[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Jan. 26



IRAN----executions

4 Prisoners Hanged on Drug Charges


On the mornings of Monday January 23 and Wednesday January 25, 4 prisoners were 
hanged in 2 different prisons on drug related charges.

According to close sources, at least 2 prisoners were hanged at Karaj's Ghezel 
Hesar Prison on January 25 on drug related charges. The prisoners have been 
identified as Majid Askari and Rahman Nourian. They were reportedly transferred 
from their prison cells to solitary confinement two days before their 
execution.

"Majid was arrested 6 years ago for one kilogram and 100 grams of crystal meth, 
and he was sentenced to death by the revolutionary court," a source close to 
Mr. Askari tells Iran Human Rights.

Iran Human Rights had warned about the imminent executions of Mr. Askari and 
Mr. Nourian.

Close sources also report on 2 executions which were carried out at Maragheh 
Prison on January 23 on drug related charges. The prisoners have been 
identified as Iraj Ghafouri and Hossein Fatemi.

"Iraj Ghafouri was arrested approximately 4 years and 7 months ago for 800 
grams of crystal meth and some opium. Hossein Fatemi was also arrested in 2012, 
he was sentenced to death for the charge of trafficking 500 grams of crystal 
meth and 700 grams of crack," a close source tells Iran Human Rights.

Executions for drug related charges are increasing in Iran while the Iranian 
Parliament has proposed a law to limit the use of the death penalty for drug 
charges. The law must first be approved by Iran's Guardian Council, and it is 
not clear whether it would actually lead to a reduction in the number of drug 
related executions. Additionally, members of parliament recently wrote a letter 
to the head of the Judiciary calling for a halt to the execution sentences of 
about 5,000 prisoners who are on death row for allegedly committing drug 
related offenses.

(source: iranhumanrights)






KUWAIT:

First Executions in 4 Years ---- Government Hangs 7 People in a Day


Kuwait carried out 7 executions by hanging on January 25, 2017, the 1st time 
the Gulf state carried out the death penalty in 4 years, Human Rights Watch 
said today. Kuwait's decision reflects a growing trend in the region to 
increase the use of, or lift moratoriums on, the death penalty.

Kuwait executed 2 nationals, including a member of the royal family, an 
Ethiopian woman, a Filipina woman, two Egyptian men, and a Bangladeshi man in 
Kuwait's central prison, according to KUNA, Kuwait's state news agency. The 
executions were the 1st in Kuwait since 2013, when Kuwait executed 5 people. 
The 2013 executions ended a de facto death penalty moratorium that had been in 
place since 2007.

"Executing 7 people in 1 day shows Kuwait is moving in exactly the wrong 
direction on the death penalty," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director 
at Human Rights Watch. "The Kuwait government should be reinstating the 
moratorium on the death penalty instead of hanging 7 people."

Kuwaiti courts convicted all 7 of those executed of violent offenses between 
2007 and 2011, including 6 for murder and 1 for kidnapping and rape. The 
Filipina and Ethiopian women, migrant domestic workers, were convicted of 
murdering members of their employers' families, according to Al Jazeera, and 
the member of the royal family who was executed, Sheikh Al-Sabah, was found 
guilty of killing his nephew, also a royal, in 2010.

Courts sentenced the Kuwaiti woman to death for having set fire to a wedding 
tent in 2009, killing almost 60 people. The 2 Egyptian men were also convicted 
of murder, and the Bangladeshi man of kidnapping and rape, according to KUNA.

Human Rights Watch has documented due process violations in Kuwait's criminal 
justice system that have made it difficult for defendants to get a fair trial, 
including in capital cases. Kuwait maintains the death penalty for non-violent 
offenses, including drug smuggling.

In the regional trend to increasing use of the death penalty, in January, 2017, 
Bahrain ended a 6-year de facto moratorium on the death penalty, executing 
three people. In December 2014, Jordan ended its 8-year moratorium on the death 
penalty, executing 11 people. Saudi Arabia and Iran consistently have some of 
the world's highest execution rates. Saudi Arabia has executed more than 400 
people since the beginning of 2014, and human rights groups in Iran report the 
country may have executed as many as 437 in 2016 alone.

