[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Oct. 19



PAKISTAN:

Pakistan Isolates Asia Bibi after Security Fears


Asia Bibi, the Pakistani Christian woman on death row for alleged blasphemy, 
has been put in isolation over fears of attacks by vigilantes enraged over a 
high-profile ruling in another blasphemy case that moderates said struck a blow 
against religious extremism.

They were referring to the fact that Pakistan's Supreme Court recently upheld 
the death sentence of a bodyguard who killed a senior politician over his 
support for blasphemy law reform and for Asia Bibi, the mother-of-five who is 
still on death row.

Mumtaz Qadri was supposed to be guarding Punjab governor Salman Taseer in an 
Islamabad market in 2011 when he shot Taseer.

Shouting "God is great," the guard shot Taseer 27 times (it took just 3 or 4 
seconds) then put his hands up in the air and said to his fellow guards (the 
governor moved with more than 20 armed men) "Don't shoot - arrest me." They 
did.

Salman Taseer with Asia BibiAccording to the BBC, Qadri claimed it was his 
religious duty to kill the governor over his support for liberal reforms to 
blasphemy law, but was sentenced to death.

Now, according to AFP, prison officials and rights activists have said that 
they were concerned for Asia Bibi's life due to the security threat and her 
worsening health.

The mother-of-5, whose plight has prompted prayers from the Vatican, has been 
on death row since she was convicted in 2010 of committing blasphemy during an 
argument with a Muslim woman over a bowl of water.

Bibi, a Christian mother-of-five, was sentenced to death in 2010 for insulting 
the Prophet Mohammad, a charge she denies. Bibi says she was targeted after 
drinking water from a vessel used by Muslim farmworkers.

The workers said it was forbidden for a Christian to drink water from the same 
container and later reported her for blasphemy, saying she had insulted the 
Prophet Mohammad.

Pakistan's top court has suspended the execution of Asia Bibi, a Catholic woman 
sentenced to death for blasphemy, after agreeing to hear her appeal.

A 3-judge bench on July 22 ordered a halt to the execution pending the outcome 
of the appeal.

Bibi was arrested in Sheikhupura district of Punjab province in 2009 after 
being accused of insulting the Prophet Mohammad, a charge she denies.

A trial court subsequently charged Bibi with blasphemy and sentenced her to 
death in November 2010.

After drinking the water from a vessel, Bibi was told it was forbidden for 
Christians to drink water from the same vessel.

Several workers complained to a cleric that she had insulted Muhammad prompting 
an angry mob to attack her, she says.

Mumtaz Qadri after his arrestBibi was put in solitary confinement last week at 
the women's prison in the city of Multan, an official there told AFP.

The move came after "genuine" threats to her life were issued in the wake of a 
Supreme Court ruling that upheld the death sentence for Mumtaz Qadri, the 
killer of a politician who sought blasphemy law reform in a separate, 
high-profile case.

"Although, blasphemy is a hugely sensitive issue in Pakistan, the country has 
never executed anyone on the charge - but anyone convicted, or even just 
accused, of insulting Islam risks a violent and bloody death at the hands of 
vigilantes," said the AFP story.

Last year a British-Pakistani citizen who had been sentenced to death for 
blasphemy was shot and wounded by a guard at Rawalpindi's Adiala jail.

A Christian laborer and his wife were also burned alive last November after 
being accused of throwing pages of the Quran in the garbage.

"She (Bibi) could be killed by any inmate or even a prison guard, so we have to 
be careful," a prison official told AFP.

A 2nd official confirmed that Bibi had been isolated, adding: "We are concerned 
for her life."

The 2nd official, who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity, also said Bibi's 
health had deteriorated.

Asia Bibi protest"She was vomiting blood last month and was having difficulty 
walking," the official added. Rights activists and family sources also voiced 
concerns for Bibi's health.

"Her life is in danger because of her health and the filthy prison conditions, 
and from fundamentalist elements within the prison," Shamaun Alfred Gill, a 
Christian activist and spokesman for the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance 
(APMA), told AFP.

He said the group had repeatedly requested Bibi be transferred to a hospital, 
but the requests had been rejected.

"Asia has a history of asthma and we were told that her health condition had 
worsened at one time but she was recovering now," a source close to the 
prisoner's family told AFP.

