[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Oct. 24



GLOBAL:

BIANCA JAGGER CALLS FOR GLOBAL ABOLITION OF THE DEATH PENALTY


Bianca Jagger, the Council of Europe Goodwill Ambassador for the Fight
against the Death Penalty, supported the decision of the Council of Europe
to declare the 10th of October European Day against the Death Penalty.

"If today Europe is a death penalty free zone, it is largely thanks to the
arduous efforts of the Council of Europe. In early 1980, the Council of
Europe became a pioneer for the abolition of capital punishment; it
regarded the death penalty a grave violation of human rights.

"The Organisation's Parliamentary Assembly gradually persuaded governments
to make Europe become the 1st region in the world to permanently outlaw
the death penalty and in 1982 the Council of Europe adopted Protocol No. 6
to the European Convention on Human Rights.

"It came into force on 1 March 1985 and became the first legally-binding
instrument abolishing the death penalty in peacetime. The Protocol has
been ratified by 46 of the Councils 47 member states, with one exception
Russia ," said Ms Jagger.

Since Protocol No. 6 didn't exclude the death penalty in respect of acts
committed in time of war or of imminent threat of war, the Council of
Europe made the final step in order to abolish the death penalty in all
circumstances by adopting Protocol No.13, which entered into force on 1
July 2003.

So far Protocol No. 13 has been ratified by 39 countries. Ms Jagger
welcomed France's decision to ratify this important instrument in
Strasbourg on 10 October 2007.

Nominated Council of Europe Goodwill Ambassador in December 2003, Ms
Jagger has campaigned against the death penalty throughout the world.

"I call on all European countries which have not yet ratify Protocol No.
13 to do so and help pave the way to a global abolition of the death
penalty," she said.

"Our role is to convince countries throughout the world to follow the
European model, outlaw the death penalty and make abolition a universally
accepted value. Governments cannot ignore that it is impossible to ensure
that innocent people are not executed; since the reinstatement of the
death penalty in the US , 124 people have been released from death row
after having been wrongfully convicted.

"Capital punishment does not deter crime, it is disproportionately used
against the poor, minorities and political opponents", said Bianca Jagger.

(source: MaximsNewsNetwork)






INDONESIA:

Melbourne man facing death penalty in Bali


A 50-year-old Melbourne man is facing the death penalty in Indonesia after
being charged in a Bali court with intending to sell marijuana and
hashish.

Barry Wilfred Hess was arrested at his Kuta home in August.

Hess comes from Melbourne, but in recent years he has called Kuta on the
Indonesian island of Bali his home.

It was there he was arrested in August for allegedly possessing 3 packets
of marijuana weighing 2.7 grams, and 2 packets of hashish weighing 14.4
grams.

Originally he was charged with drug possession, which carries a maximum
penalty of 10 years in jail.

But today at his 1st court appearance the 50-year-old learnt he was also
charged with possessing drugs with an intention to sell - an offence which
in Indonesia can be punished by the death penalty.

(source: ABC News)