Human Rights Watch opposes capital punishment in all countries and under all 
circumstances. Capital punishment is unique in its cruelty and finality, and it 
is inevitably and universally plagued with arbitrariness, prejudice, and error. 
A majority of countries in the world have abolished the practice. In 2012, 
following similar resolutions in 2007, 2008, and 2010, the United Nations 
General Assembly called on countries to establish a moratorium on the use of 
the death penalty, progressively restrict the practice, and reduce the offenses 
for which it might be imposed, all with the view toward its eventual abolition. 
Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also called on countries to abolish the 
death penalty.

"Kuwait's killing of 7 people on January 25 highlights the alarming trend in 
the region for countries to return to or increasingly use the death penalty," 
Whitson said. "The death penalty is inherently cruel and should never be used, 
regardless of the crime."

(source: Human Righs Watch)

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

Filipino worker executed in Kuwait


The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Wednesday confirmed the execution by 
hanging of overseas Filipino worker (OFW) Jakatia Pawa in Kuwait.

"It is with great sadness that we announce the execution today of Jakatia Pawa, 
a Filipina OFW in Kuwait," DFA Spokesperson Charles C. Jose said in press 
conference on Wednesday. "She was executed at 10:19 a.m. Kuwait time," he 
added.

"Ms. Pawa was sentenced to death by the Kuwaiti Criminal Court on April 14, 
2008 for allegedly killing the daughter of her employer," Mr. Jose continued. 
"The alleged incident took place on May 14, 2007."

The sentence was affirmed by the Kuwaiti Supreme Court on 2010.

"Since 2007, the department has pursued different channels in our effort to 
save the life of Ms. Pawa, including intercessions led by then President Gloria 
Macapagal-Arroyo," Mr. Jose continued. "The embassy had always been unrelenting 
to appeal of the family of the victim given the tanazul or letter of 
forgiveness in favor of Ms. Pawa, but to no avail."

"The decision of the family of the victim, in this particular case... was not 
amenable to giving of the blood money in order to issue the tanazul," he added.

"The [Philippine] embassy [in Kuwait] was informed by the authorities only 
yesterday. They were told that the execution will be implemented today."

6 others were also executed on Wednesday, including Sheikh Faisal Abdullah 
Al-Sabah, the 1st royal to be executed in the emirate, was convicted of killing 
another member of the ruling family in 2010 over a dispute.

Jakatia Pawa, a native of Zamboanga Sibugay, left behind 2 children.

She was able to call her brother, Lt. Col. Gary Pawa, on Wednesday morning, to 
inform him of her execution.

"We pray for her and her bereaved family," Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto C. 
Abella said in a statement, adding:

"The Philippine government has provided the late Pawa all the assistance 
necessary to ensure all her legal rights are respected and all legal procedures 
are followed. The government likewise exerted all efforts to preserve her life, 
including diplomatic means and appeals for compassion."

"Execution, however, could no longer be forestalled under Kuwaiti laws."

In her statement, Vice-President Maria Leonor G. Robredo said: "We offer our 
most sincere condolences to the family of Jakatia Pawa."

"We hope to connect with their family and help them through this trying time," 
she added. "We enjoin everyone to continue working for the welfare of our 
overseas Filipinos, who sacrifice every day for their family and our country."

Senator Cynthia S. Villar in her statement said she believes Pawa was innocent.

"[Pawa] has professed innocence since the day she was arrested in 2007 and has 
not changed her statement until now," read Ms. Villar's statement issued before 
Pawa's death was announced. "The DNA found on the murder weapon did not match 
Jakatia's DNA, and there was no motive involved since Jakatia has been 
faithfully and peacefully serving her Kuwaiti employer for 5 years prior to her 
arrest."

In a separate statement issued after the announcement of Pawa's death, Ms. 
Villar said: "Instead of finger-pointing, let us come together in making sure 
that her 2 children will be able to continue their studies. I urge the Overseas 
Workers Welfare Administration to prioritize the grant of assistance to the 
family of Jakatia."

For his part, Senator Joel Villanueva, chair of the Senate committee on labor, 
noted in his statement: "At present, there are 68 death penalty cases being 
faced by our OFWs in several parts of the world."

"It is our continuous call for the concerned government agencies to strictly 
monitor their cases and prevent another incident like this to happen in the 
future."

(source: Business World Online)

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

Pawa execution a case vs reimposition of death penalty in PH-CBCP


The execution of Jakatia Pawa in Kuwait only stresses that the death penalty 
should never be reinstated in the country.

