[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

July 3



NEW ZEALAND:

NZ will intervene if Nikki Kaye's brother sentenced to death - Winston Peters



Acting Prime Minister Winston Peters says he'll personally contact the Governor 
of California if MP Nikki Kaye's step-brother is sentenced to death.

Clinton Thinn has been convicted of 1st-degree murder for killing a fellow 
inmate in a Californian jail, and he's facing the death penalty.

"This is a really tough situation, and obviously I'm in touch with my family," 
Ms Kaye told Newshub.

The Auckland Central MP says she's conscious of separating her political role 
from her role as a step-sister.

"There could be legal considerations, and anything that I say could affect 
that."

California has the highest number of death row inmates in the United States, 
although no one's been executed since 2006.

If Thinn is sentenced to death, the New Zealand Government would rally, and the 
Acting Prime Minister says he'd personally contact the state's Governor.

"As a Foreign Minister I'd do that, yes, and with the full support of the total 
Cabinet," he told Newshub.

Thinn was in jail for an attempted bank robbery when he strangled a fellow 
prisoner with a shirt.

In 2014 Kiwi Peter Gardner was jailed in China, facing the death penalty for 
smuggling methamphetamine. In 1982 Lorraine and Aaron Cohen were sentenced to 
death in Malaysia for heroin smuggling.

"Regardless of which country it was and regardless of whether it's the United 
States, we always made it very clear that we're opposed to the death penalty," 
says Mr Peters.

Thinn may avoid the death penalty based on special guidelines particular to 
California.

A murderer can only be sentenced to death in special circumstances, such as 
murdering a police officer, a witness or a judge, or murdering because of race 
or religion, or if the murder involved torture or poisoning.

Annaliese Johnston from Amnesty International says it condemns the possibility 
of Thinn's execution.

"We believe it's the ultimate cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment."

New Zealand only abolished the death penalty in 1989, when it was still in 
place for treason. Since then we've joined a global community of countries 
opposing capital punishment.

(source: newshub.co.nz)








PAKISTAN:

COAS approves death penalty of 12 terrorists



Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javaid Bajwa has confirmed the death 
sentences of 12 hardcore terrorists.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement, the 
terrorists were involved in heinous offences related to terrorism including the 
killing of innocent civilians, attacking Law Enforcement Agencies and Armed 
Forces of Pakistan.

These terrorists also include those who planned and executed an attack on 
Markazi Imam Bargah Parachinar.

On the whole, the terrorists were involved in the killing of 34 persons 
including 26 civilians, 8 Armed Forces, Frontier Constabulary personnel and 
injuring 133 others.

Arms and explosives were also recovered from their possession. These convicts 
were tried by special military courts. Besides, 6 other convicts have been 
awarded imprisonment.

Civilian Ehsan Ullah son of Kifayat Ullah was also tried by the special 
military court, however, he was found not guilty and has been acquitted 
accordingly.

According to details among the convicted terrorists, Ashiq Khan son of Saad 
Ullah Khan, Rasheed S/O Momeen Khan, Meraj S/O Sheen Gul and Muhammad Rasool 
S/O Naikmat Khan were members of the proscribed organization.

They abetted the attack on Markazi Imam Bargah Parachinar, which resulted in 
the death of 22 Civilians and injuries to 130 others. These convicts admitted 
their offences before the Magistrate and the trial court. They were awarded 
death sentence.

Jannat Karim S/O Gul Karim, Abu Bakar S/O Haider Khan and Anwar Khan S/O Abdul 
Janan were members of the proscribed organization and were involved in 
attacking Law Enforcement Agencies, which resulted in the death of 5 police 
officials and 3 Civilians. They were also found in possession of explosives. 
These convicts admitted their offences before the Magistrate and the trial 
court. They were awarded death sentence.

Similarly, Ghulam Habib S/O Sher Bahadar and Abdul Ghafoor S/O Muhammad Jan 
were members of the proscribed organization. They were involved in attacking 
civilians as well as Armed Forces of Pakistan by planting/exploding the 
improvised explosive devices, which resulted in the death of Naib Subedar 
Muhammad Arif, Sepoy Shoukat Ali and causing injuries to 2 civilians and a 
soldier.

The convicts confessed their offences before the Judicial Magistrate and the 
trial court. They were awarded death sentence.

Furthermore, Rawaz Khan S/O Zameen Khan and Mubarik Zeb S/O Abdul Latif were 
involved in the killing of civilian Malik Haji Muhammad, a member of Aman 
Committee. Fire-arm was also found in possession of Rawaz Khan s/o Zameen Khan. 
These convicts confessed their offences before the Judicial Magistrate and the 
trial court. They were awarded death sentence.

Ayub Khan S/O Haji Muhammad abetted in causing the death of a soldier. The 
convict confessed his offence before the Judicial Magistrate and the trial 
court. He was awarded death sentence.

(source: The Nation)








INDIA:

Goa Minister for death penalty for rapists



Goa Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar on Monday said rapists should be hanged 
till death.

"This is a very serious matter and strict action will be taken. Rapists should 
be hanged till death. But in a democracy, it does not happen. It happens in 
Dubai but not here," Ajgaonkar said.

The Tourism Minister reaction came after a taxi driver was arrested on June 29 
for allegedly raping a 20-year-old woman in Goa.

