[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Jan. 21




DOMINICAN REPUBLIC:

Justice Minister Believes Death Penalty Should Be Re-introduced


The Hon Minister for Justice, Rayburn Blackmoore is of the opinion that the 
death penalty should be re-introduced in Dominica's legal system.

Hon Blackmoore was speaking at a press briefing at the Ministry of Finance 
Conference Room last week.

He says the number of crimes reported in Dominica is a cause for concern.

"The whole question of the death penalty is not something that we should rule 
out," he said. "Moving forward we have to ensure that the law in itself has 
sanctions ... so persons who are found guilty get sentences that suit the 
actual crime," he said.

The Hon Minister made this comments in light of 2 brutal attacks which took 
place in start of 2017.

He says whereas the court decides on the issue of sentencing, he believes that 
the sentence must suit the crime

"I am a strong believer that once somebody deliberately takes somebody's life, 
it's premeditated, that person has forfeited his or her right to live and its 
left to the state, once due process has been followed, to decide what happens 
to that person."

The Hon Justice Minister called on Dominicans to be kinder as a people.

(source: news.gov.dm)






IRAN:

UN Seeks to Stop One Imminent Execution in Iran, but Others Face Less Concrete 
Threats


On Tuesday, Voice of America News reported that the United Nations had 
undertaken efforts to stop the execution of an Iranian inmate who had been 
sentenced to death when he was only 15 years old. The execution of juvenile 
offenders is a clear violation of international conventions on human rights and 
the rights of the child, both of which Iran has signed and ratified. Yet the 
judiciary of the Islamic Republic continues to defend the practice, upholding 
juvenile death sentences and affirming the maturity and legal responsibility of 
the condemned even when international pressure has led to those cases being 
reviewed or re-tried.

The present case involves Sajad Sanjari, whose death sentence was handed down 
in 2012 after he was accused of fatally stabbing a man. Sanjari claimed that 
the incident was case of self-defense against an attempted rape, but this 
argument was rejected by the courts. Barring the success of the UN campaign, 
the young man now stands to become the 1st juvenile offender to be executed in 
2017. Voice of America notes that at least 5 juvenile offenders were executed 
last year and that at least 78 people are currently on death row in Iran for 
crimes they allegedly committed while younger than 18. It also points out that 
the actual figures may be much higher than these, given the often secretive 
nature of Iran's judicial proceedings.

This secrecy will also make it difficult to pin down the total number of 
executions that were carried out in the Islamic Republic during 2016. It 
already appears that most estimates for this figure exceed 500. While 
exceptionally high by global standards and enough to retain Iran's status as 
the country with the highest per-capita rate of executions, this figure would 
be modest by comparison with 2015, during which Iran is widely understood to 
have executed nearly 1,000 people.

These annual totals rely in large part on information gathered by anti-death 
penalty activists, human rights groups, and dissident organizations like the 
People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran. One day after the announcement of the 
UN campaign for Sajad Sanjari, the Iran Human Rights website reported upon one 
instance of mass execution in Vakilabad Prison, this one targeting 4 drug 
offenders. Iran's population of death row inmates is dominated by non-violent 
offenders who have been accused of possession or trafficking of narcotics, 
often in relatively small quantities, sometimes even less than a kilogram.

The Iran Human Rights report suggests that the overzealous prosecution of drug 
traffickers may also lead to the execution of innocent persons, possibly 
including one of the four individuals executed in Vakilabad. Identified as 
Akmad Shekarabi, that individual actually had his initial death sentence 
overturned by the Iranian Supreme Court, only for his case to be sent back to a 
lower-court, resulting in another death sentence, which this time was confirmed 
by the highest court. Shekarabi had been a taxi driver for another man who was 
arrested for drug trafficking.

It appears that the only evidence against Shekarabi was the statements of his 
customer accusing him of knowing what was in the packages that that customer 
was carrying. The circumstances of this accusation are unknown, but Iranian law 
enforcement authorities have a demonstrated track record for putting pressure 
on arrestees to implicate others, often under threat of torture. Such tactics 
are particularly evident in cases of political imprisonment, and the resulting 
false implications or false confessions can become the sole basis for a 
successful national security case.

Such political imprisonments and dubious national security convictions make up 
a small portion of the country's death sentences, but those same inmates may 
come under threat of death by other means, including the denial of life-saving 
medical treatment, persistent post-conviction torture, and life threatening 
hunger strikes undertaken to call attention to political imprisonment and 
systematic mistreatment.

