[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Oct. 28



AUSTRALIA:

Barrister named Vic Australian of the Year


The Bali 9 duo's lawyer Julian McMahon has been named Victorian Australian of 
the Year.

Leading up to the execution of Bali 9 ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran 
Sukumaran, their lawyer Julian McMahon solely focused on their case.

Refusing to take on any new paying clients, the 2016 Victorian Australian of 
the Year worked tirelessly to try to save them from the death penalty.

For more than 12 years, he has worked without payments for Australians facing 
the death penalty abroad.

His clients include Van Tuong Nguyen in Singapore and George Forbes in Sudan, 
among others.

Leading up to the executions of Bali 9 ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran 
Sukumaran, Mr McMahon remained wholly focused on their case, not taking on any 
new clients.

Premier Daniel Andrews attended the Victorian Australian of the Year Awards on 
Wednesday night and applauded Mr McMahon and other recipients for their work in 
the community.

"They are truly inspirational and great role models for Australians young and 
old," Mr Andrews said on Wednesday night.

"Their dedication and commitment each of them shows to their chosen field is 
something for us all to truly admire."

Indigenous elder Jack Charles was awarded the Victorian Senior Australian of 
the Year at the ceremony hosted at the Aerial Function Centre, as was 
university student Robert Gillies named Victorian Young Australian of the Year 
and social entrepreneur Rebecca Scott, who was named Victorian Local Hero.

(source: Yahoo News)






VIETNAM:

Vietnamese man sentenced to death for brutal slayings of 4


A court in the northern province of Yen Bai on Wednesday handed down the death 
penalty to a man for killing 4 people in a family, including a 2-year-old boy, 
in a mountainous village in August.

Thousands of local residents flocked to the outdoor trial to witness the end of 
one of the most brutal murder cases this year.

Dang Van Hung, 26, was found guilty of murdering 32-year-old Tran Van Long, 
Long's 20-year-old wife Phan Thi Hoa, his 2-year-old son and his sister-in-law 
on August 12.

Hung confessed that he killed Long and the others after an argument over 
disputed farm land and water stream with Long.

Hung and the victims are relatives.

According to the indictment, on the afternoon of August 12, Hung was working on 
a field.

After he picked up a fight with Long, he kicked Long in the face and knocked 
him down.

Seeing the attack, Hoa tried to call her father on the phone for help.

Long then tried to run away. Hung chased after him and slashed him on the back 
with a knife.

The victim continued to run until he collapsed. Hung repeatedly slashed him on 
the neck and shoulders.

After Long died, Hung came back to murder Hoa by slashing her multiple times. 
He then killed Hoa's younger sister and Hoa's2-year-old son, both were staying 
in a makeshift house on the field.

Hung came back to his house and threatened to kill his own father to get 2 
rifles.

He packed the 2 knives he used to kill the victims and the rifles. Before 
leaving, he told his father he had killed the family of 4.

Hung came to a cassava field and asked his girlfriend Nguyen Thi Han, 36, to go 
with him. He then told Han about the killings and said he wanted to commit 
suicide.

Han persuaded him to turn himself into police but the man refused to and forced 
her to flee with him.

The couple were arrested 3 days later while they were hiding in a forest in Yen 
Bai Province, a few kilometers away from the crime scene.

(source: Thanh Nien News)