The 48-year-old raped the woman late on Thursday evening near Goa's Dabolim 
International Airport.

Police Inspector-in-charge of the Vasco police station, Nolasco Raposo told ANI 
that the victim was on an evening walk when the taxi driver stopped alongside 
her and offered her a lift.

"When she refused, the victim claims that she was forcefully pulled into the 
vehicle and taken to a deserted area and raped," Raposo added.

An FIR was registered under sections 365 (kidnapping) and 376 (rape) of the 
Indian Penal Code (IPC).

(source: aninews.in)








MALAYSIA:

Suhakam wants no delay in abolition of death penalty



The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) hopes that the government 
will not delay in abolishing the death penalty.

Chairperson Razali Ismail said the commission would let Prime Minister Dr 
Mahathir Mohamed decide on the matter without interference from other parties.

"If we take a poll from the Malaysian people now, a lot of them will agree to 
get rid of the death penalty. We should get going and do it within this year.

"Of course there will be many quarters that will review it from various aspects 
and on how to deal with certain custom practices, religion and all, but for me, 
that is the business of PM to put it all together."

Razali said this to reporters after attending the workshop on the United 
Nations Convention Against Torture And Other Cruel, Inhuman Or Degrading 
Treatment Or Punishment (UNCAT) with the Malaysian Islamic Community in Kuala 
Lumpur today.

Meanwhile, Home Affairs Ministry deputy secretary-general Nadzri Siron said 
that the death sentence on 17 inmates on death row had been put on hold pending 
a government review on capital punishment.

He stated that the outcome might take a while as the cabinet would have to 
deliberate on the findings if the review.

Nadzri said the review process on capital punishment would begin as soon as 
possible, as it is a directive from the government.

"The review will involve all laws where the death penalty is prescribed, 
including the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 and the Firearms Act 1971," he said.

(source: malaysiakini.com)








BARBADOS:

Mandatory death penalty banned in Barbados



After decades of campaigning, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), following a 
majority vote has ruled that the mandatory death penalty in Barbados is 
unconstitutional.

The decision was reached after 2 appeals were sent to the CCJ regarding the 
fate of convicted murderers Jabari Sensimania Nervais and Dwayne Omar Severin. 
The cases were otherwise unrelated. However, both of them challenged the 
automatic (mandatory) death sentence imposed upon convicted murderers.

The court stated that a section of the 'Offences Against the Person Act' was 
unconstitutional because it provided for a mandatory sentence of death. "It was 
indisputable that the nation, through its actions, had acknowledged that it had 
an obligation to remove such mandatory sentence under section 2 of that Act," 
the judgment summary said. The court also noted that Barbados had also given 
undertakings to the CCJ and the Inter American Court of Human Rights to rectify 
the mandatory sentence which was reflected in the Barbados Privy Council's 
consistent commutation of the mandatory death penalty.

Justice Winston Anderson, however, opposed the majority and said that removing 
the mandatory sentence would jeopardise the judicial powers.

(source: thedailystar.net)








IRAN----executions

2 Prisoners Hanged in ?Baluchestan

prisoner was hanged at Saravan Prison on Saturday morning and another 1 was 
hanged at Zahedan Central Prison on Sunday morning. Both prisoners were charged 
with murder.

According to a close source, on the morning of Saturday, June 30, a prisoner 
was hanged at Saravan Prison on murder charges.

Habibollah Sarbazi, Baluch human rights activist, told IHR, "The prisoner, 
sentenced to death on murder charges, was from Paskouh, Saravan."

According to Baluch Activists Campaign, the prisoner was identified as Ahmad 
Zumakzehi, son of Karim Daad.

Furthermore, according to HRANA news agency, on the morning of Sunday, July 1, 
another prisoner was executed at Zahedan Central Prison on murder charges.

The prisoner was identified as Ebrahim Jahantigh, 26, from ward 4 of Zahedan 
Central Prison. He was transferred to the solitary confinement on Saturday, 
June 30.

The execution of these prisoners has not been announced by the state-run media 
so far.

According to Iran Human Rights annual report on the death penalty, 240 of the 
517 execution sentences in 2017 were implemented due to murder charges. There 
is a lack of a classification of murder by degree in Iran which results in 
issuing a death sentence for any kind of murder regardless of intensity and 
intent.

(source: Iran Human Rights)

TURKEY:

Death penalty on the agenda - Turkish government spokesman



Mahir Unal, spokesperson for Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party 
(AKP) has said that the death penalty or chemical castration are on the agenda 
for child abusers, broadcaster CNNTurk reported .

"All punishment methods including the death penalty and castration are on the 
agenda," he said at a press conderence.

"There are new precautions and regulations that educational institutions need 
to take. Legal precautions will be taken to protect our children."

When parliament opened again in October, this would be one of the first issues 
to be discussed, Unal said.

Child abuse is very much on the agenda, especially on social media, after a 
4-year-old girl disappeared and was found starved to death in the eastern 
province of Agri.

What was not on the agenda, however, was any type of early election, Unal said. 
Some have speculated that the AKP want to bring forward local elections 
scheduled for March 31, 2019 in order to avoid the fallout of a possible 
economic crisis.

(source: ahvalnews.com)