Indeed, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran notes that there 
has been a major surge in hunger strikes in recent months. One particularly 
high profile example of this came to at least a temporary conclusion early this 
month when demonstrations and social media campaigns by supporters of Arash 
Sadeghi compelled the Iranian regime to grant temporary release and a retrial 
to his wife and fellow political prisoner Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee. This 
concession came only after 71 days of self-imposed starvation brought Sadeghi 
to the brink of death, and even then it reportedly upwards of two days for 
prison authorities to see to his hospitalization.

Sadeghi's hunger strike is not even a record among recent protest actions. One 
report from the International Campaign indicated on Tuesday that imprisoned 
civil rights activist Ali Shariati had been convinced by fellow political 
prisoners and his own family to end his life-threatening hunger strike after 75 
days. Shariati's protest had also spurred a social media campaign, but in this 
case it ended without his achieving his goals, mainly a review of his case, 
which he described as having no legal basis.

Shariati began serving a 5 year prison sentence in October on charges of 
"acting against national security" through his participation in protests 2 
years earlier. Those protests outside of the Iranian parliament building sought 
to call attention to a wave of acid attacks on women, which many critics of the 
regime believed to be connected to efforts to empower civilian militias in the 
enforcement of female veiling and other religious laws.

Other hunger strikes are still ongoing, and some have declared much broader 
intentions than had Shariati. For instance, another report by the International 
Campaign explained that Saeed Shirzad was hospitalized for the effects of a 
more than month-long hunger strike on January 12. In spite of the impact of 
that protest on his health, Shirzad reportedly has no intention of ceasing the 
protest, and has indicated that he is willing to carry on to the point of death 
in order to expose what he described as "the quiet death of political 
prisoners" at the hands of abusive prison authorities.

Shirzad's lawyer, Amirsalar Davoodi predicted "another political crisis" for 
the Iranian regime as a result of his client's persistence. Shirzad has 
reinforced his protest by sewing his own lips shut - a tactic that was 
referenced in yet another report by the International Campaign, describing a 
much earlier hunger strike undertaken by political prisoner Mohammad Nazari in 
2002.

Nazari remains in prison to this day, serving a life sentence that was 
reportedly based on nothing other than his membership in an opposition group 
urging Kurdish autonomy. What's more, that life sentence only came into effect 
after an earlier sentence of death was commuted by the supreme leader, as part 
of the Islamic festival of Eid Qorban. His subsequent hunger strike sought a 
review of his case - something that Nazari also pursued by writing "thousands 
of letters to every authority you can imagine." But not only have none of his 
requests been addressed, he appears to have faced additional pressure as a 
result of his prison activism.

The International Campaign's report was focused on Nazari's recent request for 
medical furlough, which has been denied on the basis of the judiciary's claim 
of having lost his case files. His medical conditions have reportedly grown 
severe enough to now include periods of partial paralysis, but his prospects 
for receiving treatment seem dim, in line with the regime's habit of denying 
political prisoners access to medical services.

Presumably, this denial would have been extended also to such figures as Arash 
Sadeghi and Saeed Shirzad if not for the prominence and international 
visibility of their cases. In fact, the remarkably slow reaction to Sadeghi's 
life-threatening hunger strike may indicate some willingness to allow political 
prisoners to die even in spite of the potential for both domestic and 
international outcry. But in other cases, the regime clearly strives to avoid 
this scrutiny by isolating prisoners and putting them under pressure to end 
hunger strikes before external support is brought to bear on their cases.

In 1 example of this phenomenon, the International Campaign reports that the 
Lebanese-born permanent resident of the United States, Nizar Zakka, has faced 
additional punishment in Tehran's Evin Prison as a result of his initiating a 
hunger strike on December 8. It is difficult to say whether that hunger strike 
is still ongoing, since Zakka is now being denied contact with his family, as 
well as having been transferred out of the facility's political ward and into a 
ward populated by violent criminals.

Zakka is seeking immediate release and access to consular and medical services. 
He is serving a 10-year sentence for unspecified national security charges, and 
his case has been widely cited as an example of Iranian authorities' ongoing 
targeting and entrapment of dual nationals. Government officials had officially 
invited Zakka to a conference on women and sustainable development before the 
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps arrested him. His case is currently under 
appeal, but the newfound pressure of his transfer, coupled with the health 
effects of his hunger strike, may put his life at risk before that process is 
completed.

