[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Oct. 14



LEBANON:

Lebanon charges former Arsal negotiator with belonging to Nusra


A military judge Tuesday charged a former negotiator in Lebanon's hostage 
crisis with belonging to the Nusra Front, seeking the death penalty against 
Arsal's Sheikh Mustafa Hujeiri.

The charges, filed by Military Investigative Judge Fadi Sawwan, against Hujeiri 
include forming a terrorist ring with the aim of undermining the authority of 
the state and giving speeches calling for jihad against the Lebanese Army.

Hujeiri was also accused of turning Arsal's infirmaries into places for 
harboring terrorists.

Sawwan referred the case to the military court to conduct a trial in absentia.

Hujeiri had been negotiating with Islamist militants holding at least 27 
Lebanese soldiers and policemen hostage.

ISIS and the Nusra Front have been holding the servicemen captive since early 
August when the jihadists briefly took over the border town of Arsal.

Hujeiri was credited with facilitating a visit by one of the captive's families 
early in the kidnapping crisis.

Last month, however, Hujeiri announced he was suspending his efforts after the 
Committee of Muslim Scholars said it was halting similar efforts for better 
negotiation conditions and to open doors for foreign mediation.

One of the captors' key demands is reportedly to swap the hostages with 
Islamist inmates at Roumieh Prison.

(source: The Daily Star)






AFGHANISTAN:

Afghanistan to review cases of 400 convicts sentenced to death


The Presidential Palace officials have said the government will review the 
cases of 400 convicts sentenced to death by the courts of the country.

The officials have further added that majority of the cases are pending 
signature of President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, however, they insisted that the 
government will seek alternatives for the convicts who are waiting for death 
penalty.

President Ghani's legal advisor, Abdul Ali Mohammadi has told The Radio Free 
Europe (RFE) that the execution of over 400 convicts is a major issue for the 
government of Afghanistan.

Mohammadi further added that President Ghani is committed to ensure justice and 
his recent visit to Pul-e-Charkhi prison is an example of his commitment to 
maintain justice in the country.

According to reports, around 100 cases have been approved by the Supreme Court 
of Afghanistan and is pending the signing of the president, while over 300 
others have not been approved by the Supreme Court.

This comes as at least 6 people, including a notorious Mafia leader were 
recently executed in Kabul after their execution was approved by former 
President Hamid Karzai and Kabul courts.

The review of prisoners cases was recently instructed by President Ghani and 
around 7,300 cases have been forwarded to the presidential palace by the 
Attorney General Office of Afghanistan.

(source: Khaama Press)

*******************

UN, Human Rights Groups Criticize Afghanistan for Executing Gang of Rapists


Amnesty International accused Afghanistan last week of "treating rape in a 
flawed way" in its trial and execution of a gang of 5 men in a case that stoked 
national outrage.

In late August, a group of men stopped a family convoy of 4 cars at night on 
Qargha-Paghman road, returning from a wedding in Paghman district. They beat 
the men and kidnapped 4 women, whom they repeatedly raped.

Both male and female protesters in Kabul cried out for the death penalty, 
hoping that handing down the ultimate sentence would discourage other criminals 
from committing such heinous acts. Last Wednesday, 5 men were hanged. 2 other 
assailants received 20 years in prison, and 3 suspects are at large; Kabul 
police said 1 fled the country.

The women took the stand to testify against their attackers in a televised 
trial that gripped the nation.

President Hamid Karzai signed the death warrants of the convicted men before 
leaving office, and new President Ashraf Ghani let the death warrant stand.

Human-rights groups and the United Nations jumped on Afghanistan.

David Griffiths, Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific deputy director, said in 
a statement that there's "no question that this was an appalling crime and the 
outcry and anger this case has caused is of course understandable."

"But the death penalty is not justice - it only amounts to short-term revenge," 
Griffiths said. "The death penalty is an abhorrent form of punishment and 
should never be used under any circumstances. The many fair trial concerns in 
this case only make these executions more unjust. It's deeply disappointing 
that new President Ashraf Ghani has allowed the executions to go ahead."

The men were charged under zina - the Islamic law against unlawful sexual 
intercourse, often applied to adultery. They were also convicted of robbery.

"President Ghani was placed in an unenviable position by the actions of his 
predecessor in this case, but regrettably failed his 1st test on upholding 
human rights and the rule of law," Griffiths said. "These deaths cannot be 
undone now, but President Ghani must order an immediate moratorium on all 
executions as a 1st step towards total abolition or the death penalty."

At the UN, High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Zeid Al Hussein wrote 
to Ghani to ask him to cancel the executions. The UN press release said Ghani 
was asked "to commute the death sentences to a suitable term of imprisonment" 
for the "5 Afghans accused of armed robbery and gang rape."

