[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Jan. 27




KUWAIT:

Rights panel chief rejects calls for cancellation of death penalty - Need to 
broadcast execution process: Tabtabaei


Chairman of parliament's Human Rights Committee MP Dr Adel Al-Damkhi and one of 
its members MP Dr Waleed Al-Tabtabaei support death penalty, based on their 
conviction that it is the best way to deter anyone who intends to kill others, 
reports Al- Rai daily.

Dr Al-Damkhi rejected the calls for cancellation of death penalty, insisting 
that it will pave the way for growth of terrorism and increased crime rate 
because the perpetrators will not fear about paying the price of his crime with 
his life. He said preservation of human rights includes protection of people's 
lives from murderers by imposing most serious punishments on the latter.

Dr Al-Damkhi affirmed that he is in support of any declaration that respects 
human dignity and protects those who are exposed to any form of injustice, 
stressing that punishment is never issued unless the court is convinced without 
any doubt that the suspect had indeed committed the crime that he or she is 
accused of.

With a similar opinion, Dr Tabtabaei insisted that death sentences should be 
enforced within 1 year after the end of the judicial stages, indicating that 
execution of the killer often relieves the pains of the victim's family. He 
called for the broadcasting of the execution process in order to deter those 
who intend to commit such crimes, adding that drug traders and rapists must 
also be sentenced to death.

In this regard, a number of the legal experts presented varied opinions 
concerning the death penalty. According to some, such a penalty, despite of its 
severity, can guarantee the security of the society. They believe the calls for 
cancellation of death penalty is like giving opportunities to criminals and 
murderers to practice their crimes.

Constitutional expert Dr Mohammad Al-Feli said the Kuwaiti Constitution 
prevents barbaric penalties but it does not define the level of barbarism, 
indicating that its definition depends on the social culture.

Replacing

He stressed that replacing death penalty with payment of blood money is a known 
practice throughout history and is usually applied in cases of accidental or 
unintentional murders. He wondered whether the society will accept such an 
alternative or not.

Vice President of Kuwait Lawyers Society Sharyan Al-Sharyan said, "Despite the 
fact that many countries have lately given up death penalty such as European 
countries and some American states, most of the countries worldwide still 
enforce death penalty for dangerous crimes such as murders, kidnapping, 
terrorism and the like for the sake of the society's security". He stressed 
that death penalty is included in the Quran, as a way to save the lives of 
innocent people from killers.

Regarding replacing death penalty with payment of blood money, Al-Sharyan 
explained that, in some cases, it is up to the family of the victim to accept 
the blood money or insist on their right to ensure the perpetrator pays the 
price with his life. However, in cases where the entire society's security is 
threatened, the family's right for blood money does not apply because it is no 
longer the right of the family but the entire society's right. A member of the 
Freedoms Committee at Kuwait Lawyers Society Lawyer Bader Al-Husseini supported 
death penalty, stressing that it does not deduct the rights of the criminals 
but saves the souls of the rest of the people from spread of crimes. Lawyer 
Ahmed Al-Attalla also supported death penalty, as it limits carelessness over 
taking innocent lives as *89well as the spread of drug-related crimes which 
negatively impact the youth of the society.

(source: Arab Times)






VIETNAM:

Biggest ever meth smuggling ring busted in northern Vietnam


Nearly 45 kilograms (99 lbs) of methamphetamine and 10 kilograms of heroin were 
seized during the raid.

2 women have been arrested in northern Vietnam for smuggling nearly 45 
kilograms (99 lbs) of methamphetamine, the biggest ever haul of the drug seized 
by authorities, a senior police official said Wednesday.

According to Dang Van Sinh, the director of Nam Dinh Province's police 
department, Nguyen Thi Quyen, 46, and Dao Thi Lan, 38, both from the northern 
province of Ninh Binh, were caught in the nearby province of Nam Dinh on 
January 23. They were also carrying more than 10 kilograms of heroin.

The methamphetamine and heroin had been smuggled from Laos through a border 
gate in Vietnam's Central Highlands province of Kon Tum.

The smugglers often divide the drugs into small bags and transport them via 
motorcycles, according to Sinh.

Vietnam has some of the world's toughest drug laws. Those convicted of 
possessing or smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 
kilograms of methamphetamine face the death penalty.

The production or sale of 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal 
narcotics is also punishable by death.

Although the laws are strictly enforced with capital punishment handed down 
regularly, drug running continues in border areas.

(source: vnexpres.net)






BELARUS:

Belarus considers holding parliamentary hearings on death penalty in 2018


Belarus considers holding of parliamentary hearings on death penalty in early 
2018, Andrei Naumovich, the chairman of the permanent commission on human 
rights, national relations and mass media, told journalists, BelTA has learned.

"We are going to hold the hearings early next year," Andrei Naumovich said.

"Before we hold the hearings we need to work this issue out with the new 
parliament members. I will meet with every MP to discuss the issue and to hear 
their views on it. I also want the MPs to discuss this issue in their 
constituencies. This is the preliminary work we need to do before we hold the 
hearings," Andrei Naumovich noted. He believes that such an issue as death 
penalty needs a thorough analysis.

(source: belta.by)






PHILIPPINES:

PH to lose leverage amid death penalty restoration: AI


The Philippines stands to lose its leverage in negotiating clemency for its 
overseas workers on death row abroad amid talks of reviving the death penalty 
in the country, a non-government organization said Thursday.

Amnesty International (AI) campaign program coordinator Wilnor Papa said there 
are about 88 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) on death row in different 
countries who fear their impending death, but the death penalty is something 
being discussed in their home country.

"We would lose leverage in making deals, discussing, and asking for clemency 
from different government because we execute our citizens. What's going to stop 
them?"

On Wednesday, Filipina domestic worker Jakatia Pawa was executed with 3 others. 
She was sentenced to death by the Kuwait's Court of Cassation in 2010 for the 
killing of her employer's 22-year-old daughter.

In the Philippines, a House panel has endorsed the death penalty bill to the 
plenary, where it will be subjected to debates and possible voting.

This, after President Rodrigo Duterte urged Congress to pass measures that will 
restore death penalty and lower the age of criminal liability to help move his 
anti-crime campaign forward.

But Papa maintained that for the Philippines to better protect the workers it 
sends abroad, aside from constantly communicating and working with them, it 
should prove to the host countries that it has "better laws" and assure these 
countries that their citizens in the Philippines would not suffer the same 
fate.

Papa also lamented that the news of her execution came as a surprise even to 
the Philippine government, who was supposed to stay on top of her case.

Somewhere along the line, he said, "something didn???t happen correctly."

"They said they provided her with that much lawyers, then what happened? If the 
government provided her with lawyer, then the lawyer should have been 
communicating constantly with our government," he said.

He urged the government to instead be proactive in dealing with OFW cases, and 
not wait for a conviction from the court before sending a lawyer to assist.

"This shouldn't be the case. Even for common criminals here in the Philippines, 
our rule is the government should provide lawyers.

(source: abs-cbn.com)