(source: irannewsupdate.com)






PHILIPPINES:

Bataan bishop: Prolong life, not murder it


The mercy of God is about sustaining life and prolonging it, not murdering it.

Balanga Bishop Ruperto Santos gave this reminder at the closing of the World 
Apostolic Congress on Divine Mercy (WACOM) 4, which gathered almost 6,000 
Divine Mercy devotees from all over the world.

In his homily at the last Mass for the WACOM 4 here at the Las Casas Filipinas 
de Acuzar on Friday afternoon, the prelate urged Filipinos to be messengers of 
God's mercy.

One of the common denominators of mercy, he stressed, was the value of life.

"(Mercy) is to sustain life, not to make it suffer. It is to prolong life, not 
to suppress it. It is to maintain life, not to murder it," Santos said.

He added: "Remember the 7th commandment: 'Thou shall not kill.''"

The WACOM is held every 3 years and is aimed at furthering the devotion to 
Jesus as the Divine Mercy within the Catholic Church.

Santos pointed out that Filipinos are now tasked to be the new missionaries and 
messengers of God's mercy to humanity, spreading it through good works and 
corporal acts of mercy.

"Our mercy is not to take matters into our hands. Our mercy is not to cast the 
first stone. It is our mercy to open our hands, hold them tight and help them 
live with dignity and without recriminations," he said.

Filipinos, he said, are now "new missionaries of mercy, from the Philippines to 
Asia, from Asia to Europe."

In his homily, the Balanga bishop cited the day's Gospel about the woman who 
was brought to Jesus, not to be saved, but to be punished with stoning to 
death.

He noted that the crowd did not have any sympathy, pity or mercy for the woman, 
as they demanded death for her.

Santos asked how one could rejoice with the death penalty and how one could 
take pride in killing in the name of God or religious beliefs.

"How can we not be ashamed of our corruption and destruction of environment for 
money and profit? How can one be glad with the spilling of innocent blood, of 
destruction of lives because of human trafficking?" he said.

The prelate reminded the faithful that even those with a shameful or scandalous 
past still have hope of redeeming and living a new life.

"Even if he is the worst sinner he can still be sorry and correct his life. 
There is hope. There is still help. And there is still healing. It is because 
our God, is God of mercy," he said.

Santos pointed out that one's merciful words should be polite and not 
offensive, encouraging and not hurting.

(source: newsinfo.inquirer.net)






INDIA:

Bengal court sentences 3 LeT operatives to death----Mohammad Yunous, Abdullah 
Khan, Sheikh Naeem and Muzaffar Ahmed were given death penalty by the Fast 
Track Court- 1 of Bongaon in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.

3 Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) operatives were sentenced to death by a Bengal court on 
Saturday.

The operatives identified as - Mohammad Yunous, Abdullah Khan and Muzaffar 
Ahmed were given death penalty by the Fast Track Court - 1 of Bongaon in North 
24 Parganas district of West Bengal.

Yunous and Khan are both Pakistani nationals and Ahmed is an Indian national. 
Ahmed hailed from Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir.

Besides these 3, the 4th LeT operative, Sheikh Naeem alias Samir arrested with 
the 3 others, had fled in 2013 while in CID custody. Naeem was from Aurangabad 
in Maharashtra.

All were arrested on April 1, 2007 by Border Security Force (BSF) from 
Petrapole border while sneaking into India.

Later, the BSF handed over the four to West Bengal CID for investigation. The 
CID had produced them before the court on April 4, 2007 and sought custody. 
Since then, the CID had been investigating the case.

The trial ended last week and the quantum of punishment was announced on 
Saturday, sentencing the three of them to death. They were sentenced to death 
on charge of Section 121 IPC, waging a war against the nation. The fourth 
accused was declared absconding.

During the course of investigation and trial, it was revealed that Mohammad? 
Yunus, and Abdullah Khan belonged to the LeT suicide squad and had also planned 
a suicide bombing in Jammu and Kashmir.

At the time of their arrest, several documents were found on them that prove 
they were on their way to Jammu and Kashmir. Several mobile phones were also 
found on them. However, SIM cards were missing from those mobile phones. Later, 
they had admitted that they had destroyed the SIM cards moments after their 
arrest.

All four had arrived from Dhaka, Bangladesh from Karachi in the last week of 
March while trying to sneak into India.

Investigators had also revealed that Sheikh Naeem was also involved in Mumbai 
train blasts. He had also confessed of helping LeT handlers in Pakistan in the 
train blasts. Ahead of him fleeing in 2013, Naeem was even interrogated by a 
team of Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad in connection with the attacks.

