[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Sept. 6



IRAN:

More Evangelicals Facing Death Penalty In Iran


2 more evangelical Iranian Christians faced uncertainty Saturday, September 6, 
after they were charged with the potentially death-sentence carrying crime of 
"Mofsed-e-filarz" translated as "spreading corruption on earth", Christian 
rights activists told BosNewsLife.

Pastor Matthias Haghnejad and fellow Christian Silas Rabbani, both from the 
Church of Iran movement, are the latest to be accused of "Mofsed-e-filarz". 
Earlier BosNewsLife reported that Pastor Behnam Irani was prosecuted for the 
same crime as part of 18 new charges against him.

Pastor Haghnejad also faces charges of "Moharebeh", or "enmity against Allah".

Christians said the three men, who are being held in Ghezal Hesar Prison in 
Karaj city, have been pressured into confessing that they are "spies".

Rights activists believe the arrests are part of a wider crackdown on spreading 
Christianity in the strict Islamic state.

ISLAMIC RULES

Jason DeMars, director of advocacy group Present Truth Ministries, said 
authorities try to crackdown on converts as they "no longer obey the rules of 
Islam" but instead "want the freedom of Christ."

Missionaries say there may be at least 100,000 devoted evangelical Christians 
in the country, though other groups claim that number may be several times 
higher.

"There is particular concern about the safety of Pastor Haghnejad, who is 
believed to be in a "dangerous situation", as the authorities appear to be 
targeting him actively," explained rights group Christian Solidarity Worldwide 
(CSW).

It said the new charges against Pastor Matthias, Rabbani and Pastor Irani 
underscore "a worrying escalation in Iran's campaign against converts to 
Christianity". Converts, many of whom are former Muslims, have been previously 
charged with "action against the state", "action against the order" or other 
national security crimes.

"The new charges against Pastors Haghnejad and Irani and Mr. Rabbani are 
tantamount to an indictment of Christianity itself," said CSW's Chief Executive 
Mervyn Thomas.

INCREASING ALARM

He told BosNewsLife that "CSW is growing increasingly alarmed by what is a 
clear escalation in Iran's campaign against Persian Christians under the 
Rouhani presidency and by what is effectively an attempt to gain an apostasy 
conviction by other means."

The reported crackdown also comes amid a reported increase in executions under 
the presidency of Hassan Rouhani. At least eight men were already executed for 
"enmity against Allah" this year, including Ahwazi Arab community poet and 
cultural rights activist Hashem Shaabani and his colleague Hadi Rashedi.

Several detainees accused of the crime reportedly complained of having been 
"tortured" into making "false confessions", as well as being denied access to a 
lawyer and unfair trials conducted in the absence of witnesses.

Thomas said it was crucial "that the ongoing human rights crisis in the country 
is not neglected as members of the international community increasingly partner 
with Iran to counter the threat posed by [Islamic State militants] ISIS."

CSW, he added, has urged Tehran "to drop the unwarranted charges against 
Pastors Haghnejad and Irani, and Rabbani, who have been unjustly detained on 
account of their faith and in contravention of international covenants to which 
Iran is party, that guarantee freedom of religion or belief."

(source: BosNewsLife.com)






VIETNAM:

Court upholds death sentence for duo that killed 5 poachers in central Vietnam


The Supreme People's Court upheld Thursday the death sentences handed down to 2 
men for beating 5 rare wood seekers to death in a forest in central Vietnam 
last year.

The victims were being held hostage for ransom meant to cover gambling debts.

A Laotian national, Ho Van Nguyen, 25, will stand a separate trial in Laos for 
his alleged role in the brutal crime.

Ho Van Cong, 38, and Ho Van Thanh, 40, were convicted of 4 felony charges: 
murder, robbery, abduction, and the illegal use of military-grade weapon.

The duo were sentenced to death by a court in the north-central province of 
Quang Tri on May 30.

