[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

Tue Oct 20 09:22:21 CDT 2015

Oct. 20

PHILIPPINES/GLOBAL:

Philippines joins call for worldwide abolition of death penalty

The Philippines has joined 18 other countries in calling for the worldwide 
abolition of the death penalty.

According to statement from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Monday 
(October 19), Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario joined other foreign 
ministers in making the call on October 10, the 4th World Day against the Death 
Penalty.

The DFA statement said the 1987 Constitution emphasizes the policy against the 
death penalty in Section 11, Article 11: "The State values the dignity of every 
human person and guarantees full respect for human rights," while Section 19 
provides that "Excessive fines shall not be imposed.. Neither shall the death 
penalty be imposed."

The same release said the country "also enacted Republic Act 9346 or An Act 
Prohibiting the Imposition of the Death Penalty in the Philippines on 24 June 
2006."

The DFA said this reinforces the country's commitment to making sure that it 
upholds every person's "right to life."

The imposition of the death penaly, the DFA said, could not fully deter crime.

A more effective way to prevent it would be through the combination of several 
factors such as an empowered citizenry, a skilled and trusted law enforcement 
sector, an effective prosecution service, and an independent judiciary.

(source: CNN)

JAPAN:

Justice and Human Rights, for a World without the Death Penalty

#NoJusticewithoutlife in Japan

Oct. 22 2015 - House of Representatives Tokyo

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

On Oct. 22 2015 the Conference "Justice and Human Rights, for a World without 
the Death Penalty" will take place at the Japanese Parliament, within the 
events of "No Justice without life" run by the Community of Sant'Egidio.

The important panel, organised thanks to the contribution of the Italian 
Embassy in Japan and the Parliamentary League for the Abolition of the Death 
Penalty of the National Diet of Japan, will see participation of several 
distinguished guests such as: Alberto Quattrucci (Secretary General of Peoples 
and Religions, Community of Sant'Egidio), Fabien Fieschi (Head of Political 
Section - EU Delegation to Japan), Lorenzo Morini (Charge d'affaires of the 
Embassy of Italy to Japan Introductory Lectures), Shizuka Kamei (Chairman of 
the Parliamentary League for the Abolition of Death Penalty to the Japanese 
House of Representatives), Mario Marazziti (Chairman of the Commission for 
Social Affairs to the Italian House of Representatives, Manuel G. Co Ministry 
of Justice, Philippines (Guest of Honor) and two men who have been on death row 
in Japan for several years and then found innocent and freed: Iwao Hakamada and 
Hideko Hakamada.

See the programme of the Conference

Opening Addresses

Alberto Quattrucci-- Secretary General of Peoples and Religions, Community of 
Sant'Egidio

Fabien Fieschi -- Head of Political Section - EU Delegation to JapanLorenzo 
Morini Charge d'affaires of the Embassy of Italy to JapanIntroductory Lectures

Shizuka Kamei - Chairman of the Parliamentary League for the Abolition of Death 
Penalty???to the Japanese House of RepresentativesMario Marazziti Chairman of 
the Commission for Social Affairs to the Italian House of Representatives

Movie on the Philippines and the Abolition of Death Penalty

Guest of Honor

Manuel G. Co -- Ministry of Justice, Philippines

Interventions

Seiken Sugiura -- 77th Minister of Justice, Japan (2005-2006)

Hideo Hiraoka -- 88th Minister of Justice, Japan (2011-2012)

Presentation of Toshi Kazama???Photographer "Journey of Hope", USA

Contributions

Osamu Kamo -- President of JFBA's Committee on Abolition of the Death Penalty

Masaharu Harada -- Founder of "Ocean" Association of the Victims' Relatives 
against Death Penalty, Japan

Hirotsugu Terasaki

Soka Gakkai, Japan

Andrea Ortolani -- Secretary General of AIGDC Italian-Japanese Association for 
Comparative Law

Pio d'Emilia -- Journalist and writer, correspondent of Sky Tg24, Italy

Statements by Japanese politicians

Mizuho Fukushima -- Social Democratic Party, Member of the House of Councilors 
of Japan