Human Rights Watch Deputy Asia Director Phelim Kine said the "horrendous due 
process violations in the Paghman trial have only worsened the injustices of 
this terrible crime."

Kine called the executions "a grave miscarriage of justice."

This week, Afghanistan is back to the business of building a state, with Chief 
Executive Abdullah Abdullah calling his 1st meeting of economic ministers 
today.

"The issue of the economy is important to the people of the nation - after 
security," Abdullah said, according to Tolo News.

(source: Bridget Johnson is a veteran journalist whose news articles and 
opinion columns have run in dozens of news outlets across the 
globe----pjmedia.com)






UNITED NATIONS/PAPUA NEW GUINEA:

PNG-UN links not coloured by death penalty disagreement


The United Nations says differences of opinion over whether or not Papua New 
Guinea should implement the death penalty do not colour relations.

The world body issued a press release on Friday saying that there is no 
evidence that introducing the death penalty will act as a deterrent - a 
position it has repeated many times since the reactivation of capital 
punishment for serious crimes was first mooted.

PNG is currently working out what method of execution to use.

(source: Radio Australia)






SAUDI ARABIA:

3 get death on terror charges


3 terror suspects, including 2 foreigners, have been sentenced on Monday to 
death for their role in various terror acts. The Special Criminal Court in 
Riyadh awarded death penalty to a Saudi, a Chadian and an Egyptian, in addition 
to prison terms ranging from nine to 33 years to 19 suspects. The court slapped 
fines on some of the convicts and travel ban or deportation for some others. 
The convicts who were awarded jail terms included four Chad nationals and one 
each from Yemen, Nigeria and Palestine. The convicts can appeal the verdict 
within 30 days, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The charges against the 
convicts, who were part of a 88-member terror cell, included firing at security 
officials during a security operation at an apartment in Khalidiyah Makkah, 
plotting to kidnap and assassinate prominent figures, receiving training from 
Al-Qaeda camps on using weapons and explosives, planning to carry out terror 
attacks in the Kingdom, embracing a takfiri ideology, joining terror cell, and 
going to conflict zones to take part in fighting.

(source: Saudi Gazette)


JAMAICA:

Jamaica should do away with the death penalty


Friday, October 10, 2014 was marked as the World Day Against the Death Penalty 
and, as Roman Catholic archbishop of Kingston, I want to use this occasion to 
appeal to all the people of faith in Jamaica and, in particular, to our 
Government to reconsider the country's position on capital punishment and begin 
the steps necessary for its abolition.

I am glad the Jamaican state has effectively continued a moratorium on the use 
of the death penalty. I am especially pleased that this has occurred alongside 
a reduction in our murder rate. However, the specter of possible future use of 
the death penalty hangs over our heads. Therefore, I invite all Christians and 
persons of goodwill to consider working for the abolition of the death penalty 
once and for all. I think its removal should accompany a comprehensive reform 
of the justice system aimed at more effective prevention and greater communal 
healing.

Lethal violence shocks and ruptures the fabric of families and communities. I 
am horrified when I hear the news of brutal murders of young men and women cut 
down in their prime. I am deeply disturbed by the accounts of the elderly 
struck down in their homes. These acts rip through the heart and cry to God for 
action. Where is our respect for the sacredness of all human life? These acts 
force me to search my conscience and ask: Where have we gone wrong as a people?

I know in my heart that these brutal crimes must receive swift and decisive 
responses that restore order and begin to make us feel safe again. And, I also 
know in my conscience that our decisive response must not reproduce this 
disrespect for the sacredness of every human life. I hope that our Christian 
values, like yeast, have served as leaven for our Jamaican society so that we 
respond, not in kind, but in a way that helps prevent further violence and 
brings healing.

The death penalty was for a world with no other options for dealing with these 
monstrous crimes. I know that today's world has other proven options for better 
controlling murder. As a Christian, knowing these viable alternatives to 
capital punishment exist, I cannot in conscience continue supporting capital 
punishment. I ask: Can we as Christians, knowing that non-lethal alternatives 
exist, support the death penalty while remaining Christian? I think the honest 
answer is "No".

I know that the Church does not tell the State what to do. Yet, the State 
should still listen to what the Church has to say. Therefore, I ask all 
Christians and persons of goodwill to consider the implications of these 2 
realities: the utter sacredness of all human life; and the very real existence 
of alternatives to capital punishment. In consideration of these 2 realities, I 
ask all Christians and people of goodwill to listen to their consciences and 
support the abolition of the death penalty. And, I ask the Jamaican Government 
to take our Christian values seriously, and do what is right - end capital 
punishment once and for all, reforming the justice system, working to reduce 
corruption and political polarisation, and concentrating on the provision of 
increased economic opportunities for the poor for better prevention of 
violence, and greater communal healing.

