[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 1



TURKEY:

Crime boss says death penalty should be revived for jailed journalist Dundar


Sedat Peker, a notorious figure convicted on charges of organized crime, 
threatened jailed journalist Can Dundar with reviving the death penalty on 
Monday after Dundar referred to him in one of his columns.

The Cumhuriyet daily's Dundar was arrested on Nov. 26, 2015, on charges of 
espionage and revealing confidential documents after publishing a report with 
photos of weapons it said were being transferred to Syria in trucks operated by 
the National Intelligence Organization (MIT).

Dundar recently referred to Peker in 1 of his columns and wrote: "I wish we 
were murderers. We are arrested just because we took a pen in our hands and 
wrote, because we wrote news reports and they demand 2 lifetimes in jail (plus 
30 years) for us. I was wondering [the kind of] people who are released pending 
trial."

Releasing a statement on his website, Peker responded to Dundar by saying he 
should be grateful to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "If one of the millions 
who think the way I do became the president, their 1st job would be to revive 
the death penalty and the 2nd would be to hang you [everyone who had anything 
to do with the MIT trucks]."

Peker also said that he can abide having his name linked with someone who is 
involved in a criminal activity, but he cannot stand for it to be compared with 
"traitors" like Dundar. Accusing Dundar of betraying national values, Peker 
also accused media outlets of being unfair to him and said he would establish a 
media group if he has to.

Peker drew strong criticism after threatening academics who signed a statement 
calling for an end to the ongoing clashes in southeastern Turkey to "spill 
their blood" and "bathe in it." Also in an anti-terrorism rally he organized on 
Oct. 9 last year, he threatened those who criticized Erdogan and the Justice 
and Development Party (AK Party) government by saying they will pay the price 
for their critical stance.

Dundar wrote in his column that even after making those threats Peker was 
released pending trial and argued that he himself is in jail just for doing his 
job.

(source: todayszaman.com)






SAUDI ARABIA----execution

Saudi Arabia sentences man to death


Saudi authorities executed a Saudi national on Monday for the murder of a 
compatriot, bringing the number of executions by capital punishment to 56 in 
the kingdom this year.

Ahmed al-Harbi was found guilty of stabbing and shooting Fahed al-Balawi during 
a quarrel, according to a statement by the interior ministry published by state 
news agency SPA.

Harbi was executed in the northern city of Tabuk. Most executions in Saudi 
Arabia are beheadings carried out by sword.

In 2015, Saudi Arabia ordered the execution of 153 people, the majority of 
which were death penalty sentences given for drug trafficking or murder, 
according to an AFP tally.

On a single day last month it put 47 people to death for "terrorism", including 
influential Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.

Amnesty International reports that the total number of executions in the 
kingdom in 2015 was the highest for 2 decades.

Saudia Arabia enforces a strict Islamic legal code under which murder, drug 
trafficking, armed robbery, rape and apostasy are all punishable by death.

(source: albawaba.com)