[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Jan. 27


BELARUS:

Belarusian human rights activists to fight against death penalty


A campaign "Human Rights Activists against Death Penalty" has started in
Belarus. The aim of the campaign is abolition of capital punishment and
Belaruss joining the European values.

Representatives of the human rights community of the country have prepared
a petition, signed by famous Belarusian public figures and common
Belarusians, which will be handed to the authorities.

"It is horrible that death penalties are executed. It is demonstrates
brutality of the Belarusian repressive system, including courts,
procuracy, and penal facilities. In my view, Belarus continue holding onto
the Soviet past, where capital punishment was common," said Ales
Byalyatski, human rights activist and vice president of the International
Federation of Human Rights.

Belarus is signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights, which doesnt provide compulsory abolition of capital punishment,
but refers countries to restriction and abolition of death penalty. But
the Republic of Belarus hasn't joint the Second Optional Protocol to the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Right (adopted by the UN
General Assembly December 15, 1989), aimed at capital punishment
abolition. States, which signed this Protocol, must abolish this type of
pounishment.

At the moment, Belarus is the only country in Europe, where death
penalties are executed. After Uzbekistan abolished capital punishment on
January 1, 2008, our country remains the only post-Soviet state, using
this type of punishment.

(source: Charter 97)






UGANDA:

Look at death penalty afreash, court tells MPs


The Supreme Court that last week upheld the death penalty is asking
Parliament to review the capital punishment since no condemned prisoner
has been executed in a decade.

Led by Chief Justice Benjamin Odoki, the seven judges ruled last Tuesday
that courts cannot hijack the role of the legislature to "abrogate a
substantive provision of the Constitution by a process of interpreting
oneprovision against another."

"This is the work of the legislature. We wish to urge that the Legislature
should re-open debate on the desirability of the death penalty in our
Constitution?"

This advice, which is non-binding, means the fate of the 418 death row
inmates, who unsuccessfully petitioned court to expunge the punishment of
death sentence, could now be decided by the vote of MPs.

The judges said, "there is nothing to stop Uganda from introducing
legislation to amend the Constitution and abolish the death sentence."

The justices also said an infinite delay by the President to pardon or
vary sentences for condemned prisoners is "unreasonable."

But Mr Peter Walubiri, a constitutional lawyer, said it was odd that the
judges, who pointed out the conflict between Articles 21 and 44 of the
Constitution in regard to the sanctity of life, could not quash the death
penalty, which is "cruel, inhuman and degrading."

(source: The Citizen)






TURKEY/SAUDI ARABIA:

Turkish barber returns home after death penalty pardon


Sabri Bogday, a Turkish barber who was sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia
for swearing at God and his Prophet but was later pardoned, returned to
Turkey on Tuesday morning.

Bogday, 30, was welcomed at Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport by
his wife, Muazzez, two year old son, Suleyman, and mother, Hadra.

Bogday's sentence was overturned after he repented and asked God for
forgiveness.

(source: hurriyet.com)