(source: Commentary; The Most Rev Charles Henry Dufour, SJ, DD, is the Roman 
Catholic Archbishop of Kingston----The Jamaica Observer)






BAHAMAS:

'No Foul Play' Over Prisoner's Death


No foul play is suspected in the death of convicted murderer Forrester Bowe, 
according to police sources close to the matter.

On Friday, authorities confirmed that Bowe, who took part in a notorious escape 
in 2006 that resulted in the death of a prison officer, was found dead in his 
prison cell around 7am.

Police have declined to provide details of the circumstances surrounding Bowe's 
death only saying that the matter has been turned over to the coroner for 
investigation.

The Tribune understands the coroner has instructed the Royal Bahamas Police 
Force to conduct a formal investigation in the prison ahead of an inquest.

Sources close to the matter say preliminary investigations reveal that Bowe is 
suspected to have died from a "heart related matter."

"There were no injuries or anything on the body to suggest that something was 
done to him," a well-placed police source said. "At this point there is no 
reason to suggest foul play, it is believed that he died of a heart attack or 
some sort of heart related matter."

Bowe, 37, staged an escape from the maximum security wing with convicted rapist 
Barry Parcoi, convicted murderer Neil Brown and convicted armed robber Corey 
Hepburn around 4am on January 17, 2006. Brown was shot dead during attempts to 
recapture him.

The men were found by the coroner in May 2006 to be jointly responsible for the 
killing of the 13-year prison veteran Corporal Dion Bowles during their 
breakout.

The infamous escape prompted examinations into Her Majesty's Prison and shone a 
light on the inner workings of the country's correctional services unit.

Their trial is slated to begin on November 20, 2015.

In addition to killing Mr Bowles, they injured officers Kenneth Sweeting and 
David Armbrister. Bowe and Parcoi were injured during the incident as well, but 
they were quickly captured by authorities.

Hepburn, on the other hand, escaped and led police on a 2-week hunt before he 
was recaptured in an apartment building in Coral Harbour.

As for the incident that sent him to prison initially, Bowe was convicted of 
killing 20-year-old Dion Patrick Roach in Grand Bahama when the Freeport 
Supreme Court determined that he had shot Mr Roach at an apartment complex on 
October 23, 1992.

He was sentenced to death in 1998 and his attempts at appealing his conviction 
were dismissed by the Court of Appeal and the Privy Council.

"However, he won a landmark case when he challenged the court's mandatory death 
penalty for convicted murderers in 2002 after the Privy Council determined that 
automatic capital punishment for murders was a breach of international human 
rights.

He was eventually re-sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison.

Lawyer Keod Smith, who represented Bowe during proceedings into Mr Bowles' 
killing, expressed sadness and shock at the news of Bowe's death yesterday, 
saying that the convicted killer always proclaimed his innocence and looked 
forward to being with his family.

(source: Tribune 242)


PAKISTAN:

Blasphemy Case Against 55 Pakistani Christians Discharged


Charges against 55 Pakistani Christians who were falsely accused of blasphemy 
have been dropped after a written compromise was agreed between the Muslim 
accuser and the believers involved.

The accusation of blasphemy was made against a group of Christians in a small 
village in Tehsil Samandri district, Faisalabad, on 3 September following a 
dispute with a gang of Muslims over the use of land for a graveyard. 13 
Christians, including a 12-year old boy, were arrested; they have now been 
released.

The Christians were originally charged under section 295-C of the Pakistan 
Penal Code, which refers to defiling the name of Muhammad and carries the death 
penalty. Remarkably, following the intervention of Barnabas-funded Christian 
lawyers, this charge was later overturned in a rare move by police.

The accused Christians were instead charged with violating a place of worship 
or cemetery (section 297 of the Pakistan Penal Code), which does not carry the 
death penalty. On 30 September, Barnabas Aid received confirmation that this 
charge has now also been dropped after a written compromise was reached between 
Muhammad Iqbal, who made the accusation, and the Christians.

The dispute took place after the Christians had acquired verbal permission from 
a sympathetic Muslim landowner to convert a disused Muslim graveyard into a 
Christian cemetery. On 3 September, Christians began preparing the land for 
burying their own dead. This upset local Muslims, who attacked the Christians.

Although the Christians apologised and said that they would not use the land, 
the blasphemy case was then registered against them. When the 13 Christians 
were subsequently arrested, police raided their homes, breaking down the gates 
and even threatening the believers with death. Many of the remaining Christian 
families fled their homes after Muslims threatened to set fire to their houses.

The Christians needed to acquire Muslim-owned land to bury their dead because 
there is a shortage of Christian burial land in the village. The area is home 
to more than 350 Christian families whereas Muslim families number over 1,000, 
are generally richer and own more land.

