1 
of them Sajida al-Rishawi.


She had taken part in a 2005 suicide attack on luxury hotels in Amman organised 
by IS's forebear, Al-Qaeda in Iraq, but her explosives failed to detonate.


(source: al-monitor.com)






VATICAN CITY:

Holy See speaks out against death penalty


Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United 
Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva, on Wednesday 
reaffirmed that life is sacred from conception to natural death in a meeting at 
the UN Human Rights Council on the death penalty.


"In this regard, one should consider that human justice is fallible and that 
the death penalty per se is irreversible," Archbishop Jurkovic said, "We should 
take into account that capital punishment always includes the possibility of 
taking the life of an innocent person. Moreover, we believe that, whenever 
possible, the legislative and judicial authorities must always seek to ensure 
the possibility for guilty parties to make amends and to remedy, at least in 
part, the impact of their crimes."


The full statement by Archbishop Jurkovic is below

Statement by His Excellency Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic, Permanent Observer of the 
Holy See to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva 
at the 34th Session of the Human Rights Council - Item 3 - Biennial High-Level 
Panel on 'The Death Penalty' 1st March 2017


Mr. Chairman,

The Holy See thanks the High Commissioner and the distinguished panelists for 
their presentations. My Delegation appreciates the ongoing efforts toward the 
elimination of the death penalty in many countries.


Mr Chairman,

My Delegation reaffirms that life is sacred "... from conception to natural 
death," and recalls the words Pope Francis, that "even a criminal has the 
inviolable right to life".


In this regard, one should consider that human justice is fallible and that the 
death penalty per se is irreversible. We should take into account that capital 
punishment always includes the possibility of taking the life of an innocent 
person. Moreover, we believe that, whenever possible, the legislative and 
judicial authorities must always seek to ensure the possibility for guilty 
parties to make amends and to remedy, at least in part, the impact of their 
crimes.


At present, there is insufficient evidence that the death penalty has a 
deterrent effect on crime. As Pope Francis recently has affirmed, in his letter 
to the President of the International Commission against the Death Penalty, 
"for a constitutional state the death penalty represents a failure, because it 
obliges a State to kill in the name of justice. But justice is never reached by 
killing a human being".


My Delegation believes that more humane measures are available to address 
crime, ensuring the victim the right to justice and giving the criminal the 
chance to reform. Moreover, this will facilitate the development of a more just 
and fair society, fully respectful of human dignity.


Mr Chairman,

In conclusion, the Holy See is strongly committed to the aim of abolishing the 
use of the death penalty, and we firmly support, as an interim measure, the 
moratoria established by the 2014 General Assembly resolution. Moreover, we 
take this occasion to encourage States to improve prison conditions in order to 
guarantee respect for the dignity of every person without regard for criminal 
status, and to ensure the implementation of the right of the accused to a fair 
trial and due process.


Thank you, Mr Chairman.

(source: Independent Catholic News)






BELARUS:

Urgent Action: Kiryl Kazachok At Risk Of Imminent 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

March 3



BARBADOS:

Death penalty in limbo


Barbados has been left in limbo concerning the death penalty.


And Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Charles Leacock has pointed to the 
conflict between international rulings and the local law as the crux of the 
matter.


Leacock referred to the Boyce and Joseph case in 2003 in which the mandatory 
death penalty was deemed cruel and unusual and inconsistent with section 15 of 
the constitution which spoke to the protection from inhuman treatment.


However, due to section 26 of the constitution, which spoke to the saving of 
existing laws, the death penalty was retained.


(source: nationnews.com)






AUSTRALIA:

Bali 9 family critical of Turnbull government death penalty decision


The family of executed Bali nine drug smuggler Andrew Chan says the Turnbull 
government is putting more Australians at risk of the firing squad by turning 
its back on a plan to change police intelligence rules.


The government has quietly rejected a recommendation made by a parliamentary 
committee last year that would have banned the Australian Federal Police from 
sharing drug crime information with foreign countries unless they could first 
obtain assurances the death penalty would not be applied.


No change to death penalty cooperation

There will be no new restrictions on police cooperation with foreign partners 
in cases involving the death penalty.


The AFP - widely condemned for tipping off Indonesian authorities about Chan 
and Myuran Sukumaran's Bali 9 heroin plot - would have to take a much more 
careful approach under the system.


It was one of the main proposals put forward by the bipartisan committee - led 
by former Liberal MP and anti-death penalty campaigner Philip Ruddock - formed 
in the wake of the 2015 executions of Chan and Sukumaran. The prohibition would 
have applied to Australians and foreigners alike.


Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan were executed in 2015.Myuran Sukumaran and 
Andrew Chan were executed in 2015. Photo: Glenn Campbell But in a formal 
response, the government said the proposal was impractical because Australia's 
foreign law enforcement partners could not provide such assurances and it would 
be "inappropriate" to seek undertakings from prosecutors.


"Combating serious drug crimes is a high priority for the government and the 
government's ability to detect, deter and prevent drug crimes would be impeded 
if Australia could not co-operate with states in the region that retain the 
death penalty," the document said.


"An inability to co-operate with foreign law enforcement partners poses risk of 
harm to the Australian community and significant impact to society."


Official police figures released under Freedom of Information laws in 2015 
showed the AFP puts hundreds of people at risk of the death penalty every year 
- 95 % of them for drug offences - with its information sharing.


But Michael Chan said if the proposal had been in place in 2005 his brother 
might still be alive today.


"To hear that they're not changing anything is disappointing," Mr Chan told 
Fairfax Media. "It's a real backwards step.


"Considering everything the boys went through, to think another family could 
now go through the exact same thing - it's just so disappointing.


"No one's ever said that Andrew should have been allowed to just come home 
scot-free. He would have faced a lengthy jail terms here. But to hand over that 
kind of information, that evidence - it's really not good for anyone."


Mr Ruddock, now the government's human rights envoy, declined to openly 
criticise the decision but stood by his proposal.


"The balance ought to be in favour of those who are likely to be faced with 
execution if evidence we have might lead to a conviction that carries the death 
penalty," Mr Ruddock told Fairfax Media.


"In relation to these important crimes you have got to pull all the levers you 
can.


"If we said to another country: 'We've got some material that may be of 
interest to you but you have got to be able to give us a categorical assurance 
that if the person if convicted you don't use the death penalty. Otherwise, you 
don't get it.' It seems to me that would be a very powerful argument."


Ruddock, who delivered the report as his final act in Parliament before calling 
time on his 43-year political career, said Australia should be "fearsomely 
advocating" for the abolition of the death penalty worldwide.


Amnesty International described the decision as "extremely disappointing".

"This response leaves open the door for information from Australian law 
enforcement being used to see people - Australians included - executed 
overseas. As a country, we have to ask ourselves if this is consistent with our 
principled opposition to the death penalty," said Amnesty's Guy Ragen.


The Human Rights Law Centre said the government had fallen short by leaving the 
"difficult and painful" decisions about how to handle information in 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

March 3



PAKISTAN:

Court awards death penalty in murder case


An additional district and sessions court awarded death sentence to a man in a 
murder case on Thursday.


The prosecution told the court that accused Mohsin Ali, a resident of Chak 90, 
had gunned down his opponent Saeed Ahmad over a business dispute.


After hearing the arguments, the judge awarded death sentence to the accused 
along with a fine of Rs1,000,000 as compensation money. The culprit was sent to 
district Jail Sargodha.


Earlier in February 2017, a court awarded death sentence to an accused for his 
involvement in a murder case in Sargodha. The judgment was announced by 
Additional District and Sessions Judge Chaudhary Muhammad Tariq. Accused Hassan 
Sher, resident of Jabbi village, Tehsil Johrabad, had gunned down a man 
Munawwar Shahzad, S/o Muhammad Azam, over a petty dispute in July 2015.


Similarly on January 10, 2017, Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad 
Nadeem Ansari awarded death sentences to three suspects for their involvement 
in quadruple murder case in Sialkot.


(source: Express News)






JAPAN:

Death penalty sought for man charged with killing 5 on Awaji Island


Prosecutors on Friday demanded the death penalty for a 42-year-old man charged 
with killing 5 neighbors on Awaji Island in western Japan in 2015.


Tatsuhiko Hirano was "mentally competent to be held responsible for his 
actions," the prosecutors said at the Kobe District Court, refuting claims by 
his lawyers, who in seeking an acquittal or a lesser punishment has said he was 
unable to make normal decisions because of a psychotropic drug he had been 
taking.


Doctors who conducted psychiatric tests on Hirano have told the court that 
Hirano's personality was "the same as usual" at the time of the murders.


Hirano is accused of fatally stabbing 5 neighbors with a knife in 2 separate 
homes in Sumoto, Hyogo Prefecture, on March 9, 2015. The victims were 3 women 
and 2 men aged between 59 and 84.


He was committed to hospital in 2005 and 2010 after being judged by local 
authorities to be a danger to the public due to his mental illness.


At the 1st hearing of his trial in February, Hirano said, "This is clearly a 
case of false accusation plotted by 'operatives' who destroyed my brain and 
forced me to commit the murders."


On Friday, the prosecutors, in seeking capital punishment, said they have taken 
"extremely seriously the fact that he took the lives of five people who did 
nothing wrong."


The prosecutors also highlighted the brutality of the case, pointing to the 
numerous stab wounds seen on the victims. The murder was committed "based on a 
strong intent to kill," they said.


They also said the influence of the psychotropic drug the defendant had been 
using for a long time was "limited."


(source: mainichi.jp)


**


Court upholds acquittal for man facing gallows for 2002 double murder in Osaka


The Osaka High Court on Thursday upheld a lower court's acquittal of a man 
previously sentenced to death for murdering his daughter-in-law and her son 
before setting fire to their Osaka apartment in 2002.


Takemitsu Mori, a 59-year-old prison guard on administrative leave, was 
acquitted by the Osaka District Court in March 2012 after the Supreme Court 
ordered a retrial, repealing the high court's death sentence in a rare 
decision.


The focus of the case was what to make of the circumstantial evidence presented 
by the prosecutors while Mori consistently denied the charges, saying he had 
never entered the apartment.


Mori did not attend the trial because retrials at higher courts do not oblige 
defendants to be present.


Presiding Judge Shinichiro Fukuzaki rejected the prosecutor's claim that Mori's 
knowledge about the location of furniture in the apartment proved he had been 
there. The judge said the defendant could have learned the arrangement from 
conversations with family members after the incident.


Mori was arrested in November 2002, 7 months after Mayumi Mori, 28, and her 
1-year-old son Toma were found dead in their apartment in Osaka's Hirano Ward 
on April 14 that year. The woman was found strangled and her son drowned.


In April 2010, the Supreme Court rejected both the life sentence handed down by 
a district court and the death penalty by a high court, declaring that the 
court needed to see evidence proving that only the defendant could have 
committed the crime.


Following the Supreme Court ruling, the Osaka District Court found Mori not 
guilty, saying there was no evidence that proved he entered the apartment on 
the day of the incident.


In the latest examination at the high court, a DNA analysis was conducted on a 
dog harness that prosecutors alleged to be the murder weapon, but no link to 
Mori was found.


Prosecutors requested a review of the lower court's acquittal as saliva found 
on a cigarette butt discovered in a staircase at the apartment matched Mori's 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

March 2



THAILAND:

Koh Tao Defense Team to File Appeal With Thai Supreme Court


The legal defense team representing the 2 Burmese migrant workers sentenced to 
death for the 2014 murder and rape of 2 Britons in Thailand's Koh Tao island, 
will next file an appeal with the Thai Supreme Court, after being rejected in 
the appeal court.


U Kyaw Thaung, a member of the men's defense team, said, they have been 
discussing when to submit the next appeal, to Thailand's highest court. "We 
will do so within the next week," he told The Irrawaddy.


The defense team said they were not formally informed about the ruling in this 
very controversial case, in which the 2 men, Win Zaw Htun and Zaw Lin, received 
the death penalty for charges they have denied, involving the deaths of British 
nationals Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24.


The verdict was handed down by the Koh Samui Township Court in December 2015, 
and the 2 men lost their appeal to the District Court of Appeal in March 2017.


The appeal was nearly 200 pages long and argued that the DNA evidence which led 
to the conviction was inadmissible and had not been "collected, tested, 
analyzed or reported in accordance with internationally accepted standards," 
Reuters reported.


U Htoo Chit, the director of the Foundation for Education Development - an 
organization providing outreach to migrant workers in Thailand - said, "the 
Lawyer's Council of Thailand - the legal body assisting the Burmese defense 
team - was not officially informed about the verdict of the appeal. But we will 
consult with the defense lawyers to keep our appeal in accordance with the Thai 
judicial system."


"Also we learned that Win Zaw Htun and Zaw Lin were not properly informed 
through the translator, either," he added. "But the District Court of Appeal 
upheld the verdict of the [Koh Samui] township criminal court ruling."


It was not clear when the Appeal Court's verdict was made, but it was known 
publicly after being published in Thai media on Wednesday afternoon, said the 
defense team members.


(source: irrawaddy.com)






INDIA:

India Sentenced To Death Twice As Many People In 2016 As In The Previous 
YearHowever the Supreme Court is growing less likely to confirm death 
sentences.



Sessions courts handed down nearly twice as many death sentences in 2016 as 
compared to 2015, new data for 2016 compiled by the Centre on the Death Penalty 
at the National Law University Delhi shows.


Over half of the 136 death sentences in 2016 (70 in 2015) were for murder 
simpliciter, in which the accused was convicted for murder only. In all, 
sessions courts have handed down 1,790 death sentences between 2000 and 2015.


Despite the Supreme Court in 2015 making it clear that death warrants - an 
order by a court that has issued a death sentence specifying the time and date 
that the execution is to be carried out - are not to be issued in haste, 
secrecy or before the accused has exhausted all his or her legal options, the 
report found that Sessions courts issued 5 death warrants in 2016 before the 
accused had exhausted their legal options. These were later cancelled by higher 
courts.


High Courts confirmed 15 death sentences in 2016 (handed down by sessions 
courts in earlier years), commuted the sentences of 44 convicts and acquitted 
14 people.


The most significant change came at the level of the Supreme Court - of the 7 
criminal appeals on the death penalty that came before it in 2016, the SC 
confirmed none (it did however confirm one death sentence at the review 
petition stage). This was a notable departure from the previous year, when the 
SC 8 of 9 appeals that came before it. Seventy-one criminal appeals on the 
death penalty are still pending before the SC.


President Pranab Mukherjee disposed of 6 mercy petitions in 2016, rejecting 5 
and commuting to life one in a case that was confirmed by the SC in 2000, 
leaving the convict, Jeetendra Singh Gehlot, with no idea of his fate for 16 
years.


There were 397 people in all on death row at the end of 2016, 11 of them 
sentenced under the Army Act and little was know of their status.


Despite being the harshest possible punishment, the administration of the death 
penalty in India remains shrouded in mystery.


"It is almost impossible to state with any kind of certainty the number of 
death sentences handed out in any given year or even know the exact number of 
prisoners under the sentence of death at any given point," the researchers 
noted. "Additionally, the fact that there exists no reliable data even on the 
number of executions carried out in independent India speaks to the opacity 
that surrounds the death penalty," they wrote.


The researchers used RTI applications, official data from some courts, court 
judgement data and news reports to compile the report.


(source: huffingtonpost.in)






GHANA:

Emile Short Calls for the Abolishment of Death Penalty


The Former 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

March 1



ISRAEL:

Verdict for Israeli facing death sentence postponedFamily of imprisoned 
Israeli imprisoned in Islamic country conducting meetings with authorities to 
arrange compromise.



The family of imprisoned Israeli Ben Hassin who is being held in an Islamic 
country will conduct another meeting with authorities in an attempt to reach a 
compromise which will allow for a significant reduction in his sentence, 
according to a Channel 20 report Tuesday.


According to the report, a court in the country which has no diplomatic ties 
with Israel postponed sentencing once again Monday in an attempt to allow the 
continuation of contacts between the family of the condemned and Jewish 
representatives in that country to arrange the transfer of the ransom money 
raised by the ZAKA organization.


Ben Hassin faces the death penalty if the sentence is not reduced.

The money has not been returned to the donors yet and ZAKA is still attempting 
to end the matter favorably. ZAKA originally demanded guarantees for the 
transfer of the 120,000 dollars raised and said it would return the money to 
donors if the guarantees were not provided.


Hassin has been in custody for a year and a half on charges of murdering a 
local taxi driver.


He claims that he shot the driver in self-defense after he tried to transfer 
Hassin to ISIS after hearing him speaking Hebrew.


The family of the victim agreed to relinquish all of its claims against Hassin 
in return for a large sum of money. ZAKA made an investigation of their own 
over the circumstances of the arrest which raised doubts over it. They demanded 
answers from the Hassin family as well as guarantees of the money's return, 
which have not yet been provided by the family.


(source: israelnationalnews.com)






INDIA:

SC heard 7 death penalty appeals in 2016, confirmed noneIn 3 cases, accused 
were acquitted; 397 on death row


Indicating application of stringent tests before sending convicts to the 
gallows, the Supreme Court did not confirm the death penalty in any of the 7 
cases of criminal appeals that it decided in 2016. A year before, in 2015, the 
apex court had confirmed 8 out of 9 death penalty cases, including that of 1993 
Mumbai serial bomb blasts convict Yakub Memon. According to a report compiled 
by the Centre on the Death Penalty, National Law University Delhi, not only did 
the court keep off awarding death penalty, it acquitted the accused in 3 out of 
the 7 cases. While 71 cases of death sentences were pending in the apex court 
at the end of 2016, a total of 397 prisoners were on death row with their 
appeals pending either in high courts or in the Supreme Court as on December 
31, 2016.


Uttar Pradesh topped the list of states with the highest number of death row 
prisoners at 70. It was followed by Maharashtra with 47, West Bengal 39 and 
Madhya Pradesh with 37. The report, made public on Tuesday, stated that 11 
death row prisoners could not be classified state-wise since they were 
convicted under Central laws, such as the Arms Act. Only 1 person was sentenced 
to death in a rape and murder case by the SC in 2016 when it confirmed the 
extreme punishment at the stage of review, stated the report.


In 2016, trial courts across the country handed down the death sentence to 136 
people, high courts confirmed punishment only in 15 cases in toto while the 
Supreme Court upheld none. Trial courts in 2015 had sentenced 70 convicts to 
death. More than 60 % of the cases in which courts awarded the death sentence 
were murder cases while 15 % were cases of murder and sexual assaults. 
President Pranab Mukherjee also took a call on 7 mercy petitions moved by death 
row convicts in 2016 under Article 72 of the Constitution.


He rejected the mercy petitions of 6 prisoners, and commuted the death sentence 
of one convict. In the order of commutation, the President stated that the 
convict would spend the rest of his life in prison. Previous reports by the law 
university had said at least 62 % of death row inmates were first-time 
offenders; around 60 % had not completed secondary education; and nearly 75 % 
belong to economically weaker sections.


(source: indianexpress.com)



Analysing current states of death: 2016 death row spikes led by murder & West 
Bengal -- SC oscillates the other way  But ultimately what these numbers 
say more than anything else is that we are lacking a consistent approach to the 
death penalty



For the 1st time, NLU Delhi's Centre on the Death Penalty has analysed death 
penalties across lower courts and released a report, which suggests a picture 
in which the judiciary ordering a convict killed seems more subject to 
randomness than an evolving jurisprudence or overarching policy.


