[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Nov. 28


NIGERIA:

Father appeals against death penalty for 14-year-old Nigerian girl accused of 
killing husband


The father of a 14-year-old child bride accused of murdering her husband said 
Thursday he was appealing to a Nigerian court to spare his daughter the death 
sentence.

Wasilat Tasi'u is on trial for the murder of her 35-year-old husband, Umar 
Sani, who died after eating food that Tasi'u allegedly laced with rat poison.

"We are appealing to the judge to consider Wasilat's plea," her father, Isyaku 
Tasi'u, told The Associated Press on Thursday.

On Wednesday witnesses told the High Court in Gezawa, a town 60 miles outside 
Nigeria's 2nd largest city of Kano, that Tasi'u killed her husband 2 weeks 
after their wedding in April. Three others allegedly died after eating the 
poisoned meal.

The prosecution, led by Lamido Soron-Dinki, senior state council from the Kano 
State Ministry of Justice, is seeking the death penalty.

The case calls into question the legality of trying a 14-year-old for murder 
under criminal law and the rights of child brides, who are common in the 
poverty-stricken, predominantly Muslim northern Nigeria region.

"She was married to a man that she didn't love. She protested but her parents 
forced her to marry him," Zubeida Nagee, a women's rights activist in Kano, 
told AP. Nagee and other activists have written a letter of protest to the Kano 
state deputy governor.

Nagee said Tasi'u was a victim of systematic abuse endured by millions of girls 
in the region. Activists say the blend of traditional customs, Islamic law and 
Nigeria's constitutional law poses a challenge when advocating for the rights 
of young girls in Nigeria.

Justice Mohammed Yahaya adjourned the court until December 22. Tasi'u is in 
state juvenile custody.

(source: Associated Press)






INDIA:

Women's groups oppose death for Koli


Women's groups across the country have started a campaign against the death 
penalty awarded to Surinder Koli for the Nithari killings.

In a petition to be submitted to the President, they have said that the death 
sentence would mean injustice to the families of victims of the Nithari 
killings, one of the worst crimes in modern India.

Koli, an allegedly self-confessed cannibal, has been accused of brutally 
killing 18 women and children in Nithari village of Noida. His review petition 
was dismissed by the Supreme Court last month. The President has rejected his 
mercy plea.

"Nithari killings are mainly about violence against women and girls. It is 
important for the women's groups to say that Koli???s execution will be a 
travesty of justice. Crucial evidence has been overlooked in the matter. The 
families of all the victims and Koli himself are entitled to justice," Kavita 
Krishnan, secretary of All India Progressive Women's Association, told The 
Hindu from Delhi.

The appeal has been signed by women's and social activists from Delhi, Mumbai, 
Meghalaya and other parts of the country. Those who have endorsed it include 
Uma Chakravarti, a feminist historian and former Delhi University Professor; 
Pratiksha Baxi, a feminist and scholar at the Centre for Law and Governance in 
Jawaharlal Nehru University; Vani Subramanian from Saheli Women's Resource 
Centre; Rohini Hensman, writer and scholar; and senior advocate Rebecca John.

"The poverty of the accused, poor trial representation, lacunae in 
investigation, torture and tutoring and glaring gaps in forensic examination 
furnish strong grounds for this petition for mercy," says the appeal adding 
that there was no evidence against Koli, apart from his "tutored confession, 
which was procured by torture."

Glaring omissions

The appeal says the courts and the police failed to look into critical 
evidence, which debunks the "cannibal of Nithari theory." The Union 
government's own expert committee (set up by the Ministry of Women and Child 
Development), said the police failed to investigate the possibility of organ 
trade as the motive behind the crime. This observation is crucial in the 
background of the statement of the autopsy surgeon who had examined the bodies 
of the victims. His evidence, which was not brought on record, has discounted 
cannibalism, but suspected organ trade to be the motive.

"The committee also stressed the need to investigate whether some of Koli's 
supposed victims were actually alive and trafficked elsewhere," the appeal said 
adding that the sole case of Rimpa Haldar, in which Koli was convicted, needs 
ample verification.

The petition has now been put out on various platforms for endorsement by 
different groups and prominent personalities in the national and international 
human rights circuits. Women's groups have appealed for wide support to their 
plea.

(source: The Hindu)






SINGAPORE:

Yishun triple murder: Accused's appeal against death penalty dismissed


The man who killed 3 women in a flat in Yishun 6 years ago has had his appeal 
dismissed.

