[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Nov. 18



JAPAN:

Survey offers insights into Japan's death-row inmates' thoughts, feelings and 
fears


For death-row inmates in Japan, contact with the outside world through visits 
and the exchange of letters makes life worth living, if only for another day, 
as they reflect on their crimes or pursue the possibility of retrials.

As one might expect, a questionnaire survey found the biggest pleasure for 
inmates awaiting execution is contact with family and friends. It also revealed 
that nearly 80 % of the respondents were either appealing for retrials or 
planning to do so.

The nationwide survey conducted by an anti-death penalty group called Forum 90 
and Mizuho Fukushima, a House of Councilors member of the Social Democratic 
Party, found that issues such as the treatment of certain medical conditions, 
and the obvious fear of facing a literal gallows, weighed heavily on their 
minds.

Others expressed remorse for their crimes and apologies to the victims' 
families.

The questionnaires were sent out in May to 129 death-row inmates, of whom 73 
responded. Fukushima is a senior member of a group of multiparty lawmakers 
seeking the abolition of the death penalty.

Among the respondents, 50 said they are seeking retrials, while eight more plan 
to do so.

Asked about their greatest pleasures, 20 cited meeting with visitors, 19 said 
writing and receiving letters, and 17 said watching DVDs and videos, which they 
are permitted to do on a periodic basis.

Although most have visitors or engage in correspondence, 13 admitted to having 
no visitors, while five were not involved in writing letters, and indicated 
their loneliness.

60 complained of health problems, with 1 inmate saying it is difficult to 
receive proper treatment for dentures, while another inmate complained of a 
lack of physical exercise. Many said they regularly receive medical treatment 
or medication for high blood pressure, backaches and prostate diseases.

Regarding the food they most want to eat, with multiple answers allowed, 10 
said noodles, 9 answered sweets, such as cakes, and 8 indicated sushi.

The oldest respondent was 83 years old, while the youngest was 30.

It was the 3rd survey of death-row inmates by Forum 90 and Fukushima, following 
those conducted in 2008 and 2011. The survey also provides a section for 
comments.

A 68-year-old man involved in a mass murder case by a radical sect in the early 
1970s noted, "Our life continues even if the death penalty on us has been 
finalized.

"We are making efforts to improve our own personal qualities, while considering 
why we committed crimes and how we could prevent others from making the same 
mistakes."

The man criticized the system of capital punishment for condemning death-row 
inmates for the crimes they committed in the past without acknowledging the 
work they have done to improve themselves since that time.

"The Justice Ministry announces immediately after executions the details of 
crimes the hanged inmates committed so it can condemn them for who they were at 
the time of their crimes," he said.

A 57-year-old man said, "I was scared for the past 10 years as I imagined 
myself on the gallows and hanged. But the fear stirred a feeling that I'm 
living, with blood running through my veins."

Given the circumstances, he added, he gradually began to accept his fate.

"I dreamed of the abolition of the death penalty, but at the same time I 
thought it would not be terminated while I'm alive," he said. "I leave the 
dream as it is ... I have no regrets about this world."

A 45-year-old inmate convicted of involvement in the sarin attack on the Tokyo 
subway system as a member of the Aum Shinrikyo cult contributed a poem titled 
"Sinner."

Calling himself "an absolutely ungrateful child" in the poem, he lamented his 
powerlessness to support his aging parents. He said he felt crushed by the 
weight of the crimes he committed.

"I cannot go back into the past ... I am a sinner who stands alone on a cliff," 
he wrote.

Taku Fukada, a member of Forum 90, said the group hopes to continue conducting 
the survey "as a way to enable death-row inmates to convey what they are 
thinking to the outside world."

The government hanged a death-row inmate in June, bringing the total number of 
executions under the second administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which 
began in December 2012, to 12.

The U.N. Human Rights Committee urged Japan last year to "give due 
consideration to the abolition of the death penalty."

In defense of the status quo, the government has mainly cited the outcome of a 
survey that indicated more than 80 % of people in Japan support the death 
penalty.

But a recent study by researchers found that the death penalty is not as deeply 
entrenched in Japan as previously claimed, and that some people change their 
minds, particularly after being exposed to more information on the subject.