NLU Delhi assistant professor Anup Surendranath, who is director of its Centre 
on the Death Penalty, said that this was their 1st comparative report closely 
tracking death penalty statistics 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 28



IRANexecutions

2 Prisoners Hanged on Murder Charges


2 prisoners were reportedly hanged in western Iran on murder charges.

According to close sources, one of the prisoners was executed at Qorveh Prison 
(Kurdistan province northwestern Iran) on Tuesday February 21. The prisoner has 
been identified as Hossein Darvishi Kouchaki, 32 years of age. Mr. Darvishi 
Kouchaki was reportedly sentenced to death on murder charges and was held in 
prison for more than 5 years before he was executed.


"In the past few years, Hossein's family have made many attempts to convince 
the murder victim's family to spare Hossein's life, but they have not agreed," 
a source close to Mr. Darvishi Kouchaki's family tells Iran Human Rights.


According to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network, a prisoner was hanged at Dizel 
Abad Prison (Kermanshah province, western Iran) on Wednesday February 22. This 
report, which has been confirmed by Iran Human Rights, identifies the prisoner 
as Farshid Sajjadi Asl.


Iranian official sources, including the Judiciary and the media, have not 
announced these 2 executions.




Rise in Executions and Crackdown Against Iran's Youth


Executions and crackdown against Iran's youth is increasingly on the rise. Many 
inmates in their 20's and 30's have been executed or killed during the past 
months, while hundreds have also been arrested or mistreated. Wrote Donya Jam 
in 'News Blaze' on February 26, 2017.


Dozens of prisoners have been hanged during the 1st 2 weeks of February, 
including a mass execution of 12 prisoners in Gohardasht Prison, west of 
Tehran, on Feb. 15. 13 inmates, including prisoners aged 29 and 30, were 
executed between Feb. 11-13 in the prisons of Qom, Zabol, Jiroft and Mashhad.


On Jan. 29, regime authorities publicly executed 4 prisoners in the cities of 
Bandar Abbas and Mashhad. These prisoners were all in their early to mid 20's. 
Reports indicate 87 inmates were sent to the gallows in the month of January 
alone. Many of those executed never received due process and some were hanged 
while their cases were still open.


Hamid Ahmadi, a juvenile offender, has also been reported to be at imminent 
risk of hanging. The United Nations and prominent human rights organizations 
such as Amnesty International have been campaigning to halt his execution. 160 
juveniles are on death row in Iran, according to the United Nations. The 
number, however, could be higher.


On Feb. 9 in Shadegan (Khuzestan Province in southwest Iran), state security 
forces shot and killed a young Iranian-Arab man named Hassan Ablu Ghabish.


Alongside hangings and killings, regime authorities are also continuously 
arresting and attacking youths for absurd reasons.


In Shiraz, a teenage girl celebrating her birthday along with friends was 
brutally beaten and arrested for wearing ripped jeans. 2 young women were 
arrested in Dezful for riding a motorcycle. And hundreds have been arrested 
between 2016 and January 2017 for attending mixed-gender parties. In some 
instances, the regime has also brutally punished the arrestees.


Back in May 2016, Iranian authorities arrested and flogged 30 students for 
attending a mixed-gender graduation party. Their flogging sentence was 
implemented within 24 hours of their arrest. Each student received 99 lashes.


Imprisonment for attending mixed-gender parties continues. It was reported on 
Jan. 28 that another 13 boys and girls were arrested in Gilan Province, 
northern Iran.


One may ask why is the regime increasingly targeting youths? If we recall the 
2009 nationwide anti-government uprising in Iran, the youth took the forefront 
of the demonstrations. They played one of the most significant roles throughout 
the protests. Therefore, the regime is using suppression as a method to spread 
fear in society in order to prevent the youths from uprising.


And part of the reason why the regime is heavily cracking down on parties and 
get-togethers is because they fear people's gatherings could turn into 
anti-government uprisings. The regime is doing everything in its power to 
prevent a reoccurrence of the 2009 demonstrations.


Now that reform in Iran has been proven to be nothing but a myth, another 
question that may be asked is what is the true solution to bring an end to the 
suffering of Iran's youth? This is where Iranian youth activists want their 
voices heard by the international community. They want to see an end to deals 
and negotiations with the regime, and instead yearn for the international 
community to recognize the Iranian people's aspirations for freedom and 
democracy.


Sourosh Abouthalebi, an Iranian student in Belgium majoring in political 
science, expressed his deep concern about the executions. He called on the 
international community to end economic deals with Iran because the 
continuation of such agreements signals to the regime's leaders to carry on 
with their human rights 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 27



MALAYSIA:

Death row inmate spared the noose thanks to royal pardon


A man who was sentenced to death for drug trafficking in 2009 has received a 
2nd chance at life after Selangor Ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah granted 
him a pardon.


Shahrul Izani Suparman, 33, and his family were told of the news a week ago at 
the Sungai Buloh prison.


His mother, Sapenah Nawawi, 59, who had been working together with Amnesty 
International Malaysia to save his life, said she was very happy that her son 
got a second chance.


"I am very grateful to God. I would like to thank His Royal Highness for 
granting him a pardon and thank you to everyone who has been fighting to save 
his life," she told a press conference on Monday.


In September 2003, Shahrul Izani, then 19, was arrested during a routine 
roadblock after being found in possession of 622gm of cannabis.


In December 2009, he was convicted by the Shah Alam High Court for drug 
trafficking, an offence that carries the mandatory death penalty.


Amnesty International Malaysia took up Shahrul's case, making calls to the 
Selangor Pardons Board to commute the death sentence.


More than 10,000 signatures from all over the world were collected in an 
appeals campaign that began in 2015.


Amnesty International Malaysia executive director Shamini Darshni said that 
while this battle was won as a life had been saved, the use of the death 
penalty continues.


"The secrecy surrounding executions in Malaysia (further) tarnishes our eroding 
human rights record at the global level.


"Now that the Sultan of Selangor has granted Shahrul's clemency application, we 
hope that the Federal Government will exercise its political will and abolish 
the mandatory death penalty as a 1st step towards total abolition," she said.


(source: thestar.com.my)






AUSTRALIA:

Why I'm fighting for Breaker Morant to be posthumously pardoned on 115th 
anniversary of his execution



Today marks the 115th anniversary of the execution of 2 Australian Boer War 
volunteers, Lieutenants Harry "The Breaker" Morant and Peter Handcock, by a 
British firing squad.


It happened, not on a green veldt at sunrise as director of Breaker Morant, 
Bruce Beresford, would have us believe, but in the cramped confines of a 
courtyard at the Old Pretoria Gaol.


A 3rd Australian, Lieutenant George Witton, had his death sentence commuted to 
life imprisonment.


They were convicted of shooting prisoners during the Boer War that took place 
between 1899- 1902, shattering Australia's "innocence" just a year after 
Federation.


Lord Kitchener, Commander-in-Chief of British forces in South Africa, delayed 
informing Prime Minister Edmund Barton that their trial lasted six weeks and 
Morant had admitted shooting prisoners.


That should have been the end of the matter except that returning Australian 
servicemen and the press challenged Kitchener's belated assurances.


Despite the severity of the crimes Witton was released after just 3 1/2 years 
through the offices of future Governor-General, Issac Issacs KC, and future 
British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill.


It is not disputed that Morant ordered the execution of 12 Boer prisoners while 
acting under the orders of senior British regular Army Officers, including Lord 
Kitchener.


Victorian lawyer James Unkles has been fighting for the best part of a decade 
for a posthumous pardon for Breaker Morant.


This may lead some to conclude that "natural justice" has been served, but why 
were they treated differently to other British officers and troopers guilty of 
the same crimes?


Prior to Morant's arrival at Ford Edward, in Northern Transvaal, 6 Boer 
prisoners, a Boer member of the Bushveldt Carbineers (BVC) and a number of 
natives were also shot in similar circumstances.


No charges were laid, even though clear evidence was presented to their 
commanding officers.


It is such discrepancies that convinced me that they were not afforded a fair 
trial according to British Military Law and procedure of 1902 and it is time to 
offer Morant, Handcock and Witton posthumous pardons.


Serious legal breaches of Military Law began at the time of their arrest and 
interrogation in October 1901 and continued right through to their trial and 
execution on 27 February 1902. Of the many points of contention 3 stand out.


They were denied legal representation between their arrest and the day before 
their trial began in January 1902 when the luckless Major John Francis Thomas, 
a country solicitor from Tenterfield with no trial experience, answered a plea 
for assistance.


With no time to construct a defence and with key witness, Colonel Hall, 
Commanding Officer of the BVC, who could confirm the existence of orders to 
take no prisoners, spirited off to India, he mounted a brave but fruitless 
defence.


This failure haunted and ultimately destroyed him.

After having refused to appear when called as a witness by Morant, Kitchener 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 27




PAKISTAN:

Executing juveniles


Pakistan is one of the few countries in the world that continues to mercilessly 
execute prisoners for crimes committed when they were juveniles even though it 
has passed laws banning it. The Juvenile Justice System Ordinance 2000 
explicitly states that no child shall be awarded punishment of death while 
Pakistan has also ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the 
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, both of which forbid 
capital punishment for juveniles. Yet, according to a report from the Justice 
Project Pakistan, about 10 % - or 800 persons - of the death row population is 
made up of juvenile offenders. Since 2015, when that eerie pre-dawn walk to the 
gallows began once again, at least 6 persons who were juveniles at the time of 
the crime they were found guilty of having committed have been hanged. The 
youngest amongst them was only 14 when accused of murder. In the case of Aftab 
Bahadur, to whom the report is dedicated, the boy convicted at the age of 14 of 
murder spent 24 years in jail before he was hanged while the man who had 
testified against him stood outside the police gates crying and screaming that 
his testimony had been extracted through coercion.


The reason we continue to execute juvenile offenders is because, at least in 
practice, the state has decided that the Juvenile System Ordinance does not 
extend to anti-terrorism courts. Since anti-terrorism courts now hear all 
manner of cases unrelated to terrorism, this is used as a loophole to execute 
juvenile offenders. In addition, the courts put the burden of proof on 
establishing their age on the defendants themselves. According to the JPP, the 
courts do not even accept Nadra-issued identification documents as they are 
said to be unreliable. But the onus should then be on the state to ascertain 
the correct age of a defendant rather than forcing the defendants themselves, 
who are usually poor and uneducated, to prove it. The courts could also order 
bone density test - which has a margin of error of 2 years - to better 
determine age, with the benefit of the doubt given to the defendant. More than 
anything else, we need to change how we think of juvenile offenders. 
Incarceration should be used sparingly and where it is deemed necessary, the 
focus should be on reform, not punishment. The children who are sent to prison 
need to be given an education, taught necessary life skills and given access to 
counselling. And they should never be kept in the same prison as adults, as 
happens regularly in Pakistan. In prison, children are more vulnerable to 
torture, rape and beatings, and are likely to be far more damaged when they are 
released from prison than when they first entered it. That this happens so 
often is an indictment of Pakistan's justice system and highlights the dangers 
of using the death penalty so frequently in a situation where there is no 
guarantee that persons will receive the justice due to them under the law.


(source: thenews.com.pk)






QATAR:

Verdict in Lauren Patterson murder case expected next month


The fate of a man facing the death penalty for killing a teacher in Qatar will 
be decided on March 27, a local court has said.


The verdict date was set yesterday after closing arguments were heard in the 
retrial of Badr Hashim Al-Jabr.


He was first convicted of killing Lauren Patterson in 2014. During that trial, 
he had been accused of having sex outside of marriage with the British expat 
and stabbing her to death.


Qatar's Court of Appeal upheld the lower court's verdict in 2015.

However, last year, the ruling was vacated by the Court of Cassation, which 
ordered a new trial.


'Closer to the end'

Speaking to Doha News this week, mother Alison Patterson said "justice for 
Lauren (is) hopefully getting closer."


She added that her family's lawyer spoke passionately during yesterday's 
hearing.


The attorney called her daughter's murder the ???worst crime ever committed in 
Qatar," and urged the court to follow the evidence when making its decision.


Patterson, 24, was last seen alive leaving a La Cigale nightclub in October 
2013 with Al-Jabar and his friend, Mohamed Abdallah Hassan Abdul Aziz.


Her burned remains were found hours later in the desert, along with the murder 
weapon, a knife.


Relying on investigation results and confessions from the men, a Qatar 
prosecutor previously told the court that Al-Jabar took Patterson to a home he 
used for sexual trysts with women.


He then "conquered her body," and killed her by stabbing her twice.

Questionable confession?

Abdul Aziz has served a 3-year sentence for his role in the killing, and was 
released.


For its part, the defense had maintained that Patterson's death had been an 
accident, and asserted that confessions obtained from the 2 men on trial were 
coerced.


Back in 2014, the court said the death penalty would be carried out by 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 26




UNITED KINGDOM/EGYPT:

Boris Johnson urged to call for end to mass death sentences in Egypt


The Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, is in Egypt this weekend for talks with 
the President and Foreign Minister, according to reports.The visit comes amid 
concerns over abuses in Egypt, including torture and the use of the death 
penalty in mass trials of people who were arrested in connection to protests.


The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Human Rights Priority Country update 
report on Egypt for 2016 said "Egyptian courts continued to use the death 
penalty," and highlighted "the mass trial of 494 individuals on charges related 
to a protest that took place in August 2013, which includes Irish national 
Ibrahim Halawa."


Ibrahim, who is assisted by the international human rights organisation 
Reprieve, was a child when he was arrested. He faces a potential death 
sentence, and has reported being regularly tortured.


Reprieve has raised concerns that a UK state-owned company, Northern Ireland 
Cooperation Overseas Ltd, has provided Egypt's justice ministry with plans and 
equipment for the building of courthouses - including a juvenile court in 
Cairo. (http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/23541)


According to figures collated by Reprieve, nearly 2,000 people have received 
death sentences in mass trials, while nearly 900 people - including Ibrahim - 
continue to face the death penalty.


Harriet McCulloch, a deputy director at Reprieve, said: "Boris Johnson is 
visiting Egypt as thousands of people languish in horrific prison conditions, 
after they were arrested in connection with protests. Hundreds still face the 
death penalty in desperately unfair mass trials - including people who were 
arrested as children, like Ibrahim Halawa. The Foreign Office says it is 
concerned about the human rights situation in Egypt - but ministers continue to 
offer support to President Sisi's government while Ibrahim's ordeal continues. 
The Foreign Secretary must urge Sisi to end these appalling abuses, and free 
Ibrahim and the many like him."


(source: ekklesia.co.uk)






IRAN:

Women among protesters against death penalty


In the morning of Saturday, February 25, 2017, a number of human rights 
defenders and families of death-row prisoners gathered outside the parliament 
in Tehran and demanded that the death sentences be revoked.


The protesters were from Tehran, Charmahal-o Bakhtiari, West Azerbaijan, 
Khuzistan, Isfahan and Qeshm. Women carried placards which read, "Execution = 
disintegration of a family."


(source: NCR-Iran)






BAHRAIN:

UN experts urge Bahraini regime to stop new executions


2 United Nations human rights experts have appealed today to the Government of 
Bahrain to spare the lives of Mohammad Ramadan and Hussein Moosa, who are at 
risk of imminent execution, and to ensure a re-trial of the defendants in 
compliance with international standards.


The 2 convicts, who had their death sentences confirmed in late 2015, were 
allegedly tortured while in prison, coerced to confess their crime, and not 
allowed to have proper legal assistance. They were condemned to death for 
premeditated murder and attempted murder in the first instance by Bahrain's 
Fourth High Superior Court. Their appeals were then upheld by the High Appeals 
Court and the Court of Cassation.


"Under international law, there is an absolute prohibition of torture and 
cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment," said the UN Special 
Rapporteurs on summary executions, Agnes Callamard, and on torture, Nils 
Melzer.


"The Bahraini authorities have the duty to investigate all allegations of human 
rights violations committed during the proceedings, including torture by 
security forces during interrogations," they emphasised.


The experts also expressed grave concern at the executions by firing squad on 
15 January of Abbas al-Samea, Sami Mushaima, and Ali Abdulshaheed Yousef 
al-Singace for a bombing in Manama on 2014, which had killed several people, 
including 3 police officers.


According to allegations received by the experts, these executions were carried 
out following proceedings in contravention to international standards. All 
three men were reportedly coerced to confess under torture, including methods 
such as electric shocks and sexual humiliation. They reportedly were also 
denied access to adequate legal assistance.


"In countries that have not abolished the death penalty, capital punishment may 
be imposed only following a trial that complied with the most stringent 
guarantees of fair trial and due process," the UN Special Rapporteurs said. 
"Any death sentence executed after a trial failing to meet these standards is 
tantamount to an arbitrary execution."


One of the convicts, Ali Abdulshaheed Yousef al-Singace was under the age of 18 
when he was arrested for his alleged crime. "The Convention on the Rights of 
the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 23




MALAYSIA:

Execution Date Set For Malaysian Brothers (Malaysia: UA 53/17)






Urgent Action

February 23, 2017


Suthar Batumalai and B. Rames Batumalai are scheduled to be executed on Friday, 
24 February 2017. The brothers were convicted of murder in 2010 on the basis of 
circumstantial evidence and sentenced to the mandatory death penalty.



Suthar Batumalai and B. Rames Batumalai are brothers facing execution by 
hanging in Malaysia on 24 February 2017. They were sentenced to the mandatory 
death penalty in April 2010 under section 302 of the Penal Code after they were 
found guilty of a murder committed on 4 February 2006. On 22 February 2017 the 
pair were moved, from their two separate detention facilities, to Kajang 
prison, Selangor State, where the executions will take place. A new clemency 
petition has been submitted for the consideration of the Sultan and Parole 
Board on 23 February.


The brothers, who were represented at trial by the same lawyer, were convicted 
on the basis of circumstantial evidence alone. During the trial they claimed 
that they had intervened to stop two other men from attacking and killing the 
deceased, claims which were disregarded by the High Court. The Court also 
failed to call a key witness, the deceased’s wife, to testify. Her testimony 
could have corroborated the brothers’ version of the facts, and the involvement 
of the two other men in the murder. The police had also failed to take blood 
samples and fingerprint samples to establish a direct link to the accused, as 
it stated it was not crucial and the identity of the accused had been 
confirmed. The final sentence was handed out on 30 October 2012 by the Federal 
Court.


The 1984 UN Safeguards guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing 
the death penalty provide that the death penalty be imposed “only when the 
guilt of the person charged is based upon clear and convincing evidence leaving 
no room for an alternative explanation of the facts.”





1) TAKE ACTION

Write a letter, send an email, call, fax or tweet:

• Immediately take all the necessary steps to halt the execution of Suthar and 
B. Rames Batumalai , and to accept their new clemency appeal;
• Immediately establish a moratorium on executions and commute all death 
sentence as a first step towards abolition of the death penalty;
• Move forward with legislative reforms on the mandatory death penalty and 
abolish this punishment from national legislation.




Contact these two officials by 6 April, 2017:

Prime Minister of Malaysia

Mohd Najib Razak

Office of The Prime Minister of Malaysia Main Block,

Perdana Putra Building Federal Government Administrative Centre,

62502 Putrajaya, Malaysia

Fax: +603-3444 or +603-3904

Email: p...@pmo.gov.my

Salutation: Dear Prime Minister



H.E. Ambassador Datuk Dr. Awang Adek Hussin

Embassy of Malaysia

3516 International Court, NW, Washington DC 20008

Fax: 1 202 572 9882

Phone: 202 572 9700

Email: mwwashing...@kln.gov.my

Salutation: Dear Ambassador

(source: Amnesty International)
___
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[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 23




PHILIPPINES:

'Thou Shall Not Kill': Lawyers say death penalty endangers the poor


Lawyers here expressed their objection to the re-imposition of the death 
penalty in the country, saying that it would endanger and a disadvantage to the 
poor because of the "corrupt" criminal justice system in the Philippines.


