[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Sept. 2



GHANA:

Ghana Has 137 Death Row Inmates - Amnesty International


Mr Lawrence Amesu, the Director of Amnesty International Ghana, said a lot had 
been achieved towards ensuring that Ghana gained the status as abolitionist in 
practice.

He said Ghana had not executed anyone over the past 23 years even though the 
courts continued to sentence people to death, and "we have about 137 death row 
inmates, including 3 women, in our prisons currently".

Speaking at the launch of Advocacy Toolkit for Abolition of Death Penalty in 
West Africa, Mr Amesu said he believed that Amnesty International's submission 
with support from other civil society organisations and the opinion of the 
public had contributed to the recommendation that death penalty should be 
abolished in Ghana.

He said though West Africa was leading that progressive forward march, however, 
the Anglophone countries within the continent are dragging their feet while the 
Francophone countries including Senegal, Ivory Coast, Togo, Benin, and Burkina 
Faso had either abolished the death penalty or were doubling their steps 
towards achieving that.

Mr Amesu said the toolkit was very useful for the media, civil society 
organisations and para institutions which were advocating for the abolition of 
the death penalty in Ghana as well as all government institutions which had a 
stake in the process.

"The document will also be very useful for the youth not only as an advocacy 
tool but also as a knowledge acquisition document because it highlights and 
explains such terminologies as abolitionist, retentionist, clemency, 
exoneration, and pardon, among others," he added.

The document, he said, traced the history and achievements of Amnesty 
International's journey towards total abolition of the death penalty in the 
world while focusing a little more on the situation in Africa and West Africa.

The toolkit also highlights the international instruments and bodies that 
support the need for the abolition of the death penalty.

Dr Isaac Annan, a Director at CHRAJ, who chaired the function, said Ghana was 
Human Rights compliant as it ratified most of the United Nations Conventions 
and Resolutions, and reiterated the need for the country to abolish the death 
penalty as a sign of commitment.

Ms Sabrina Tucci, of Amnesty International Secretariat, London, noted that West 
Africa is a beacon of hope for the whole of Africa and urged civil society 
organisations to continue the campaign.

She called on governments to engage the public in debates on the issue.

(source: peacefmonline.com)






PHILIPPINES:

'EVIL GIVEN FOR EVIL DONE' -- PDEA chief pushes death penalty


Calling it "evil given for evil done," the head of the Philippine Drug 
Enforcement Agency called for the restoration of the death penalty for drug 
manufacturers and peddlers, as well as those protecting the illegal trade.

PDEA director general Isidro Lapena echoed President Rodrigo Duterte's 
description of capital punishment as "retribution" even as he maintained that 
"we are not promoting a culture of violence here."

But those involved in the drug trade, he said, "have to pay. It is what is 
given in return for past good or evil that you have done."

"Manufacturers, smugglers, pushers and all the more coddlers and protectors of 
illegal drugs in the country, both foreign and domestic, who (are) proven 
guilty in court, deserve nothing more than capital punishment," Lapena said.

At the same time, he said, "harsher penalties" are a deterrent, a "strong 
signal" to drug traffickers "not to turn our country into a business hub for 
drugs."

"Our judicial system must toughen up because foreign-led organized drug 
syndicates tend to capitalize on our laws, which still have loose ends," he 
added, noting that convicted drug lords continue to run their operations from 
prison.

Since July 1, close to 2,000 lives have been lost in the course of the 
administration's war on drugs, a toll that has drawn criticism from human 
rights advocates here and abroad, as well as the United Nations.

(source: interaksyon.com)






INDONESIA:

Convicted Filipina drug mule in Indonesia pleads for help from Duterte


"I know you have a good heart. You are a parent as well. Even if my family is 
poor, I will not be involved in illegal drugs. Even if they put me behind bars. 
I cannot accept these accusations because I am innocent. I am innocent. I am 
innocent."

These were the words of Mary Jane Veloso as she begged for the assistance of 
President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday through a recorded voice message from her 
family on July 31.

The 31-year-old Cabanatuan native is currently in death row in Indonesia on 
drug trafficking charges. She was scheduled to be executed in April last year 
but was granted a reprieve following an international outcry to spare her life.