They were also ordered to pay VND880 million (US$41,200) in compensation to the 
victims' families plus VND600,000 ($28), every month, to each of the victims' 
children until they reach 18 years old.

Cong and Thanh are both from Huong Hoa District, Quang Tri Province.

According to the indictment, in March of 2013, Thanh lost a large sum of money 
and his father-in-law's motorbike while gambling. When he approached Cong to 
borrow money to get the bike back, his friend enlisted him in a scheme to 
kidnap poachers and hold them for ransom.

They sought help from Nguyen in Sepon District, Laos, which borders Huong Hoa 
District, because he had a rifle.

On March 21 they headed into a forest in Huong Hoa.

The next day they found and abducted 3 poachers of rare fragrant wood 
(Calambac), who managed to untie themselves and escape while the trio rifled 
through their tent.

Around noon on March 23, the trio came upon the camp of 7 poachers.

They overpowered the hunters with the rifle, and ordered one to tie up the 
rest.

After gathering up and searching their belongings, they demanded money.

As they had none, Hoang Van Ha, one of the seven hostages, begged his captors 
to let him go home and get money.

The kidnappers agreed and demanded VND120 million ($5,600) for each hostage; 
they gave Ha 3 days to return.

Early the next morning they escorted the hunters some 20 meters from their tent 
and beat them to death one by one. The bodies were buried in a hole Thanh had 
dug the previous night.

Do Van Hien, 1 of the 6 hostages, managed to run away during the brutal 
killing.

All of the killers were arrested in early April.

Calambac is a dark resinous heartwood that forms in agar wood trees when they 
become infected with a type of mold.

The wood fetches premium prices because it is believed to bring good luck and 
have the capacity to cure some otherwise incurable diseases.

(source: Thanh Nien News)






CHINA:

Court changes death sentence to life imprisonment in rape case


A higher court in central China's Hunan Province overturned a death sentence 
for 2 men convicted of raping the daughter of a social campaigner and sentenced 
them life in prison in their final ruling on Friday.

Zhou Junhui and Qin Xing were found guilty of rape, organizing prostitution and 
forcing others into prostitution, according to the Hunan Higher People's Court.

In October 2006, Tang Hui's then 11-year-old daughter was raped and forced into 
prostitution. She was rescued on Dec. 30, 2006.

In Tang's daughter's case, the same higher court sentenced Zhou and Qin to 
death, another four accomplices to life in prison and one to 15 years in a 
final verdict on June 5, 2012. But a collegiate bench of the Supreme People's 
Court annulled the death penalty for the 2 in June this year and ordered the 
provincial higher court to retry the case.

The court retried the case on July 25 and made the final ruling on Friday.

Zhou had 10,000 yuan (1,623 U.S. dollars) of his personal wealth confiscated. 
Qin also had 10,000 yuan of his personal wealth confiscated and was fined 
another 5,000 yuan, according to the court.

The court said their crime did not warrant a death sentence.

The victim's mother, Tang, gained public attention after protesting in front of 
the Yongzhou municipal government buildings on Aug. 2, 2012 when she insisted 
on harsher punishments for all those found guilty.

She was then put in a labor camp in Yongzhou for "seriously disturbing social 
order and exerting a negative impact on society" but was released 8 days later 
amid a public outcry urging her release.

On Jan. 22, 2013, Tang filed a lawsuit at the Intermediate People's Court in 
Yongzhou in which she asked for 2,463.85 yuan in compensation.

On April 12 that year, the court ruled that Tang was not entitled to the 
compensation she requested. She then appealed to the provincial higher people's 
court, which ordered the Yongzhou municipal re-education through labor 
commission to pay her 2,641.15 yuan in July for infringing upon her personal 
freedom and causing psychological damage.

Her case helped bring about the abolishment of the reeducation through labor 
program late last year.

Re-education through labor, known as "laojiao" in Chinese, allows police to 
detain people for up to 4 years without an open trial.

(source: Xinhua News)