[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----URGENT ACTION----TEXAS
Urgent Action TEXAS EXECUTION SET FOR SHOOTINGS AT AGE 18 Clinton Young is due to be executed in Texas on 26 October. He was convicted of capital murder in 2003 in relation to two fatal shootings which occurred over the course of two days in November 2001. He was 18 at the time of the crimes. He maintains his innocence. Write a letter, send an email, call, fax or tweet and reference inmate #999447: * Calling for clemency to be granted to Clinton Young and for his death sentence to be commuted; * Noting continuing doubts about the reliability of his capital conviction and basis for his death sentence; * Pointing out that Clinton Young was only 18 years old at the time of the shootings Friendly reminder: If you send an email, please create your own instead of forwarding this one! Contact these two officials by 26 October, 2017: Clemency Section, Board of Pardons and Paroles 8610 Shoal Creek Blvd., Austin, Texas 78757-6814, USA Fax: +1 512 467 0945 Email: bpp-...@tdcj.state.tx.us Salutation: Dear Board members Governor Greg Abbott Office of the Governor, P.O. Box 12428 Austin, Texas 78711-2428, USA Contact form: https://gov.texas.gov/apps/contact/opinion.aspx Phone: 512-475-2615 Fax: +1 512-463-1832 Salutation: Dear Governor ___ A service courtesy of Washburn University School of Law www.washburnlaw.edu DeathPenalty mailing list DeathPenalty@lists.washlaw.edu http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/listinfo/deathpenalty Unsubscribe: http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/options/deathpenalty
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----NORTH CAROLINA
Oct. 2 NORTH CAROLINA: Death penalty trial starts Monday in Greensboro A Greensboro man fought for his life and survived a mortar attack in Iraq only to die 9 years later after being set on fire in a hotel room. Now another Greensboro man, 29-year-old Garry Joseph Gupton, faces the death penalty in that killing. Gupton, a former Greensboro Water Resource Department employee, is charged with 1st-degree murder in the death of 46-year-old Stephen Patrick White. His trial started Sunday. Greensboro police said they believe Gupton beat White before setting him on fire in Room 417 of the Battleground Inn at 1517 Westover Terrace in Greensboro. Police and firefighters found White at 4:32 a.m. Nov. 9, 2014, after a report of a man on fire on the 4th floor of the hotel. They found an unconscious White severely burned, suffering from smoke inhalation and injuries consistent with an assault. Doctors had to amputate both of his arms and an autopsy shows he suffered burns on more than 1/2 his body. He died 6 days after the assault at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. In May 2016, Assistant District Attorney Robert Enochs announced he would seek the death penalty against Gupton because his alleged actions were especially heinous, atrocious and cruel; that the killing was committed during the secondary crime of arson and that it was committed at a great risk of death to other people in the hotel. White served in the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg and the Joint Security Force in Korea. He also worked for the U.S. Border Patrol, Federal Air Marshal Service and Blackwater Security, according to his obituary. Friends and family remembered White as a wonderful person, with a strong work ethic, kind soul, caring heart and warm personality, according to an online memorial page. His family declined an interview ahead of the trial. Gupton has remained in the Guilford County jail since his arrest in November 2014. On Wednesday, Gupton's attorneys Ames Chamberlin and Wayne Baucino said they plan to admit guilt on Gupton's behalf to some of the charges. However, the attorneys said their client will plead not guilty by reason of insanity. Guilford County Chief Assistant District Attorney Howard Neumann said prosecutors have had to wait until this week to bring Gupton to trial because he was undergoing testing for his insanity plea. Neumann said Gupton was determined to be competent to stand trial. If convicted, he would be the 1st person from Guilford County since 2011 sent to death row. There are 145 people on death row in North Carolina. The Guilford County Clerk of Courts office anticipates at least 180 residents to appear in court today for jury selection. Court officials anticipate that jury selection will take at least a week in what is expected to be a 3- to 5-week trial. The attorneys and the judge have concerns about making sure they select a fair and impartial jury because of some of the topics that will come up in evidence. One of the main concerns is that White and Gupton met the night of the attack at the Chemistry Nightclub, a gay bar and lounge in Greensboro. "I think that someone who believes that all homosexuals are sinners and should be sent off somewhere can't be fair and impartial," Baucino told Superior Court Judge Michael Duncan during last week's hearing. Baucino and Chamberlin compiled a questionnaire to gauge jurors??? feelings about mental health issues, homosexuality and the death sentence. Potential jurors will fill out the questionnaire before being divided into groups to be brought into the courtroom for questioning. The questioning will help determine if the jurors can be fair and impartial to both the defendant and the victim. (source: Greensboro News & Record) ___ A service courtesy of Washburn University School of Law www.washburnlaw.edu DeathPenalty mailing list DeathPenalty@lists.washlaw.edu http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/listinfo/deathpenalty Unsubscribe: http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/options/deathpenalty