This was the stance of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines as 
bishops expressed their sympathies with the family of Pawa, who was hanged on 
Wednesday afternoon.

CBCP president and Lingayen-Dagupan archbishop Socrates Villegas extended the 
CBCP's condolences to the kin of the Filipina, who was executed for allegedly 
killing her employer's daughter.

In a statement, Villegas expressed sadness at Pawa's fate, which he noted only 
underscores his abhorrence at capital punishment.

"The fact that Jakatia protested her innocence to the end of her life only 
underscores the abhorrence at the death penalty. The sadness that we feel at 
Jakatia's death should make us all advocates against the death penalty," he 
said on Thursday.

Pawa was executed on Wednesday afternoon in Kuwait for allegedly killing her 
employer's 22-year-old daughter in May 2007.

Her hanging caught the public by surprise, although the Department of Foreign 
Affairs said Malacanang was aware of her case and that all efforts were made to 
save her life.

Balanga bishop Ruperto Santos also expressed sadness at Pawa's death, adding 
that a life and a dream was lost and shattered.

"Whatever region or religion she is a Filipina. She is one of us. And we are 
affected. We have to do something. Life matters," said Santos, chairperson of 
the CBCP's Episcopal Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant 
People.

The prelate urged the government to save other overseas Filipino workers who 
are imprisoned for various crimes in other countries.

"The government should be not complacent nor rely on last 2 minutes. They have 
to act, decisively and swiftly for who are incarcerated," he said.

Like Villegas, Santos called on the government not to push through with its 
plan to reinstate the death penalty for heinous crimes, citing Pawa's plight.

"If there will be penalty in our country, we will lose any moral authority and 
legality to ask clemency for our Filipinos who are sentenced to death," he 
added.

(source: newsinfo.inquirer.net)






MIDDLE EAST:

Kuwait executions part of worrying trend: Rights group


Kuwait's decision to hang 7 people - including a member of its royal family - 
is part of a worrying regional rise in the use of execution, Human Rights Watch 
said on Thursday.

"Kuwait's killing of seven people on January 25 highlights the alarming trend 
in the region for countries to return to or increasingly use the death 
penalty," said Sarah Leah Whitson, HRW's Middle East director.

The executions on Wednesday were the 1st in Kuwait since mid-2013, when 5 
people were hanged in 2 months following an earlier moratorium of 6 years.

Those executed this week were 2 Kuwaitis and 5 foreigners - 2 Egyptian men, a 
Bangladeshi man, a woman from the Philippines and a woman from Ethiopia.

6 of those hanged on Wednesday were convicted of murder, including a member of 
the ruling family and a woman who burned dozens of people to death at a wedding 
party.

"Executing 7 people in one day shows Kuwait is moving in exactly the wrong 
direction on the death penalty," Whitson said.

"The Kuwaiti government should be reinstating the moratorium on the death 
penalty instead of hanging 7 people," she said.

HRW said use of the death penalty was on the rise across the Middle East.

Earlier this month, Bahrain ended a 6-year de facto moratorium on the death 
penalty, executing 3 people.

Jordan in December 2014 executed 11 people for the 1st time in 8 years.

Saudi Arabia and Iran consistently have some of the world's highest execution 
rates, HRW said.

Since the beginning of 2014, Saudi Arabia has executed more than 400 people, 
and human rights groups in Iran report the country may have executed as many as 
437 last year alone.

Amnesty International also condemned the Kuwaiti executions as "shocking and 
deeply regrettable."

(source: Middle East Eye)






UNITED KINGDOM/BAHRAIN:

British MPs call for action on Bahrain executions


UK Members of Parliament called on the British Foreign Office to file a 
complaint against the Bahraini government, and to call for an investigations 
into torture in the Kingdom. They also demanded their government to interfere 
concerning the death sentences of Mohammad Ramadan and Hussein Ali Moussa.

The UK has come under increased pressure to speak out over Bahrain's human 
rights record, as Prime Minister Theresa May seeks to strengthen trade links 
following Britain's vote to leave the European Union.

"Recent developments in Bahrain are troubling," said Margaret Ferrier, a 
Scottish National Party MP who chairs Westminster's All-Party Parliamentary 
Group on Democracy and Human Rights in the Gulf, "The New Arab" reported.

"A week ago we saw the first death sentences carried out in country since 2010, 
and concerns that more will follow are entirely legitimate", she went on to 
say.