Speaking in a forum titled "Thou Shall Not Kill: A Forum on Death Penalty" held 
at the Ateneo De Davao University Wednesday, Atty. Arnold Abejaron, executive 
secretary of the Ateneo De Davao University Community Engagement and Advocacy 
Council, warned that the imposition of death penalty would be "dangerous."


"We see it always in the news. We have policemen who are experts in fine arts, 
good in [making up scenarios]) or studied agriculture, meaning good [in 
planting evidence])," Abejaron said.


Abejaron also suggested looking into preventing the crime from being committed, 
saying that many of those who have committed heinous crimes experienced abuses 
in their childhood.


"The best way really is to address the issue. How do we prevent kids or future 
adults from committing crimes? That is looking at how we reduce abuses in the 
family, because many of those who got into crimes have actually been victims of 
abuse when they were children," Abejaron said.


For his part, Atty. Ray Paolo Santiago, executive director of the Ateneo Human 
Rights Center, supported Abejaron's claim, saying most of those who are 
languishing in jail are poor and could not afford to hire the best lawyers.


"This is not to say that those who come from the Public Attorney's office are 
not good, they are one of the best. But imagine the public attorney who is a 
government lawyer, pitted against a private lawyer who is solely handling maybe 
a big case. And then you have a public defender who is handling hundreds of 
other cases. You divide the time that you can allot," Santiago said.


Santiago also noted the corruption present in the concerned agencies which 
further made a poor man's task of defending oneself in court harder.


"In the justice system, there are different levels. [For example], you have a 
good law enforcer, a good policeman; gathers all the evidence. And then you 
have a corrupt prosecutor, what would happen? You have money? Okay I will 
dismiss the case. Let's not fool ourselves, because that does happen," Santiago 
said.


"It is a reality that those who have lesser in life, have difficult 
opportunities in defending themselves," Santiago added.


When asked about the implications of the re -imposition of the death penalty 
and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of which the 
Philippines signed as a State Party in 1966, Santiago it will be up to the 
Supreme Court to settle the matter.


"Atty. Arnold mentioned that it's embarrassing, particularly the implications 
internationally. However, we both agree that the President can actually do so," 
Santiago pointed out.


"If congress insists, and then the president signs it into law, the next battle 
there, is not the international community, it's going to the Supreme Court. The 
court will now rule whether the re imposition is valid or not under Philippine 
law," Santiago said.


(source: davaotoday.com)

**

Democracy 'killed' in railroading of death penalty, say solons


Democracy was the 1st casualty of the death penalty.

This was the sentiment of anti-death penalty lawmakers on Thursday after the 
House of Representatives leadership railroaded the bill reimposing capital 
punishment when it closed the plenary debates.


In a press conference at the House of Representatives, Northern Samar Rep. Raul 
Daza said the House leadership "killed democracy" when it moved to close early 
the period of sponsorships and debate, and approved the amendments to the bill 
during the session Wednesday night.


Daza attended last night's session and opposed the move to close the debate, 
citing Section 54 of Rule X of the House Rules.


Daza then said closing the debates was improper because the rule allows for the 
traditional turno en contra wherein speeches for and against a measure are 
made.


Daza said that interpellations do not fall under speeches because the questions 
propounded may be adversarial or friendly.


In a statement, Act Teachers representative France Castro said democracy was 
killed in yesterday's railroading


"It was disappointing for me, as a neophyte legislator, to witness democracy as 
the 1st in line on this administration's death row," Castro said.


Act Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio also slammed the House leadership's "blatant 
disrespect" toward other lawmakers who would wish to interpellate the bill 
under 2nd reading.


"This is a blatant disrespect to the long list of legislators who lined up to 
register their constituents' views on the matter," Tinio said in a statement.


"It is definitely unacceptable to railroad the passage of the death penalty 
bill because for 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 22



TURKEY:

Turkish President Resurrects Death Penalty Issue


Protesters chant, "We want the death penalty|," as 40 soldiers are led into an 
Ankara court. The soldiers are accused of trying to assassinate President Recep 
Tayyip Erdogan during a failed coup in July, in which more than 250 people were 
killed.


Erdogan, touring the country to rally support for an April referendum to extend 
his presidential powers, promised to bring back the death penalty. "If 
parliament passes the law to bring it back, I will sign it, and pay my debt to 
the martyrs of our country," Erdogan said to thousands of supporters in the 
Turkish city of Kahramanmaras Friday.


The death penalty was abolished by Erdogan when he was prime minister in 2004 
as part of the country's bid to join the European Union; but its return would 
be popular among many nationalists and conservative voters who support him.


With anger still felt toward those behind the coup attempt and a resurgence in 
terror attacks by Kurdish insurgents, analysts predict returning the death 
penalty is a vote winner. "There is a great yearning by the people to hang 'the 
bastards;' I really think people feel that way," says political consultant 
Atilla Yesilada of Global Source partners; but Yesilada says Turkey will pay a 
high price. "If it is ever introduced, the EU has no choice but to cut the 
umbilical link to Turkey."


EU warning

The European Union has warned Ankara its bid to join would be automatically 
frozen, but, with that bid making little progress because of opposition from 
some members, there is growing resentment among many Turks toward the European 
Union.


Erdogan said he is not going to listen to Europeans, referring to them as "Hans 
and George." At the Kahramanmaras rally, Erdogan told his supporters, ???I 
listen to the Ayses and Ahmets of our country," referring to traditional 
Turkish Muslim names, while adding, "I listen to the words of God."


Analysts say such rhetoric plays well with large sections of the electorate, 
underscoring his message of the need for a strong president with strong powers. 
Many, however, are predicting the death penalty issue will be quietly forgotten 
after the April referendum.


"I always believed that the death penalty rhetoric was more to consolidate the 
alliance with the nationalists, but eventually it would be dropped," said 
analyst Sinan Ulgen, a visiting scholar of the Carnegie Europe policy group, 
"because of the very high cost of introducing the death penalty in Turkey, the 
very high political and economical cost this would entail."P> Risks involved


Notably, Devlet Bahceli, the leader of Turkey's main nationalist party, the 
MHP, has not, so far, echoed the president's latest call. Analysts point out 
the return of the death penalty would inevitability exacerbate the country's 
already deep political and ethnic divisions, if members of the Kurdish rebel 
group the PKK were executed. Any break with the EU would also threaten to 
further destabilize the country's vulnerable economy.


"We have seen how severely the markets reacted the day the European parliament 
voted to suspend the accession process which was only a non-binding 
resolution," notes consultant Yesilada, recalling November's vote. "I would 
imagine how severe the markets would react if the EU was to freeze accession 
talks. It's really a bad scenario."


Analysts also point out that despite Erdogan's tough referendum campaign 
rhetoric of not only calling for the death penalty, but also regular EU 
attacks, behind the scenes, there is another story. "What we are seeing now is 
a realistic assessment by both the EU and Ankara," Ulgen said, adding, "that 
despite the difficulties, this relationship remains of critical importance for 
both sides."


Pragmatism is being widely predicted to prevail over the death penalty, in the 
face of calls from Erdogan's grassroots, and many nationalists; but, given the 
country is set to face a crucial general and presidential election within 2 
years, few are predicting with any certainty the death penalty controversy will 
end soon.


(source: Voice of America News)






SRI LANKA:

Indian migrant labourer charged with murder of Lankan colleague


An Indian immigrant labour was charged at the Magistrate's Court here today 
with the murder of his Sri Lankan colleague 2 weeks ago, New Straits Times of 
Malaysia reported.


No plea was recorded from the accused, Durga Rao Ketali, 30, when the charge 
was read by the court interpreter before Magistrate Adibah Husna Zainal Abidin. 
Durga is charged with the murder of Sumith Nishantha Silva Appu Kankanamalage 
at Padang Buluh Estate, Jalan Sidam Kiri here, about 9pm on Feb 9.


He is charged under Section 302 of Penal Code which carries mandatory death 
penalty if convicted. Inspector Sharol Niza Serat prosecuted while the accused 
was not represented. The court fixed April 2 for mention pending an autopsy 
report. It was 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 21




SINGAPORE:

Indian migrant labourer charged with the murder


An Indian immigrant labour was charged at the Magistrate's Court here today 
with the murder of his Sri Lankan colleague 2 weeks ago.


No plea was recorded from the accused, Durga Rao Ketali, 30, when the charge 
was read by the court interpreter before Magistrate Adibah Husna Zainal Abidin.


Durga is charged with the murder of Sumith Nishantha Silva Appu Kankanamalage 
at Padang Buluh Estate, Jalan Sidam Kiri here, about 9pm on Feb 9.


He is charged under Section 302 of Penal Code which carries mandatory death 
penalty if convicted.


Inspector Sharol Niza Serat prosecuted while the accused was not represented.

The court fixed April 2 for mention pending an autopsy report.

It was reported that the victim, in his 50s, died on the spot when the accused 
smashed his head with a concrete slab following an argument at the workers' 
hostel.


(source: Yahoo News)

*

Families of death row inmates need longer notice of execution


Singapore has prided itself on its reputation for being tough on crime. Under 
our criminal justice system, the harshest and most final punishment meted out 
to an individual is the death penalty.


Capital punishment has an impact not only on the convicts but also their 
families, friends and community.


In Singapore, death sentences are carried out on Fridays, and families of death 
row inmates are informed of the hanging on the Monday of that week.


Senior Minister of State (Home Affairs) Desmond Lee said recently that the 
prisoner's family is allowed to visit "more frequently and for an extended 
period of time".


While this is true, 4 days is insufficient, given the enormity of the ordeal. 
The short notice can be seen as a punishment for the family, who have committed 
no crime.


Within this period, the family must visit and comfort the inmate, make funeral 
arrangements, buy clothing for the inmate's pre-execution photo session and 
deal with the psychological turmoil of a loved one???s imminent death.


The challenges only grow for non-resident low-income families, who have an 
added struggle to afford the trip to Singapore and the post-execution 
arrangements.


In the case of Kho Jabing, who was executed last May, his family could visit 
him before his execution only with support from Singaporeans and Malaysians who 
contributed towards the costs of their travel and accommodation.


Without such help, they would have been unable to see their son and brother for 
the final time.


Mr Lee also said in Parliament that physical contact between inmates and their 
families is not allowed for safety reasons.


I understand that the prison authorities must be conscious of security, but I 
would reiterate the finality of a death sentence and the emotional struggle it 
puts loved ones through.


The only opportunity family members have now to touch the inmate is in court, 
where they slip their hands through a slit in the glass separating the dock 
from the court to hold hands with the prisoner.


The families I have worked with have told me how important these opportunities 
for physical contact are in helping them through a traumatic situation, and I 
urge the authorities to consider allowing some physical contact during visits.


(source: Kirsten Han Li Ying--The writer is a founding member of We Believe in 
Second Chances, which campaigns for the abolition of the death penalty in 
Singapore.


(source: todayonline.com)






TRINIDAD:

Can authorities bring crime under control?


With the current murder rate spiralling around 75 in 49 days Trinidad and 
Tobago is set to register a new record of 560 homicides by the end of 2017. And 
since trends suggest both nonchalance and incompetence with the relevant 
authority in arresting a worsening situation, the foregoing projection appears 
more likely than far-fetched. But why are murders becoming more and more 
prevalent? Several reasons are proffered.


It is believed that the law-abiding Trinbagonian, the hardcore criminal, petty 
thief and potential murderer are all aware that law enforcers are impotent 
regarding the critical aspect of crime detection and related arrests. Far too 
many heinous crimes/murders remain unresolved, foremost in the minds of 
victims' families and friends. Consequently, criminal elements see the "green 
light" to proceed with their nefarious activities, knowing that they stand a 
better chance of being hit by lightning than being brought to justice. Swift 
investment with the right technologies can improve crime detection rates. 
Outside of CCTV cameras, where is the willingness by our leaders to procure 
such a measure?


Recently, cries resurfaced for the enforcement and resumption of the death 
penalty /hanging as punishment for murderers. Such is the norm when there are 
significant spikes in the murder rate, since many see this as an effective 
deterrent to criminals. As usual, past and present 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 21



UNITED KINGDOM/ETHIOPIA:

UK Trains Ethiopian Security Forces, as MPs Call for Action on Death-Row Dad


The UK Government is training senior members of Ethiopia's security sector, 
despite the illegal detention of a British father on the country's death row. 
The news comes as 53 MPs and peers call on the Foreign Office to secure Andy 
Tsege's return from unlawful detention.


A freedom of information request by international human rights organisation 
Reprieve has shown that senior members of Ethiopia's police, military, justice 
ministry and diplomatic corps are studying for an MSc in Security Sector 
Management, as part of a UK-aid funded program.


The revelations come amid growing concerns for British father of 3 Andy Tsege, 
who is on death row in Ethiopia.


53 MPs and peers from across the political spectrum have written to the Foreign 
Office to request that ministers "make representations - privately or publicly 
- for Mr Tsege's release." The politicians, representing the Conservatives, 
Labour, SNP, Lib Dems, Greens and SDLP, criticise what they say is a set of 
"limited demands" that the government has made to Ethiopia so far, in relation 
to his case.


Mr Tsege has been imprisoned unlawfully in Ethiopia since 2014, when he was 
kidnapped at an international airport and rendered to a secret Ethiopian 
prison. Mr Tsege is a prominent critic of Ethiopia's ruling party, and his 
ordeal is thought to be linked to a wider crackdown on dissent in the country. 
In 2009, while Mr Tsege was living in London, an Ethiopian court handed him an 
in absentia death sentence.


The Foreign Office has stopped short of requesting Mr Tsege's return to the UK, 
instead focusing on a regular consular and legal access for him. However, the 
Ethiopian authorities have only agreed to sporadic consular access, while Mr 
Tsege has been prevented from contacting a lawyer. Ethiopian officials have 
said Mr Tsege faces no prospect of appealing his death sentence.


In 2014, the Department for International Development told Reprieve that it had 
cancelled a similar MSc programme because of "concerns about risk and value for 
money". However, the programme was restarted several months later under the 1bn 
pounds Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), with the oversight of the 
Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defence.


This month, a Parliamentary committee on the National Security Strategy issued 
a report that heavily criticised the government's use of the CSSF, saying the 
Fund was dogged by a "fundamental lack of transparency". They also warned that 
CSSF projects carried a risk of UK complicity in abuses.


Ethiopian officials told the 'Ethiopian Reporter' newspaper in 2016 that "some 
90% of the senior officials currently serving in Ethiopia's intelligence 
institutions have completed their masters degree in the UK on subjects related 
to security." They added: "The courses are fully financed by the UK 
government."


Commenting, Harriet McCulloch, a deputy director at Reprieve, said:

"It's shameful that the UK is funding Ethiopia's security sector, when 
Ethiopian forces are holding a British dad illegally on death row. MPs are 
right to express serious concern over the government's approach. Boris Johnson 
must explain why his department is training Ethiopian security officials, but 
refusing to negotiate Andy Tsege's return home to Britain."


Reprieve is a UK-based human rights organization that uses the law to enforce 
the human rights of prisoners, from death row to Guantanamo Bay.


(source: commondreams.org)






IRANexecutions

2 brothers executed on drug related charges


Reports have surfaced about 2 brothers who were hanged in Ilam (western Iran) 
last month on drug related charges, but Iranian official sources have been 
completely silent about their executions.


Iran Human Rights has received confirmed reports about the execution of 2 
prisoners at Ilam Prison on Thursday January 5. The prisoners have been 
identified as Hossein Salehi and Isaac Salehi, brothers sentenced to death on 
drug related charges.


Iranian official sources, including the Judiciary and the media, have not 
announced these 2 executions.


"Hossein and Isaac were arrested in Ilam in 2014 and were sentenced to death by 
the revolutionary court in that city," a close source tells Iran Human Rights.


***

9 Prisoners Hanged on Drug Charges


9 prisoners have reportedly been hanged in Iran on drug related charges.

2 Prisoners Executed in Dizel Abad (Kermanshah province, western Iran) 
According to close sources, 2 prisoners were hanged on drug related charges on 
Saturday February 18 at Dizsel Abad Prison. The prisoners have been identified 
as Mohammad Karim Azizpanah, 43 years of age, sentenced to death on the charge 
of trafficking three kilograms and 350 grams of crystal meth, and Hamid Reza 
Reybaz, 35 years of age, sentenced to death on the charge of trafficking 2 
kilograms of 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 20




VIETNAM:

Laotian drug smugglers arrested after knife battle in northern VietnamThe 2 
men may face the death penalty for smuggling heroin.



Police in the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien arrested 2 Laotian 
nationals in possession of 3.5 kilograms of heroin on Sunday.


Vang A Chua, 23, and Thao So Po, 29, both resisted arrest and fought back at 
police with knives until they were finally captured, VietnamPlus reported.


Further investigations are under way.

Vietnam has some of the world's toughest drug laws. Those convicted of 
possessing or smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 
kilograms of methamphetamine face the death penalty.


The production or sale of 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal 
narcotics is also punishable by death.


Although the laws are strictly enforced, drug running continues in border 
areas.


(source: vnexpress.net)






IRANexecutions

4 Prisoners Hanged on Drug Charges


On Wednesday February 15, 4 prisoners were reportedly hanged in 3 different 
Iranian prisons on drug related charges.


Prisoner Executed in Minab (Hormozgan province, southern Iran)

According to close sources, a prisoner identified as Abdolhakim Kuhkan was 
executed at Minab Central Prison on drug related charges. Mr. Kuhkan was 
reportedly sentenced to death on the charge of trafficking 2 kilograms and 200 
grams of heroin. This prisoner was reportedly transferred from his prison cell 
to solitary confinement on Monday in preparation for his execution.


2 Prisoners Executed in Semnan (Semnan province, northern Iran)

According to the human rights news agency, HRANA, 2 prisoners were hanged at 
Semnan Central Prison on drug related charges. 1 of the prisoners has been 
identified as Javad Avakhtizadeh, while the identity of the other prisoner is 
not known at this time. Information about the drug charges issued to these two 
prisoners is not known at this time.


Prisoner Executed in Zahedan (Sistan & Baluchestan province, eastern Iran)

According to the human rights news agency, Baloch Activists Campaign, a 
prisoner identified as Mostafa Abadi was hanged at Zahedan Central Prison on 
drug related charges. Mr. Abadi was reportedly held in prison for 9 years 
before his execution. The report says 2 unidentified prisoners were also 
scheduled to be executed, but their death sentences were postponed for unknown 
reasons.


Iranian Authorities Are Silent

Iranian official sources, including the Judiciary and the media, have not 
announced any of these executions.


(source: iranhr.net)

**

300,000 Dollars Prize for the Execution of Salman Rushdie by IRGC Affiliated 
Companies and Other Regime Institutions



According to the terrorist Quds Force Tasnim news agency on February 19, 
participants in the fourth exhibition called digital media of the Islamic 
Revolution, on the occasion of the anniversary of Khomeini's apostasy verdict 
against Salman Rushdie, determined the award of more than 1 billion Toman for 
his death.


Tasnim further reminded a quote from Khomeini in this regard who at the time 
said: "I fear 10 years from now, some analysts want to question this verdict 
against diplomatic principles." So to prevent disremembering of that verdict 
was the main reason that participants in this exhibition determined the one 
billion Toman award for anyone who kills Rushdie.