(source: dnaindia.com)

*****************

Bhopal: Will make law for death penalty for rapists of minors says CM


Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, in a youth convention at Rewa on Friday, 
announced that the rapists of girls aged up to 5 years will be punished with 
capital punishment. Chouhan said state government will frame a law in this 
matter. Chouhan has been advocating capital punishment to rapists.

Chouhan, during his Narmada Seva Yatra, too is raising the issue that the 
rapists should be given capital punishment. The state government, in order to 
get the law made, will have to get approval from state assembly and then send 
it to the Centre for its sanction. According to sources, Chouhan has made up 
his made to present the bill in the budget session of state assembly. Madhya 
Pradesh would be the first in the country, where such a law will be made.

(source: freepressjournal.in)






GLOBAL:

How The Death Penalty Is Affecting Inmates Across The World


The Death Penalty is one of the most widely discussed and debated topics 
amongst legal scholars in India and across the world. In India, it is awarded 
for the rarest of rare cases where the crime committed is heinous.

"In 2015 governments continued relentlessly to deprive people of their lives on 
the false premise that the death penalty would make us safer," said Salil 
Shetty, Amnesty International???s Secretary General.

In 2015 alone, more than 1600 prisoners were executed around the world, which 
is 54% more than executions recorded in the previous year, an Amnesty 
International report revealed. Alarmingly, almost 89% of these executions 
happened in three countries - Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

More than 300 people were executed in Pakistan in 2015 after it lifted a 
moratorium on civilian executions back in December 2014. It was put in place in 
2008. The attacks in a school in Peshawar had provoked the government to lift 
the moratorium.

According to Justice Project Pakistan, a human rights law firm based in Lahore, 
there are over 8000 death row inmates in Pakistan and more than 400 have been 
executed since December 2014. Moreover, there are over 2000 Pakistani inmates 
in Saudi jails.

"My 22 years on Pakistan???s death row could end this week. What purpose will 
my execution serve?" asked Aftab Bahadur, who was executed in early hours of 
June 10, 2015. Aftab was 15 when he was charged of committing murder. The 
police demanded a bribe of 50,000 rupees to let him go, but being a plumber's 
apprentice, he could not pay, Aftab later revealed.

Aftab was innocent, as was later indicated by the statements made by the 
'eyewitness', Ghulam. He stated that he was forced by the police to say that he 
had seen Aftab commit murder. Ghulam Mustafa's life was spared.

Although the actual number of executions are way below the number of death row 
inmates, death penalty is still a very common punishment in India. The Death 
Penalty India Report, prepared by NLU-D, shows that 59 sections across 18 
central legislations in India allow for the death penalty as a punishment, of 
which 12 sections are under the Indian Penal Code, 1860. The report further 
adds that out of the 270 death row inmates who spoke about their experience in 
police custody, 80% of them admitted to have suffered custodial violence.

Death Penalty, in India, is awarded for the 'rarest of rare' cases, as decided 
in the case between Bachan Singh v The State of Punjab. It was upheld by the 
Supreme Court in 2008 in Prajeet Kumar Singh v State of Bihar where it held 
that when the "collective conscience of the community is so shocked that it 
will expect the holders of the judicial power to inflict death penalty." 
Another landmark judgment was delivered in Mithu v State of Punjab in which the 
supreme court held that 'Mandatory Death Penalty is unconstitutional' and 
violated the fundamental rights of human citizens.

For all civilian cases, the court orders the death penalty to be executed by 
hanging the inmate until death. However, the Army Act, 1950, under section 166 
states that 'offender shall suffer death by being hanged by the neck until he 
be dead, or shall suffer death by being shot to death.'

According to Death Penalty Project, between 1954 and 1963, India executed 
around 140 prisoners per year. However, that rate dropped to around 1 execution 
per year between 1996 and 2000.

The Death Penalty India Report, released by the Center of Death Penalty, NLU-D 
highlights that there were around 385 death row inmates in India during the 
course of the project between July 2013 to January 2015. Out of the 385 death 
row inmates 242 were 1st time offenders and the researchers could interview 
only 373 inmates. Out of them, 76% (279 prisoners) of prisoners sentenced to 
death in India belong to backward classes and religious minorities and all 12 
female prisoners belong to backward classes and religious minorities. 31 
prisoners were sentenced to death for terror offences. 61.6% of the prisoners 
did not complete school.