"Accusations of the use of torture in Bahrain need to be taken seriously, and 
the UK Government needs to act responsibly as a key ally of the country - one 
which has been working to support and reform the Bahraini criminal justice 
system."

Ferrier also called on the Foreign Office to be "more outspoken."

"It is not enough for it to simply reaffirm the UK's rejection of the death 
penalty; it must engage with the Bahraini authorities over the very serious 
allegations of the use of torture," Ferrier said.

For his part, Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, 
"Bahrain should not under any circumstances execute 2 more young men, 
especially where there is credible evidence of confessions obtained through 
torture and unsound convictions."

"Investigations into torture should be conducted before trials not after them," 
Stork said. "Similarly, the UK, France, Germany, and the EU should publicly 
condemn this unfair trial and oppose these sentences before Bahrain assembles 
its firing squad," he further added.

Mohamad Ramadan and Husain Ali Mousa face the death penalty, despite the 
authorities' failure to properly investigate their allegations of torture, 
including beatings and electric shocks, a rights group said on Monday.

(source: Ahlul Bayt News Agency)




SOMALIA:

Somali Rape Law Gets 1st Test


A gang rape video recorded in central Somalia could serve as a powerful test 
case for Puntland state's new sexual violence statute, and potentially for the 
rule of law in general in Somalia.

A group of men arrested and accused of gang raping and stabbing a pair of young 
girls in Somalia's Puntland state in December could face the death penalty or 
life imprisonment if they are found guilty. That is, if the state takes the 
case.

"This case is the 1st case that calls for enforcement of the Sexual Offense 
Act," said lawyer Salim Said. "This is a test for Puntland government's 
accountability in front of international law, in front of national laws, and 
also in front of their people."

A 1st for Somalia

Said drafted the new law, which Puntland enacted in December. It is the 1st law 
in all of Somalia to criminalize sexual assault. The new act draws on modern 
Western jurisprudence and is compliant with Islamic Sharia law.

In Puntland, the alleged perpetrators recorded the assault of one of the girls 
and posted it online, sparking national and international outrage. Somalia's 
Minister of Gender Sahra Samantar:

"Impunity is one of our biggest issues in Somalia," said Somalia's Minister of 
Gender Sahra Samantar. "A lot of similar rape happens in Somalia ... but it's 
not publicly spoken. The fact that they now post it on social media, that gives 
at least the whole world to see indeed what happens in Somalia."

Change is the goal

Most rapes go unreported and unpunished in Somalia, but there is hope this case 
will usher in change.

According to Said, the new law in Puntland allows prosecutors to bring multiple 
charges against the suspects for gang rape, gang rape of an underage girl, and 
for posting a video of the assault online.

The charges could lead to up to 30 years in prison.

But since the suspects allegedly used a weapon during the assault, the case 
could fall under a section of Sharia law known as hirabah, with even harsher 
consequences.

"Whenever they use weapon, means this crime qualifies to hirabah, which, 
according to [the] sexual offense bill, qualified either [for the] death 
penalty or life imprisonment," Said added.

Local elders dispense justice

But there is no guarantee the law will prevail because Somalia's government, 
even at the state level, has little real control after decades of war.

Said said in most parts of Somalia, local clan elders dispense informal justice 
through what is known as "customary law." In customary law, rapists often only 
pay a fine as punishment, or the victims are forced to marry their attackers.

"Since the collapse of the central government in 1991, customary law is one 
which prevails. The power is in the hands of the elders," according to Said. 
"They are taking advantage of the weakness of the rule of law, in the weakness 
of the government. If the Puntland government want to show that they are 
accountable, then I do not think they will hesitate to take action and take 
over this case."

Federal bill in works

A bill similar to the Puntland Sexual Offenses Act has been in the federal 
parliament for over a year, according to Antonia Mulvey, CEO of Legal Action 
Worldwide, which works with Somalia's legal system on sexual assault.

"We want to now use this as an opportunity to present the sexual violence bill 
to have public pressure upon them to pass it in its current form," Mulvey said. 
"I hope this will galvanize religious leaders and the parliament to move it 
forward."

With so much on the line, rights advocates will be closely watching to see if 
the accused in this case in Puntland wind up in a state courtroom.

