[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

June 10



MALAYSIA:

Kenyan woman sentenced to death for drug trafficking in Malaysia


A Kenyan woman was sentenced to death by a Malaysian court after she was found 
guilty of trafficking in methamphetamine 4 years ago.

According to Malaysian Daily Express, Rose Achieng Ojala had stuffed 3 capsules 
of the drug into her private parts and swallowed another 68 capsules, all 
weighing about 400gm.

She was arrested on November 30, 2013 at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 
after arriving from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The mother of three, who allegedly suffered from human immunodeficiency virus 
(HIV), had fainted before the proceedings and had to be taken into the court 
room in a wheelchair.

On the day she was arrested, an Immigration officer noticed that she was 
behaving suspiciously during the regular luggage inspection.

Upon searching her, 3 capsules of methamphetamine weighing more than 20g were 
found in her underwear.

She admitted that her boyfriend had stuffed the capsules into her private parts 
before she boarded the flight.

The woman, who claimed she was pregnant, was later taken to the Serdang 
Hospital, where an x-ray examination revealed that she had swallowed 68 
capsules of the drug weighing more than 380gm.

In convicting Ojala, the judge said the prosecution had proved the case beyond 
reasonable doubt.

"You are found guilty and there is no other punishment under Section 39(B) of 
the Dangerous Drugs Act 1962 except the death sentence," he said.

Ojala was also sentenced to 3 years' jail for possessing 20.7g of 
methamphetamine in her underwear.

She was a single mother of children aged between 4 and 15.

(source: the-star.co.ke)






LEBANON:

Rise in Crime Rate Spurs Calls for Death Penalty


A rise in cold-blooded murders in Lebanon has been met with demands for 
re-enacting the death penalty which has been frozen since 2004.

The latest crime was the killing of a 23-year-old man by a gunman north of 
Beirut earlier this week.

The gunman killed Roy Hamouche after their cars collided on a highway.

His murder led to widespread condemnation and demands to re-enact the death 
penalty despite the rejection of several civil society and human rights 
organizations that said limiting such crimes should come through the restraint 
of guns.

On Friday, Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq called for the implementation 
of the death penalty during a speech celebrating the 156th anniversary of the 
Internal Security Forces in Lebanon.

He called for stricter punishment for criminals, saying that Lebanon should 
"re-enact the death penalty, especially in cases of deliberate murder."

Lebanon's last execution took place in 2004, former Justice Minister Shakib 
Qortbawi told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Despite the significant time since the last execution, capital punishment 
continues to be legal in Lebanon, he said.

Following a judge's verdict, carrying out the death penalty requires a decision 
from the justice minister, which is later sent to the prime minister and the 
president to issue a special decree, Qortbawi told the newspaper.

But no justice minister has done that since 2009, he said.

While rejecting capital punishment, the former minister said that the real 
problem lies in the proliferation of arms in addition to the high rate of drug 
use among all communities in the country.

"The solution should come by abolishing all arms licenses," Qortbawi said.

Abdel Salam Sidahmed, the Regional Representative of the UN Human Rights Office 
of the High Commissioner, told Asharq Al-Awsat the OHCHR encourages countries 
to abolish the death penalty in line with international conventions and a 
resolution issued by the UN calling for the abolishment of capital punishment.

A criminal can be punished through other verdicts such as life in prison, he 
said.

The OHCHR is in continuous contact with the Lebanese authorities on human 
rights issues and encourages officials to hold onto the moratorium of the death 
penalty, he added.

(source: aawsat.com)






IRAN:

Under the Shadow of Death: List of 30 Death Row Prisoners in One of the Poorest 
Cities in Iran


30 prisoners in Zabol Central Prison are reportedly in imminent danger of 
execution after their death sentences were confirmed by Iran's Supreme Court.

Zabol, located in the province of Sistan & Baluchestan, is one of the poorest 
cities in Iran. Zabol Central Prison is located in the southern part of the 
city and hundreds of prisoners are held here.

There are multiple worrying reports from the prison of the ill-treatment of 
prisoners by the prison officials, frequent water outages, overcrowdedness, 
lack of air conditioning, and poor-quality and lack of food. On May 16, 2017, a 
prisoner by the name of Ramezan Koohkan reportedly died in Zabol Central Prison 
after receiving rough treatment by the head of prison security and suffering a 
concussion.

"About 80% of the prisoners in this prison are Sunni, but all the prison guards 
and authorities are Shia. This has caused numerous problems in the prison," a 
prisoner in Zabol Central Prison tells Iran Human Rights.

About 60% of the prisoners in Zabol Central Prison are held on drug related 
charges, and many of them are on death row. At the current time, the death 
sentences of 30 prisoners in this prison have been confirmed by the Supreme 
Court. These prisoners are on death row for various charges, including murder, 
drug trafficking, or kidnapping. According to unconfirmed reports, three of 
these prisoners were under the age of 18 at the time of their arrest. The 30 
prisoners may be executed at any moment.

The names and identities of the 30 prisoners in imminent danger of execution:

Karim Ashtarak, 43 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 3 1/2 years on drug 
related charges.

Gholam-Mohammad Nourzehi, 50 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 9 years on 
drug related charges.

Hashem Sanchouli, 25 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 4 years on the 
charge of Moharebeh (enmity against God) through armed drug trafficking.

Ahmad-Ali Chopoulzehi, 25 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 4 years on drug 
related charges.

Amir Reigi, 60 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 8 years on drug related 
charges.

Abdolnabi Alizehi, 45 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 5 years on drug 
related charges.

Nouraloddin Teymouri, 28 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 5 years on drug 
related charges.

Nessar-Ahmad Golebacheh, 29 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 18 months on 
drug related charges.

Shahghassem Golebacheh, 19 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 18 months on 
drug related charges.

Heydar Golebacheh, 25 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 18 months on drug 
related charges.

Khodadad Narouie, 55 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 20 years on murder 
charges.

Javid Karim Koshteh. 21 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 3 years on murder 
charges.

Hossein Karim Koshteh, 20 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 4 years on 
murder charges.

Jomeh Rakhshani, 55 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 9 years on drug 
related charges.

Nour-Ahmad Gavkhoreh, 26 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 3 years on drug 
related charges.

Adel Shiranzehi, 25 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 3 years and 4 months 
on murder charges.

Mohammmad Saravandi, 45 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 5 years on drug 
related charges.

Yousef Reigi, 30 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 4 years on drug related 
charges.

Nematollah Barahouie, 32 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 2 1/2 years on 
drug related charges.

Parviz Mirbaluchzehi, 36 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 4 years on 
murder charges.

Javad Ghassemi, 34 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 11 years on murder 
charges.

Mehdi Eyrouzaie, 34 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 6 years on murder 
charges.

Mojtaba Ansari, 34 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 5 years on kidnapping 
charges.

Vali Yousefzehi, 23 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 6 years on drug 
related charges.

Min Mirzaie, 26 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 5 years on kidnapping 
charges.

Hamed Sanchouli, 26 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 5 years on kidnapping 
charges.

Eghbal Shahvezehi, 24 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 5 years on 
kidnapping charges.

Ma'aloddin Shahvezehi, 36 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 5 years on 
kidnapping charges.

Mehdi Dousti, 33 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 5 years on kidnapping 
charges.

Mojtaba Sarani, 23 years of age. Imprisoned for the past 5 years on kidnapping 
charges.

(source: Iran Human Rights)