[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Sept. 2


VIETNAM:

14 charged in biggest Ho Chi Minh City drug case of 2013


Ho Chi Minh City investigators called for charges against 14 people undercover 
investigators tracked for months during the biggest drug smuggling case of 
2013.

The defendants include Nguyen Thi Ngoc Suong, 36, who allegedly recruited her 
relatives to distribute drugs throughout the city in 2012.

Suong got the drugs from Tang Do Lien Huong, 44, who bought them from an 
unidentified smuggler in the north-central province of Nghe An, investigators 
said.

A team of narcotics police arrested the 14 defendants last year between January 
19 and 30 following several months of undercover investigative work.

The team seized more than 2 kilograms of drugs, VND750 million (US$35,400) in 
cash and evidence related to the alleged smuggling of at least 3.5 kilograms of 
drugs.

The investigation was launched in November 2012 after police determined that 
low level dealers were buying drugs from someone in Ward 12 and 14 of District 
8, which were considered major "black spots" on the city.

Dozens of plain clothes police posed as lottery ticket sellers and xe om 
(motorbike taxi) drivers to hunt for suspects.

They now say Tu and Suong sold drugs to Huong in various spots throughout the 
city and often visited a shop or a market stall, pretending to select goods, to 
conceal their secret transactions.

They even did deals in shopping center changing rooms to avoid police 
detection.

Vietnam has some of the world's toughest drug laws. Those convicted of 
smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kilograms of 
methamphetamine face the death penalty.

The production or sale of 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal 
narcotics is also punishable by death.

(source: Thanh Nien News)




MIDDLE EAST:

17 rights groups urge Arab foreign ministers to reject Arab Court proposal


A coalition of 17 human rights organisations requested that Arab foreign 
ministers amend a proposal for the establishment of the Arab Court of Human 
Rights during an upcoming Arab League meeting.

A letter sent to Arab foreign ministers on 31 August outlines the 
organisations' issues with the current proposal, said the Cairo Institute for 
Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) in a Tuesday statement. CIHRS is one of the 
signatories of the letter.

The member states of the Arab League are expected to convene in Cairo on 
Wednesday for the Ministerial Council of the Arab League, expected to last 
until 8 September. A decision to ratify the proposal for the statute of the 
Arab Court is on the agenda for the meeting, according to the signatories of 
the letter.

The organisations stressed in their letter that the Arab Court must adhere to 
international human rights standards, "including the right to life, the 
prohibition of the death penalty, the prohibition of cruel, degrading or 
inhumane treatment, and equality between men and women, and the right to 
freedom of thought and belief".

Almost all of the member states of the Arab League retain the death penalty as 
a form of judicial punishment, according to an Amnesty International report on 
the topic. The international rights group is among the 17 signatories.

The signatories criticised Article 19 of the draft as it limits the court's 
jurisdiction. They pointed out that non-governmental organisations can only 
take a case to the Arab Court at the discretion of the host state. The groups 
believe "it is unlikely and not expected that officials in the countries to 
allow for organisations of the same country seeking to question these countries 
to enter the Arab Court".

Among the signatories of the letter are the Egyptian Initiative for Personal 
Rights, Human Rights Watch and other rights groups from member states of the 
Arab League.

(source: Daily News Egypt)






SPAIN:

Spanish Youths Support Death Penalty, Abortions, Euthanasia - Study


The majority of young people in Spain do not oppose capital punishment, 
abortions or euthanasia, according to a new study, published by the Reina Sofia 
Center of Adolescents and Youth on Tuesday.

The study, entitled "Youth and values", asked over 1,000 Spaniards aged 15 to 
24 to express their opinions on various social norms.

Over 56 % rated death penalty to be "quite acceptable" or "fairly acceptable". 
Some 81 % of respondents accept abortions and 82 % stated that same-sex couples 
should be able to adopt children.

Nearly 80 % of Spanish youths believe that euthanasia should be legal. At the 
same time, 66.5 % are against suicide.

Almost 1/2 of the respondents believe that immigrants enrich Spanish society, 
while 27 % think that they make the country less safe.

Over 70 % of respondents said that they mistrust political parties, 68 % lack 
faith in the financial system and 58 % don't believe in religious institutions. 
Young Spaniards have "some faith" in the educational system, public 
organizations, the Armed Forces, police, media and the European Union, the 
study says.

(source: Ria Novosti)






AFGHANISTAN:

Karzai to immediately sign death penalty of Kabul rape convicts: Faizi


Aimal Faizi, spokesman for President Hamid Karzai, said Tuesday that immediate 
steps should taken against the convicts of Paghman rape case where four women 
were gang raped by a group of gunmen last week.

Faizi insisted that President Hamid Karzai will not delay the signing of death 
penalty for the convicts.

He said the Afghan Attorney General Office, Ministry of Interior Affairs and 
the intelligence department - National Directorate of Security (NDS) were 
instructed by President Karzai to take immediate actions against those who were 
involved behind the brutal crime.

Faizi also added that the president is personally following the case with the 
chief justice and Afghan Attorney General.

He reiterated that President Karzai will not delay the signing of death penalty 
for the convicts once the Chief Justice issues a verdict.

At least four women were kidnapped a week ago in Paghman district after their 
car was stopped by gunmen while they were returning from a wedding ceremony.

According to Kabul security officials, at least 6 people including the head of 
a 16-people gang have been arrested in connection to the incident and are in 
police custody.

3 of the suspects were arrested by police from southeastern Ghazni province of 
Afghanistan late Monday after they managed to flee Kabul city, security 
officials said.

According to Kabul police chief, Gen. Zahir Zahir, the convicts have confessed 
to their crimes and have said the victims were also tortured besides they were 
repeatedly raped.

(source: Khaama Press)