The report further suggested that over 60% of the prisoners appointed private 
legal representation at the trial court and High Court. It was also observed 
that prisoners switched from private legal representation at the trial court to 
legal aid at the High Court as they could no longer bear the ever increasing 
expenses of appointing private lawyers.

Alternatively, there were also families who moved to private representation at 
the High Court from legal aid lawyers at the trial court owing to 
unsatisfactory and poor performance or demands for money by the legal aid 
lawyers.

Due to their economic vulnerability and instability, the prisoner or their 
family were able to pay very little to their private lawyers which translated 
into a complete lack of engagement with the prisoner.

Although death penalty executions spiked in 2015, a few countries abolished it 
completely. 4 countries abolished the death penalty for all crimes - the 
highest number to do so in the space of one year for almost a decade. 
Madagascar, Fiji, the South American state of Suriname wiped death penalty from 
its law books. In November, Congo introduced a new Constitution that abolished 
death penalty once and for all, an amnesty international report stated.

Mongolia also followed suit and adopted a new Criminal Code which abolished 
death penalty in September 2016. In the US, Pennsylvania abolished death 
penalty for all crimes. 19 states in the US have completely abolished death 
penalty. A total of 102 countries have abolished death penalty by amending 
their constitution. Many more countries have abolished it in practice.

(source: The Citizen)


NIGERIA:

Death Sentence - Supreme Court to Rule On Policeman's Appeal April 14


The Supreme Court on Thursday in Abuja fixed April 14 to deliver judgment in a 
murder appeal filed by a police officer, Olusegun Adegboye.

Justice Mohammed Tanko led the 5-member panel of justices that fixed the date 
after listening to submissions by counsel to the parties.

Henry Omu, counsel to the appellant, urged the apex court to set aside the 
decision of the Court of Appeal, Ibadan, that upheld the conviction of Mr. 
Adegboye.

Mr. Omu prayed the court to substitute the death sentence with an order of 
acquittal and discharge.

The appellant's counsel said that his client did prove that his official AK47 
riffle accidentally killed Tunde Adegboyega after the deceased attempted to 
snatch it.

Mr. Omu urged the court to determine whether the justices of the court of 
appeal were right to have relied on the evidence of 2 witnesses to uphold the 
judgment of the trial court.

He also asked the court to determine whether the lower court was right to have 
affirmed the conviction and sentence of the appellant in spite of the 
fundamental contradictions by the prosecution.

Mr. Omu asked whether if such contradictions depicted in the case of the 
prosecution ought not to have been resolved in favour of the appellant.

He further urged the court to decide whether it was right for the lower court 
to uphold the judgment of the trial court when the prosecution failed to 
disprove the appellant's defence.

The appellant contended that the prosecution did not prove its case beyond 
reasonable doubt to justify him being condemned to death.

Mr. Omu said the entire gamut of the trial had not met all the essential 
ingredients of the offence of murder.

According to him, before a person becomes fully liable for killing another, the 
later must have died.

Mr. Omu therefore said that there was no legal permissible justification for 
the lower court to affirm the conviction and sentence of the appellant 
considering the totality of the evidence and circumstances of the case.

He said that the death penalty passed on his client was unsupportable in law, 
adding that the conviction was against the weight of evidence and miscarriage 
of justice.

"I am humbly urging the court to graciously allow the appeal and to set aside 
the conviction and sentence of the appellant.

"We are also praying the court to in its place make order discharging and 
acquitting the appellant.

"The major reason is that the lower court placed too much weight on the 
uncorroborated evidence of 2 witnesses and the official AK47," he said.

On his part, Olumide Ayeni, the Attorney-General of Ogun, and counsel to the 
state did not object to the appeal.

Mr. Ayeni in his submission urged the court to consider Section 271 of the 
Criminal Code Law of Ogun State. 2006.

According to him, that portion of the law mandated a peace officer or a police 
officer to shoot and kill a criminal offender trying to escape from justice.

"My Lords, I shall at this point allow the court to use its discretion in 
serving justice, but in determining this case, Section 271 of our code should 
be considered," he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that on March 10, 2009 the appellant in 
company of other Special Anti-Robbery Squad went to arrest Adegboyega at 
Oloke-Alli Village in Ogun.

This was in response to a petition filed to the Area Command by Titilayo 
Odusanya on threat to his life by the deceased.

On getting to the village, the deceased was arrested by Michael Agboola, an 
inspector, and handed over to Hamza, a corporal, and the appellant.