The prize of 1 billion and 81 million Toman ( almost 300,000 dollars) is funded 
by by more than 40 governmental and non-governmental institutions.


It is noteworthy that last year also the Iranian regime's state media had 
reported that 40 state-run media outlets have jointly offered a new $600,000 
bounty for the head of British author Salman Rushdie. The announcement was made 
to coincide with the anniversary of the fatwa issued by Ruhollah Khomeini, the 
founder of the Islamic Republic.


Mansour Amini, the head of the Saraj Cyberspace Organization and the Secretary 
of the Third Exhibition of Islamic Revolution's Digital Medias announced on 
February 17, 2016 the names of the outlets that contributed money to the fund. 
The state-run Fars News Agency, which is closely affiliated to the Islamic 
Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), was among the largest contributors. Amini 
said that Fars has devoted 1 billion Rials, or nearly $30,000.


Cyberban also allocated 1 billion Rials, while Tehran Press News allocated 300 
million, or nearly $10,000 and Saraj Cyberspace Organization and the 
Headquarters for Advocating Virtue each allocated 500 million Rials for the 
potential assassination.


Shahin Gobadi of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) stated: 
"This once again clearly shows that terrorism is intertwined with the very 
existence of this regime as one of the pillars of its survival.


The mere fact that even the so-called media in this regime allocate a budget 
for terror manifests that all of the regime's institutions 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 19



GAZA:

Hamas sentences 3 to death for spying for Israel, upholds 3 more rulings


All were convicted of treason, and some charged with causing the death and 
injury of Gazans


Authorities in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip have sentenced 6 men to death for 
"collaborating" with Israel, the Palestinian Safa press service reports.


3 of the sentences were new while the other 3 were sentences that were upheld 
following appeal.


The Associated Press reports that Sunday's sentences bring the number of people 
on death row to 10, and several others are appealing the same conviction.


According to the Safa report, all were convicted of treason, and some of the 
men were charged with causing the death and injury of Gazans through their 
actions.


Hamas authorities believe that 1 of the convicted, born in 1968, began working 
with Israel in 1991, said Safa.


3 of the accused were from Jabalya, in the northern Gaza Strip, and the others 
were from Gaza City and Khan Younis.


Under Palestinian law, those convicted of collaboration with Israel, murder and 
drug trafficking face the death penalty.


Execution orders must be approved by the Palestinian president before they can 
be carried out, but Hamas no longer recognizes the legitimacy of Mahmoud Abbas 
whose 4-year term ended in 2009.


In the past, Hamas has come under fire from human rights groups for executing 
suspected collaborators without a trial. Sometimes Gazans are accused of being 
collaborators based on mere rumor and at other times those who fall out of 
favor with Hamas are deemed collaborators and executed.


(source: 124news.tv)






FRANCE:

The guillotine is named after a man who hated capital punishment


Q: I was watching a movie, and someone was being executed with the guillotine. 
Why did the French use the guillotine instead of hanging or firing squad?


T.M., of Collinsville

A: Humane execution.

For many, it's still an abhorrent contradiction in terms. But for Dr. 
Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, it was at the heart of his plea to France's National 
Assembly in 1789 for a cleaner method of killing the condemned.


Ironically, the instrument to achieve that goal - the guillotine - now carries 
the name of a man who was opposed to capital punishment.


So, no, Guillotin did not invent the fearsome instrument that can separate head 
from body in an instant. Far from it. Similar contraptions had begun popping up 
in Europe centuries before, at least in thought if not reality. As early as 
1210, "The High History of the Holy Grail," an old French Arthurian romance 
novel, described a device with not one, but three openings.


"And behold what I would do to them if their heads were therein ... a cutting 
blade of steel droppeth down, of steel sharper than any razor, and closeth up 
the three openings."


It didn't take long for imagination to turn into reality. Near Merton, Ireland, 
Murcod Ballagh was executed with a similar device in 1307. In England at least 
56 prisoners were killed with the Halifax Gibbet from 1286 to 1650, when 
beheadings were stopped there. The Maiden was reportedly built for the 
authorities in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1564 and was used to dispatch those 
found guilty from 1565 to 1710. But it wasn't until nearly a century later that 
the efficient killing machine gained its lasting name when it had its heyday in 
France.


Born in 1738, Guillotin seemed to excel in whatever he tried. In earning a 
degree from the University of Bordeaux, his essay so impressed the Jesuits that 
he became a professor of literature. But a few years later he went off to Paris 
to study medicine, earning a prize from the faculty at Reims.


So after he earned a spot in the National Assembly, his colleagues listened 
intently when, on Oct. 10, 1789, he argued that criminals should be decapitated 
by a "simple machine ... that beheads painlessly." At the time, beheading in 
France was done by ax or sword, which could be messy because incompetent 
executioners sometimes needed 2 or more strokes. Moreover, beheading was 
reserved for the upper class. Commoners were typically hanged, which could take 
several minutes.


Guillotin thought his idea would make executions not only swift and certain but 
more egalitarian as well, 1 of the cornerstones of the popular French motto, 
"Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite." But he also hoped it would be the 1st step in 
eliminating capital punishment entirely, a hope that would not be achieved for 
200 more years.


So as the French Revolution continued in 1791, Dr. Antoine Louis, secretary to 
the Academy of Surgery, headed a committee (which included Guillotin) to 
develop such a device. Impressed by the Maiden and Gibbet, the group came up 
with an "improved" design that employed an oblique blade rather than the former 
models, which tended to crush the neck or otherwise mutilate the body.


On April 25, 1792, in front of what is now the Paris City Hall, highwayman 
Nicholas Jacques Pelletier 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 18




PHILIPPINES:

Catholics protest against extrajudicial killings, death penalty


The biggest religious sector in the Philippines held their 1st major protest 
against extrajudicial killings and the possible reinstatement of the death 
penalty.


Thousands of Catholics gathered in Quirino Grandstand Saturday morning for what 
they called the "Walk For Life."


The protest action started past 4:00 a.m., which Manila Auxiliary Bishop 
Broderick Pabillo said is the most common time when extrajudicial killings 
happen.


"Hindi mapupuksa ng karahasan ng kapwa karahasan," said Manila Archbishop Luis 
Antonio Cardinal Tagle.


[Translation: Violence is not the answer to violence.]

Catholic officials, however, said the protest is not against President Rodrigo 
Duterte's policies but an expression of their opposition against the societal 
problems threatening the sanctity of life.


"Ang Walk For Life ay hindi para ipagtanggol ang drug addict o ang mga 
mamamatay tao. Ang kriminal ay dapat arestuhin, kasuhan, hatulan at ikulong," 
said Archbishop Socrates Villegas, adding drug addicts should be rehabilitated.


[Translation: Walk For Life is not to condone drug addicts or murderers. 
Criminals should be arrested, indicted and jailed.]


Aside from the rise of extrajudicial killings, death penalty and the 
proliferation of drugs, the Church is also against abortion, divorce, same-sex 
marriage and proposed distribution of condoms in schools.


The Church officials said they are going to be more active, and denied that the 
protest is a violation of the separation of church and state.


The president has strongly opposed the Catholic Church. He recently called the 
institution "full of shit" in a speech during the commemoration of the death of 
44 slain Special Action Force policemen in January 24, accusing them of 
corruption, womanizing and child abuse.


(source: cnnphilippines.com)



Improve judicial system, not death penalty: Pangilinan


A senator is pushing for the modernization of the country's justice system, 
instead of reviving the death penalty.


In a public hearing held at the University of San Carlos (USC) Law School 
yesterday, Senator Francisco "Kiko" Pangilinan said that the National 
Government must introduce a major revamp of the country's justice system as a 
way to deter crimes. Pangilinan, a lawyer, decried moves of the House of 
Representatives to pass a measure that aims to revive the death penalty.


Pangilinan said that other countries have higher conviction rates, but, the 
Philippines only has at least 30 %. The senator also said that the National 
Government is not providing enough budget to the judicial branch.


He said that only .8 % from the entire national budget goes to the judiciary. 
There are also problems on lack of courts, judges and prosecutors that need to 
be addressed.


"I've heard from the IBP (Integrated Bar of the Philippines) here in Cebu that 
there is 1 court handling 3,000 cases," he said.


Pangilinan also urged President Rodrigo Duterte to convene the Judicial, 
Executive and Legislative Advisory Council to promote reforms in the judicial 
system.


Lawyer Renan Oliva, Mandaue City treasurer and an IBP member, agreed with 
Pangilinan on the need to improve the country's justice system rather than 
revive the death penalty.


***

Cebu City execs want plunder in death penalty law


Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmena and Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella are both for the 
inclusion of plunder among the crimes punishable by death.


Osmena said that stealing government funds costs lives and that the penalty 
should be imposed upon immediately to the perpetrator.


He said that if he were to suggest, tax evasion should also be included in the 
list of crimes punishable by death.


Osmena said that he is in favor of the imposition of the death penalty as a 
whole, and added that it should be done "fairly fast." Labella, for his part, 
said he is not in favor of the death penalty.


But should it be imposed, plunder should be the 1st and most important felony 
deserving of such punishment, he said.


The Congress' majority bloc last week decided to take out plunder from the list 
of crimes punishable by death under House Bill 4727.


(source for both: sunstar.com.ph)

**

Lagman: House majority railroading death penalty bill


An opposition lawmaker assailed the "unwarranted railroading" of the passage of 
the death penalty bill and the "gagging" of its opponents after Majority Leader 
Rodolfo Farinas threatened to close the debates if they kept on questioning the 
quorum.


Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, a leader of an independent bloc in the chamber, said 
the House leadership was using the rules for their own benefit but was too 
touchy when opponents tried to do the same.


He insisted that questions on the quorum were a valid parliamentary tactic 
based on the rules, which state that: "The House shall not transact 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 17



NEW ZEALAND:

60th anniversay of New Zealand's last hanging


Walter Bolton was the last man to be hung in New Zealand before capital 
punishment was repealed.


The trap door opened. His body fell.

On this day 60 years ago, Whanganui farmer Walter James Bolton became the last 
person in New Zealand to be hanged after being found guilty of murdering his 
wife of 43 years, Beatrice Bolton, by poisoning her with arsenic.


Bolton, 68, was hanged at the gallows in Auckland Prison, now known as Mt Eden 
Prison, at 6.30pm for the part he played in the crime.


Stuff reports show the prosecution alleged Bolton killed Beatrice because he 
was in love with another woman - his sister-in-law Florence Doughty - with whom 
he had a sexual affair.


Lawyers for the Crown claimed Bolton had concocted a potion of arsenic from 
sheep dip and laced his wife's tea with it on several occasions, requiring 
hospital treatment, before killing her with a large dose on July 11, 1956.


His execution was made controversial by the suggestion that his wife had not 
been murdered at all.


Bolton and his wife were married for 43 years and had 6 children and a 
relatively close relationship, journalist Bernie Steeds wrote in an article on 
the couple.


In the 15 months before she died, her mystery illness was never diagnosed, but 
an autopsy identified arsenic as the cause.


It was suggested Bolton had put the poison in her cups of tea, though no trace 
of the poison was ever found.


Steeds said sheep dip may have found its way into the house's spring and Bolton 
also had traces of arsenic in his hair and fingernails.


Active people get rid of arsenic more quickly, and Beatrice had been unwell, 
and had rested a lot before the poisoning was alleged to have begun, he said.


But an all-male jury in Bolton's hometown found him guilty, and despite his 
claims of innocence, he lost his Court of Appeal case.


In a book written by Sherwood Young, Guilty On The Gallows, a police officer 
who attended Bolton's execution was interviewed.


Only 20 at the time, the officer described what it was like.

"When the sheriff gave the signal, the hangman moved the lever. There was a 
loud metallic clang as the trap door opened. Bolton disappeared from sight 
behind the tarpaulin.


"A prison warden released the rope while I supported the body. It looked about 
7 feet long, hanging there. The toes were almost touching the ground. The 
tongue was out of his mouth. When the rope was removed it slurped back into his 
mouth.


"I will never forget this experience."

Other stories later claimed Bolton's execution had gone horribly wrong.

Rather than having his neck broken the instant the trapdoor opened, they 
alleged Bolton slowly strangled to death.


53 men and 1 woman were executed in New Zealand between 1842 and 1957. The 
death penalty was abolished in 1941, reinstated in 1950, and then abolished 
again in 1989.


(source: stuff.co.nz)






INDONESIA:

2 charged with Kuantan kidnapping of businessman, face death penalty


2 men were charged at the magistrate's court here today with kidnapping a 
businessman to secure a RM19 million ransom 2 years ago.


Lim Sin Chye, 44, from Kemaman, Terengganu and Ang Boon Leong, 39, from Kepong, 
Kuala Lumpur, were accused of kidnapping Datuk Chin Yoke Choon, 53, to hold him 
for ransom.


The duo is alleged to have kidnapped Chin, who is the managing director of 
Tunas Manja Group, at the parking lot of a hotel at Bandar Indera Mahkota here, 
at 5.55pm on Dec 26, 2015.


The victim was later freed.

Lim and Ang face the death penalty if convicted under Section 3 of the 
Kidnapping Act 1961.


No plea was recorded from the duo today, and magistrate Noor Zaihan Mohamad Ali 
fixed Feb 28 for mention.


Later, at two separate sessions courts, the duo claimed trial to being members 
of underworld group "Geng William", an offence that may see them jailed for up 
to 20 years if convicted under Section 130V(1) of the Penal Code.


In the 2 separate courts, Lim and Ang also claimed trial to fraternising 
without good cause with the same underworld group, an offence which carries a 
maximum 20-year jail term on conviction, under Section 130Y of the Code.


In sessions court 1, judge Unaizah Mohd denied bail to Lim because he was 
detained under the provisions of the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 
2012.


In sessions court 4, judge Siti Aminah Ghazali also did not grant bail to Ang 
on the same grounds.


Both judges fixed Feb 28 for mention of the cases.

Deputy public prosecutors Muhamad Asyraf Md Kamal and Shahrul Ekhsan Hassim 
prosecuted, while the duo was unrepresented.


Previously, on Dec 30, purported underworld members Low Sing Hwa, 29, and Tham 
Hock Ann, 36, were charged at the magistrate's court here with committing the 
same offence.


(source: nst.com.my)






IRAN:

Iran Regime Sold the Corpse of an Executed Prisoner for $3,000


Selling unclaimed corpses in Iran has been 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 16




PHILIPPINES:

Anti-death penalty bloc plans march


Pro-life advocates are set to hold a "candlelight walk" to oppose plans to 
revive the death penalty.


In a press conference yesterday, organizers of the "Candlelight Walk for Life" 
announced that more than 1,000 people will be joining their procession from 
Plaza Sugbu to the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral this Saturday afternoon.


Dr. Rene Bullecer, a pro-life advocate and vice president for Visayas of the 
Sangguniang Laiko sa Pilipinas, told reporters that they oppose the death 
penalty not only because it is a cruel and an unusual punishment, but also 
because it is anti-poor.


Fr. Eligio Suico, chairman of the Cebu Archdiocesan Commission on Family and 
Life, said they also condemn the national government's anti-drug campaign, 
which has led to the deaths of drug addicts and pushers.


Meanwhile, a member of the Catholic Faith Defenders in Cebu condemned the 
Catholic Bishops Conference in the Philippines (CBCP) for stopping efforts to 
revive the death penalty.


Lawyer Marcelo Bacalso criticized Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma and other members 
of CBCP for opposing the death penalty.


Bacalso claimed that the Catholic Church "supported" the imposition of capital 
punishment, citing the Catechism of the Catholic Church that was approved by 
the late Pope (now saint) John Paul II and the catechism of the Council of 
Trent.


In Section 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the death penalty is 
not an excluded recourse effectively defending human lives against unjust 
aggression.


But it also states that if non-lethal means are sufficient and available, 
authorities must limit themselves to it in conformity to the dignity of the 
human being.


(source: sunstar.com.ph)



Palace defends death penalty agenda amid criticisms from foreign lawmakers


Malacanang on Wednesday defended the position of the government to push for the 
reimposition of the death penalty after lawmakers from Cambodia and Malaysia 
expressed opposition to the plan.


The foreign lawmakers warned that the Philippines might lose its credibility in 
the international arena if the measure pushed through.


Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said that the re-imposition of capital 
punishment was a priority legislative measure under the administration of 
President Rodrigo Duterte.


"While some countries may have their opinion, we find the move to re-impose 
death penalty, reserved for certain heinous crimes, as apt for exercising 
discipline in a culture that now treats adherence to law an option rather than 
a rule of community life," Abella said.


He added that even a progressive country like Singapore did not abolish the 
death penalty.


"A progressive Southeast Asian state like Singapore has retained the measure as 
a final deterrent to crime," Abella said.


While the House of Representatives continue to debate the revival of the death 
penalty, Duterte on Friday argued that there was a spike in heinous crimes when 
capital punishment was abolished in 2006.


(source: gmanetwork.com)

*

Irked by quorum questions, House leaders threaten to end death-penalty debates


Majority Leader Rodolfo Farinas threatened Wednesday to abruptly end the 
debates on the controversial death penalty bill amid constant quorum questions 
by lawmakers opposed to the bill.


He said he would call a caucus of the majority members to ask them if they 
still want to proceed with the deliberation of House Bill No. 4727 seeking to 
restore capital punishment.


Addressing the audience in the gallery, which includes nuns and members of 
religious groups, he said he wanted the debates to continue, but some 
lawmakers, he complained, keep interrupting the session by questioning the 
quorum.


Debates on the bill have been going on for 4 session days.

5 anti-death penalty lawmakers have so far taken the floor -- Reps. Edcel 
Lagman, Raul del Mar, Harry Roque, Rav Rocamora and Lawrence Fortun.


The bill's sponsors -- Reps. Reynaldo Umali, Vicente Veloso and Fredenil Castro 
-- took turns in responding to the questions.


Before Farinas took the floor, Deputy Speaker Raneo Abu, the presiding officer, 
engaged in heated discussions with Lagman and Buhay partylist Rep. Lito Atienza 
on the rules of the House over questions on quorum.


The roll call showed there were 202 members present, but Lagman said the 
congressmen present on the floor began to dwindle as the discussions continue. 
He made a motion to adjourn but was overruled.


Earlier, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said he wants voting on the bill before 
Congress goes on break on March 18.


(source: interaksyon.com)






SRI LANKA:

Cabinet to consider reducing death penalty to life imprisonment


A proposal has been made to the cabinet to consider the ability of reducing the 
death penalty to life imprisonment. The proposal was made in the 
recommendations submitted by the 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 15





SINGAPOREfemale foreign national faces death penalty

Indonesian helper in Singapore faces death for alleged murder of elderly 
employer



An Indonesian domestic helper in Singapore has been charged today with the 
murder of her 78-year-old employer, media reports said.


Wheelchair-bound Tay Quee Lang was found dead in her flat at Block 276 Tampines 
Street 22 with a knife reportedly lodged in her neck.


Channel News Asia reports that Minah, 37, is accused of causing the death of 
Tay at about 2.10pm on Monday in the Tampines flat Tay shared with her husband, 
who was not home at the time of the alleged killing. Police said they received 
a call for assistance at about 2.10pm. When officers arrived at the unit on the 
5th floor, they found the woman lying motionless. She was pronounced dead at 
the scene by paramedics.


In court today, Minah, dressed in a black and white striped T-shirt, appeared 
calm as the capital charge was read to her by an interpreter. She will be 
remanded for a psychiatric evaluation and will next appear in court on Mar 8. 
If she is found guilty of murder, Minah will face the death penalty.