According to human rights group Amnesty International, 140 countries, or about 
70 % of all nations in the world, had abolished the death penalty by law or in 
practice as of the end of 2014. In 2014, only 22 countries, including Japan, 
continued to execute inmates.

(source: The Japan Times)






INDONESIA:

Airport Police thwart drug deal worth Rp 39 billion


Soekarno-Hatta International Airport Police thwarted a drug transaction worth 
Rp 39 billion (US$2.84 million) that was taking place between a courier and a 
dealer who usually operates around Greater Jakarta.

Soekarno-Hatta Police anti-narcotics unit chief Adj. Comr. Martua Raja 
Silitonga said the police had already arrested the 2 suspects, the courier 
identified as NR, 36, and the dealer SD, 34, for further investigation.

"We already arrested the 2 suspects," he said on Tuesday.

In the course of the arrest, police confiscated 1,012 grams of methamphetamine, 
2,944 grams of ketamine, 61,251 ecstasy pills and 4,196 strips of erimin-5, 
also known as Happy Five, according to Soekarno-Hatta Police chief Sr. Adj. 
Comr. Roycke Langie.

He said that the police confiscated all the drugs from two houses in West 
Jakarta, but the deal was made in Grogol, West Jakarta.

"We received a tip-off that a drug deal would be conducted at the airport, but 
then we learned from our investigation that the deal was moved to an area in 
Grogol," he said, adding that the police could only arrest NR in the 1st raid 
on Tuesday last week because SD was not present at the location.

"We arrested NR and confiscated 50 ecstasy pills," he said.

Roycke said the police then raided NR's house and found another 42 ecstasy 
pills and 2 grams of meth.

He went on to say that the police arrested SD the next day, Nov. 11, after they 
asked NR to call SD to meet for another deal.

"We arrested SD at a gas station around Jembatan Lima in Tambora, West Jakarta. 
We confiscated 300 ecstasy pills from him," he said, adding that the police 
then brought SD to his rented house in Grogol where they found the rest of the 
drugs.

The police are currently hunting another suspect, identified as SM, who 
allegedly acted as a middleman, according to Roycke, adding that based on the 2 
suspects' confessions all the drugs were supplied by syndicates from China and 
Malaysia.

He said that the 2 suspects made the deal this month so they could distribute 
all the drugs in time for New Year's Eve parties.

"The drugs were sent to Indonesia via courier services and the suspects have 
collected them for 3 months," he said, adding that the suspects deceived the 
services by hiding the drugs inside food boxes.

"For example, we found 300 ecstasy pills hidden inside baby-milk boxes," 
Maratua said as quoted by kompas.com.

According to Roycke, the 2 suspects will be charged with Article 113 of the 
2009 Narcotics Law, which carries a penalty of capital punishment, should the 
suspects be found guilty.

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Indonesia is 
being used as a major hub for drug trafficking by transnational organized crime 
groups.

That is why the Indonesian government says it has intensified its war against 
drug trafficking that is at what it calls "an emergency level" by continuing 
its use of the death penalty on drug traffickers, despite mounting pressure 
from the international community to put an end to the practice.

Last week, the West Jakarta District Court sentenced Hong Kong drug kingpin 
Wong Chi Ping and his Indonesian associate Ahmad Salim Wijaya to death for 
possessing 862 kilograms of drugs.

The government claims that drug abuse kills an average 40 people every day and 
estimates the number of drug addicts will total 5.8 million people this year.

(source: thejakartapost.com)

**********

Groom discovers bride isn't a virgin, eats genitals of her rapist


2 Indonesian newlyweds have been arrested on accusations they plotted to kill a 
man the woman said had raped her a week before her marriage, and police said 
Tuesday the couple ate the victim's genitals after the man was killed.

Lampung police spokeswoman Lt. Col. Sulistyaningsih said Rudi Effendi and his 
wife Nuriah were being held for further investigation after their arrests 
Sunday at their house in Tulang Bawang district in Sumatra's Lampung province.