According to one media report, more than 1,400 cases of blasphemy were 
registered in Pakistan in 2014, marking a new record for the prosecution of 
religious crimes in the country amidst growing protests of abuse and arbitrary 
arrests of Christians and other religious minorities.

Pakistan has some of the most severe blasphemy laws in the world, where freedom 
of speech is severely curtailed. Those guilty of "defiling the Prophet 
Muhammad" face the death penalty, while life imprisonment is given for damaging 
the Quran. Also "Insulting another's religious feelings, can result in up to 10 
years in jail.

(source: crossmap.com)






EGYPT:

Family of teenager jailed in Egypt take battle to Brussels


Ibrahim Halawa was 17 when he was detained while taking refuge in a mosque near 
Cairo's Ramses Square as the Muslim Brotherhood held a "day of rage" over the 
removal of their elected president Mohamed Morsi.

Now 19, he has been in prison for more than 800 days.

His trial has been adjourned until December 15, with the potential for the 
death penalty hanging over him if convicted.

His sister Somaia said they will have to take their fight to the highest level 
to secure his release.

"We have seen how the efforts of the EU helped in the case of Al-Jazeera 
journalists and we believe that with wider EU support, Ibrahim's release can be 
secured," she said.

In Brussels, the family and their lawyers will host a briefing on the case for 
Irish MEPs organised Sinn Fein's Lynn Boylan.

The legal team will also make an address to the parliament, calling on European 
authorities to act to securing the teenager's immediate release.

Mr Halawa, from Firhouse in south Dublin, has been detained in Cairo since 
August 2013. He was initially arrested with 3 of his sisters.

His lawyers, who were refused access to him until last month, said he was 
denied medical treatment for a gunshot wound to his hand following his arrest 
and he has been left permanently disfigured as a result.

Australian journalist Peter Greste, who was detained after reporting on the 
Cairo turmoil, will address MEPs as he was eventually released following 
international diplomatic and legal pressure.

The Reprieve organisation, which works for people facing death penalty cases, 
will also make an address.

Darragh Mackin, of KRW LAW - which is representing the Halawa family, said 
addressing MEPs with other lawyers and journalists should send a clear message 
to Cairo authorities that the EU is taking the Halawa case very seriously and 
the consequences cannot be ignored.

"We shall continue to seek Ibrahim's immediate release and this opportunity on 
Brussels is part of that campaign," he said.

(source: Belfast Telegraph)






SAUDI ARABIA:

Prisoner of conscience latest to be convicted in 'counter-terror purge' of 
human rights NGO


The Saudi Arabian authorities today continued their cynical use of a repressive 
and overly vague counter-terrorism law to purge the Kingdom???s small and 
embattled civil society by convicting the human rights defender Abdulkareem 
al-Khoder and imprisoning him for 10 years, Amnesty International said.

Abdulkareem al-Khoder, a co-founder of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights 
Association (ACPRA), was jailed in June 2013 for eight years after a trial 
before a criminal court. His sentence was overturned last year but he remained 
arbitrarily detained in prison. His latest conviction was handed down by Saudi 
Arabia's Specialized Criminal Court (SCC) under a counter-terrorism law that 
took effect in February 2014.

"By using abusive counter-terrorism legislation and a deeply deficient 
specialized court to intimidate and lock up human rights defenders, Saudi 
Arabia is sending a chilling message that anyone who speaks out will be 
purged," said James Lynch, Acting Deputy Programme Director at Amnesty 
International's Middle East and North Africa Programme.

Abdulkareem al-Khoder, who is also a former professor in the Faculty of Islamic 
Jurisprudence at al-Qassim University, is one of 11 founding members of ACPRA 
who are either already behind bars or still on trial for calling for political 
and human rights reforms.

He was arrested in April 2013 after a government crackdown against ACPRA in 
March 2013 when its 2 founding members, Dr Abdullah al-Hamid and Dr Mohammad 
al-Qahtani, were jailed and the authorities ordered that the organization be 
disbanded. Dr Abdulkareem al-Khoder was accused of a list of offences including 
"disobeying the ruler", "inciting disorder by calling for demonstrations", 
"harming the image of the state by disseminating false information to foreign 
groups" and "taking part in founding an unlicensed organization", a reference 
to ACPRA.