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, GA., FLA., ALA., OHIO
Oct. 3 TEXASimpending executions 2 Texas inmates set to die this month lose at Supreme Court The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused appeals from 2 convicted killers facing execution in Texas this month, including 1 inmate set to die next week. The high court, without comment, declined to review appeals from death row inmates Robert Pruett and Anthony Shore. Pruett, 38, is set to die Oct. 12 for the fatal 1999 stabbing of a corrections officer at a South Texas prison where he already was serving a 99-year sentence for his involvement in another killing. Shore, 55, is scheduled for lethal injection Oct. 18 for the 1992 slaying of a 21-year-old woman in Houston. Pruett's attorneys have long questioned the evidence in his case. They have sought additional DNA testing of evidence used to convict him of the December 1999 killing of Daniel Nagle, a 37-year-old officer at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's McConnell Unit near Beeville, about 85 miles southeast of San Antonio. Pruett was serving 99 years for murder at the prison for participating with his father and a brother in a neighbor's slaying. Evidence showed the killing of the corrections officer stemmed from a dispute over a peanut butter sandwich that Pruett wanted to take into a prison recreation yard in violation of rules. Pruett testified at his 2002 trial in Corpus Christi that he was innocent in Nagle's death. His attorney, David Dow, a law professor at the University of Houston, did not immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment Monday. In 2015, Pruett came within hours of execution before his punishment was stopped by a state judge. Shore, who confessed to killing the 21-year-old woman, 2 teenage girls and a 9-year-old girl, is known in Houston as the "Tourniquet Killer" because his victims were tortured and strangled with handmade tourniquets. The slayings connected to Shore went unsolved for years until DNA evidence linked him to the sexual assault of 2 relatives who were juveniles. He subsequently confessed to the killings and was convicted in 2004 in the slaying of 21-year-old Maria del Carmen Estrada. Her body was found in 1992 in the drive-thru lane of a Dairy Queen. Shore's lawyer, Knox Nunnally, had hoped his client's death sentence could be reduced to life in prison. He has said Shore suffered from traumatic brain injury. Nunnally didn't immediately respond to a call for comment on the Supreme Court ruling. The justices on Monday also refused the appeals of 3 other Texas death row inmates: Kwame Rockwell of Fort Worth; Jaime Cole, from Ecuador and convicted in Houston; and Garcia White of Houston. None of them has an execution date. Rockwell, 41, received a death sentence for the 2010 killing of 22-year-old Fort Worth convenience store clerk Daniel Rojas during a robbery. A bread deliveryman also was killed in the holdup. Cole, 47, was sent to death row for the fatal 2010 shootings of his estranged wife, Melissa Cole, 31, and her 15-year-old daughter, Alecia Castillo, at their apartment in Houston. White, 54, was convicted in the fatal stabbings of twin 16-year-old sisters, Annette and Bernette Edwards, in 1989 in Houston. He was charged but not tried for killing their mother, and was linked to 2 other slayings. (source: Associated Press) U.S. Supreme Court denies Houston serial killer's appeal, execution date set The U.S. Supreme Court slapped down a Houston serial killer's bid for life Monday, propelling "Tourniquet Killer" Anthony Shore 1 step closer to his Oct. 18 date with death. Now, the 55-year-old murderer's hope hangs on last-ditch efforts in the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. "We are disappointed," said Knox Nunnally, the Houston attorney representing Shore through the federal appeals process. Currently the only Houston killer with a scheduled execution date, Shore was convicted of 1 count of capital murder in 2004 - even after he confessed to 3 others. His brutal killing streak started at least as far back as 1986, when he slaughtered 14-year-old Laurie Tremblay. 6 years later, he raped and murdered 21-year-old Maria del Carmen Estrada then ditched her naked body outside a Spring Branch Dairy Queen. In 1994, he killed his youngest victim, 9-year-old Diana Rebollar. A year later, he murdered 16-year-old Dana Sanchez, who disappeared while hitchhiking to her boyfriend's house in north Houston. But the cases turned cold and the crimes went unsolved for nearly 2 decades, until Shore was arrested for molesting family members. As a convicted sex offender, the former telephone technician's DNA went on file and eventually investigators matched it to the Estrada case. When police confronted him, he calmly confessed to Estrada's brutal murder along with the 3 others. After he was convicted the following year, he stunned onlookers in court by asking for the death