(source: thestandard.com.hk)





NIGERIA:

Lagos NAWOJ to FG, states: Pass death penalty for rape


The Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Lagos State Chapter, has 
called on the Federal Government and all state governments to pass death 
penalty for rape.


This call was contained in a communique signed by the Lagos NAWOJ Chairperson, 
Hajia Sekinah Lawal at the association's February Congress which held in Lagos 
State.


The group commended the Lagos State House of Assembly and Governor Akinwunmi 
Ambode for passing death penalty for kidnapping in the state noting that rape 
is also a big problem in the country.


"The Police and parents should be ready to report and follow cases of rape to 
the last conclusion. Mothers should also make sure their grown-up girls were 
well-dressed as a strategy to curb rape while those found guilty should be 
sentenced to death in order to serve as deterrent to others," it added.


Lagos NAWOJ also called on Federal and state governments to urgently do 
something about the economy with a view to tackling high inflation, saying 
access to drugs, medical care and food items is becoming more difficult.


Similarly, members expressed concern over the likelihood of emergence of fake 
drugs due to unavailability of the originals.


The group also commended the first lady, Hajia Aisha Buhari for the women 
empowerment programme through vocational trainings and called for more 
empowerment programmes for unemployed graduates and women.


"A place like Lagos State for instance has a lot of riverine communities; with 
this, we can have more fish farmers so as to meet the deficit of fish farming 
in Nigeria," the communique suggested.


The group urged all and sundry to do everything within their capabilities to 
end female genital mutilation.


(source: The Nation)






IRANexecutions

13 Prisoners Executed


9 prisoners on death row, 3 verdicts for hand amputation

The mullahs' regime's henchmen sent 10 inmates to the gallows in Qum and Zabol 
on February 13. One of them was executed while his appeal had been sent to the 
regime's judiciary. Also, 3 other prisoners, 29 and 30 years old, were executed 
in Jiroft and Mashhad prisons on February 11 and 12.


On the other hand, 9 prisoners have been reportedly transferred to solitary 
confinement in Gohardasht prison for execution. Iranian Resistance calls all 
relevant international authorities to take urgent and effective action to 
prevent these executions.


A few days ago, Ali Alizadeh, an official in the so-called anti-drug campaign, 
called for the continuation of brutal punishments and said, "Adjusting death 
penalty does not contribute to the campaign, and faces it with challenges." 
(Khaneh Mettlat, state-run news agency- 5 February 2017)


In yet another case, the mullahs' judiciary in Tehran issued the ruling for 
cutting off the hands of three individuals charged with theft. (Hamshahri, 
state daily- 12 February 2017)


Unable to cope with the growing domestic and international crises, and in fear 
of public uprising, the hated regime of mullahs finds the only way out in 
intensifying suppression. The regime's officials should be expelled from the 
world community for their anti-human crimes, and must be tried for crime 
against humanity. Silence and inaction before the crimes of this savage regime 
over the past three decades has encouraged it to continue and intensify these 
crimes.


(source: Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran)

**

9 Prisoners Hanged


2 unidentified prisoners were reportedly hanged at Mashhad's Vakilabad Prison 
on Sunday February 12 on murder charges, and 7 unidentified prisoners were 
reportedly hanged at Qom's Langroud Prison on Monday February 13 on drug 
related charges.


According to the state-run 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 14




MYANMAR:

Myanmar Authorities Sentence Rohingya Man to Death for Attacks on Border Guards


Myanmar authorities have sentenced a Rohingya Muslim to die for leading and 
participating in militant attacks on border police stations that killed 9 
officers in Rakhine state's Maungdaw and Rathedaung townships four months ago, 
police officials said Monday.


Muhammad Nul, also known as Ula, received the sentence at the district court in 
Rakhine's capital Sittwe on Feb. 10 for intentional murder during a raid on 
Rathedaung's Kotankauk border post, police said.


The 23-year-old from Maungdaw's Kyautpyinsite village is 1 of 14 people police 
have charged in the attacks, but the only one so far to receive the death 
penalty, they said.


Trials are under way for the other 13 in special courtrooms in Maungdaw and 
neighboring Buthidaung township, though they have yet to be sentenced, lawyers 
said.


Myanmar has said those who carried out the attacks were militant Rohingya 
Muslims who had received training and financial support from Islamic extremists 
abroad.


The news comes as Myanmar police investigate allegations of human rights abuses 
against Rohingya Muslims who live in the areas where the border guard attacks 
occurred on Oct. 9, 2016.


More than 1,000 Rohingya are believed to have died in a subsequent security 
operation by Myanmar soldiers and border police in northern Rakhine state, 
while at least 66,000 Rohingya have fled to neighboring Bangladesh, according 
to U.N. estimates.


Some Rohingya have accused the security forces of murder, torture, rape, and 
arson, prompting the U.N.'s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights 
(OHCHR) to issue a report on Feb. 3 saying that the abuses indicate "the very 
likely commission of crimes against humanity."


The Myanmar government has denied allegations of abuse, but set up an 
investigation commission in December to look into the violence in northern 
Rakhine.


In an interim report in January, the commission said it had found no evidence 
of genocide or religious persecution of Rohingya Muslims living in the region, 
and that its probe of rape allegations had yielded insufficient evidence to 
take legal action.


On Friday, the commission set out on a 6-day fact-finding mission to the 
affected areas to investigate the U.N.???s allegations of human rights 
violations.


Other investigation teams

Last week the Myanmar military also created a team to investigate whether 
soldiers stationed in northern Rakhine used excessive force and committed human 
rights violations.


Myanmar's police have also set up a team of high-ranking officials to 
investigate the allegations of human rights abuse by security forces.


A statement issued by the home affairs ministry on Sunday said that if security 
force members violated human rights, they would be charged under police 
disciplinary law, the online journal The Irrawaddy reported.


The statement also said that action was being taken against officers who did 
not follow instructions, but gave no further details, the report said.


It was an apparent reference to a small group of police officers caught on 
video abusing Rohingya civilians in a village in Maungdaw during the security 
sweep early last November. Those involved in the incident were sentenced to 2 
months in prison.


(source: BenarNews)






BANGLADESH:

Pilots panic over death penalty in new aviation draft law


Pilots and aviation experts strongly criticised the Cabinet approved Civil 
Aviation Operation Act 2017 draft law which proposes death penalty for 
negligent or reckless operation of post-departure flights.


Though the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism claims the draft law has been 
formulated in accordance with the guidelines of International Civil Aviation 
Organisation (ICAO), pilots and aviation experts decry the ministry's claim, 
stating that the government has misrepresented the guidelines and that the 
draft law does not reflect ICAO rules.


Reactions of pilots range from panicked to enraged. A Biman Bangladesh Airlines 
pilot said: "As a pilot, I am scared, angry and sad about the approval of the 
draft law which proposes a death penalty punishment."


"This sort of punishment for obstructing aircraft operation is rare. These 
types of laws are not prevalent in any country of the world," he added.


Requesting anonymity, a pilot of a private airlines said other countries also 
consider accidents caused by negligence or reckless flight operation after the 
departure of a flight to be an offence. Yet no country in the world has a law 
whereby a pilot may face death penalty for such violations.


An aviation expert said the new draft law was disappointing for the industry 
and would certainly hamper the growth of aviation in the country.


Choosing anonymity, a senior Biman Bangladesh Airlines pilot said for the sake 
of the pilots, the government should immediately revise the draft law before it 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 13




PHILIPPINES:

14 senators block Palace move to withdraw from treaty vs death penalty


In a resolution filed on Monday, 14 senators virtually blocked a Palace move to 
withdraw from an international agreement to clear the way for the passage of a 
bill reviving death penalty in the country.


The resolution expressed the sense of the Senate that any move to withdraw from 
any treaty that had been concurred in by the Senate will not be valid without 
their concurrence, as stipulated by the Constitution.


Senate President Pro Tempore Franklin Drilon said, "This is in recognition of 
the right of the Senate to participate in the withdrawal of a treaty, because 
the Senate concurrence is required in the approval of the treaty. A treaty that 
is approved by the Senate becomes part of the law of the land, and any repeal 
of any treaty by a withdrawal should also require the concurrence of the 
Senate," Drilon said.


Drilon said that 14 senators signed Senate Resolution No. 289 titled 
"Resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that termination of, or 
withdrawal from, treaties and international agreements concurred in by the 
Senate shall be valid and effective only upon concurrence by the Senate."


Besides Drilon, those who signed the resolution are Senate Majority Leader 
Vicente Sotto III, Minority Leader Ralph Recto, Senators Benigno Aquino IV, 
Leila De Lima, Francis Pangilinan, Risa Hontiveros, Panfilo Lacson, Loren 
Legarda, Miguel Zubiri, Gregorio Honasan, Joseph Victor Ejercito, Juan Edgardo 
Angara and Joel Villanueva.


"The power to bind the Philippines by a treaty and international agreement is 
vested jointly by the Constitution in the President and the Senate," the 
resolution said. "A treaty or international agreement ratified by the President 
and concurred in by the Senate becomes part of the law of the land and may not 
be undone without the shared power that put it into effect," the resolution 
added.


Drilon further explained that the resolution is just formalizing the approval 
on the AIIB (Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank) treaty.


"When we ratified the treaty there, we included a provision there that says 
that any withdrawal should have the Senate concurrence, and that was approved. 
So we are just reiterating and formalizing the resolution," Drilon said.


According to news reports, Malaca???ang Palace is now moving for the country's 
withdrawal from the Second Option Protocol to the International Convention on 
Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which hinders deliberations on the death 
penalty law.


"Well, that is a legal position that the 14 senators have taken: that any 
withdrawal from any treaty should require the concurrence of the Senate. But it 
is argued by those who opposed the death penalty that in fact, the Philippines 
cannot withdraw from that Second Protocol," Drilon stressed.


Drilon, former justice secretary, said that the Constitution explicitly 
delegated to the Senate the power to concur any international treaty and 
agreement entered into by the Executive Department.


"When we concur in a treaty, it becomes part of the law of the land. The 
concurrence of the Senate is required to make the treaty effective and 
therefore any withdrawal should have the concurrence of the Senate," Drilon 
said.


"Let me repeat that a similar provision was already approved by the Senate in 
the concurrence in the treaty wherein the Philippines agreed to become a member 
of the AIIB," he added.


(source: interaksyon.com)

***

'Death penalty shameful for Catholic Philippines'


A leader of the Catholic Church said it would be shameful for the country to 
restore the death penalty while the Philippines prepares to mark 500 years of 
Catholicism.


Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said the Church is in the midst 
of preparations for the 500th anniversary of the first mass in the country held 
on March 31, 1521.


Villegas, who is also president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the 
Philippines (CBCP) hopes that Catholics will oppose the restoration of capital 
punishment because it is contrary to their faith.


He, however, rejected suggestions that Church leaders are lobbying Congress 
against the restoration of the death penatly.


"Church leaders are not Congress lobbyists, that is not our duty," Villegas 
said in a forum.


"Our duty is to disturb consciences. At the end of the day I hope the Speaker 
(of the House) will allow a conscience vote on the death penalty," he added. 
The restoration of capital punishment is a priority of House Speaker Pantaleon 
Alvarez.


Villegas also called on Catholics to join the "Walk for Life" event organized 
by Church lay leaders which will be held on February 18. The march is meant to 
speak out against extra-judicial killings and the restoration of the death 
penalty.


NO FIGHT WITH DUTERTE ADMINISTRATION

Villegas also sought to downplay suggestions that Church leaders are 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 12



IRAN:

International Calls to Stop Inhumane Underage Executions by Iran Regime


According to state-run IRNA news agency, Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, Iranian 
regime's Tehran Prosecutor General, announced Wednesday February 8 that based 
on regime's Islamic Penal Code, the Prosecutor Office has submitted requests to 
the courts to cancel retaliation sentences for ten under-18 convicts, of which 
6 requests have been accepted.


International human rights organizations have repeatedly expressed concerns 
over executing convicts who were under-18 at the time of their offense, saying 
that a lot of such convicts in Iran are awaiting execution.


Amnesty International had previously announced that between 2005 and 2015, at 
least 73 convicts who were under-18 at the time of the offense have been 
executed in Iran. There are at least another160 such convicts who are awaiting 
execution, according to a report by the UN.


The UN has also recently reported that Hamid Ahmadi, sentenced to death for 
committing murder at 17, has been taken to solitary confinement in Rasht's 
Lakan Prison, due to be hanged on February 11.


Jafari Dolatabadi also announced on Wednesday that according to Article 302 of 
regime's Islamic Penal Code, Tehran Prosecutor Office has requested that17 
retaliation cases be revised, which has led to 3 retaliation sentences being 
cancelled.


The UN Human Rights Committee as well as other human rights organizations have 
repeatedly criticized Iran's high execution rate. Applying death penalty for 
drug trafficker has been announced as one the reasons for Iran's high execution 
rate.


Iranian regime's Attorney General 'Mohammad Jafar Montazeri' has recently 
emphasized that the death penalty is not going to be removed from the regime's 
drug penal code.


Earlier, Mohammad Bagher Olfat, regime's Deputy Head of the Judiciary on Crime 
Prevention, had announced that execution of drug traffickers in Iran has not 
been 'deterrent'.


(source: NCR-Iran)






PHILIPPINES:

Defense team eyed for poor offenders facing death penalty


A Capital Defense Unit with a budget of P260 million that would provide legal 
assistance to convicts who will be meted death penalty has been proposed in the 
House of Representatives.


Rep. Luis Campos Jr. of Makati City (Metro Manila) made the proposal in light 
of ongoing debates on restoration of capital punishment for heinous crimes in 
the chamber.


Campos over the weekend noted that there should be a state-funded CDU that will 
provide topnotch private attorneys to poor convicts facing execution to ensure 
that nobody gets wrongfully doomed on account of his or her simply being poor 
and inability to obtain superior legal representation.


"Assuming Congress decides to revive death verdicts for the worst criminal 
offenders, we have to ensure that disadvantaged individuals accused of capital 
felonies receive the best legal defense available," he said in a statement.


According to Campos, the CDU is in accordance with Section 11, Article 3 of the 
1987 Constitution that reads, "Adequate legal assistance shall not be denied to 
any person by reason of poverty."


He suggested that the CDU be run by the University of the Philippines College 
of Law's Institute of Human Rights and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, 
with the university paying for all the legal fees of poor defendants facing 
potential death sentences.


The Department of Social Welfare and Development, Campos said, will determine 
the beneficiaries of the CDU, which will be a different office from the Public 
Attorney's Office.


"We have to acknowledge that getting hold of adequate legal remedies has a 
price not everybody can pay," Campos said.


House leaders have announced that administration lawmakers are likely to vote 
for the passage of death penalty if the measure will provide that penalties for 
heinous crimes will range from lifetime imprisonment to death, depending on the 
judge's discretion.


But House Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Rep. Lito Atienza of Buhay 
party-list would not agree to such compromise, warning that only impoverished 
citizens inadequately represented at trial would get death sentences.


"Moneyed people who are able to retain high-priced lawyers would always escape 
conviction. Sadly, the quality of legal representation is still the single 
biggest factor that would determine whether a defendant receives or dodges the 
death sentence," Atienza said.


(soruce: Manila Times)

**


They are the biggest donors to the Church, but their employees do not get just 
wages.


Their children go to exclusive girls' or boys' schools run by Catholic priests 
or nuns, but hold bacchanalian parties on weekends and holidays.


They proudly wear uniform heralding their membership in fraternal service 
organizations, but practice open-marriage arrangements.


And they attend Mass regularly, even receive Holy Communion, but 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 11



NIGERIA:

UK Urges Nigeria To Stop Death Penalty


The British high commissioner, Paul Arkwright has urged that Nigeria should 
prohibit death penalty. This is in support of the recent call by the EU Heads 
of Mission in Nigeria to uphold the moratorium on the capital punishment.


In a statement made available to LEADERSHIP Weekend by the British High 
Commission, the Ambassador noted that, "on 1st February, 2017, Lagos state 
signed a law authorising death penalty for anyone convicted of kidnapping where 
the victim dies. It's also regrettable that as recently as 23 December, 2016, 
Nigeria witnessed the execution of 3 prisoners authorised by the Edo state 
government.


"These actions have undermined the progress Nigeria made in upholding the 
moratorium on the death penalty. I fully associate myself with the recent call 
by EU Heads of Mission in Nigeria to uphold the moratorium on the death penalty 
that has been in place since 2006.


"We remain open to working with the Nigerian government and civil society to 
push forward the debate towards abolition of the death penalty," the statement 
concluded.


According to a report by the EU Heads of Mission on death penalty in Edo state, 
the Mission had shown deep regret at the execution of 3 Nigerian prisoners on 
23 December 2016, an execution authorised by the Edo state government. The EU 
further stressed upon the universality of human rights including the right to 
life, while opposing the death penalty in all circumstances.


(source: nigeriatoday.ng)






VIETNAM:

Vietnam to build 5 more lethal injection venues


5 more venues to facilitate lethal injections will be built in Vietnam in the 
coming time according to the Ministry of Public Security.


A report from the ministry showed that since the 1st execution carried out 
using lethal injection in August 2013, 429 prisoners on death row had been 
executed by this method by July 2016 at 5 facilities in Hanoi, HCM City, Nghe 
An, Son La, and Dak Lak.


The National Assembly amended the Penal Code in 1999 and 2009 in which the 
number of death-eligible crimes were reduced from 44 to 22. However, the number 
of death sentences, especially in crimes relating to drugs, murder, and rape, 
has not declined for many reasons, the report said.


There were 1,134 criminals given death sentences in 5 years between July 1st, 
2011 and June 30th, 2016.


According to the ministry, there have been many difficulties in carrying out 
executions using lethal injection instead of firing squads during the trial 
period, especially in obtaining lethal drugs and relieving the pressure of 
holding hundreds of death row inmates in prison.


"But this is certainly a more humane method of execution which causes less pain 
to the convicted and their family, and relieves pressure on executors, the 
ministry claimed.


The injection will contain 3 substances -- sodium thiopental, an anesthetic; 
pancuronium bromide, a muscle relaxant; and potassium chloride to stop the 
heart.


(source: vietnamnet.vn)






PHILIPPINES:

The clock is ticking on anti-death penalty lawmakersHouse rules state every 
lawmaker has the right to speak for an hour in a plenary debate, but after a 
recent majority ruling, anti-death penalty congressmen now have fewer minutes 
on the floor



Time is literally running out for congressmen attempting to block the return of 
the death penalty in the country.


Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez is already targeting the middle of March for the 
passage of House Bill (HB) Number 4727, and he is bent on seeing this through 
with a threat against House leaders who will vote against the measure.


But even on the plenary floor, every lawmaker who will interpellate the bill's 
sponsors will find limited minutes to argue against the death penalty.


This comes after a questionable interpretation of the House rule allotting a 
1-hour speaking time per congressman that was agreed upon by a majority of 
lawmakers during the February 8 death penalty debate.


A back and forth exchange was occurring between anti-death penalty lawmaker and 
Albay 1st District Representative Edcel Lagman and HB 4727 sponsor and House 
justice panel chairperson Reynaldo Umali at the time.


Deputy Speaker Mylene Garcia-Albano then interrupted the 2 and requested that 
Lagman end his interpellation as he had already gone beyond his time limit.