As evidenced by her cracking voice, the sobbing Veloso pleaded for her freedom 
from the president, who is notorious for his approach in eradicating the 
illegal drug trade in the country.

"Beloved President of the Philippines. This is Mary Jane," the former domestic 
helper said in her plea.

"I've been suffering here in Indonesia for too long. I've had to endure a lot 
in my life and despite being poor, I am a God-fearing person," she said.

The past administration's efforts to bargain for Veloso's freedom have remained 
futile, and she hopes to be free with Duterte's help.

"You're my only hope, dear President. I know you're the only one who could help 
me," she said.

"I know a lot of people still believe and support me, but you know it works 
differently here. I need justice, and I badly need it now. I'm begging you," 
she further said.

Despite being detained since 2010, Veloso remained hopeful that she would 
receive pardon for a crime she said she didn't commit.

"Even if many doubt my innocence, God won't forget me. He sees everything I'm 
doing; He knows I've done no wrong," she said.

The president has yet to release a statement on Veloso's plea.

(source: The Jakarta Post)






MALAYSIA:

2 caught for drug trafficking in KK


In Kota Kinabalu, a restaurant operator and a jobless man are facing the death 
penalty after they were arrested for drug trafficking.

The suspects, aged 31 and 35, were arrested during a police operation in Jalan 
Gaya here and at a shopping mall in the downtown area between 5pm and 6pm on 
Aug 29.

Sabah narcotics chief Supt Mohamed Fadzil Rahman said the arrests led to the 
discovery of a substance believed to be syabu, weighing about 5kg and with a 
street value of RM600,000, in 3 baby formula boxes.

The men, both Malaysians, were being investigated under Section 39B of the 
Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 which carries the mandatory death sentence upon 
conviction, he told reporters yesterday.

The 2 are believed to be drug dealers.

Supt Mohamed said police were investigating if the men were part of a 
syndicate.

(source: The Star)


BANGLADESH:

Halt Imminent War Crimes Executions----Impose Immediate Moratorium on the Death 
Penalty


The death sentence against Mir Quasem Ali, a central executive committee member 
of Bangladesh's Jamaat-e-Islami party, should be suspended with immediate 
effect, Human Rights Watch said today. The Supreme Court's rejection on August 
30, 2016, of his review petition means that Quasem Ali could be hanged within 
days once the deadline to appeal for presidential clemency expires.

Quasem Ali was convicted for war crimes allegedly committed by forces under his 
command during Bangladesh's 1971 war of independence. He was tried in 2014 by 
the country's specially constituted International Crimes Tribunal (ICT).

In March 2016, the Supreme Court set aside a number of charges but upheld 
Quasem Ali's conviction and death penalty in one case of murder. While hearing 
Quasem Ali's appeal, Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha criticized the attorney 
general, prosecutors, and investigators for producing insufficient evidence in 
the trial court.

On August 24, a group of United Nations experts urged the Bangladeshi 
government to annul the death sentence against Quasem Ali and grant him a 
retrial, noting how the proceedings had reportedly been "marred" by 
"irregularities." Several prominent international observers have expressed 
serious concerns over previous death penalty convictions handed down by the ICT 
due to concerns over fair trials.

"It is critical that the Bangladesh government ensures justice for the awful 
crimes against civilians in 1971, but that requires it to uphold international 
fair trial standards," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. 
"If there's even a shadow of doubt about fairness, as in Quasem Ali's case, the 
authorities should set aside the death penalty."

Human Rights Watch also called upon the authorities to release or charge Mir 
Ahmed Bin Quasem, Quasem Ali's son, who was forcibly disappeared on August 9 by 
state authorities. Mir Ahmed, who acts as his father's legal counsel, was 
detained late at night by men in plainclothes who told family members that they 
were government security forces. In spite of credible information to the 
contrary, including through eyewitnesses, the government denies having him in 
custody. His family has requested the government to, at a minimum, allow Mir 
Ahmed to attend his father's funeral in the event the government proceeds with 
his execution.

"If there's even a shadow of doubt about fairness, as in Quasem Ali's case, the 
authorities should set aside the death penalty."----Brad Adams, Asia Director

"It is shocking that Bangladesh's security forces have picked up Mir Ahmed Bin 
Quasem, apparently simply because he is the son of Quasem Ali, and then denies 
it," said Adams. "This is part of a very disturbing pattern of arbitrary 
arrests of people the government simply doesn't like."