Sulistyaningsih, who uses one name, said police found the victim's body in a 
burnt minivan Oct. 4. She said the monthlong investigation led to the 
conclusion that the couple had planned to kill the victim, who was a driver for 
a travel agency.

The couple had married in September and the husband found on the wedding night 
that his wife was no longer a virgin. She then said she had been raped 1 week 
before the marriage.

Police said Effendi, 30, asked his 20-year-old wife to arrange a meeting with 
the man she accused of raping her. Effendi stabbed the man to death and cut off 
his genitals before setting ablaze the car.

Effendi said he fried the severed genitals and ate them to cure his heartache 
over the rape.

Official charges have not been filed. Police said the couple could be charged 
with premeditated murder, which carries a maximum death penalty.

(source: Associated Press)


THAILAND:

'Deceased' death row grandma found alive and well


A 72-year-old woman turned herself in to police Tuesday after allegedly faking 
her own death to escape the death penalty.

Juree Jan-ngam, who had been sentenced to die for the contract killing of her 
son's fiancee 8 years ago, turned herself in at the Crime Suppression Division 
in Bangkok after police were closing in on her whereabouts, nearly 2 years 
after she allegedly faked her death and disappeared.

In 2007, Juree was accused of hiring someone to murder Riewprae Chotikarn, who 
was 3-months pregnant with Juree's grandson and was set to marry her son, 
Wikrom Jan-Ngam. Juree, a wealthy Songkhla businesswoman, reportedly 
disapproved of her son marrying Riewprae. The hit went down in a clinic, and 
Riewprae's assistant was also cut down in the gunfire.

(source: thaivisa.com)






SINGAPORE:

5 suspects arrested, more than S$158,000 of drugs seized in raid----The Central 
Narcotics Bureau seized about 1.56kg of heroin and 1.12kg of cannabis, among 
other drugs, during an operation on Tuesday (Nov 17).


According to a press release on Wednesday, CNB said its officers were deployed 
in the vicinity of Kembangan, where a local drug trafficker was believed to be 
waiting for a fresh consignment of drugs. They then trailed the suspected 
trafficker, 57, after he boarded the car driven by a 37-year-old Malaysian 
suspected to be a drug courier.

When he alighted, the officers arrested the Singaporean and recovered about 
1.36kg of heroin and 1kg of cannabis from a paper bag he was holding. He had a 
further 200g of heroin, 120g of cannabis, 146 Ecstasy tablets, nine Erimin-5 
tablets and a "small amount" of Ice on him, a further search revealed. They 
also found about S$2,600 in cash on him.

CNB officers then raided the 57-year-old's hideout in Siglap Road and arrested 
a 35-year-old female Singaporean, who is suspected to be a drug abuser and had 
about 5g of Ice on her. About 110g of ketamine and some methadone were also 
recovered from the unit, the CNB added.

Seperately, another group of officers followed the Malaysian drug courier to 
Jurong, where he was arrested after alighting from the car. Cash of more than 
S$5,000 and some Malaysian currency was recovered from him, CNB said.

Follow-up investigations also led to the capture of a suspected drug syndicate 
leader, 28, in Tampines. He is believed to be coordinating drug consignments 
for local drug traffickers. A 25-year-old Singaporean female, his suspected 
associate, was arrested too, the agency added.

Investigations into the drug activities are ongoing. The Misuse of Drugs Act 
provides for the death penalty if the amount of diamorphine, or pure heroin, 
trafficked exceeds 15g. Those convicted of trafficking in more than 500g of 
cannabis may also face the death penalty, the press release noted.

(soruce: channelnewsasia.com)






MALAYSIA:

Suhakam lauds proposal to remove mandatory death penalty


The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) has lauded the proposal to 
abolish the mandatory death sentence for drug-related offences.

Its chairman Tan Sri Hasmy Agam said Suhakam believed the positive development 
would place Malaysia on par with many other nations that have lately begun to 
take the step to abolish the mandatory death sentence.

"Suhakam hopes that the proposal for the amendment will be submitted quickly to 
Parliament, and while waiting for the decision, a suspension of all offences 
bringing the death sentence be implemented," he said in a statement on 
Wednesday.