She cited Section 91, Rule XII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, 
which states: "A Member shall not be allowed to speak for more than one (1) 
hour in debate on any question. No Member shall speak more than once on the 
same question without leave of the House, unless the Member is the proponent of 
the motion or has introduced the question or the matter pending, in which case 
the Member shall be permitted to speak in reply, but not until every Member who 
chooses to speak on the pending question or matter shall have spoken."


But Lagman objected to Albano's request, 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 10



PAKISTAN:

Killers of uncles get death penalty


A sessions court has awarded death sentence to a convict and 40 year 
imprisonment to his brother for killing their 2 uncles and wounding the 3rd one 
in a domestic dispute.


Tarkhanwala police had filed a case against Saleh, his brother Arshad and 
father Ashraf over murdering Ghulam Raza and his brother Asif and injuring 
Saeed on May 12, 2014.


The slain and injured person were real maternal uncles of accused. The 
honorable court announced death penalty to Saleh Muhammad and 40 years jail to 
his brother Arshad while court released their father Ashraf on the benefit of 
doubt. According to the FIR, Zubaida Bibi, mother of both the convicts, had 
quit her house and gone to her parents over a quarrel. the court also ordered 
to pay Rs1.87 million as compensation to the heirs of deceased. Police have 
shifted convicts to the District Jail.


(source: The Nation)






PHILIPPINES:

Amid criticisms, Duterte says death penalty to deter heinous crimes


President Rodrigo Duterte defended on Friday his plan to restore death penalty 
in the country, saying it would be a deterrent against heinous crimes.


"When it (death penalty) was abolished, there was an increase of 3,000% 
(heinous crimes). And they say it's not a deterrent?" Duterte said in Filipino 
during a speech in a business forum in Davao City.


The President read a news report in the middle of his speech, quoting Bureau of 
Corrections (BuCor) Director Benjamin De Los Santos as saying that heinous 
crimes rose to 3,180 % after the death penalty was abolished in 2006.


"BuCor Director Benjamin delos Santos said there were 189 inmates convicted of 
heinous crimes before the capital punishment was abolished in 2006," Duterte 
said reading while reading his briefer.


"After death penalty was revoked this figure rose to 6,200 inmates, an 
astonishing (3,180%) increase of persons convicted of heinous crimes," he 
added.


The President slammed his critics who have been saying that nothing has 
happened when the death penalty was imposed in previous administrations.


"They said that even if the death penalty was there, nothing happened. It's 
because I wasn't the President then. Bring it back and I'll turn those crazy 
into curtains. I'll hang them," he said in Filipino.


Both Houses of Congress had started deliberating on the proposal to reimpose 
the capital punishment.


Duterte has repeatedly said that he wanted to revive the death penalty to make 
sure that criminals pay for their sins.


He also earlier said that the death penalty was for retribution.

(source: newsinfo.inquirer.net)





***

Lawmakers urged to cross party lines against death penalty


Senator Leila de Lima has called on lawmakers to cross party lines as they 
deliberate on the measure calling for the immediate reinstatement of the death 
penalty as capital punishment for heinous crimes.


De Lima made her appeal as the House leadership called members of the so-called 
supermajority for a party stand on the death penalty measure.


"The issue of possible re-imposition of death penalty is addressed more to the 
conscience of the members of both houses of Congress," De Lima said in an 
interview. "Lawmakers should transcend political affiliations in this 
particular issue, especially with the points raised by some members of the 
Senate that treaty commitment cannot be taken for granted," she stressed.


House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez earlier threatened House members, particularly 
those holding key positions or chairmanships in his chamber, to strip them from 
their posts if they refuse to support President Rodrigo Duterte's call to 
restore the death penalty.


Unlike in the House of Representatives, the Senate has different dynamics and 
thus will deliberate on the measure "based on the cogency and the soundness of 
the arguments and would not succumb to any type of coercion or arm-twisting."


"But that is something that they cannot do, hopefully, here in the Senate," she 
said.


The joint Senate committees on justice and human rights and constitutional 
amendments and revision of codes and laws earlier decided to suspend public 
hearing on death penalty to review the implications of the country's commitment 
to treaties and international agreements which prohibit executions and compel 
member states to abolish death penalty.


The Philippines is signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and 
Political Rights (ICCPR), to the Second Optional Protocol of the ICCPR, as well 
as in the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties which states that "treaties 
which do not have provisions on withdrawal or denunciation cannot be denounced 
or be withdrawn from."


(source: Manila Bulletin)

*

Philippine Jesuits join CBCP vs death penalty-'Might should not be equated 
with right,' says Father Antonio Moreno, the Philippine head of the biggest 
male religious order 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 9



IRAN:

6 Iranian juveniles have death sentence curtailed


Iran has commuted death sentences against 6 juvenile offenders following UN 
criticism it was executing people who had committed crimes as children at "an 
unprecedented rate", a report said Thursday.


Prosecutors asked the judiciary to reconsider 10 cases, the Shahrvand newspaper 
quoted Tehran chief prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi as saying.


"6 requests were accepted and their death sentences overturned," he said.

International conventions outlaw the death penalty for offences committed by 
minors but Iranian law allows executions of those convicted of such offences 
once they reach 18.


However, it also allows for death sentences to be commuted to compensation to 
victims' families if it is determined that the juvenile offenders did not 
understand the full gravity of their actions.


Shahrvand did not specify what the judiciary decided in the other 4 cases 
referred to it.


Last week, UN human rights experts appealed to Iran to cancel the looming 
execution of Hamid Ahmadi who was 17 when he was sentenced to death in 2009 for 
the fatal stabbing of a young man during a fight.


They said that last month they intervened to halt the execution of another 
juvenile offender, and that they had learnt too late that 2 others were hanged 
on January 15 and 18.


The executions were carried out secretly and those killed were buried at mass 
graves outside the capital, with families not informed of their fate.


(source: enca.com)






PHILIPPINES:

Restoration of death penalty gets mixed reactions in Leyte


Officials in Leyte province have expressed varied opinions on the proposed 
re-imposition of death penalty in the country.


Leyte second district Representative Henry Ong said the better way to crime 
prevention is to address the root cause of criminality -- poverty and lack of 
education, not killing the criminals.


"I don't think that death penalty is the solution. If we only do our part and 
give them the economic support and give children proper education and guidance, 
I don't think criminality will increase," Ong said. He said no one pressured 
him to oppose death penalty, stressing it was his belief as a Roman Catholic 
that life is sacred.


"As a Catholic, I was taught and raised to respect and love life. I don't think 
it will really solve the problem and if ever this will be passed, poor people 
who cannot afford to have good lawyers are the ones who would suffer," Ong 
said. Eastern Visayas has 13 representatives in Congress and only 2 
representatives support death penalty -- Leyte third district Representative 
Vicente Veloso and An Waray party-list Representative Victoria Isabel Noel.


Noel clarified that although she supports death penalty, the imposition should 
only be on heinous crimes and on drug-related cases. The party-list lawmaker 
believes that the imposition of death penalty could help the government deter 
heinous crimes. For a member of the Archdiocese of Palo clergy, Fr. Mark Ivo 
Velasquez, "the return of the death penalty will not make ours a more just and 
secure society."


"Proof of this is the nations in which it is still practiced. On the contrary, 
it will make us into a more violent and bloodthirsty people, who seek revenge 
over justice. Under the cloak of mere legality, society would administer as a 
remedy the very disease it tries to eliminate," Fr. Velasquez said.


He added that death penalty is not justifiable in the eyes of God.

The restoration of capital punishment in the country has been the subject of 
plenary debates in Congress after the House of Representatives' justice 
committee approved in December last year a report containing the substitute 
bill that would allow it back in the criminal justice system.


The measure, which is a consolidation of 7 House bills of the same intent, has 
enumerated heinous crimes punishable by death penalty, namely: Treason; Piracy 
in general and mutiny on the high seas or in Philippine water; Qualified 
piracy; Qualified bribery; Parricide; Murder; Infanticide; Rape; Kidnapping and 
serious illegal detention; Robbery with violence against or intimidation of 
persons; Destructive arson; Plunder; Possession of dangerous drugs; Carnapping, 
among others.


The mode of capital punishment could either be through hanging, by firing squad 
or lethal injection.


(source: sunstar.com.ph)

*

'Supermajority' OKs compromise to scrap mandatory use of death penalty


House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez on Wednesday said the mandatory use of death 
penalty for heinous crimes will be eliminated from the death penalty bill. In a 
press conference, Alvarez said this was agreed upon by members of the so-called 
"supermajority" coalition during a caucus on Wednesday afternoon.


Alvarez also disclosed that reclusion perpetua or life imprisonment will be 
added as another option of punishment.


Alvarez also reiterated that House 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 8



RUSSIA:

Russian opinions on death penalty split evenly, poll shows


Just over 40 % of Russians have told researchers that they wanted the 
moratorium on death penalty lifted and an equal share of respondents have said 
that they wanted it to remain in place.


Independent public opinion research center Levada reported on Wednesday that 
its latest poll had uncovered a major split in the Russian society over the 
death penalty controversy. According to the research 44 % of Russians want the 
death penalty returned.


Of these, 32 % said that in their opinion death penalty should be used under 
the same rules that existed in the 1990s, before the moratorium. 12 % said that 
they wanted the use of death penalty expanded.


At the same time, 41 % of respondents said that they were against death penalty 
- 25 % said that Russia must maintain the moratorium and 16 % think that the 
authorities should take one more step and abolish it from the legislation.


15 % of respondents said they did not have any opinion on the issue.

Researchers also noted in their release that the public attitude towards death 
penalty had not changed greatly over the past years. In 2015 the share of those 
who supported it was 41 % and 44 % opposed this measure.


Levada Center's deputy director Aleksey Grazhdankin said that the slightly 
growing opposition to the death penalty must be connected with the falling 
crime rate. "Before, our citizens have hoped that harsh punishment would help 
to fight crime, but in the 2000s the crime rate decreased and so did the public 
worriedness. This caused the public sympathy towards repressive measures to 
decrease," he said.


The moratorium on capital punishment was introduced in 1996 in connection with 
Russia's entry into the Council of Europe. The last execution in the Russian 
Federation took place on September 2, 1996.


Politicians and officials have raised the issue of re-introducing the death 
penalty from time to time usually for populist reasons. Many Russian 
politicians and officials have raised the issue of canceling the moratorium, 
especially after terrorist attacks or other brutal crimes that attract public 
attention. However, the country's top authorities have so far refused to 
introduce any changes to the situation, claiming that the question was too 
complex.


In mid-January the head of the Lower House Committee for Legislative Work, 
Pavel Krasheninnikov, said that he personally wanted the Criminal Code to be 
"cleansed" of any mentioning of death penalty, because this punishment can be 
neither ordered nor applied.


(source: rt.com)






PHILIPPINES:

Solons won't allow arm twisting on death penalty debate: Atienza

2 party-list lawmakers on Wednesday criticized Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez for 
threatening leaders to replace deputy speakers and committee chairmen who are 
against the revival of the death penalty.


Buhay Party-List Rep. Lito Atienza said there are still men and women in the 
Lower House with integrity who will stand by their principles and not allow 
themselves to be forced into supporting the proposed reimposition of the death 
penalty.


"This is a sad day for the 17th Congress. If Speaker [Pantaleon] Alvarez is 
twisting the arms of his majority, then he is committing a very serious mistake 
in doing that because he is now trampling on the principles of each member of 
his majority," Atienza said.


The House Speaker on Wednesday threatened to replace deputy speakers and 
committee chairmen who are against the administration bill.


For his part, Kabayan party-list Rep. Harry Roque insisted that now is not the 
right time to support the death penalty, which he said was very divisive.


"This gives the enemies of this administration the traction that they need. 
This is the worst time to push for the death penalty," Roque said.


He added: "You will drive away our numbers to the enemy if they persist in 
pushing for the death penalty."


Roque explained that if they persist in passing the death penalty law, it will 
be struck down as being unconstitutional.


"Because the Constitution says that treaties form parts of the laws of the 
land," he said.


***

Catholics to march vs EJKs, death penalty


The Filipino bishops' fight against extrajudicial killings and the revival of 
the capital punishment is set to hit a new level as they call on the public to 
go to the streets.


CBCP President Archbishop Socrates Villegas, in a statement, called on the 
faithful to join the "Walk for Life" which will be held on February 18 at the 
Quirino Grandstand in Manila.


"Is it God's will that blood be on our streets? Is it God's will that dead 
bodies of our brothers and sisters be found in our sidewalks? Is it God's will 
that mothers kill the infants in their wombs ? It is not God's will," Villegas 
said.


Since the conclusion of CBCP's 114th plenary assembly last week, the group of 
prelates has released stinging 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 7



AUSTRALIA:

Government urged to end silence on death penalty report


The time has come for the federal government to follow through on 
recommendations made in 2016 by a major parliamentary report on the death 
penalty, the Law Council of Australia has said.


The Law Council of Australia (LCA) has used the 50th anniversary of the last 
execution to take place in Australia to press the government to respond to 
recommendations on the death penalty published in a major parliamentary report 
in May last year.


At the time of its publication, the report A world without the death penalty 
received support from both sides of government.


LCA president Fiona McLeod SC said Australia must continue to show leadership 
as an "outstanding advocate against the death penalty". She noted that six 
Australian nationals have been executed overseas since Australia's own 
abolition of the practice. Victorian Ronald Ryan was the last person to be 
hanged in Australia, on 3 February 1967.


"The Law Council will continue to strongly and consistently argue that no 
person, anywhere in the world, should ever be subjected to the death penalty," 
Ms McLeod said.


"This is irrespective of their nationality, personal characteristics, the 
nature of the crime of which they have been convicted, or the time and place of 
its alleged commission.


"The death penalty is a breach of the most fundamental human right: the right 
to life," she said.


Urging the government to finally respond to the report, the LCA underscored two 
key recommendations as key priorities: a new strategy for the global abolition 
of the death penalty and strengthened guidelines for the Australian Federal 
Police (AFP).


According to Ms McLeod, the Australian government has an important role to play 
in speaking out against capital punishment in the Asia-Pacific region and the 
world. Implementing a new strategy for the global abolition of the death 
penalty will "add structure and ballast to Australia's abolitionist position", 
she said.


The report recommends that Australia contributes to the development, funding 
and implementation of this new strategy for the abolition of the death penalty. 
With 56 nations around the world retaining capital punishment as a legal 
penalty, the proposed strategy would focus on the USA and countries in the 
Indo-Pacific.


"We urge [the government] to continue to take the lead and adopt the 
recommendations of the report, to ensure Australia has a consistent position in 
its international engagement," Ms McLeod said.


Ms McLeod made her appeal at a symposium hosted by the LCA at Monash University 
last week. The event discussed Australia???s contribution to the abolition of 
the death penalty and featured special guest speakers including Special Envoy 
for Human Rights Philip Ruddock, shadow attorney-general Mark Dreyfus QC and 
Liberal MP Tim Wilson.


(source: lawyersweekly.com.au)






THAILAND:

Antonio Bagnato gets death penalty for murder of alleged Hells Angels drug 
kingpin Wayne Schneider in Thailand



A Thai court has sentenced an Australian man to death for the kidnapping and 
murder of a Hells Angels member alleged to have been a major drug trafficker.


Antonio Bagnato, 28, was found guilty of murder, deprivation of liberty and 
disposing of a body.


In December 2015, former Hells Angels member Wayne Schneider was abducted from 
outside his home by 5 men and later found buried with a broken neck and facial 
injuries consistent with a severe beating.


The judge said the killing was premeditated, with GPS from the getaway car, DNA 
from the crime scene and witness testimonies all connecting Bagnato to the 
crimes.


"The first defendant [Bagnato] is found guilty of all charges and according to 
the criminal code, the penalty is execution for the murder and deprivation of 
liberty, plus a year in prison for hiding the body," Judge Sirichai Polkarn at 
the Pattaya Provincial Court said.


The court room was packed with representatives of all parties.

"We've got hearts and they're hurting right now," a relative of Bagnato said, 
calling the verdict "ridiculous".


The judge said DNA evidence also placed 22-year old American man Tyler Gerard 
at the scene of the abduction.


Gerard received a 3-year sentence for deprivation of liberty that was reduced 
to two years for his cooperation with the investigation.


The sentence includes time already served in pre-trial detention, meaning he 
could be free before the end of the year.


Gerard's parents said they were relieved at the verdict.

"[Tyler's] words were, 'Calm down mum, pray for the other people in this 
room'," Tracy Gerard told the ABC.


Assault rifles, knuckledusters found in Bagnato properties

Schneider was abducted from outside his luxury villa in Pattaya, Thailand in 
December 2015 by 5 men.


Melbourne underworld figure and former president of the Comancheros motorcycle 
gang Amad "Jay" Malkhoun was inside the house and told 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 6



EGYPT:

Death penalty verdict issued for Coptic alcohol merchant murdererThe 
defendant confessed to crime saying he "would kill all alcohol sellers if he 
could"


In just 2 consecutive court sessions, the Alexandria Criminal Court on Sunday 
sentenced a defendant to death, charged with 1st-degree murder and caught on 
CCTV cameras slaughtering a Coptic alcohol merchant.


The 1st trial session was held on Saturday. The death penalty verdict was sent 
to the Grand Mufti for consultation and the final sentence shall be announced 
on 9 March, a Sunday state media report said.


Investigations revealed that the accused man, named Adel Soliman, confessed 
that he deliberately slaughtered the merchant named Youssef Lamaei while he sat 
in front of his store in Sidi Beshr in Alexandria.


The defendant reportedly told the court that he killed Lamaei and that he would 
kill all alcohol merchants if he could.


According to a report, published by state-media on 8 January, Soliman was 
referred to a criminal court, as he added to his confession statement that the 
reason he murdered the merchant was that he sold alcohol and that he had 
previously asked him several times to stop such business.


Video footage from the store's security camera showed a bearded man approach 
the victim from behind before slitting his throat with a knife. There were 
eyewitnesses to the crime, including the victim's family members.


(source: Daily News Egypt)






UNITED ARAB EMIRATES:

Family of baby 'killed by maid' ask Sharjah court for death sentence


The father of a 9-month-old girl allegedly killed by her family's maid has 
demanded the death sentence for his daughter's killer.


The Emirati child, called Salama, died in hospital last July. She had been 
comatose for 2 weeks after being treated for a fractured skull and broken rib.


After her death police questioned her parents and the family's Indonesian maid 
before the woman was arrested by officers from Wasit police station.


At Sharjah Criminal Court on Monday, Salama's father submitted his daughter's 
death certificate and asked the court to hand down the death penalty.


"We will not forgive and demand the death penalty," the serviceman told the 
court.


The child's mother said that on day of the incident she left her baby with the 
maid and left the house.


"When I came back from my outing after 30 minutes, I found Salama in a very bad 
shape. Suddenly she fell unconscious and I rushed her to hospital,"said the 
Emirati, adding the maid was the only person in the house.


"We have other maids in the family, however, none of them are allowed to enter 
our home. The defendant is the only one allowed to be around my child," she 
said.


Dr Satish Krishnan, a senior consultant and neurological surgeon at Al Qassimi 
Hospital, said the girl was unconscious and not breathing when she arrived at 
hospital.


"Emergency teams resuscitated her and once she started to breathe and was 
stabilised, a CT scan was carried out and found a blood clot in her brain from 
an old injury. The scan revealed a skull fracture and broken rib from a 
previous injury."


The defendant entered a plea of not guilty to a murder charge

The next hearing is set for February 27.