Chinese national Wang Zhijian, 48, was found guilty in 2012 of the murder of 
Madam Yang Jie, 36, the flatmate of his lover Zhang Meng. He was found guilty 
of culpable homicide not amounting to murder for the death of Madam Zhang, 41, 
and her daughter Feng Jianyu, 17, after the court accepted his defence that he 
was impaired by an "abnormality of the mind" in the 2 deaths.

Wang appealed against his conviction for Mdm Yang's murder, while the 
prosecution appealed against his acquittal of murder in the deaths of Mdm Zhang 
and Ms Feng. On Friday (Nov 28), the Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal, 
while allowing the prosecution's appeal.

According to court documents, Wang first met Mdm Zhang in China in 2005 and the 
two soon began a romantic relationship. In 2007, Mdm Zhang accompanied her 
daughter Feng to move to Singapore after she secured a place in a secondary 
school here. They rented two bedrooms in a flat at Yishun Avenue 11.

Wang visited Mdm Zhang several times in Singapore and the pair continued their 
relationship, which court documents described as "passionate, tortured and at 
times bizarre".

In 2008, after the pair had a quarrel, Wang stabbed Mdm Zhang 48 times in her 
head, neck, chest, abdomen and limbs while she was sleeping. He then attacked 
Ms Feng, stabbing her 45 times with the same knife.

Wang then went into another bedroom where Mdm Yang and her daughter Li Meilin, 
who was 15 at the time, were sleeping. He slashed Ms Li with a knife, but she 
survived.

He later chased Mdm Yang who had run out of the bedroom into the kitchen. In 
her bid to escape, Mdm Yang climbed out of the kitchen window and stood on the 
narrow ledge outside, while holding on to the laundry pole holders. According 
to the prosecution, Wang then used a chopper to cut Mdm Yang's fingers, causing 
her to lose her grip on the pole holders and fall 6 storeys to her death.

(source: Channel News Asia)






SAUDI ARABIA:

Convicted killer given chance to live; Execution postponed to allow his 
relatives to pay SR10m blood money


A Saudi prisoner who was to be beheaded on Thursday was given a chance to live 
when the court decided to postpone the execution for a few months to allow his 
relatives to pay diya (blood money) to the victim's family.

Maeesh bin Habib Al Gahdali was to be executed in the Red Sea port of Jeddah on 
Thursday after he was sentenced to death by a criminal court for murder.

"The execution was postponed for a period of between 6 months and 1 year to 
allow his relatives to pay SR10 million (Dh10 million) diya to the victim's 
family," the Saudi Arabic language daily 'Sabq' said.

It said his relatives had managed to raise SR1 million and that they would 
resort to public donations to obtain the remaining sum.

"Gahdali's relatives appealed for the public to save his life as his 4 sons are 
waiting for him to come home," it said.

(source: emirates247.com)


IRAN:

Iranian Resistance calls to save life of political prisoner Soheil Arabi


The Iranian Resistance calls on the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the 
Human Rights Council, UN Rapporteurs and pertinent organs, as well as 
international human rights organizations, to take urgent steps to annul the 
death sentence of political prisoner Mr. Soheil Arabi.

The Iranian Resistance also calls for the adoption of binding decisions against 
the growing arbitrary executions by the religious fascism ruling Iran.

Photographer Soheil Arabi, 30, is married and has a 5-year-old child.

He was arrested by the revolutionary guards (IRGC) in November 2013 for 
publishing satiric criticism of regime's officials in his Facebook account and 
was placed under much pressure and torture in Ward 2A of Tehran's Evin Prison 
that is controlled by the IRGC to extract forced confessions from him.

Clerical regime's Supreme Court upheld Mr. Soheil Arabi's death sentence on 
November 23 under the pretext of insulting the prophet and sanctities. This 
verdict was hastily issued just a month after the preliminary court's ruling.

In separate cases, he had been charged with "propaganda against the system and 
insulting the leader" and sentenced to 3 years imprisonment, 5 million Rial in 
fine, and 30 lashes.

The allegation of "insulting the prophet of Islam" by a regime that itself is 
the worst enemy of Islam and Muslims and its leaders justify their heinous 
crimes in the name of Islam and Quran is but an excuse.

The main problem of regime's leaders that guides them to issue such verdicts is 
the growing rage and loath of the Iranian people for their system which is 
demonstrated by them every day in different manners.

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






IRAQ:

Isis Iraq News: Militants Execute 2 Female Parliamentary Candidates in Mosul


Members of terror group Islamic State (Isis) have allegedly executed 2 female 
parliamentary candidates in the besieged city of Mosul, Kurdish media network 
Rudaw reported.

It is believed that the women were killed in the Faisalya area in central 
Mosul.