(source: Voice of America News)






MAURITANIA:

Blogger Faces Execution for Apostasy----Supreme Court to Rule on Sentence


A Mauritanian blogger convicted of apostasy faces execution unless the Supreme 
Court cancels or commutes his death sentence in a ruling expected on January 
31, 2017, Human Rights Watch said today. The Mauritanian authorities should 
drop the charges against Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mkhaitir and repeal the provision 
of its penal code that provides for the death sentence for apostasy.

Authorities arrested Mkhaitir, 30, on January 2, 2014, and charged him with 
apostasy on the basis of an article he published three days earlier on the 
Mauritanian news website Aqlame. The article said that some people in 
Mauritania use religion to justify racial or caste discrimination, citing 
examples from the life of the Prophet Muhammad to condemn the practice. His 
article prompted demonstrations by thousands in front of the presidential 
palace. On December 25, 2014, a court convicted Mkhaitir and sentenced him to 
death on the basis that he had "spoken lightly" of the prophet.

"Mkhaitir should be free to write without fear of being prosecuted, let alone 
executed, just as protesters should be free to demonstrate against what he 
wrote," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human 
Rights Watch.

Under Mauritania's penal code, the Supreme Court has the power to cancel or 
reduce an apostasy sentence if the convicted person repents.

A March 2015 letter signed by 6 Mauritanian human rights and other 
nongovernmental organizations, and 16 African and other international 
organizations, called for Mkhaitir's immediate release on the basis that the 
charges against him violate his right to free expression. They cited the fact 
that he had repented twice: in a pretrial hearing at a military police station, 
and again during his trial in December 2014. Mkhaitir repented again at the 
Nouadhibou Court of Appeals, but on April 21, 2016, the appeals court upheld 
his death sentence, which leaves the Supreme Court as the court of last resort.

Article 306 of Mauritania's penal code provides for the death penalty for 
apostasy, but states that if the defendant repents before a court ruling, the 
Supreme Court has the authority to assess the validity of the defendant's 
repentance and cancel the death sentence or reduce it to a prison term of 
between 3 months and 2 years and a fine of between 5,000 and 60,000 ouguiya 
(US$14-$167).

According to a 2015 US State Department report, Mauritania has never since its 
independence in 1960 carried out a death sentence for apostasy. Article 6 of 
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which 
Mauritania has ratified, states that countries that have not abolished the 
death penalty should reserve it "only for the most serious crimes." Human 
Rights Watch opposes the death penalty in all circumstances because of its 
inherent cruelty.

Addressing the thousands of anti-Mkhaitir demonstrators who had gathered in 
front of his palace on January 10, 2014, President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz was 
quoted in media reports as saying that the article constituted a "hideous 
crime" and the media "should respect our religion and not harm it under any 
circumstances." In a televised interview on April 4, 2014, the president said 
that he did not believe that Mkhaitir was aware of the seriousness of what he 
had written.

The United Nations Human Rights Committee, the body of independent experts that 
monitors state compliance with the ICCPR, has said in a general comment on 
article 19, which outlines the right to freedom of expression, that 
"prohibitions of displays of lack of respect for a religion or other belief 
system, including blasphemy laws, are incompatible with the Covenant," unless 
they constitute incitement to discrimination, hostility, or violence.

(source: Human Rights Watch)






PHILIPPINES:

Duterte restoring death penalty to speed up OFW executions


The Duterte administration's push for death penalty puts more overseas Filipino 
workers (OFW) on death row at risk of getting executed sooner than later, 
opposition lawmakers said on Thursday.

Rep. Jose Atienza of Buhay party-list and Rep. Teddy Baguilat of Ifugao issued 
the warning in light of the death of 44-year-old OFW Jakatia Pawa who was put 
to death by the Kuwait government on Wednesday afternoon for the murder of her 
employer's 22-year-old daughter.

"One of the many repercussions of the return of the death penalty is that the 
Philippine government would be deprived of the moral high ground when it comes 
to our official appeals for clemency to foreign governments to spare the lives 
of our citizens who are facing execution. It would be highly problematic for us 
to plead with other governments for compassion if we ourselves are killing our 
own citizens here," Atienza said in a statement.

"Once Congress reinstates death sentences here [and]President Rodrigo Duterte 
makes good on his threat to execute 5 to 6 malefactors every day, a greater 
number of Filipino citizens on death row abroad are bound to be executed by 
foreign governments. We would have more Jakatia Pawas," he added.