He also urged the government to review crime laws to ensure that if a death 
sentence was imposed for an offence, it must only be for the most serious 
crimes as defined in International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 
(ICCPR).

He said Suhakam also recommended that Malaysia joined ICCPR and the Second 
Choice Protocol and endeavoured towards abolishing the death sentence in 
Malaysia, subsequently joining about 140 of 193 nations in the United Nations 
which had done away with the death sentence or had introduced a moratorium in 
law or in practice.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nancy Shukri was reported as saying 
on Tuesday that the government planned to introduce a bill to abolish the 
mandatory death sentence for several heavy crimes especially those related to 
drug offences and possession of firearms.

Nancy said the bill, which was expected to be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat in 
March next year, would return the punishments on offenders to the discretion of 
the judge.

(source: The Star)

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

Malaysian govt wants mandatory death penalty abolished

The Malaysian government wants to abolish the mandatory death sentence for 
drug-related offences and says the punishment should be left to the discretion 
of the judge, The Star Online reported, citing an official.

Nancy Shukri, the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, said the 
government was looking to table this motion during the next Parliament seating 
in March.

Nancy said that their aim was to abolish the word "mandatory" from laws for 
drug-related offences and leave the sentence to the discretion of the judge. 
She said there were now a total of 1,022 convicts on death row.

Asked if she found death sentences effective to curb with crime, Nancy said, 
"It doesn't help". "We need to find other ways like education, motivation or 
something else," she added.

She pointed out that the removal of the mandatory death sentence did not mean 
that drug offenders would walk off scot-free, adding that they would face other 
sentences such as life imprisonment.

At present, those convicted of crimes related to drugs, firearm offences, 
murder and treason face the mandatory death penalty.

Last Friday, Attorney-General Tan Sri Apandi Ali said he would propose to the 
Cabinet that the mandatory death penalty be scrapped. He said mandatory death 
sentences were a "paradox" as it robbed judges of their discretion to impose 
sentences on convicted criminals.

(source: thaivisa.com)

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

Suhakam urges moratorium on executions pending death penalty review


Lauding Putrajaya's plan to abolish the mandatory death penalty in drug-related 
offences, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) urged for a 
moratorium on all executions for the time being.

Suhakam chairman Tan Sri Hasmy Agam also urged for the proposed amendments to 
the law to be taken to Parliament soon.

In a statement, Hasmy described the government's plan as a positive development 
that will bring Malaysia's position on the issue closer to many countries that 
have abolished the mandatory death sentence in recent years.

"The commission recommends that the government consider acceding to the 
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and its Second 
Optional Protocol, and to aim towards the eventual abolition of the death 
penalty in Malaysia, joining approximately 140 of the 193 United Nations Member 
States that have abolished the death penalty or introduced moratoriums, either 
in law or in practice," Hasmy added.

He also suggested that the government review all criminal laws to ensure that 
the death penalty, if imposed, is applicable only to the most serious crimes as 
defined by Article 6(2) of the ICCPR.

Yesterday, de facto law minister Nancy Shukri said that Putrajaya planned to 
table a bill in March next year to abolish the mandatory death penalty in 
drug-related offences.

She had said this would allow judges to use their discretion to choose between 
sentencing a person to jail and the gallows in non-criminal cases, such as 
drug-related offences.

"What we are looking at is the abolition of the mandatory death sentence. It is 
not easy to amend and we are working on it.

"We can get rid of the word 'mandatory' to allow judges to use their discretion 
in drug-related offences," she reportedly said.

Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali had told The Malaysian Insider in 
an exclusive interview recently that he would propose to the Cabinet that the 
mandatory death penalty be scrapped, adding that it was a "paradox", as it 
robbed judges of their discretion to impose sentences on convicted criminals.

"If I had my way, I would introduce the option for the judge in cases where it 
involves capital punishment. Give the option to the judge either to hang him or 
send him to prison.

"Then we're working towards a good administration of criminal justice," Apandi 
told The Malaysian Insider.

He said that this would be in line with the "universal thinking" of capital 
punishment, although he denied calling for the death penalty to be abolished 
altogether.

(source: themalaysianinsider.com)