[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Nov. 4




INDONESIA:

Death penalty sought for drug defendants


Prosecutors at the Semarang District Court in Central Java have demanded the 
death penalty for 5 defendants in a major drug-smuggling case, including 
Pakistani citizens Muhammad Riaz and Faiq Akhtar and US national Kamran Malik, 
aka Philip Russel.

The 3 have been indicted for trafficking 97 kilograms of crystal 
methamphetamine to Jepara, Central Java, through Tanjung Emas Port in the 
provincial capital of Semarang.

According to prosecutors, Riaz arranged the drug shipment from Guangzhou, 
China, to Indonesia and then stored it in the CV Jepara Raya International 
furniture warehouse in Pekalongan village, Jepara regency.

Prosecutors claim Riaz arranged the documents to smuggle the narcotics into 
Indonesia.

The defendant was charged under the 2009 Narcotics Law.

Faiq was also involved in the attempt to smuggle the drugs into Indonesia, and 
had also been indicted under the same law, prosecutor Edi Budianto said.

Prosecutors, meanwhile, demanded that the court sentence another defendant 
Restiyadi Sayoko, accused of having facilitated the drug trafficking, to life 
imprisonment.

The plea session will be held on Nov. 8 and the court will hand down its 
verdict on Nov. 14.

On Wednesday, the court also heard the death penalty being demanded for 2 
Indonesians for their role in the smuggling of the 97 kg of crystal meth 
through Tanjung Emas Port.

They were Citra Agung Kurniawan and Tommy Pratomo, employees of PT Jacobson 
Global Logistics Indonesia who helped take care of the import documents for 
Zhouma brand generators from China.

Prosecutor Diajeng Kusumaningrum also sought a 18-year sentence for another 
defendant Peni Suprapti.

Peni, who is Indonesian, is the wife of Riaz. Peni was charged with helping to 
store the drugs in the furniture warehouse in Jepara.

The National Narcotics Agency (BNN) busted the drug trafficking ring on Jan. 
27.

The Pakistani group stashed the crystal meth inside 194 power generators after 
dismantling their pistons. The crystal meth was dispatched from Guangzhou, 
China, and smuggled through Tanjung Emas.

Didi Triono, meanwhile, a local resident, leased the warehouse, which was 
disguised as a furniture factory. Prosecutors sought 18 years in prison for 
Didi.

In the trial hearing, prosecutor Bondan Subrata said Citra was contacted by 
Riaz to arrange the importation of the generators.

"Defendant Citra assisted in the arrangement of import documents for the 
generators, which contained the drugs. He also set a tariff of Rp 190 million 
[about US$14,630] for the service," said Bondan.

Prosecutors also demanded a fine of Rp 1 billion for Citra.

Indonesia has fallen under international scrutiny in recent years for its use 
of the death penalty.

Despite repeated calls from human rights activists, President Joko "Jokowi" 
Widodo has insisted that drug convicts should be executed, saying that drug 
misuse claims the lives of thousands of Indonesians every year.

(source: The Jakarta Post)






SUDAN:

Further delay to trial of death row pastors


The trial of 2 Sudanese pastors who face death if convicted has been postponed 
for the 2nd time in 2 weeks.

Rev Hassan Abduraheem and Rev Kuwa Shamal face at least seven charges including 
waging war against the state and espionage, which carry the death penalty as 
the maximum sentence.

They are on trial with 2 other mean, Petr Jasek and Abdulmonem Abdumawla.

The hearing, which was due to take place on 31 October in Khartoum, was 
rescheduled, as the judge was absent. Last week, a hearing scheduled for 24 
October was postponed to 31 October, because the judge was out of the country.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide, which is monitoring the case, told Premier it 
was concerned the delays would mean the men would not get a fair trial.

There has already been several other delays to the case, including a 3-week 
adjournment for the translation of documents.

The case against the pastors centres on money given to a young man who was 
injured in a protest against the state.

CSW's Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said: "We are concerned by the continuing 
delays in the trial.

"Fair trial principles stipulate that criminal proceedings should occur within 
a reasonable time. In this case, the constant postponements due to the absence 
of the judge or prosecutor or failure to transport the men to court are 
prolonging proceedings unnecessarily, which is unacceptable, given the length 
of time these men have already spent in custody.

"We continue to call for the unconditional and immediate release of these 
unjustly detained men. In the event the trial continues, we urge the government 
of Sudan to ensure it proceeds in line with fair trial principles outlined in 
Article 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, to which Sudan is 
a party."

(source: premier.org.uk)






SOUTH AFRICA:

Clive Derby-Lewis, behind Chris Hani killing, dies


Clive Derby-Lewis, a South African politician jailed for the 1993 assassination 
of Communist Party leader Chris Hani, has died at the age of 80.

Mr Hani led the military wing of Nelson Mandela's African National Congress 
Party and was among South Africa's most popular black politicians.

Derby-Lewis opposed ending white minority rule and was trying to start a race 
war in the last days of apartheid.

Another man, Janusz Walus, shot Mr Hani but Derby-Lewis provided the gun.

He was initially sentenced to death, alongside Walus, but his sentence was 
commuted when South Africa abolished the death penalty in 1995.

The murder was intended to spark riots that escalated racial tensions and 
harmed reconciliation efforts.

But it backfired as Mandela appeared presidential while he called for calm, and 
pressured then-President FW de Klerk to set a date for the historic democratic 
election in which he was swept to power.

Derby-Lewis was a founder member of the Conservative Party in 1982.

Partly due to his terminal lung cancer, he was granted parole in June 2015 
after 22 years in prison, despite fierce objections from the Hani family.

He is survived by his wife Gaye, a fellow Conservative Party politician.

(source: BBC news)