Pawa, who worked as a household service worker in Kuwait, is survived by her 2 
children.

In 2012, she lost her husband, who was shot to death in their home province in 
Mindanao.

"We cannot implore foreign governments to uphold universally recognized human 
rights, including the right to life, if we ourselves do not respect the 
sanctity of every human life," Atienza argued.

Baguilat, who is also against the pending death penalty bill, which is a 
priority legislation of the Duterte administration, shared Atienza's 
sentiments.

"Of course, our government loses its moral ascendancy and credibility to ask 
for clemency when it sees nothing wrong in exacting justice through the death 
penalty," Baguilat said.

According to government records, at least 87 Filipinos are facing the death 
penalty abroad, mostly in Malaysia and China.

These 87 include Mary Jane Veloso, the 31-year-old Filipino woman who was 
supposed to be executed by firing squad in Indonesia last year but obtained a 
last-minute reprieve on the appeal of then-Philippine President Benigno Aquino 
3rd and the arrest of Veloso's illegal recruiters in Manila.

(source: Manila Times)

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

Philippines' Duterte wants to hang rogue cops behind Korean's murder


Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte apologized to South Korea on Thursday 
after policemen killed one of its citizens, then said he wanted to hang rogue 
police and send their heads to Seoul.

He called again for the death penalty to be reinstated so that he could hang 20 
criminals a day.

Duterte promised the toughest punishment for those behind the kidnapping and 
killing of businessman Jee Ick-joo inside the national police headquarters in 
October.

"I will see to it that they are sentenced to the maximum," he said of the 
policemen. "You give that power to me back again, I will execute them... I'll 
hang them in 1 day, 20 of them - 20 a day."

He added: "You sons of bitches, you policemen. You will suffer. I can maybe 
send your heads to South Korea."

The death of the South Korean comes as the Philippine police face growing 
criticism from rights groups and some lawmakers, who say cover-ups and abuses 
of police power are rampant.

Duterte's critics, however, say he is to blame for creating a culture of 
impunity by promising to protect police on the front lines of his war on drugs.

The police accused of kidnapping and killing Jee were anti-narcotics officers.

Capital punishment has been a priority for Duterte, whose allies introduced a 
death penalty bill in Congress on June 30 last year, the same day as his 
inauguration.

The draft, which is still being debated, says existing laws are no deterrent 
and had "emasculated" the criminal justice system. The death penalty was 
repealed in 2006 following pressure from church groups.

A Senate investigation into Jee's killing began on Thursday with police chief 
Ronald dela Rosa, a close ally of Duterte, saying he was "overcome by shame".

"All indications point to an elaborate web of criminal activity by some police 
personnel operating under the cover of legitimate police operations," he told 
the hearing.

(source: Reuters)

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

Duterte: We know Korean's killers; they'll suffer maximum penalties


President Duterte said on Thursday the Philippine government has pinpointed 
those who kidnapped and murdered Korean business executive Jee Ick Joo and that 
they would suffer the highest penalty available under the country's Revised 
Penal Code and other related laws.

Duterte issued the statement even as the Senate opened an inquiry into Jee Ick 
Joo's kidnapping and murder on Thursday and policemen tagged in the heinous 
crime immediately pointed at each other and insisted on their own innocence.

The President personally apologized for the grisly crime that happened right 
inside Camp Crame near the official residence of PNP Director General Ronald 
"Bato" dela Rosa.

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for a new power plant in Sarangani, Mr. 
Duterte also said the government had pinpointed the identities of those who 
killed Jee, who died after police seized him from his home using the 
government's drug war as a cover.

"I apologize for the death of your compatriot," Mr. Duterte said.

"We're very sorry that it had to happen, but I can assure you those responsible 
are known to us already and they will have to go to prison, and I will see to 
it that they are sentenced to the maximum," he added.

The Philippines currently has no death penalty.

The President noted that the death penalty was repealed upon the prodding of 
the Catholic Church and the "libertarians," but he had already asked Congress 
to bring it back.

If death penalty is restored, he said he would hang 20 convicts a day.

He could even send the cadavers to the power plant as fuel, he added, 
apparently in jest.

Earlier, Mr. Duterte's spokesperson Ernesto Abella said President Duterte 
condoled with Jee's widow, and said the government apologized to the South 
Korean government and people for the businessman's death.

(source: newsinfo.inquirer.net)