(source: The National)






PHILIPPINES:

De Lima pledges to fight revival of death penaltySenator to also champion 
alternative bill imposing reclusion perpetua for heinous crimes



Senator Leila de Lima on Monday vowed to fight the proposed restoration of the 
death penalty in the country as the Senate is set to start its discussion on 
the issue this week.


The Senate committees on justice and human rights, and on constitutional 
amendments and revision of codes are scheduled to tackle the proposal at 10:00 
a.m. on Tuesday.


"It is shaping out to be a fight. It is not a fight that we are called to fight 
with our fists, weapons or even words. It is a fight we must fight in our 
minds: the fight to resist being psychologically and morally broken down by 
events," De Lima said in a statement.


"Death was never as much an effective instrument of justice, as it has been a 
horrifyingly potent weapon for the politically and militarily powerful to wield 
against those they seek to oppress and subjugate," she added.


De Lima, former Justice Secretary, pointed out that even during the Aquino 
administration, she has always been vocal against the capital punishment, which 
she said "is especially deleterious and prejudicial to the poor."


"My insight as former justice secretary is that by far, the most damning 
testimony against capital punishment is the wrongful sentences that have 
plagued different jurisdictions in the world pursuing the hallow promise of 
death penalty," she said.


"If you think about it, the most certain promise of death penalty is the 
collective nightmare of a people who will eventually wake up to realize that an 
erroneous death sentence is immutably and tragically 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 5



TRINIDAD & TOBAGO:

Death penalty can be carried out in T


The death penalty can be carried out in T, but the Government has to take the 
appropriate action and demonstrate the political will to have it done, Senior 
Counsel Peter Pursglove has said.


Pursglove was the legal consultant to former attorney general Ramesh Lawrence 
Maharaj charged with responsibility for implementing the death penalty in this 
country.


He is currently a legal consultant for the Commonwealth Fund for Technical 
Co-operation.


In 1999, when Maharaj was this country's attorney general crime boss Dole 
Chadee and his gang, as well as convicted killer Anthony Briggs, were hanged.


Briggs, who was executed on July 28, 1999, was the last person to be hanged in 
this country.


"As the former head of the Case Management Unit responsible for ensuring that 
the lawful penalty for murder was implemented, I feel it is my duty to inform 
members of the public and the Government of the facts concerning the 
implementation of the death penalty so that decisions about the death penalty 
may be made in the public interest," Pursglove stated.


With more than 60 people being killed for the year already, there have been 
renewed calls for the reimplementation of the death penalty as a punishment for 
murder.


"There is no merit to the excuse that since 2001, after former Attorney General 
Mr Maharaj demitted office, the failure of governments to implement the death 
penalty is all the fault of the Privy Council and the International Human 
Rights Bodies," Pursglove said.


Pursglove said it is wrong for the Inter-American Commission and the 
Inter-American Court of Human Rights to be singled out for "particular blame".


The Inter-American Court of Human Rights no longer has any jurisdiction over 
cases from T, Pursglove said.


"In the circumstances, it is important for the country to be informed as to 
what successive governments have done since 2001 to carry out the death penalty 
because it is not true to represent to the public that the appeal processes 
before the Privy Council and the Human Rights Bodies frustrated the carrying 
out of the death penalty. The facts show that the death penalty was carried out 
before 2001 and that the death penalty could be carried out today," Pursglove 
said.


"The Privy Council in Pratt v Morgan and the Caribbean Court of Justice in 
later rulings simply laid down the general rule that the death penalty should 
be implemented within 5 years of conviction. Bearing that rule in mind, 
attorney general Maharaj established a Case Management Unit headed by me to put 
systems in place to carry out the death penalty. That Case Management Unit 
monitored all murder cases before the Magistrates' Court, the High Court, the 
Court of Appeal, the Privy Council, and the International Human Rights Bodies. 
The facts show that Dole Chadee, his 8 co-accused, and Anthony Briggs all used 
the appeal processes in an attempt to frustrate the carrying out of the death 
penalty. The work done by the Case Management Unit ensured that they were not 
permitted to do so," he said.


(source: Trinidad Guardian)






MALAYSIA/SINGAPORE:

Mother of Malaysian on death row in Singapore, claims her son did not have a 
fair trial



The family of a Malaysian man convicted of trafficking and sentenced to hang in 
Singapore has appealed for a judicial review at the KL High Court, claiming 
that the Malaysian citizen was deprived of a fair trial.


Datchinamurthy Kataiah (32) was sentenced to death in April 2015. He was 
convicted in Singapore on trafficking 44g of heroine across the Causeway from 
Johor to Singapore in January 2011.


By the judicial review, Kataiah and his mother Letchumi Arumugam are asking the 
Malaysian Government to refer the case to the International Court.


The Star reported that both are also seeking the Malaysian Government and 
Foreign Ministry to declare that they are legally obliged to protect and give 
Kataiah a right to a fair trial and/or right to life and liberty.


"We are alleging that he was denied a fair trial in Singapore," Kataiah's 
lawyer N. Surendran told reporters at the lobby of the KL Court Complex on 
Friday (3 Feb).


"All appeals have been exhausted and it is urgent that the application is heard 
and that the Government takes the necessary steps," he said.


Mr Surendran said that there was a co-accused, a Singaporean woman, involved in 
Kataiah's case.


Mr Surendran said that the Singapore Attorney General (AG) gave the Singaporean 
woman a certificate of cooperation, that gave her a life sentence. However, the 
certificate was not given to Kataiah.


"That itself raises issues relating to (a fair trial). The whole system is 
unfair; it's not up to AG to decide who lives or dies." said Surendran.


"The (Malaysian) Government should be doing everything necessary to protect 
Malaysians overseas facing serious trouble. A human life is at stake here," Mr 
Surendran 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 4




SRI LANKA:

Sirisena commutes death sentence of 60 prisoners to life


Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has commuted the death sentences of 
60 prisoners to life imprisonment in view of the country's 69th Independence 
Day which was celebrated on Saturday.


Prison's Commissioner Nishan Danasinghe told Xinhua the prisoners had their 
sentences commuted following a recommendation made by Justice Minister Wijedasa 
Rajapakse.


Rajapakse made this recommendation based on a report of an expert committee he 
had appointed to look into the commutation of death sentences to life 
imprisonment.


Most of the prisoners who had their sentences commuted were charged with 
murder.


Some of them also included prisoners who were in Sri Lankan jails for many 
years.


Although Sri Lankan courts have handed out the death penalty in serious crimes 
such as murder, rape and drug trafficking, no executions have been carried out 
in the island country since 1976.


All death penalty cases have been commuted to life in prison.

(source: The New Indian Express)






INDIA:

New twist in Nirbhaya case: Supreme Court bench agrees to re-examine the DEATH 
PENALTY awarded to 4 accused in 2012 rape case



Kindling hope in the minds of 4 convicts in the Nirbhaya case, the Supreme 
Court said it will re-examine the death penalty awarded to them by the trial 
court which was upheld by the Delhi High Court.


Giving sudden twist to the sensational case, a bench headed by justice Dipak 
Misra took the decision after accepting the submission of amicus curiae (Raju 
Ramachandran.


Ramachandran claimed that there has been violation of the criminal procedure 
code (CPC) with regards to the sentencing of the 4 convicts.


The amicus primarily said that charges and nature of crime alleged against each 
one of them were separate and all of them could not have been sentenced to 
death in one brush without hearing them separately.


Justice Misra said: 'There are two modes to deal with the matter -remand the 
case back to trial court or allow the accused to produce necessary data and 
advance submissions on sentencing.'


'We think the 2nd mode is appropriate. We would like to give opportunity to 
accused to file affidavits along with documents stating mitigating 
circumstances.'


Significantly, Ramachandran had also argued that the four convicts - Mukesh 
(24), Pawan (20), Vinay (22) and Akshay (29) were too young to be hanged.


Ramachandran had pointed out that the apex court had held in the famous 1980 
Bachan Singh case that a balance sheet of 'mitigating and aggravating 
circumstances' have to be drawn before sentencing a person to death.


Indian courts hand out capital punishment in the 'rarest of rare' cases, but it 
is rarely carried out.


'The crime was not premeditated,' he said.

'There is no evidence on record to deem the rape and murder was a pre-planned 
act.'


'The accused did not know victim and had any occasion to believe she would be 
present at the relevant spot on the fateful day.


'Trial court failed to even consider this factor which has been treated as a 
mitigating factor,' said Justice Misra.


(source: dailymail.co.uk)






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Feb. 4



SRI LANKA:

Sri Lankan President commutes death sentences of 60 inmates to life


Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has decided to commute the sentences 
of 60 prisoners in death row to life sentences prisoners on account of the 69th 
Independence Day on February 04.


President Sirisena has taken the decision to spare the lives of the prisoners 
based on the recommendations made by a Committee appointed by the Ministry of 
Justice and headed by retired Supreme Court Judge Nimal Dissanayake.


The Committee was appointed to review and report whether the death sentences on 
death row prisoners should be commuted to life imprisonment. Accordingly, the 
Committee has recommended commuting the sentences of 60 prisoners to life 
imprisonment effective from February 04.


The death row convicts will be considered for parole only after they served a 
minimum sentence of 20 years and their pleas for any relief will be referred to 
the parole board once in four years after that.


Although Sri Lankan courts give death penalty in serious crimes such as murder, 
rape and drug trafficking, no executions have been carried out since 1976. All 
death penalty cases have been commuted to life in prison.


(source: colombopage.com)






INDIA:

Hurriyat calls for Valley shutdown after Kashmiri youth awarded death penalty


The joint separatist leadership has called for protests against the death 
sentence of Muzaffar Ahmad, resident of south Kashmir's Kulgam district.


Separatist parties have called for a shutdown today in Kashmir against the 
death penalty awarded to a Kashmiri by a West Bengal court.


The joint separatist leadership has called for protests against the death 
sentence of Muzaffar Ahmad, resident of south Kashmir's Kulgam district.


Authorities have placed Hurriyat(M) Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq under house 
arrest to prevent him from rallying against the court's sentence.


Muzaffar Ahmad is among the 3 militants who were arrested by BSF on April 1, 
2007 from Petrapole border for trying to infiltrate the International Border 
(IB).


He along with three others have been given a death sentence under Section 121 
of IPC for 'waging a war against the nation'.


Muzaffar's family in Kulgam allege unfair trial and said that they couldn't 
afford a lawyer to plead their case, hence rendering Muzzafar defenceless.


Protests over the matter were reported from many areas in south Kashmir.

(source: India Today)






BELARUS:

Lukashenko says ready to impose moratorium on death penalty if there is 
majority public support



I am ready to impose a moratorium on the death penalty if such a measure is 
supported by the majority of Belarusians, Belarus President Alexander 
Lukashenko said at the meeting with the members of the public, representatives 
of the Belarusian and foreign mass media on 3 February, BelTA has learned.


The head of state noted that he does not have the right to abolish the death 
penalty or impose a moratorium on its use because the majority of the 
Belarusians voted against abolishing it in the referendum. Alexander Lukashenko 
suggested launching a big campaign in the society (including in the parliament, 
parties, public associations) to discuss the matter and study all pros and 
cons. "If people vote to abolish capital punishment, I will sign the 
corresponding decree the same day as the results of the referendum are 
announced," the President stressed.


"Every time that a death sentence is awarded, I sign a decree. You have no idea 
what it takes. I understand that a man will be gone," the head of state said. 
"But before I sign a decree, I study the case file on the man: photographs, 
operational materials, etc. When I see them, my blood turns to ice," the 
president said.


Alexander Lukashenko cited an example of the recent criminal case of Mogilev 
'black realtors' who had been killing people for several years burying them 
alive to get their apartments. "They have killed many old men and women... And 
what for?" the President stressed.


The issue of death penalty is often politicized, the head of state noted. "I 
often tell Europeans: Let's start with America. Will you force them to abolish 
the death penalty? Or others from whom you take money, shake hands with? Let's 
start with them. These are double standards," Alexander Lukashenko emphasized.


The president recalled that Russia imposed the moratorium a long time ago but 
eventually came to regret it. Now they are not abolishing it for a number of 
reasons. "Maybe it is bad that we have this moratorium. Or maybe we are right? 
Those who have imposed the moratorium are ready to cancel it today. It is just 
that they do not know how," Alexander Lukashenko noted.


(source: belta.by)

**

Belarus cannot abolish capital punishment - president


Capital punishment cannot be abolished in Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, the 
president of Europe's only retentionist country, said on 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 2





MALDIVES:

Halt imminent plans to resume executions after 6 decades


The Maldives authorities must immediately halt plans to resume executions and 
instead impose a moratorium on the implementation of the death penalty with a 
view to its eventual abolition. Amnesty International has received reports that 
the resumption of executions could be imminent.


The Maldives Supreme Court has to date upheld the death sentences of 3 
prisoners, meaning that their domestic legal appeals are exhausted and that 
they are at immediate risk of execution:


-- Hussain Humaam Ahmed (Humaam) was convicted of and sentenced to death for 
murder in 2012, and the Supreme Court upheld his conviction and death sentence 
on 24 June 2016. Amnesty International and other human rights organisations 
have raised serious concerns about the fairness of Humaam's trial. The Human 
Rights Committee in July 2016 issued an order to stay his execution pending its 
consideration of the case.


-- Ahmed Murrath was convicted of and sentenced to death for murder in 2012 
along with his girlfriend Hanaa Fathmath. The Supreme Court upheld his 
conviction and death sentence on 9 July 2016, but has yet to carry out its 
final review of Hanaa's death sentence.


-- Mohamed Nabeel was convicted of and sentenced to death for murder in 2009. 
The Supreme Court upheld his death sentence on 27 July 2016.


In 2014, the Maldives government under President Abdulla Yameen announced 
Maldives would resume executions, which had not been carried out for almost 60 
years. Since then, authorities have taken steps to resume executions, including 
by amending national legislation. Recent regulations have removed the power 
from the executive to grant pardons or commutations in murder cases, depriving 
those facing the death penalty of the right to apply for these as guaranteed 
under international law. In 2016, the government changed the method of 
execution from lethal injection to hanging, while government officials pledged 
that executions should happen within 30 days of confirmation of guilty verdicts 
by the Supreme Court.


A resumption of executions after more than 60 years would be a massive step 
back for human rights in the country. The Maldives government should instead 
urgently impose a moratorium on executions, with a view to the full abolition 
of the death penalty. It is also concerning that Maldives government officials 
have justified the need to use the death penalty on public safety grounds. 
There is no evidence that the death penalty is more of a deterrent to crime 
than life imprisonment.


According to statistics from the Maldives Correction Services and media 
reports, there are at least 18 prisoners currently under sentence of death in 
the country. Of these, at least 5 were convicted and sentenced to death for 
crimes committed when they were below 18 years of age. International customary 
law and 2 international treaties to which Maldives is a state party prohibit 
the use of the death penalty against juvenile offenders. The prisoners or their 
representatives have raised concerns about the violation of the right to a fair 
trial and use of coerced, self-incriminating statements in several cases.


Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception, 
regardless of the nature or circumstances of the crime. The world is moving 
away from the death penalty. At this time, 141 countries are abolitionist in 
law or practice, and a majority of the world's countries (104) have now 
abolished the death penalty fully from their legal books.


Amnesty International urges the Maldives authorities to immediately:

-- Halt any plans to resume executions and establish an official moratorium on 
all executions, with a view to abolishing the death penalty;


-- Immediately commute the death sentence against all prisoners under sentence 
of death, including those imposed for crimes committed when the prisoners were 
below 18 years of age; and


-- Amend national legislation to remove provisions that are not in line with 
international law and standards and abolish the death penalty for all crimes.


(source: Amnesty International)






BURMA:

Proposal to Assign Death Penalty for Child Rape Hits Setback


Burma's Lower House voted down a proposal on Thursday that would have imposed 
the death penalty against those convicted of child rape.


Daw Khin Saw Wai, a Lower House lawmaker from the Arakan National Party, 
submitted the proposal to amend Article 376 of Burma's Penal Code.


"I just learned from the chief justice that the amendment would be considered 
only if it is written in English," Daw Khin Saw Wai told reporters. "So I will 
discuss that with legal experts and will submit my proposal again."


Union Chief Justice U Mya Thein told lawmakers on Thursday that amendments to 
the Penal Code and Criminal Procedure Code needed to be presented in English 
because the original codes were also written 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 1



NIGERIA:

Order killing of death row inmates now, Judge tells Nigerian governors


A judge has urged state governors to sign the death warrant of over 1,600 
inmates on death sentence in order to decongest the prisons.


The Chief Judge of Delta State, Marshal Umukoro, spoke on Wednesday in Ibadan 
during the 2017 Aquinas' Day colloquium of Dominican Institute.


At the lecture titled "The Judiciary and Criminal Justice System: Odds and 
Ends," Mr. Umukoro said that recent statistics from the National Human Rights 
Commission, NHRC, indicated that no fewer than 1,612 inmates are on death 
sentence in Nigeria prisons.


The chief judge said that signing the death warrant would reduce prison 
congestion, and served as deterrent to others.


Local and international organisations such have Amnesty international have 
repeatedly called for the abolition of the death penalty. Death penalty is 
however still legal in Nigeria where it can used to punish people convicted of 
crimes like murder and armed robbery.


Last week, a court in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, sentenced a man to 
death for stealing a motorcycle, phone, and some money from a victim who he 
also inflected serious body injuries on.


Before executions can be carried out, however, the death sentence but be 
approved by the state governor where the judgement was issued. Some state 
governors, however, use their prerogative to commute the death sentences to 
prison terms.


On Wednesday, the Delta State chief judge also called for synergy between the 
police, prisons and the courts in order to boost justice administration.


"Some criminal cases have been hanging without progress for over a year in some 
courts due to transfer of Investigative Police Officer (IPO) or as a result of 
IPO going on short course.


"Some courts too do not cooperate with the police and the prison to 
expeditiously dispose of criminal cases.


"This does not only lead to unnecessary waste of time, but also greatly affects 
the disposition of the accused person and the witnesses who look forward to 
seeing the end of the case," the chief judge said.


Mr. Umukoro said that more fora should be organised from time to time with the 
aim of sensitising various relevant stakeholders in the criminal justice sector 
on the need for mutual co-operation.


(source: premiumtimesng.com)






PHILIPPINES:

No death penalty debate with 3 'narco-congressmen' in House - Atienza


Buhay Rep. Lito Atienza on Wednesday said he would block the plenary debates on 
the death penalty while the three alleged narcopoliticians are still in 
Congress.


In a press conference by the minority bloc in the House of Representatives, the 
pro-life lawmaker said he would not be willing to debate on the floor with 
these three congressmen still in the halls of Congress.


"You are entrusting [the] faith of [the] nation in Congress where 3 congressmen 
are suspected drug [lords]- I cannot, I will not," Atienza said.


The proposed reimposition of capital punishment is set to be sponsored and 
debated on the floor Wednesday afternoon during session.


House leaders Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and majority leader Rudy Farinas had 
revealed that 3 congressmen - 2 from Luzon, and 1 from Mindanao - are part of 
President Rodrigo Duterte's "narco-list" of suspected drug personalities.


But the House leaders have refused to identify the narco-solons to give them an 
opportunity to clear their names.


"Unless we clarify this issue, I believe we should not discuss the death 
penalty ... It would be the height of irresponsibility if we debate with three 
suspected drug lords," Atienza said.


In a separate press conference, Speaker Alvarez said there is no relation 
between the narcolist and the moves to restore death penalty in Congress.


"We're still validating the veracity of the list to be fair to the persons 
involved ... The narcolist has nothing to do with the death penalty bill," 
Alvarez said.