Isamu Ueda -- Komei Party, Member of the House of Representatives of Japan

Kaoru Tashiro -- Democratic Party, Member of the House of Councilors of Japan

Tadashi Shimizu -- Comunist Party, Member of the House of Representatives of 
Japan

Witnesses

Iwao Hakamada -- Innocent, world's longest-held death row inmate - 46 years - 
freed on March 27th, 2014

Hideko Hakamada -- Hakamada case

Free interventions

Conclusions

Hironori Miyamoto -- Kanto Gakuin University, Japan

Final Greetings

Ryuji Furukawa

Seimeizan Shweitzer

(source: Community of Sant'Egidio)

PAKISTAN----executions

10 more death row convicts hanged

At least 10 death row convicts were sent to the gallows on early Tuesday 
morning in different jails of Punjab, Dunya News reported.

According to details, death row prisoner Muhammad Farooq was hanged in District 
Jail Sargodha. Farooq had killed his rival over an old enmity in 2003.

2 murderers were hanged in Kot Lakhpat Jail Lahore. Death row prisoner Khalil 
had killed a man in 2003 while prisoner Nadeem had killed a man in Shadbagh 
area of Lahore in 1999.

3 death row convicts were executed in District Jail Attock. According to 
details, prisoner Bashir had killed Imran Beg over a family dispute in 1998. 
Double murder convict Amjad Ali was hanged for murdering his father-in-law and 
mother-in-law while death row convict Aleeq Shah was exrcuted for killing 2 
people in 2002.

Murderer of 6 people was hanged in New Central Jail Bahawalpur. Death row 
convict Mustafa was executed for killed 6 people, included his wife, in 2005.

Another death row prisoner was hanged in the District Jail Kasur. Prisoner 
Khalil Ahmad was hanged for murdering a college student in 2002.

2 more death row convicts were hanged in the Central Jail Faisalabad. Prisoner 
Saeed was sent to the gallows for killing a man in 1999 while death row convict 
has killed a man named Shaukat in 1999.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif lifted the moratorium on the death penalty on 
December 17, 2014, a day after Taliban gunmen attacked a school and killed 134 
students and 19 adults. The killings put pressure the government to do more to 
tackle the insurgency. Since then more than 250 death row prisoners, including 
terrorists and murderers have been hanged in various jails of the country.

(source: Dunya News)

IRAN:

Juvenile hangings prompt UN's Ban Ki-moon to ask Iran to suspend executions 
---- UN secretary-general expressed concern about ???worrying trend??? in 
country that has signed international conventions outlawing death penalty for 
those under 18

UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon has called on Iran to impose a moratorium on 
executions after 2 juvenile offenders were hanged in the past 2 weeks.

Ban said he was "deeply saddened" by the executions and recalled that Tehran 
had signed 2 international conventions outlawing the death penalty for children 
under 18.

"The secretary-general reaffirms the opposition of the United Nations to the 
imposition of the death penalty, and calls on the government of Iran to 
establish a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death 
penalty," said a statement from his spokesman.

Fatemeh Salbehi, a 23-year-old woman, was hanged in the province of Fars on 13 
October after being found guilty for killing a man she had been forced to marry 
when she was just 16.

A week earlier Samad Zahabi was hanged in Kermanshah province for shooting a 
fellow shepherd when he was just 17.

UN human rights experts said Iranian authorities did not provide the required 
notice to Zahabi's family or lawyer ahead of the hanging.

Executions in Iran could top 1,000 this year, says Amnesty International

Ban said he was "concerned that these 2 executions reflect a worrying trend in 
Iran", where he said more than 700 people have reportedly been executed so far 
this year, including at least 40 publicly.

He said that was the highest total recorded in the past 12 years.

"The majority of executions were imposed for drug-related offences - crimes 
that do not meet the threshold of the 'most serious crimes' as required by 
international law," he said.

More than 160 juvenile offenders are believed to be on death row in Iranian 
prisons, according to Amnesty International.

Iran - along with China, the United States, Iraq and Saudi Arabia - ranks among 
the world's top executioners, according to Amnesty.

(source: The Guardian)

ZIMBABWE:

Parly Committee Calls for Debate On Death Penalty

The National Assembly's Portfolio Committee on Justice, Legal and Parliamentary 
Affairs has proposed a special parliamentary debate on the death penalty.