Another ACPRA member, Dr Abdulrahman al-Hamid, was sentenced by the SCC last 
Wednesday to 9 years in prison. His brother Abdullah al-Hamid has been serving 
a 10-year sentence since 2013. A 3rd brother, Issa al-Hamid, was due to be 
sentenced last week but the court session was postponed to November.

The SCC also recently re-opened its case against ACPRA's youngest member, Omar 
al-Sa'id, who was previously sentenced in 2013 to 4 years imprisonment and 200 
lashes for his activism.

Among the other ACPRA members already behind bars are an 80-year-old former 
judge, Sheikh Suliaman al-Rashudi, who was detained and started serving a 
15-year prison term in December 2012, 2 days after he gave a talk on the 
legality of peaceful protests in Shari'a law.

"The outrageous convictions of ACPRA members for their human rights activism, 
coming on top of Saudi Arabia's already appalling human rights record makes a 
further mockery of its obligations as a member of the UN Human Rights Council 
to uphold the highest standards of human rights," said James Lynch.

"Along with the recent death sentences of 3 juvenile activists and the 
imposition of cruel, inhuman and degrading punishments such as the flogging of 
blogger Raif Badawi, this is yet another grim affirmation of the Kingdom's 
desire to crush dissent of whatever form."

7 Shi'a activists are currently on death row in Saudi Arabia, including Ali 
al-Nimr, a juvenile at the time of his crimes, as well as his uncle, Sheikh 
Nimr al-Nimr. Dawood Hussein al-Marhoon and Abdullah Hasan al-Zaher were also 
juveniles at the time of their alleged crimes.

Imposing death sentences on juveniles violates international law. Amnesty 
International opposes the death penalty in all circumstances without exception 
as it violates the right to life, as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of 
Human Rights and it is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.

At least 137 people have been executed in Saudi Arabia so far in 2015. Last 
year's total was 90.

Amnesty International is calling on Saudi Arabia to halt all executions and 
release all prisoners of conscience immediately and unconditionally.

Background

ACPRA is an independent human rights NGO that was set up in October 2009. It 
has reported on human rights violations and helped many families of detainees 
held without charge to bring cases against the Ministry of Interior before the 
Board of Grievances, an administrative court with jurisdiction to consider 
complaints against the state and its public services.

Prior to its suppression, ACPRA acted as a thorn in the side of the Saudi 
Arabian government. ACPRA members spoke out repeatedly against the detention 
practices of the Saudi Arabian authorities and were especially critical of the 
Ministry of Interior and its feared security and intelligence branch, the 
General Directorate of Investigations (GDI) or al-Mabahith, whose officers 
wield extensive powers and are able to arrest, detain, torture and abuse those 
they suspect with impunity.

GDI officers use these powers not only against terrorism suspects, but against 
virtually anyone who speaks out against the authorities, including peaceful 
critics such as those associated with ACPRA or other human rights defenders and 
organizations. All such independent organizations have been forcibly shut down 
and their founders imprisoned or forced into silence by the authorities. A 
recently implemented counter-terror law and decrees have extended legal cover 
for these human rights violations and abuses of power, meaning that even 
peaceful criticism is all too readily branded as terrorism against the state.

(source: amnestyusa.org)






BANGLADESH:

Man gets death penalty for killing businessman


A Bogra court has handed down death penalty to one Belal Hossain Bilu for 
hacking a businessman to death.

The convict was also sentenced with 2 years of rigorous imprisonment and fined 
Tk5,000 for concealing the body.

Other 4 people including Bilu's wife and 2 sons were awarded with life term 
with a fine of TK10,000, in default of paying the fine.

They are Bilu's wife Nasima Begum, 2 sons - Nadim Mia and Azim Mia, and their 
neighbor Raihan, son of Nurul islam.

Additional district and session's Judge Hafizur Rahman pronounced the verdict 
on Monday.

Among the convicts, Nasima and Raihan were on run.

They are convicted for murdering Shahidul Islam, son of Bahar Ali, and owner of 
a workshop in Shibbati Mosque Lane.

Shahidul disappeared on July 27, 2006, whose body was later found in a pond 
beside the house of the accused on the following August 1.

The victim's brother Shahinul Islam filed the case.

(source: Dhaka Tribune)