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Oct. 1 MALAYSIA: The 2 women 'pawns' facing death penalty over assassination of Kim Jong-un's brother 2 young Asian women are expected to plead not guilty to one of the most audacious crimes of the year on Monday, when they stand trial in a Malaysian court for the murder of the half-brother of North Korea's despotic young leader. Indonesian Siti Aisyah, 25, and Doan Thi Huong, 28, from Vietnam are charged with murdering Kim Jong-nam, 45, at Kuala Lumpur airport on February 13 by smearing his face with VX, a chemical weapon the United Nations has described as a weapon of mass destruction. The pair have claimed from the start that they did not know they were taking part in the international assassination of dictator Kim Jong-un's estranged relative, and believed they were taking part in a TV prank show. They face the death penalty if convicted. (source: telegraph.co.uk) ** Online outrage over death of navy sailors The death of 2 Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) personnel while in the detention unit at Sungai Wangi, Sitiawan in Perak on Friday has sparked widespread outrage with people calling for justice for the duo. Netizens who took to social media to comment on the incident said those responsible should be made to pay for loss of lives of the 2 navy men. "Punish the murderers accordingly and set it as an example for all to observe and obey the law as well as to respect others," said Weng Kit, who posted a comment on the New Straits Times Facebook page. Ahmad Tejuddin Abdul Majeed wrote: "The medical report is final. Any suspected foul play must be investigated and if found to be any acts of brutality, all those involved in at the detention unit must be charged in court. Romuald Nonis said: "They had families and could anyone do such things to these guys? Get the culprits and send them to the gallows. My deepest condolences to their families and friends." Meanwhile, Maurice Ryan Downs said: "It sounded very weird to me when 2 individuals died at the same time at the same place for seemingly the same reason." Laura Wong said: "Angry that the thoughtless and cruel acts or some people caused the death of two young and able men. I feel sad for them and their parents. May they rest in peace." Another said: "These are the people trained to protect the country and its citizens, but instead they were tortured by own countrymen." Some of the netizens also questioned the standard operating procedures at the detention unit and called for a review to the existing procedures. "Must it torture to toughen a man? Is it an accepted practice in the whole world to heightened one's endurance level," said Klissa Siti. Earlier yesterday, RMN had confirmed that the 2 died while at the detention unit on Friday. According to the statement, the 2 appeared to be exhausted and were vomiting and having breathing difficulties after undergoing physical training according to the (SOP). The duo then were then given treatment by staff at the unit but were pronounced dead by the paramedics at 3.15pm. However, post mortem from the Pathology Department of the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital revealed that the 2 sailors- Nik Muhammad Baihaqy Nik Mat, 28, and Muhammad Lailatulman Mohd Sukri, 26, died due to bleeding on the lungs and blunt trauma on soft tissue. This morning, 3 RMN personnel, who were on duty on the day of the incident, were remanded for 7 days today to assist in an investigation. Magistrate Nur Shaqira Ibrahim granted a 7-day remand request on the 3 personnel, aged between 29 and 44, starting from today until Oct 7. The case is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which carries the death penalty upon conviction. (source: nst.com.my) BARBADOS: Pressure is on to end death penaltyGovernment is facing an international campaign intended to pressure Barbados into abandoning the death penaltyRelated articles 3 human rights organisations, the Advocates for Human Rights (The Advocates), the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty (World Coalition), and the Greater Caribbean for Life (GCL), have submitted a "joint stakeholder report" to the United Nations' (UN) Human Rights Council calling for Barbados to abolish the death penalty and replace it with "human-rights centred legislation". The trio, based in the United States, France, and Trinidad and Tobago respectively, also recommended that "current death sentences should be commuted". The Sunday Sun learnt that their recommendations were included in a report sent to the UN body ahead of Barbados' next Universal Periodic Review (UPR) due in January. (source: Nation News) CAYMAN ISLANDS/JAMAICA: Suspected Jamaican killer fights deportation A Jamaican national who is currently being held on remand at HMP Northward, having been charged with illegal landing, is fighting deportation to his native country over fears he