"IS gunmen executed 2 former female candidates in Mosul after the Sharia Court 
issued death sentence on them," said Saad Mamuzin, the head of the Kurdistan 
Democratic Party KDP's Mosul branch.

"1 of the candidates was Ibtisam Ali Jarjis on the Watanya list, and the 2nd 
one was Miran Ghazi a candidate for Arab List," he added, and then explained 
that the 2 women had repented in one of IS's mosques to spare their lives.

However, an Islamic judge rejected their repentance and ordered the arrest of 
the 2 women in early November.

It is not yet clear why a death sentence was issued for the 2 women.

In September, IS executed a female lawyer and human rights activist, Samira 
Salih al-Nuaim, accused of having criticised the group on social media. She 
publicly denounced the group's violence and the crimes it committed in Mosul.

Al-Nuaim was kidnapped by IS on 17 September and tried in a Sharia court for 
apostasy. She was publicly executed 8 days later.

Mosul fell into the hands of the Sunni militants when they began their 
insurgence in Iraq and Syria in July.

The terror group controls large swaths of the 2 countries where the 
jurisdiction has been replaced by the IS version of Sharia law.

(source: International Business Times)






BAHAMAS:

Death Penalty 'Unlikely' Without Legal Challenges


Consitiutional Commission Chairman Sean McWeeney said recent comments about the 
end of hanging by Court of Appeal justices reflects opposition the London-based 
Privy Council has to the death penalty.

It reflects, he said, the unlikelihood that the death penalty will be carried 
out unless substantial changes are made to the legal and judicial system of 
this country.

Court of Appeal Justices on Wednesday suggested that "hanging is over" as they 
quashed the death sentence of Anthony Clarke Sr, who was convicted last year of 
killing his friend Aleus Tilus as part of a contract killing in 2011.

The justices' statements raised concern among some yesterday who wondered if it 
set a new precedent for the court as it relates to dealing with death penalty 
appeals.

"When contacted for comment yesterday, Mr McWeeney, a Queen's Counsel, 
explained: "The statement (by the justices) was made off the cuff and emerged 
during the course of give-and-take with counsel. This was not some formal, 
deeply considered pronouncement. They were correctly characterising the current 
state of play given the position of the Privy Council.

"Their statements are not fundamentally different from what we in the 
Constitutional Commission have been saying based on jurisprudence coming out of 
the Privy Council. There is essentially a philosophical objective guiding this 
jurisprudence. The Privy Council is philosophically opposed to the death 
penalty and have curtailed the law to achieve objectives in line with its 
beliefs. They've put a series of obstacles in the way to impede and quite 
frankly prevent the death penalty from being meted out."

"The mandatory death sentence was changed in 2006 after the Privy Council ruled 
it was unconstitutional.

"In 2011, after a ruling from the Privy Council, the Ingraham administration 
amended the death penalty law to specify the "worst of the worst" murders which 
would warrant execution.

A person who kills a police or defence force officer, member of the Departments 
of Customs or Immigration, judiciary or prison services would be eligible for a 
death sentence. A person would also be eligible for death once convicted of 
murdering someone during a rape, robbery, kidnapping or act of terrorism. In 
Wednesday's case, the Court of Appeal suggested there was never going to be a 
"worst of the worst" case.

"I sympathise with you because there's never going to be a worst of the worst, 
because you're never going to reach that threshold given that there will always 
be a worse case to follow," said Court of Appeal President Justice Anita Allen.

"On this issue, Mr McWeeney said: "It's quite clear (the Privy Council) has 
been very disingenuous characterising what is the worst of the worst.

"It all points to the fact that the Privy Council has demonstrated consistently 
that it will not hesitate to find some pretext, some reason, however legally 
spurious, to achieve their philosophical objective. Against that, Caribbean 
countries with similar constitutional systems as ours have been looking for 
ways to overcome this resistance. One thought was to replace the Privy Council 
with the Caribbean Court of Justice. However, nothing in that system exists to 
give cause for optimism that their position would be any different from the 
Privy Council. There have been judgments from that court to lead one to believe 
their position would be no different. So it's not going to happen just because 
you get rid of the Privy Council and put in place the Caribbean Court of 
Justice. "That leaves only one possibility and that is to think in terms of 
amending the Constitution in a way that would tie the hands of the Privy 
Council," he added. "Remove the very large discretion the Privy Council has in 
terms of deciding the circumstances which constitutes 'worst of the worst'. A 
solution is to (put in the Constitution) the criteria that would have to be 
applied on a mandatory basis by the Privy Council, which would define what is 
the worst of the worst cases. Of course, this could only take place after 
holding a referendum."

