[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Sept. 4



IRAN----executions

Iran hangs 4, 2 were flogged before being executed



2 prisoners were hanged on Sunday, September 3, 2017, in central prison of 
Tabriz, northwestern Iran. The victims identified as Darush Rashidi and Kazem 
Shiri had been sentenced to death and 100 lashes for rape. They were flogged in 
prison yard before being executed.

"The death penalty for these 2 prisoners had been suspended several times over 
the past few years due to ambiguities, but was eventually issued again," 
according to an informed source.

A prisoner identified as Adel Karimi, over 50-year-old, was hanged at dawn on 
the same day, in central prison of Ardebil, northwest Iran. He was found guilty 
of murder. Adel Karimi had been on death row 6 years in this facility.

In another development, another prisoner was executed on August 30 in Parsilon 
Prison of Khoram Abad in western Iran. The victim identified as Mohammad 
Mirzaei was found guilty of murder.

These executions have not been made public by the state media to this date.

(source: Iran Human Rights Monitor)

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

Iran re-imposes death sentence on spiritual figure that supreme court quashed



An Iranian court has re-imposed the death penalty on the founder of a spiritual 
movement after the 1st sentence was struck down by the supreme court, the 
judiciary said on Sunday.

Mohammad Ali Taheri, founder of Erfan Halgheh which calls itself 
"Interuniversalism" in English, was arrested in 2011 and given 5 years in 
prison for "insulting Islamic sanctities".

He was sentenced to death by a Revolutionary Court in 2015 for "corruption on 
earth" but the Supreme Court later quashed the sentence.

"(Taheri's) case was sent back to court and tried with the presence of a lawyer 
and various advisors and the judge has again reached," Judiciary spokesman 
Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei was quoted as saying by the news agency ISNA. The 
sentence can be appealed, he added.

Amnesty International says Taheri is a prisoner of conscience and has condemned 
Iran's use of capital punishment "for vaguely worded or overly broad offences, 
or acts that should not be criminalized at all".

Tehran dismisses such criticism as part of an effort from the West to heap 
political pressure on the Islamic Republic.

(source: Reuters)








SINGAPORE:

Vigil held for man who was sentenced to death deemed as possible offence of 
assembly without permit



Malaysian national Prabagaran Srivijayan was executed by the state in the early 
morning of Jul 14, years after multiple attempts failed to overturn his death 
sentence in 2014 for importing heroin into Singapore.

Hangings in Singapore are always carried out on Fridays at dawn in Changi 
Prison, and it was outside the prison that 15 people gathered to hold a vigil 
for the young man. The group that congregated consisted of Prabagaran's family 
and friends, all of whom stood solemnly in solidarity.

One of the attendees was none other than local journalist and anti-death 
penalty activist Kirsten Han, whose group We Believe In Second Chances has 
spoken out to oppose the execution of the young man (and many others before 
him).

According to Han, the police dropped by the vigil to break up the crowd and 
film the whole thing, taking candles and photos along with them when they left. 
No explanation was provided, though the group was allowed to stay on as long as 
they didn't light any more candles or set up photos.

It was only yesterday (Sep 3) that Han found out she might be in trouble for 
taking part in the vigil. According to her account on Facebook, police officers 
showed up at her door to hand her a letter stating that she is required to 
assist in their investigations regarding "an offence of Taking part in a Public 
Assembly without Permit".

It's part of the Public Order Act that basically outlaws protests without 
permit in Singapore. It's considered an offence if there are 2 or more people 
assembled for the purpose of (i) demonstrating support for or opposition to the 
views or actions of any person, group of persons or any government; (ii) 
publicizing a cause or campaign; or (iii) marking or commemorating any event.

Vigils may or may not be considered a chargeable offence, but it may take a 
different form, considering that it???s a gathering of people standing in 
solidarity for an individual impacted by the politically controversial death 
penalty. By its definition itself, vigils are peaceful demonstrations in 
support of a particular cause.

Han notwithstanding, imagine the distress felt by the family members of 
Prabagaran who might've also received the letter - they'll have to deal with a 
police investigation on top of mourning his death.

"...when a simple, nonviolent, quiet vigil for a man about to be hanged by the 
state is deemed an illegal assembly worthy of a police investigation, perhaps 
it is time to think about whether we are striking the right balance between 
public order, freedom of assembly and compassion," Han wrote.

(source: coconuts.co)