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----GA., OHIO, ARK., IDAHO, NEV., WASH., USA
Oct. 1 GEORGIA: 5 things to know about high court's stunning stay of execution The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday evening issued an extraordinary stay of execution more than 3 hours after condemned killer Keith Tharpe had been scheduled to be put to death by lethal injection. Tharpe, 59, had already eaten what was supposed to be his last meal and had recorded a final statement. Here are 5 things you should know about this unusual case. 1. The crime: After his wife left him in 1990, Tharpe made repeated threats of violence. This led to Tharpe's being ordered not to have any contact with his wife or her family. On the morning of Sept. 25, 1990, Tharpe intercepted his wife and her sister, Jacquelyn Freeman, as they headed to work in Macon. Tharpe, driving a pickup truck, blocked their car on a roadway in Jones County. Apparently on drugs and armed with a shotgun, Tharpe ordered Freeman out of the car and shot her multiple times, killing her. He drove off with his wife, parked on the side of a road and raped her, court records say. He then drove her to Macon and told her to take money out of her credit union account. Instead, she called police. 2. The trial and a juror: Tharpe went to trial a little more than 3 months after his arrest - a short span of time unheard of today for a defendant facing a capital prosecution. After finding Tharpe guilty of murder and kidnapping, the jury sentenced him to death on Jan. 10, 1991. 7 years later, Tharpe's lawyers interviewed Barney Gattie, 1 of the jurors. Gattie soon signed a sworn statement, in which he said, "After studying the Bible, I have wondered if black people even have souls." Freeman, the murder victim, came from a family of "nice black folks, " Gattie said. "If they had been the type Tharpe is, then picking between life and death for Tharpe wouldn't have mattered so much. My feeling is, what would be the difference?" Gattie, who is now deceased, also used a racial slur referring to Tharpe, the affidavit said. Soon after Gattie made those incendiary statements, he recanted them. "I believe Keith Tharpe was a cold, calculated murderer," Gattie said in a newly signed, second affidavit prepared by state attorneys. "I did not vote to impose the death penalty because he was a black man." Gattie said he had been drinking beer and whiskey the day he signed his first affidavit, and many statements "were taken out of context and simply not accurate." But members of Tharpe's legal team who obtained Gattie's initial statement countered with their own sworn affidavits. Gattie did not appear to be impaired and was alert and animated, attorney Laura Berg wrote. And, Berg said, as they slowly read Gattie's back statement to him, he said, "That's right" and "I'm sticking to my story." 3. Judges begin to take notice: As Tharpe's latest appeals made their way through the state and federal courts this year, a number of jurists expressed alarm at the juror bias claim. When a 3-judge panel of the federal appeals court in Atlanta recently said it would not consider Tharpe's appeal, Judge Charles Wilson wrote, however, that Tharpe had "made a substantial showing of the denial of a constitutional right." Days later, the Georgia Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision, also declined to hear Tharpe's appeal. It was not surprising that Justices Carol Hunstein and Robert Benham, 2 of the court's more liberal members, were among those who disagreed with the majority's vote to allow Tharpe's execution to proceed. But it was noteworthy that Hunstein and Benham were joined in dissent by Harold Melton, 1 of the court's more conservative justices. 4. The Supreme Court halts the execution: Chief Justice John Roberts, a reliably conservative vote, joined justices Anthony Kennedy, Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan in granting Tharpe a temporary stay of execution. Their decision said the stay "shall terminate automatically" if the court decides not to hear Tharpe's appeal. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch dissented. 5. What happens next: The high court has 3 options: the justices can decide not to hear the appeal, meaning the execution would be rescheduled; they can agree to hear the case, which would likely require legal briefs to be filed and oral arguments; or they could send the case back to the lower courts with instructions on how to proceed next. (source: ajc.com) OHIO: Federal judge denies requests to halt 2 Ohio executions A federal judge has rejected requests from 2 condemned Ohio inmates to put a temporary stop to their upcoming executions. Lawyers for both inmates argue the 1st drug in Ohio's lethal injection process creates the risk that prisoners being put to death will suffer serious pain. Federal judge Michael Merz ruled in August that current court decisions have upheld the use of the drug, the sedative midazolam, in