Pakistan's "blasphemy laws" are frequently misused to settle personal scores. 
Christians and other religious minorities are particularly vulnerable to these 
accusations; a Christian's testimony in court is worth only 1/2 that of a 
Muslim. Those accused of blasphemy are extremely vulnerable to being attacked.

(source: Crossmap.com)






INDIA:

SC stays death in kids murder case


The double death penalty of R Manoharan, who was found guilty of rape, murder, 
kidnap of siblings - Muskan Jain and Hrithik Jain in October 2010 - was stayed 
by the Supreme Court on Monday.

The 1st bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu, granted 
interim stay of Madras high court order, and issued notices to the state 
government to file reply in the case.

On October 29, 2010 the state was shocked to learn that the two children had 
been kidnapped by 2 people Mohanakrishnan, 27, and Manoharan, 26, in 
Coimbatore. The bodies of the children were recovered only the next day.

Mohana Krishnan was killed in a police encounter on November 9, 2010, whereas 
Manoharan faced the trial in the Mahila Court in Coimbatore in November 2012. 
He was given double death sentence and three life terms, after the court found 
him guilty of the offences alleged against him.

After Madras high court confirmed the death sentence for Manoharan in March 
this year, his counsel A Raghunathan and P Vinaykumar approached the Supreme 
Court.

To convict him, Mahila court judge M P Subramanian examined 47 witnesses and 
verified 69 documentary evidences. He concluded that capital punishment was 
unavoidable and that it would send a strong warning to those who commit crimes 
against women and children. The culprit deserves no mercy and he must be hanged 
till death, he observed.

According to the police, Muskan Jain, 10 and her brother Hrithik Jain, 7, 
children of a textile merchant in Coimbatore, were abducted by a call taxi 
driver Mohan alias Raja alias Mohanakrishnan on October 29, 2010. The girl was 
raped and the boy tortured before they were drowned at the PAP canal near 
Pollachi the same day.

The murder came to light only on October 31 and police arrested both 
Mohanakrishnan and his accomplice, Manoharan of Angalakurichi near Pollachi 
from their house.

Mohanakrishnan, 27, was shot by the police on November 9, 2010 when he tried to 
escape from police vehicle after assaulting his escorts.

(source: The Times of India)






CHINA:

12 face execution for deadly July attacks in China's restive west


12 people have been sentenced to death for organizing attacks that left dozens 
of people dead in the restive western Chinese province of Xinjiang earlier this 
year.

The incident - described by authorities as an "organized and premeditated" 
terror attack - occurred in the region's Shache County on July 28, when a gang 
wielding knives and axes attacked civilians, a police station, government 
offices and smashed vehicles.

Police returned fire and shot dozens of the attackers, state media reported at 
the time.

State media has reported a wave of violent attacks in Xinjiang in recent 
months.

29 people were killed and 130 injured when men armed with long knives stormed a 
train station in Kunming in March. The next month, an attack on a train station 
in Urumqi, Xinjiang's capital, left three dead, including the attackers, and an 
attack on an Urumqi market in May killed at least 39 people.

Ethnic tensions

The province has seen longstanding tensions between its Uyghur Muslim 
population, a Turkic people, and the local Han population - China's biggest 
ethnic group.

Some Uyghurs have expressed resentment toward China's Han in recent years over 
what they say is harsh treatment from Chinese security forces and Han people 
taking the lion's share of economic opportunities in Xinjiang - a charge 
China's central government denies.

Monday's hearing at the court in Kashgar, western Xinjiang, also saw 15 others 
handed the death penalty, but suspended for 2 years, according to the official 
news portal of the government of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous 
Region, and quoted by the state-run Xinhua news agency.

9 people were jailed for life, while another 20 defendants got 4 to 20 years 
behind bars. An additional 2 defendants were released on probation.

(source: CNN)






SOMALIA:

Puntland Military court sentences a man to death for plotting landmine


Puntland Military court has on Monday sentenced to death a man who was found of 
guilty for plotting a landmine. 6 defendants including 1 woman were brought to 
trial in the court???s branch in port town of Bosaso. They were all accused of 
being involved in crime.

According to the court officials, Ismael Abdulqadir was caught by the Puntland 
forces while he was plotting a landmine in a strategic neighbourhood located in 
the central town of Bosaso.

Another was sentenced to a 5-year jail term after he was captured while also 
plotting an improvised explosive device (IED) in an area close to the Galgala 
mountain ranges, where Puntland forces have been fighting against al-Shabaab 
militants.

3 others were released by the court to lack of enough evidence. Puntland 
Military court has carried out capital punishments on members linked to 
al-Shabaab militant group. Last week, EU envoy to Somalia condemned the use of 
death penalty in Somalia, urging authorities to place a moratorium on death 
penalty.

(source: mareeg.com)