The legislation restoring death penalty is seen to be a priority legislation in 
the House of Representatives.


The bill seeks to impose death penalty on more than 20 heinous offenses, such 
as rape with homicide, kidnapping for ransom, and arson with death.


Speaker Alvarez, Duterte's staunch ally in Congress, was among those who filed 
the bill seeking to reimpose the death penalty after former President and now 
Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo abolished capital punishment in 2006 for 
its failure to deter crime.


Alvarez filed the bill pursuant to President Duterte's campaign promise of 
returning capital punishment against heinous criminals.


Alvarez's bill sought to reimpose the death penalty for heinous crimes listed 
under Republic Act 7659, including murder, plunder, rape, kidnapping and 
serious illegal detention, sale, use and possession of illegal drugs, 
carnapping with homicide, among others.


In the bill he co-authored, Alvarez said there is a need to reimpose the death 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Jan. 31




ZIMBABWE:

Death Penalty Challenge in the Constitutional Court


This Wednesday, tomorrow the 1st February, the Constitutional Court is due to 
hear an important case, Farai Lawrence Ndlovu & Another v Minister of Justice & 
Another (CCZ 50/2015), in which 2 prisoners, who were sentenced to death 
shortly before the new Constitution came into force, are seeking an order that 
their sentences are unconstitutional. The case has been initiated by Veritas.


The case was originally set down for hearing in September last year but it 
could not be heard then and was postponed.


What the case is about

The court papers for the case are available on the Veritas website.

The applicants were sentenced to death shortly before the new Constitution came 
into force in 2013. The argument in this case is that the new Constitution 
effectively abolished the pre-existing law that provided for the carrying out 
of the death penalty. Therefore, although they may have been sentenced lawfully 
it was argued that their sentences cannot be carried out.


After the applicants noted their application to the Constitutional Court the 
law was amended to reinstate the death penalty, but the amendment cannot apply 
retrospectively so as to validate the carrying out of the applicants' 
sentences. So the case still stands.


Everyone who is concerned about the death penalty is urged to attend the court 
hearing


The court hearing will start at 9.30 am on Wednesday 1st February, 2017 at the 
Constitutional Court - Cnr. Samora Machel Ave and Third Street, Harare.


(source: thezimbabwean.com)


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Jan. 31



BANGLADESH:

7 Murders: Nur Hossain challenges death penalty


Former ward councillor of Narayanganj City Corporation Nur Hossain yesterday 
challenged the death penalty awarded to him by a trial court in the 
seven-murder case.


SRM Lutfor Rahman Akand, a lawyer for Nur, submitted 2 separate appeals to the 
High Court, seeking his client's acquittal of the murder charge.


Citing the appeals, Lutfor told The Daily Star that his client was not present 
on the spot where the 7 people were killed in Narayanganj in April 2014.


There was no witness' statement or evidence about the presence of Nur Hossain 
at the scene of the crime, he said.


The lawyer said without considering the issue, the trial court sentenced his 
client to death in 2 cases filed in connection with the killing of 7 people -- 
Narayanganj City Corporation panel mayor Nazrul Islam, his driver and 3 
associates, and senior lawyer Chandan Sarkar and his driver.


Lutfor also said the HC might hold a hearing on the appeals.

The 7 were abducted allegedly by some Rapid Action Battalion men from 
Dhaka-Narayanganj Link Road in Siddhirganj on April 27, 2014.


Nur, who was then a ward councillor of Narayanganj city, allegedly bribed the 
Rab men to murder Nazrul with whom he reportedly had a longstanding political 
feud. Lawyer Chandan and his driver were killed as they happened to witness the 
Rab men abducting Nazrul and his associates.


The murder outraged the nation with Nazrul's father-in-law Shahidul Islam 
alleging that the Rab men had taken Tk 6 crore from Nur to kill Nazrul.


On January 16, Narayanganj District and Sessions Judge's Court found 35 people, 
including 25 former Rab men and expelled ruling AL man Nur Hossain, guilty of 
abduction and murder of 7 people and destroying evidence in April 2014.


The court handed down death penalty to 26 people, including 16 former Rab men, 
and jailed 9 other accused for various terms, from 7 to 17 years.


(source: thedailystar.net)






PHILIPPINES:

House debate on death penalty delayed as opponents block discussion


Plenary discussions on the bill for the reimposition of the death penalty will 
have to wait another day, with lawmakers opposed to the proposed legislature 
taking the floor as a "clear message" against fast-tracking its passage.


Deputy Speaker Fredenil Castro and Oriental Mindoro Rep. Rey Umali were 
supposed to deliver their sponsorship speeches at Tuesday's session for House 
Bill No. 4727, a consolidation of seven bills on capital punishment which 
passed the Umali-led justice committee last month.


However, they eventually left the floor as several lawmakers against the 
measure diverted the session - a move that eventually led to a "gentleman's 
agreement" that the sponsorship and debates for the bill will be on Wednesday 
afternoon instead. Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, a member of the House minority 
bloc, confirmed this with reporters near the end of the plenary session, which 
was adjourned 6:11 p.m.


"[O]ur only agreement is that we are going to have the death penalty bill 
sponsored and debated tomorrow," Lagman said.


Asked what made proponents of the bill agree to this, the lawmaker said it may 
be because "this debate would last until midnight."


"There are important and relevant concerns which the House would have to 
address before we tackle an important, although retrogressive, measure like the 
death penalty," he said.


"Moreover, we would like to send a clear message to the House leadership that 
they cannot fast-track the enactment of this retrogressive measure," Lagman 
added.


Lagman said the agreement may not extend to subsequent days, but noted that 
opponents will no longer deliver privilege speeches on Wednesday and let the 
debates start if there is a clear quorum.


Speeches

Tuesday's plenary session was witnessed by dozens of representatives from civil 
society groups who oppose death penalty.


The day's events on the floor began when Buhay Rep. Lito Atienza asked for a 
recount, after a quorum was declared with 224 representatives responding to the 
roll call.


Atienza, who said there were only 152 solons on the floor, asked that his 
manifestation be put on record, after the leadership refused his request for a 
recount.


As Iloilo Rep. Arthur Defensor, deputy majority leader, repeatedly moved to 
tackle bills on second reading, which included HB 4727, lawmakers opposed to 
the death penalty rose and asked to deliver privilege speeches.


Granted 5 minutes, Akbayan party-list Rep. Tom Villarin spoke for some 17 
minutes about the plight of fishermen in the tuna industry, notably those 
detained in Indonesia.


Lagman asked to interpellate Villarin, but his request was denied.

As Defensor moved again to proceed with bills on 2nd reading, Atienza took the 
podium anew, this time asking to talk about his concerns over 3 unnamed 
lawmakers found in President Rodrigo Duterte's narco-list.


The party-list 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Jan. 31



KENYA:

Nakuru cousins to hang for Sh300 robbery with violence


2 cousins who violently robbed an armed police officer of Sh300 will face the 
death penalty after the High Court dismissed their appeal.


The Magistrates' Court had sentenced Erick Njure and Patrick Muchoki to hang in 
2011 for robbery with violence. They were convicted of robbing Police Constable 
Kenneth Malakwen on October 27, 2011.


The court heard that the 2 men, armed with clubs, accosted Mr Malakwen, who was 
then attached to Parliament Police Station, on his way back to a hotel in 
Nakuru where he was spending the night.


They robbed him of Sh300 and a Ceska pistol that was loaded with 15 bullets.

The 2 were arrested a year later, on July 6, 2012, when they tried to steal 
from a shop in Karatina using the same pistol.


When the robbery failed, they hid in a house but were arrested after an 
informer tipped the police.


The court heard that the pistol serial number was circulated to police stations 
to identify who it had been assigned to.


Mr Njure, according to the testimony given in court, had told police officers 
that the firearm belonged to Mr Muchoki who had obtained it from Nakuru.


The 2 denied the charges brought against them.

Njure told the court that on the day of the 2nd robbery, he was working at the 
home of one Wangeci and that Muchoki joined him the following morning to help.


The court heard that police officers stormed their house, beat them up and took 
them to Karatina Police Station where they were allegedly compelled to sign 
some documents.


BEATEN UP

Njure's testimony was that he declined to sign and was driven to somewhere near 
a river in Sagana, where he was strangled into submission.


Muchoki said he was also beaten up until he put his signature on the papers 
given by the officers.


But Justice Jairus Ngaah found the State had proved its case against the 2 and 
that the police officer was robbed violently by the 2.


"In the complainant's case, he was attacked by a group of people who were armed 
with crude weapons; it is clear that at least 2 of the 3 strands of this 
offence, any of which is sufficient to prove it, were established. Here, I 
agree with the learned magistrate that the offence of robbery with violence was 
proved to the required standard," the judge ruled.


"Based on this doctrine of recent possession, the appellants were properly 
convicted of the offence of robbery with violence," he added.


The judge said although the pistol was recovered 8 months after the robbery, 
the 2 were unable to explain how they had acquired it.


"It followed that the burden fell upon the appellants to give a reasonable 
explanation as to how they came into possession of the gun, failure to which 
the trial court was justified in the ruling," he said.


(source: standardmedia.co.ke)






MYANMAR:

Man is sentenced to death after being caught with 2 bags of weed


A vegetable seller has been sentenced to death in Myanmar for 'trafficking' 
cannabis - after being caught with envelopes full of weed.


Nur Alam Mohd Hussain, 29, was caught with 5 pounds of weed - but claims he did 
not know what was in the bags, and thought it was stolen car parts.


Myanmar has extremely harsh drug laws - the country is the world's 2nd-largest 
producer of opium, after Afghanistan.


Judicial Commissioner Datuk Nordin Hassan said, 'The accused should have been 
able to smell the cannabis which was in large quantities. He had knowledge that 
the cannabis was for trafficking.'


He said, 'When the police raiding team surrounded him at the petrol station, he 
dropped the bag which had contained both the envelopes and ran. The accused 
said he ran because he was afraid that he was going to be caught by the police 
as the motorcycle he had ridden to the petrol station on was a stolen vehicle.'


The Straits Times reports that he was calm when his death sentence was read 
out.


High Times says that no one has been executed for drugs in the country in the 
years 2005-15, according to the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty.


(source: metro.co.uk)






JAPAN:

Victims' Families Marginalized Under Japan's Capital Punishment System


Does Japan's criminal justice system give sufficient consideration to the 
rights of the families of murder victims? A non-fiction writer who has 
interviewed numerous family members of murder victims challenges the case for 
abolishing capital punishment.


Questions of Atonement

I first began interviewing the surviving family of murder victims in the late 
1990s. Over the decades I have spoken with more than 100 people, and I have to 
the best of my ability tried to share their voices with broader society. 
However, one troubling question that has arisen in each interview is the issue 
of redemption.


It is difficult to say whether a person convicted of murder is capable of 
making amends for their crime. Even suggesting that murderers should atone for 
their 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Jan. 30



SINGAPORE:

Suspect charged with wife's murder in Woodlands


A 41-year-old man was on Monday (Jan 30) charged with the murder of his wife, 
who was found dead in a Woodlands flat on Saturday.


Singaporean Teo Ghim Heng allegedly murdered 39-year-old Choong Pei Shan 
between 8am and 11am on Jan 20 in their 6th floor flat at Blk 619, Woodlands 
Drive 52.


Channel NewsAsia understands that Teo then allegedly set Mdm Choong's body on 
fire on Saturday, the 1st day of Chinese New Year.


Speaking to Channel NewsAsia, Mdm Choong's brother, Gordon Choong, said she was 
pregnant, and was due to give birth in May. He added that Mdm Choong's family 
is still coming to terms with her death.


Teo's case will be mentioned again on Feb 6; he faces the death penalty if 
convicted of murder.


(source: channelnewsasia.com)






KUWAIT:

Kuwait executes 7 prisoners, and wants to lower the age for the death penalty


Kuwait has executed 7 prisoners - the 1st since 2013 - just days after Bahrain 
carried out its 1st executions since 2010.


The authorities in Kuwait also announced that the age of eligibility for the 
death penalty would soon be lowered to 16. This was made during a talk warning 
students about the use of social media and the internet.


"We are witnessing a disastrous resurgence in executions throughout the Gulf - 
even as the UK claims it is helping to improve human rights in the region. 
Governments with close Gulf ties - including the UK - must urgently call on 
Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to halt executions, before more lives are 
lost."Harriet McCulloch, Deputy Director of the death penalty team at 
Reprieve


The rise of executions in the Gulf

The execution of juveniles is illegal under international law. But in 2016 
Saudi Arabia executed several prisoners who were arrested as juveniles. The 
Saudi authorities executed a total of 154 prisoners last year, nearing the 
previous year's record total of 158.


At least 3 Saudis who were children when they were arrested remain at imminent 
risk of execution.


In Bahrain, there are imminent fears for 2 men who were sentenced to death 
after they were arrested in the wake of political protests and tortured into 
'confessions'.


The executions come as the UK seeks closer ties with the Gulf. During a visit 
to Bahrain last month, Prime Minister Theresa May told Gulf leaders: "We in the 
UK are determined to continue to be your partner of choice as you embed 
international norms and see through the reforms which are so essential for all 
of your people."


Reprieve has urged the UK, and other governments, to intervene to prevent 
Kuwait from sentencing juveniles to death; and to take action to stop further 
executions in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.


(source: reprieve.org.uk)






IRANjuvenile executions

2 Juvenile Prisoners Executed


2 juvenile offenders were executed in Kerman (southeastern Iran) and Tabriz 
(northwestern Iran) prisons. This is in addition to the more than 70 people who 
have been executed since the beginning of 2017. Iran Human Rights calls for 
international reactions to the wave of executions and in particular juvenile 
executions in Iran.


"We want abolition of the death penalty, and as a first step abolition of the 
death penalty for all offences committed while under age of 18. We are calling 
on the international community, especially the United Nations and the European 
Union, to place abolition of the death penalty, in particilar the death penalty 
for juveniles, at the top of their talks with the Iranian authorities," says 
Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, spokesperson of Iran Human Rights.


The Iranian authorities lead the world in the most executions of minors, 
despite the revisions made to the Islamic Penal Code and that child executions 
violate Iran's international obligations.


Arman Bahr Asemani - Convicted of murder at age 16

Iran Human Rights has received confirmation on the execution of a a juvenile 
prisoner who was convicted of murder at the age of 16.


"Arman Bahr Asemani, born February 10, 1997, convicted in November 2012 of 
murdering his cousin, was hanged on Sunday January 15, 2017 at Kerman's Shahab 
Prison," a close source tells Iran Human Rights.


"Bahr Asemani, who was 20 years old at the time of his execution, had also been 
condemned to 74 lashings on the charge of consumption of alcohol. Hs lawyer had 
attempted to argue that if [Arman] was drunk, then he should not have been 
charged with first degree murder, but the lawyer never got anywhere," says the 
close source.


Iranian official sources had announced an execution at Shahab Prison of a 
23-year-old prisoner charged with murder; however, there was no mention of Bahr 
Asemani's execution.


Hassan Hassanzadeh - Convicted of murder at age 15

The human rights news agency HRANA reports on the execution of a juvenile 
prisoner at Tabriz Prison on Wednesday January 18. The prisoner, identified as 
Hassan Hassanzadeh, 

[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Jan. 29




KUWAIT:

Kuwait rejects criticism of execution of 7 convictsKuwait insisted 
executions are being carried out 'after exhausting all levels of litigation'



Kuwait has rejected criticism of its decision to go ahead with the execution of 
seven convicts, insisting that all legal avenues had been exhausted.


Human Rights Watch said that hanging seven people by Kuwait was part of a 
worrying regional rise in use of the death penalty.


However, Kuwait dismissed the criticism and said that the "carrying out of the 
death sentences against the 7 individuals convicted of murder was according to 
the provisions of the Kuwaiti Penal Code."


"The death penalty verdicts pronounced by the courts were in cases of 
premeditated murders and the punishment was carried out after exhausting all 
levels of litigation," Ghanim Al Ghanim, assistant foreign minister for legal 
affairs, said in a statement carried by Kuwait News Agency (Kuna) on Friday.


"The verdicts were based on indisputable evidence the convicts committed the 
crimes as charged. The evidence included testimonies from witnesses and 
confessions by the accused of committing the grave crimes."


Al Ghanim said the verdicts were pronounced following fair and public trials 
"in which all the guarantees stipulated by the Kuwaiti law were provided and 
lawyers assumed the task of defending their clients."


"The verdicts were upheld by the Cassation Court, the country's highest court, 
and became res judicata that could not be challenged. By carrying out the court 
verdicts, Kuwait did not violate any of the covenants it had ratified, in 
particular the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the 
Arab Charter for Human Rights, or international norms or the GCC Declaration of 
Human Rights," Al Ghanim said.


The Kuwaiti official said that his country's national laws provided multiple 
safeguards in the case of the death penalty.


"This is very clear in the fact that such verdicts are pronounced by a high 
independent and neutral judiciary in public trials where the accused are 
defended by their lawyers," he said.


Kuwait on Wednesday executed 7 individuals, 4 men and 3 women, in the Central 
Prison.


The convicts, 2 Kuwaitis (Shaikh Faisal Al Abdullah Al Sabah and Nasra Al 
Enezi), 2 Egyptians, a Bangladeshi, a Filipina, and an Ethiopian, were found 
guilty in cases of premediated murder, rape or theft and were hanged in 
application of the verdicts pronounced by lower courts and upheld by the Court 
of Appeals and the Court of Cassation and endorsed by the Emir.


(source: Gulf News)






PAKISTAN:

Hanging the mentally ill


EXECUTING mentally ill prisoners who cannot even comprehend the nature of their 
punishment is inhumane. That the death penalty violates human dignity, 
international law and medical standards, was raised in a letter reecntly by 17 
Pakistani psychiatrists. Written in response to black warrants issued to 
mentally ill prisoners in Punjab, they noted that mentally ill convicts can't 
defend themselves and are unaware of their actions. The poor medical knowledge 
demonstrated by the courts, given the frequency with which black warrants for 
mentally ill prisoners have been issued of late is of concern. Consider this: 
despite the case of mentally ill prisoner Imdad Ali pending with the Supreme 
Court, a lower court issued yet another black warrant in January for Khizar 
Hayat who is also mentally ill. Executing unfit prisoners rather than treating 
them not only sets a dangerous precedent, it also defeats the purpose of 
criminal justice. When Hayat was served with his third death warrant in 
January, medical evidence was not considered. Despite his counsel filing an 
application in the Lahore High Court to stay the execution, the prison 
authorities approached the sessions court for the warrant. Given that the case 
is under review at the National Commission for Human Rights, issuing a black 
warrant perverts the course of justice. Moreover, the psychiatrist involved 
says Hayat requires specialised healthcare and that a forensic psychiatric 
institution would best serve prisoners like him.


Last year, the Supreme Court ruled that schizophrenia is a 'recoverable' 
disease, clearing the path to execute Ali who is certified by doctors as 
schizophrenic - a ruling that was later stayed. At the time, Ali's medical 
reports presented as evidence were dismissed by the court. Most importantly, 
these cases make it imperative to improve the workings of the Punjab Mental 
Health Authority ensuring that the mentally ill are treated rather than given 
the death penalty - an irrevocable form of punishment this paper does not 
endorse.


(source: Editorial, Dawn)






TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

Prescott: Killers should be hanged for certain murders


Senior Counsel Elton Prescott, who once chaired a Commission of Enquiry into 
the death penalty, believes that convicted killers should be hanged as 
punishment for