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Oct. 3 SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Arabia Death toll reaches 100 as authorities carry out execution spree The Saudi Arabian authorities executed a man today, bringing the total number of people put to death so far in 2017 to 100, with 60 people executed in the past 3 months alone, said Amnesty International. "Since July 2017, the Saudi Arabian government has been on an execution spree with an average of 5 people put to death per week. This sets the country firmly on track to remain one of the most prolific executioners on the planet," said Lynn Maalouf, Director of Research for Amnesty International in the Middle-East. "If the Saudi authorities are truly intent on making reforms, they must immediately establish an official moratorium on executions as a first step towards abolishing the death penalty completely." 40 % of the executions carried out so far this year were related to drug-related offences, which do not fall into the category of "most serious crimes". The use of the death penalty for such offences violates international human rights law. Unfair trials Many people in Saudi Arabia sentenced to death and executed are charged guilty following seriously flawed court proceedings that routinely fall far short of international fair trial standards. They are often convicted solely on the basis of "confessions" obtained under torture and other ill-treatment, denied legal representation in trials which are held in secret, and are not kept informed of the progress of the legal proceedings in their case. For example, on 13 September Said al-Sai'ari was executed in the city of Najran, in the southwest of Saudi Arabia. He was found guilty of the murder of another Saudi Arabian man, by the same court that concluded that there was not enough evidence to convict him. "Said al-Sai'ari was put to death in spite of the lack of evidence against him. This just shows how facile it is for the Saudi Arabian authorities to resort to this inhumane, and more crucially, irreversible punishment," said Lynn Maalouf. Death penalty as a tool to crush dissent "The Saudi authorities have been using the death penalty as a tool to crush dissent and rein in minorities with callous disregard for human life. They should immediately quash these sentences and ensure that all trials meet international fair trial standards without recourse to the death penalty" said Lynn Maalouf. At least 33 members of Saudi Arabia's Shi'a Muslim community currently face the death penalty. All were accused of activities deemed a risk to national security. Among them are Ali al-Nimr, Abdullah al-Zaher, Dawood al-Marhoon who were arrested for alleged offences committed when they were under 18 and who said that they were tortured in order to make them "confess". Last month the family of another young man Abdulkareem al-Hawaj were informed by court officials that the Supreme Court had upheld his death sentence for offences related to his involvement in anti-government protests. Al-Hawaj was only 16 when he took part in the protests; he has exhausted all his appeals and can be executed as soon as the King ratifies his sentence. They are all at imminent risk of execution. On 11 July, Yusuf al-Mushaikhass along with 3 other Shi'a men were executed in the country's Eastern Province of Qatif for terror-related offences in connection with their participation in anti-government protests between 2011 and 2012. He was convicted following a grossly unfair trial which hinged largely on a "confession" obtained through torture. The families of the 14 Shi'a men accused of protest-related crimes and whose death sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court on 24 July live in the fear of receiving at any time the horrific news of the execution of their relatives. Background Saudi Arabia uses the death penalty for a wide range of offences that are not accepted as the "most serious crimes" under international human rights law, which are limited to crimes involving intentional killings. Saudi Arabia is one of the top executioners in the world, with more than 2,000 people executed between 1985 and 2016. 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 execution. (source: Amnesty International) MALAYSIA: Entertainment centre operator, Thai woman charged with drug trafficking An entertainment centre operator and a Thai woman were jointly charged at the magistrate's court here today for drug trafficking and the possession of contraband cigarettes and alcoholic drinks. For the 1st count, T. Kartik, 26, and Jutamas Pattarapanichkul, 27 were charged with trafficking 448.98 grammes of heroin and monoacetylmorphine at a house at Lot 585, Jalan Damai 1, Taman Damai, Padang Serai on Sept 20 at 2pm.
