[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Jan. 24



PHILIPPINES:

Curbs on death penalty interpellation scored


AKBAYAN party-list Rep. Tom Villarin yesterday accused the majority bloc at the 
House of Representatives of prohibiting some neophyte members from being 
included in the line-up of interpellators on the death penalty bill, which is 
expected to be sponsored on the floor next week.

Villarin, a member of the opposition, said the move was a bid to expedite the 
revival of capital punishment.

House majority leader Rodolfo Farinas, however, laughed off Villarin's claim, 
saying there is no such thing as misinforming neophytes.

"I did not know that Rep. Villarin is the spokesperson of the committee on 
rules," said Farinas, who chairs the rules panel which is in charge of 
calendaring the measures that will deliberated upon on the floor.

Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman said the House leadership should just allow lawmakers 
to vote based on the dictates of their conscience.

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez has been informed that a "party vote" will be 
followed since the bill is a priority measure of the administration.

The justice panel approved the bill, which is principally authored by Speaker 
Pantaleon Alvarez, before Congress adjourned session last month for the 
Christmas break.

House leaders aborted their plan to have the measure approved on final reading 
before the break following vehement opposition from some lawmakers and the 
Catholic Church.

House Bill No. 1, filed by Alvarez, seeks to punish offenders convicted of drug 
felonies, murder, rape, robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, bribery, plunder, 
parricide, infanticide, destructive arson, piracy and treason.

It also seeks to impose capital punishment on the following: importation of 
dangerous drugs and paraphernalia; sale, trading, distribution and 
transportation of dangerous drugs; maintenance of a drug den, dive, or resort; 
manufacture of dangerous drugs; possession of dangerous drugs; cultivation or 
culture of plants classified as dangerous drugs; unlawful prescription; 
criminal liability of a public officer or employee for misappropriation, 
misapplication, or failure to account for the confiscated, seized and/or 
surrendered dangerous; criminal liability for planting evidence concerning 
illegal drugs.

There are 22 crimes that will be meted with the capital punishment under the 
measure but lawmakers have decided to lower it when the bill is amended in the 
plenary.

(source: malaya.com.ph)






SUDAN:

Sudan: Judge postpones verdict in death row case


A Christian advocacy charity has appealed for Christians to pray for a positive 
outcome in the case against a religious leader, aid worker and a Sudanese 
activist.

The judgement in the case against Rev Hassan Abduraheem, Christian aid worker 
Petr Jasek and Dafuri activist Abdulmonem Abdumawla was meant to be given this 
week but has been postponed until 29 January.

The group was first detained in December 2015 and were charged with crimes 
against the state. The sentences for some of the charges against them include 
the death penalty or life imprisonment.

The case against the group centres around the provision of funds for the 
medical treatment on a man who was injured in a student protest.

A 4th defendant, Rev Kuwa Shamal, was released earlier this month.

A source from Christian Solidarity Worldwide told Premier's News Hour that the 
men were facing another week of uncertainty over their fate.

"They are having to spend another week in prison - another week of uncertainty 
of knowing whether the ordeal is over for them so it's really important for us 
to continue praying for them.

"It's been a very long time that they have been in prison."

The CSW source appealed to Christians to continue praying for the men.

The source said: "We can be praying for the men's spiritual condition and their 
families who have been on this journey with them. Rev Hassan's family did not 
even know where he was for the 1st 5 months of his incarceration.

"We can be praying for the lawyers who represent the men who have been doing a 
very good job under very difficult circumstances."

Sudan is ranked 5th on Open Doors World Watch List 2017 for Christian 
persecution.

(source: premier.org.uk)






GAZA:

2 New Death Sentences in Gaza


On Tuesday, 24 January 2017, 2 new death sentences by hanging were issued in 
the Gaza Strip. The 1st one was issued by Deir al-Balah Court of First Instance 
against (Gh. E.) from the central Gaza Strip after being convicted of 
premeditated murder of his brother (30). The 2nd one was issued on the same day 
by the Gaza Court of First Instance against (Kh. Sh.) from Gaza City after 
being convicted of premeditated murder of (N. A.) with the participation of 
another person.

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) is concerned over the excessive 
application of this punishment in the Gaza Strip in light of absence of fair 
trial guarantees and lack of fragile interrogation techniques. PCHR calls upon 
the judiciary in Gaza not to issue any death sentence in light of the division 
and the resulted absence of rule of law and techniques needed to come out with 
a conviction based on certainty.

The number of issued death sentences amounted to 4 since the beginning of 2017, 
and the 1st month in which has not ended yet. Meanwhile, no death sentences 
were issued in the West Bank. The total number of death sentences issued in the 
Palestinian Authority (PA) controlled areas has risen to 178 sentences since 
1994, 20 of which have been issued in the West Bank and 159 in the Gaza Strip. 
Among those issued in the Gaza Strip, 100 sentences have been issued since 
2007.

Since the establishment of the PA, 35 death sentences were applied; 33 of which 
were in the Gaza Strip and two in the West Bank. Among the sentences applied in 
the Gaza Strip, 22 were applied since 2007 without the ratification of the 
Palestinian President in violation of the law, and 3 of which were implemented 
on 31 May 2016. Those 3 were the 1st death sentences to be implemented without 
the Palestinian presidential ratification following the formation of the 
National Unity Government in June 2014. PCHR emphasized that those death 
sentences were extra-judicial execution and constitute a flagrant violation of 
the Palestinian Basic Law since they required the ratification of the 
Palestinian President for implementation.

PCHR follows up with deep concern the excessive application of this serious and 
irreversible punishment. PCHR is also gravely concerned over the continued 
application of death penalty in the PA controlled areas, and calls upon the 
Palestinian President to sign the 1989 Second Optional Protocol to the 
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition 
of the death penalty and issue a presidential decree to halt it until the 
Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) convenes and abolishes it.

PCHR also calls upon the PLC, if convened, to review all legislations related 
to the death penalty, especially the Penal Law No. 74 (1936) which remains in 
effect in the Gaza Strip, and the Jordanian Penal Code No. 16 (1960) that is in 
effect in the West Bank, and enacting a unified penal code that is in line with 
the spirit of international human rights instruments, especially those 
pertaining to the abolition of the death penalty.

Moreover, PCHR points out that the call for abolition of the death penalty does 
not reflect tolerance for those convicted of serious crimes, but rather a call 
for utilizing deterrent penalties that maintain our humanity.

(source: reliefweb.int)