Tabling the committee's report in the National Assembly on Tuesday, the 
committee's chairperson, Jessie Majome, expressed concern that there are 
various offences in the Criminal Code that have not been dealt with in the 
General Laws Amendment Bill that is before Parliament. The justice committee 
report said among the issues that have not been addressed was the age of 
consent and the death penalty.

"Parliament should be allowed to fully debate the issue of whether or not 
Parliament should pass a law that permits the death penalty in accordance with 
Section 48(2) of the Constitution.

"Or, if Parliament does decide to reinstate the death penalty for murder 
committed in circumstances of aggravation, then a new provision should be added 
to set out that the death penalty is not mandatory and the court has a 
discretion to impose the death penalty after weighing aggravating circumstances 
against any mitigating circumstances," said Ms Majome.

MPs said there was a need for adequate consultations on the age of sexual 
consent.

"Presently, for both crimes, the law provides that a victim below the age of 12 
is irrefutably presumed to lack the capacity to consent to the sexual act in 
question. The law also provides that if a boy or girl above 12, but is 16 and 
below, the person charged will be guilty of rape or aggravated indecent assault 
unless there is evidence that the girl or boy was capable of giving consent to 
the sexual intercourse or the penetrative sexual conduct.

"There is strong argument for raising the age of consent of these crimes," 
added Ms Majome, while presenting the report.

The report said the Constitutional Court ruling in the case of Madanhire and 
Anor v Attorney-General (2015) ZWCC 02, will require the repeal of criminal 
defamation contained in Section 96 of the Criminal Law Code, but that had not 
been addressed.

It said another case that has not be dealt with in the Bill was the case of 
Chimakure and Ors v A-G S-14-13 in which the court ruled as unconstitutional 
several aspects of the offence of publishing false statements prejudicial to 
the State.

"There was general consensus from stakeholders that the few amendments proposed 
to the Electoral Act are not nearly as many as are needed.

"In particular, stakeholders observed that the following issues were left 
unaddressed: Section 12 of the Electoral Act which requires ZEC to get approval 
from the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs before accepting 
a donation as this infringes on ZEC's constitutionally guaranteed independence 
in terms of Section 235 of the Constitution, since ministers are active players 
in the election process. While section 37B of the Electoral Act envisages the 
President fixing the dates for the delimitation of constituencies, Section 
161(1) of the Constitution confers that responsibility on ZEC," added the 
report.

(source: The Herald)

THAILAND:

Death sentence upheld in murder of Ratchaburi MP

The Supreme Court on Tuesday confirmed the death penalty for Anantasak 
Srisawat, alias Sor Tor Tai, for the murder of former Thai Rak Thai MP Korbkul 
Nop-amornbodi in 2006.

The court upheld the death sentence passed on Anantasak, formerly a member of 
the Ratchaburi Municipal Council, by the 2 lower courts.

Anantasak and 2 other men, Winyoo Rattanawannee, 30, and Anont Phanrat, were 
convicted of collaborating in the murder of Mrs Kobkul on May 27, 2006, when 
they opened fire at her car with 2 M16 rifles at Khao Ngu intersection in 
tambon Chedihak in Muang district of Ratchaburi.

Mrs Korbkul was killed. 2 other people in the car with her, Chatree Suparanant, 
her driver, and Pol Sgt Maj Saichol Kaewsaithong, were wounded in the attack.

The 3 men were arrested a few days later.

On March 31, 2011, the Ratchaburi Court sentenced Anantasak to death and handed 
down life sentences for Winyoo and Anont. The 3 were also ordered to pay 
300,000 baht in damages. All 3 appealed.

The Appeals Court upheld the lower court's ruling. Anantasak appealed to the 
Supreme Court. Anont did the same but withdrew his appeal before the court read 
its decision.

The Supreme Court upheld the death sentence for Anantasak. The judgement was 
read in his absence as he is being held at Khao Bin Prison in Ratchaburi.

The full judgement will be sent to Anantasak at the prison.

The lower courts were told the motive for the murder was a business conflict.

(source: Bangkok Post)