Quasem Ali was charged with 14 counts of abduction, confinement, and torture, 
and two counts of murder allegedly committed by forces under his command, known 
as the Al-Badr, during the war. Quasem Ali was allegedly 1 of the leaders of 
Al-Badr, a paramilitary organization that supported the then-West Pakistan army 
against the East Pakistan army and was responsible for some of the worst crimes 
during the independence struggle.

On November 3, 2014, Quasem Ali was found guilty of 10 charges, including 2 
counts of murder. He was sentenced to death for crimes against humanity on 2 
charges of murder. Quasem Ali appealed the conviction on November 30, 2014.

On March 8, 2016, the appeals court acquitted Quasem Ali of 1 count and changed 
the penalty in another while upholding eight counts, including a death penalty 
charge. During the appeal at the Supreme Court, the chief justice called the 
prosecution and its investigation agency "very incompetent." He accused the 
prosecution of dealing with gathering evidence in the case against Quasem Ali 
"half-heartedly" and with "no responsibility." The chief justice said he was 
"shocked" and that the prosecution's case against Quasem Ali was full of 
contradictions. He expressed particular concern at the prosecution's failure to 
rebut the accused's alibi defense, which put Quasem Ali in Dhaka on the day of 
the murder in Chittagong. "Defence could produce a series of documentary 
evidences in support of their alibi. But the prosecution and the investigation 
agency were very incompetent."

In March 2016, Quasem Ali filed a petition asking for another review of his 
case. That petition, his final chance for a rehearing, was denied on August 30.

Trials before the ICT have been replete with violations of the right to a fair 
trial. Intercepted communications between the prosecution and judges which were 
leaked to the Economist revealed prohibited and biased communications that 
marred several trials. The ICT's response on several occasions to those who 
have raised objections about the trials has been to file contempt charges 
against them in an apparent attempt to silence criticism rather than to answer 
substantively or to rectify any errors.

Human Rights Watch reiterated its long-standing call for the government of 
Bangladesh to restore fundamental rights to those accused of war crimes. 
Bangladesh's problematic article 47A(1) of the constitution specifically strips 
those accused of war crimes of their fundamental rights, including the right to 
an expeditious trial by an independent and impartial court or tribunal. This 
pernicious amendment to the constitution allows the ICT overly broad discretion 
to deny those charged with war crimes the same rights and procedures as other 
defendants.

Human Rights Watch also called on the Bangladeshi government to impose a 
moratorium on the death penalty and plan to abolish it. Over 20 people have 
been executed since the Awami League government took office in 2009. On August 
27, 2016, the Supreme Court upheld the death penalty against a member of the 
banned Jama'at-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh for the killing of 2 judges in 2005.

"While many in Bangladesh believe Quasem Ali to be guilty and want him 
punished, justice is only served through fair trials," said Adams. "Authorities 
owe it victims to establish guilt with proper evidence rather than 
fast-tracking hangings after unfair trials."

(source: Human Rights Watch)






PAKISTAN:

Police officer's murderer handed death penalty


A man was sentenced to death by an anti-terrorism court on Thursday for 
murdering a police officer in 2012. The convict, Arshad alias Dacoit, along 
with an accomplice, Raza, had killed ASI Muhammad Aslam in the Khokhrapar area. 
Raza was also convicted and awarded life in jail. The court also found Arshad 
guilty of possessing an illegal firearm and awarded him 7 years' imprisonment. 
The ATC imposed a fine of Rs100,000 on Arshad and a fine of Rs50,000 on Raza. 
The judge said the amounts should be paid to the heirs of the slain police 
officer. In a separate trial, Additional District and Sessions Judge (Central) 
awarded the death sentence to Habib Ahmed for killing a man, Muhammad Amjad, 
over a personal enmity. The convict had killed Amjad and dumped his body 
secretly. Later, Amjad's grave was reopened on court orders and it was proved 
that the victim had not died naturally but had been murdered. Police also found 
the weapon used in the murder. Assistant Public Prosecutor Shahana Parveen 
assisted the court in the trial and also helped the prosecution to prove the 
charges.

(source: The News)