It was alleged that the deceased had attempted to escape after which struggle 
ensued between them.

NAN further reports that the appellant's evidence-in-chief indicated that it 
was at the point of that struggle that his AK47 riffle discharged a shot that 
killed Mr. Adegboyega.

(source: Premium Times)






TAIWAN:

Review calls for death penalty to be thrown out


International human rights experts yesterday presented a report recommending 
the abolition of capital punishment, work to relieve prison overcrowding, 
liberalizing policy over drug users and decriminalizing adultery.

The report listed 78 observations or recommendations for government 
consideration, following 4 days of meetings in Taipei this week regarding the 
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the 
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).

The review was the 2nd of its kind since the covenants were adopted by Taiwan 
in 2009.

The ICCPR panel was chaired by Manfred Nowak of Austria, former UN special 
rapporteur on torture, while the ICESCR panel was chaired by Eibe Riedel of 
Germany, former vice chairman of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and 
Cultural Rights.

Nowak urged President Tsai Ing-wen to take decisive steps by introducing a 
moratorium on executions, with the aim of full abolition of the death penalty 
in the near future.

"The committee is also concerned about overcrowding of detainees in the prison 
system, which leads to a variety of human rights problems, such as poor 
hygiene, a lack of privacy and increased violence," Nowak said in presenting 
the report at the Ministry of Justice building yesterday.

"We recommend the government constructs new prison facilities and reduces the 
number of detainees by liberalizing some of the harsh policies regarding drug 
users," he said.

The committee recommended legislative changes to reduce the length of criminal 
proceedings and to provide adequate reparation in cases of excessive detention, 
Nowak said.

The government should also take steps to decriminalize adultery, as it has a 
disproportionately negative affect on women and is a violation of the right to 
privacy, Nowak said.

Nowak said that "Taiwan can show it could be a pioneer in the Asia-Pacific 
region to combat discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender 
identity."

The ICESCR report said that while the government had taken steps to recognize 
the status of Pingpu as Aborigines, it is concerned that the classification of 
Aborigines into 3 categories - "mountain people," "plains people" and "Pingpu" 
- is a legacy of the Japanese colonial period and does not correspond with the 
present situation of 16 official Aboriginal groups.

"The committee recommends that the government apply the classification of 
indigenous peoples as identified by themselves, and guarantees them full and 
equal participation and representation," it said, adding that the government 
should "develop effective mechanisms to seek free, prior and informed consent 
of indigenous peoples on development programs that affect them."

Miloon Kothari of India, a former UN special rapporteur on housing, said that 
government policies must move away from an emphasis on economic development and 
favoring businesses to the detriment of marginalized groups, poor people and 
Aborigines, as they have led to land expropriation.

Minister Without Portfolio Lin Mei-chu, who co-chaired yesterday's event, said 
that capital punishment remains in force because most Taiwanese support it and 
there has been no decline in the number of executions in recent years.

Groups opposing and affirming same-sex marriage staged protests at the event.

(source: Taipei Times)






PAKISTAN:

Pakistan to debate relaxing infamous blasphemy law


A debate over the misuse of Pakistan's blasphemy law is set to begin next week. 
The law, which carries a death penalty for insulting anything related to Islam 
and the prophet Muhammad, is often used as a way to settle personal scores 
against Christians.

The law's been used to hold mother of 5 Asia Bibi on death row since 2010. She 
was arrested after an argument erupted between her and a group of Muslim women 
when they became angry at her for drinking the same water as them.

The group accused her of insulting Muhammad - a claim which she denies.

In December, a Christian shopkeeper was arrested and charged with blasphemy 
after page torn from the Qu'ran was found outside his house by a rival shop 
owner.

The Christian shopkeeper - who is illiterate - could face a death sentence.

In a move praised by human rights campaigners, Pakistani politicians will 
discuss ways to install checks and balance on the rules.

But Beth Fuller from Christian persecution watchdog Open Doors told Premier 
that any changes might not go far enough.

She said: "One of the changes that they have talked about making to these laws 
is to change the punishment from a mandatory death penalty to life imprisonment 
which is obviously still a very severe punishment.

"It's difficult to see how these laws could be changed significantly at the 
moment. But if they are we would welcome that and it would be fantastic to see 
the change it would make to lives of Christians in Pakistan."

Pakistan ranks as the 6th worst country in the world when it comes to the 
persecution of Christians, according Open Doors.

(source: premier.org.uk)