[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Sept. 30




IRAN:

74-year-old Iranian, who hosted 'half-naked parties', sentenced to death----The 
chief prosecutor said the man led "a corruption gang" which held parties with 
drugs and alcohol, and where women were "sexually harassed".



Iran has sentenced a 74-year-old man to death for hosting "mixed and half-naked 
parties", the head of Tehran's judiciary said.

Chief prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi said the man led "a corruption gang" 
which held parties with drugs and alcohol, and where women were "sexually 
harassed".

"The head of this corruption gang has been sentenced to execution and the case 
has been sent for appeal to the supreme court," he said, according to the 
judiciary-linked Mizan news agency.

Dolatabadi mentioned another case in which 6 people had been arrested for 
downloading "obscene" Hollywood films and dubbing them into Persian.

"The gang's website was the largest download centre for Hollywood films and 
series, and in the past 3 years they have published 18,000 dubbed films and 
series, many of which were obscene and pornographic," said Dolatabadi.

(source: hindustantimes.com)








KUWAIT:

Death penalty of 15 Indians commuted to life term by Emir of Kuwait



Death sentences handed down to 15 Indians lodged in a Kuwaiti jail have been 
commuted to life imprisonment by the Emir of Kuwait, external affairs minister 
Sushma Swaraj said on Saturday.

Swaraj said the Emir has also directed that the sentences of 119 Indian 
nationals be reduced.

"The Emir of Kuwait has been pleased to commute the sentence of 15 Indian 
nationals from death to life imprisonment," she tweeted.

Swaraj thanked the Emir of Kuwait for his "kind" gesture and said the Indian 
Embassy in that country will extend assistance to the Indian nationals who will 
be released from jails.

(source: english.manoramaonline.com)








PAKISTAN:

FIA challenges ATC verdict in Benazir Bhutto murder case



The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Friday filed a petition challenging 
the anti-terrorism court's (ATC) decision in the Benazir murder case.

The petition that had been filed in the Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High 
Court (LHC) maintains that the FIA has irrefutable evidence against the 
acquitted suspects.

Subsequently, the FIA has requested death penalty be awarded to the 5 accused 
acquitted and two police officials imprisoned. The petition states that the ATC 
has not done justice through its verdict.

The LHC on Thursday accepted petitions challenging detention of those acquitted 
in Benazir murder case for regular hearing.

A division bench of LHC Rawalpindi bench comprising Justice Tariq Abbasi heard 
the petitions filed by relatives of Sher Zaman, Hasnain Gul and Rafaqat Hussain 
acquitted in Benazir murder case against their detention after acquittal in the 
Benazir murder case.

After hearing preliminary arguments of the petitioners' counsel, the court 
accepted the petition for regular hearing and issued notices to the 
Rawalpindi's deputy commissioner.

Earlier, ATC Judge Asghar Khan at Adiala Jail had announced the verdict in 
Benazir Bhutto murder case, sentencing 2 police officers to 17 years 
imprisonment for being "negligent" and had acquitted the 5 suspects belonging 
to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) - who were indicted in 2008 over lack of 
evidence. The court had also declared the then-president Pervez Musharraf an 
absconder in the case.

Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in a gun and bomb attack 
after an election rally in Liaquat Bagh on Dec 27, 2007. The then government of 
Pervez Musharraf had blamed TTP chief Baitullah Mehsud for the killing but 
Mehsud had denied any involvement in the murder.

(source: Pakistan Today)








INDONESIA:

AGO Waits for Supreme Court Decision on Pardon for Death Penalty Execution

The Indonesia Supreme Court (MA) has yet to issue a decision regarding the time 
limit for the submission of pardon for death row inmates convicted by the 
Attorney General Office (AGO) since August 2017.

"We are still waiting [for the Supreme Court decision], we must be careful on 
this, as this is a decision on life or death of a human being," said Attorney 
General HM Prasetyo in Jakarta, Friday (29/09/2017).

He asserted the death execution was related to the life of a person, and 
therefore the AGO needs to request for a decision from the Supreme Court , 
since the decision of the Constitutional Court about the pardon did not mention 
the time period for submission of pardon.

The Constitutional Court, through Decision No. 107/PUU-XIII/2015 abolished the 
enactment of Article 7 paragraph (2) of Law no. 5 of 2010 on Amendment to Law 
no. 22 of 2002 on Pardon related to the time limitation of submission of pardon 
to the president. That is, the Court "frees" the convicted person to apply for 
pardon at any time.

This ruling changed the preceding rules, the submission of pardon is done no 
later than a year since the decision of permanent legal force.

The petitioner of this case is Su'ud Rusli, a death row inmate of the murder of 
President Director of Asaba Budyharto Angsono. Su'ud regards Article 7 
paragraph (2) of the Law on Gracency injured a sense of justice due to the 
submission of pardon more than a year since the final decision was considered 
expired.

The filing of Su'ud's pardon in 2014 was rejected by President Joko Widodo on 
31 August 2015, which was received on October 8, 2015.

Previously, the Attorney General admitted concerned with the disclosure of drug 
smuggling cases in the country that increasingly rife.

"We are concerned about the disclosure of a ton of shabu in Banten and the 
hundreds of kilos in Pluit, proving it appears that Indonesia is the center of 
the drug network in Southeast Asia," said Attorney General HM Prasetyo after 
receiving a visit to the Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission of 
Malaysia (MACC) Datuk Dzulkifli Ahmad last month.

He mentioned the drug case would undermine the generation of the Indonesian 
Nation. Therefore there is no compromise to such a crime. "It must be fought 
sincerely and seriously," he said, asserting.

Prasetyo added that the AGO would not hesitate to sue the perpetrators of drug 
trafficking. Let not a ton, no compromise of evil as it should be fought 
sincerely.

(source: netralnews.com)