[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 29




IRAN----executions

At Least 4 Prisoners Were Executed For Drug Offences

2 of the 4 prisoners who were transferred to solitary confinement on Wednesday 
27. April were hanged yesterday morning in the Central Prison of Karaj (west of 
Tehran). According to close sources these prisoners were identified as "Mehdi 
Bagherzadeh" and "Esmaeil Tanabi".

Iran Human Rights (IHR) had reported about the transfer of 4 prisoners (2 
brothers) to solitary confinement in preparation for execution on April 27. All 
the 4 prisoners were sentenced to death for possession and trafficking of 8 
kilograms of heroin in one case.

Mehdi Bagherzadeh and his younger brother Abbas Bagherzadeh were the 2 brothers 
who were scheduled to be executed. Mehdi was executed while Abbas was together 
with another prisoner identified as "Farhad Esmaeili" were returned to their 
wards. Sources have reported that they remain under imminent danger of 
execution.

Another member of the Bagherzadeh family (Isa Bagherzadeh, another brother) was 
hanged 5 months ago.

(source: iranhumanrights.net)






INDONESIA:

Pacquiao's effort to save Mary Jane Veloso hampered by slow trial


About year ago today, Manny Pacquiao visited Filipino death row convict Mary 
Jane Velasco in Indonesia and made an appeal to the country's president Joko 
Widodo to spare spare the life of the suspected drug mule from execution by 
firing squad.

It its 2nd appeal to the Indonesian government, the Philippine authorities 
argue that Veloso is a victim of human trafficking and does not deserve the 
death penalty.

Veloso, an overseas Filipino worker (OFW), was arrested in 2010 by Indonesian 
authorities after they found 2.6 kilos of heroin in her suitcase.

Veloso denied owning the package containing the illegal drug saying she wasn't 
aware of its contents as she was just asked to carry it by her recruiter.

Veloso, who only made it to her 1st year high school, did not fully understand 
the questions being asked during the proceedings as she was provided only with 
a student translator.

In his appeal, Pacquiao said: "His Excellency, President Joko Widodo, I am 
Manny Pacquiao. On behalf of my countryman, Mary Jane Veloso, and the entire 
Filipino people, I am begging and knocking on your kind heart that Your 
Excellency will grant executive clemency to her by sparing her life and saving 
her life from execution."

In July 2010, Pacquiao flew to Indonesia along with wife Jinkee to fulfill his 
promise to meet Veloso at the Wirogunan prison in Yogyakarta.

Together, they prayed with Veloso breaking down in tears as she tightly 
embraced Manny and Jinkee.

"We're hoping to help save Mary Jane's life. I think Mary Jane is a victim of 
human-trafficking," Pacquiao said after visiting the single mother of two young 
children.

Veloso is surviving on a reprieve granted by the Indonesian president on appeal 
from the Philippine government. As far as Indonesia is concerned, Veloso is 
still a death convict and execution by firing squad can take place anytime 
soon.

"Mary Jane is still facing the threat of execution," Migrante International 
vice-chair Rina Anastacio told the Guardian. "Unfortunately the trial is going 
very slowly," she said.

Indonesia has some of the toughest laws in the world for drug offenders and if 
the ongoing trial in the Philippines drags on for years, there is no assurance 
Indonesia will hold on to the temporary reprieve accorded to Veloso.

(source: digitaljournal.com)