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Oct. 2 SAUDI ARABIAexecutions Pakistani 'drug trafficker' among 6 beheaded in Saudi Arabia The Saudi Arabia government on Monday executed 6 people, including a Pakistani citizen, convicted of drug trafficking and homicide, the highest number of executions in a single day this year. The Pakistani man was beheaded for drug trafficking and 5 Saudi nationals for homicide, the interior ministry said. Monday's executions bring to 44 the number of convicts put to death this year, according to an AFP tally of government statements. The oil-rich kingdom has one of the world's highest rates of execution, with suspects convicted of terrorism, homicide, rape, armed robbery and drug trafficking facing the death penalty. The country reported 153 people executed last year, a number confirmed by London-based rights group Amnesty International. (source: Pakistan Today) IRANexecutions Three Executions On Murder Charges 2 prisoners were executed, 1 at Kerman prison and another at Tabriz Central Prison. The total number of the executions in Urmia on Tuesday has increased to 2. Execution of Prisoner in Kerman According to a report by ISNA and the deputy of Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office for Central Kerman Province, a prisoner who was charged with murder was hanged at Kerman prison. According to the same source, the prisoner, identified as Gh.N., murdered his brother-in-law with a knife in a quarrel on April 3, 2013. "The victim, Ahadi, was a close relative of the murderer's and there was no intention of murder. But it all happened extremely fast," Amine Salari explained. The official sources that reported the execution of this prisoner didn't mention the exact date of it, however, it appears that the execution was carried out on Thursday September 28. Execution of Prisoner in Tabriz According to a report by HRANA, a prisoner was executed at Tabriz Central Prison on murder charges. The prisoner, identified as Ahad Pourtaghi, was executed on Thursday September 21. Mr. Pourtaghi had been in prison since 2012 on the charge of murdering his wife. He was tried in a court and his death sentence was issued. Execution of Prisoner in Urmia According to a close source, a prisoner, named Moslem Tamrkhani from ward 2 of mental ward, was executed at Urmia Central Prison on Tuesday 26. Moslem Tamrkhani was sentenced to death on murder charges. Previously, Iran Human Rights (IHR) had reported about the execution of a prisoner named Javad Khayyeri at Urmia Central Prison on Tuesday. This brings the total number of the executions on Tuesday to 2. The 2 prisoners were transferred to solitary confinement in a group of 4 on Monday September 25. The other 2 prisoners returned to their cells after either winning the consent of the plaintiff or asking for time. The executions in Tabriz and Urmia have not been announced by the state-run media so far. According to Iran Human Rights annual report on the death penalty, 142 of the 530 execution sentences in 2016 were implemented due to murder charges. There is a lack of a classification of murder by degree in Iran which results in issuing death sentence for any kind of murder regardless of intensity and intent. (source: Iran Human Rights) VIETNAM: In Vietnam, corruption can mean death. But so what? Unless the day-to-day corruption that affects the masses is rooted out, any anti-graft drive would be just cosmetic, analysts say. Mac Thi Hao seems unperturbed by the news coverage of Vietnam's corruption crackdown blaring from screens all around her. A retired accountant in Hanoi, Hao has a much more pragmatic, no-nonsense stance on what corruption means to her. "I just don't care about a bigwig being punished," Hao told VnExpress International. "I know there is an ongoing crackdown on corruption, but that really has nothing to do with me," she said. "Whenever I think of corruption, I always recall the bribes I had to pay for my children's school admissions or for better hospital services. To me, that's the corruption that affects my life the most." Hao's account offers a small glimpse into what most Vietnamese people make of corruption and what it means to them. It was revealed against the backdrop of Vietnam's sweeping corruption crackdown that has grabbed both international and local headlines. Just last Friday in Hanoi, a former chairman of the state energy giant PetroVietnam was sentenced to death and a former CEO of a scandal-hit bank got a life sentence in what has been considered the biggest fraud trial in Vietnam's history. The OceanBank trial, as referred to by local media, also saw a slew of officials and bankers receive jail terms of up to 22 years. Given that Vietnam's top echelons have repeatedly tried to assuage people's fears of rampant graft, the sentences apparently exhibit the political will to repair shattered public confidence. In late