Mr McWeeney said a draft has been created to amend the Constitution in order to 
define which crimes must be punishable by death.

"That draft is not something that they are dealing with right now because the 
focus is on gender equality," he said, referring to next year's expected 
constitutional referendum. "Political parties would have to decide where they 
want that issue to stand in the queue. It's certainly It's a sad day when we 
Bahamians feel more remorse for these sick, disgusting animals who murder, rape 
and abuse our loved ones, than we do for our loved ones themselves. We should 
not give a 2nd thought to putting these murderers and rapists down. A death 
sentence is deserved and is the rightful punishment for the crime.

(source: Bahamas Tribune)






CHINA:

Death sentence for cult members in China upheld


A court in China Friday upheld the death sentences for 2 Church of the Almighty 
God cult members, who beat a woman to death in a McDonald's outlet last May.

The Shandong Higher People's Court heard the appeal of 5 cult members Nov 21. 
It rejected all appeals and supported the original judgments, according to 
Xinhua.

The death penalty verdict will be transferred to the People's Supreme Court for 
final review.

In October, Zhang Fan and Zhang Lidong were sentenced to death by the Yantai 
Intermediate People's Court in Shandong province, while another accomplice, Lyu 
Yingchun, was given life sentence. The other 2 cult members, Zhang Hang and 
Zhang Qiaolian, were sentenced to prison terms of 10 and 7 years respectively.

All 4 Zhangs are relatives.

In addition to the murder charges, Zhang Fan, Zhang Lidong and Lyu Yingchun 
were also charged with breaching law enforcement by cult activities. The 3 
people were deprived of political rights for life by the court.

A woman surnamed Wu was beaten to death May 28 at a McDonald's outlet in 
Zhaoyuan, after she refused to give her cell phone number to the sentenced cult 
members, who were allegedly trying to recruit new members for the cult, known 
in Chinese as Quannengshen.

Established in the 1990s in central China's Henan province, Quannengshen claims 
that Jesus was resurrected as Yang Xiangbin, the wife of the sect's founder 
Zhao Weishan, also known as Xu Wenshan. The couple fled to the US in September 
2000.

(source: Daiji World)


THAILAND:

Death sentences for Thai separatists condemned


Human rights groups on Friday condemned the Thai authorities for sentencing 5 
alleged Muslim separatists to death, saying the punishment would do little to 
promote peace in the violence-racked south.

The men were convicted on Wednesday by the Pattani provincial court for 
shooting dead four soldiers in July 2013, Thai Rath, the country's largest 
circulation newspaper, reported. They were named as Ismail Daong, Masahadi 
Methor, Gordae Jatae, Nimuhammud Niseng, and Hisbulloh Buesa.

Violence in Thailand's Muslim-majority south has left thousands dead - the 
majority civilians - since 2004 across the southernmost provinces of Pattani, 
Narathiwat and Yala, which were annexed more than a century ago by Thailand.

Human rights activists hit out at the sentences in a region where the Thai 
military is often accused of acting with impunity.

"The death penalty is a human rights violation in itself and will do nothing to 
stem the tide of violence in Thailand's south," Rupert Abbott, Amnesty 
International's Southeast Asia research director, told AFP.

"It might be tempting for the Thai authorities to think of the death penalty as 
a quick fix to combating insecurity, but there is no evidence whatsoever that 
the threat of execution acts as a particular deterrent to crime." Andrea 
Giorgetta, from the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH), added: 
"Thailand has repeatedly expressed its commitment to abolish the death penalty. 
Unfortunately, those promises are not backed by actions as lawmakers increase, 
rather than reduce, the number of capital crimes and courts continue to impose 
death sentences."

Several rounds of peace talks with some rebel groups in the south came unstuck 
during months of street protests in Bangkok, which were eventually ended by a 
military coup in May.

The ruling junta has since loudly trailed its efforts to reboot the talks, 
which will be facilitated by neighbouring Malaysia, where many of the rebel 
leaders are believed to be holed up.

But in response to a recent slew of shootings and bomb attacks on civilian 
"soft" targets, Thailand has vowed to step up efforts to protect locals.

Earlier this month officials distributed hundreds of assault rifles to village 
volunteers in a move which critics said was at odds with a pledge to find peace 
to a decade-long conflict within a year.

According to the FIDH, there were 623 prisoners (572 men and 51 women) under 
death sentence in Thailand as of August 31 this year - most for drug related 
offences. The last time a death sentence was carried out was in 2009 when two 
men convicted of drug trafficking were killed by lethal injection.

An official at Pattani provincial court declined to comment on the recent death 
sentences when contacted by AFP.

(source: Agence France-Presse)