[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

September 12



SAUDI ARABIA:

Prominent Cleric May Face Death Penalty----Escalating Crackdown on Dissent



Saudi prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against a prominent cleric on a 
host of vague charges related to his political statements, associations, and 
positions, Human Rights Watch said today.

Saudi authorities brought Salman al-Awda, 61, before the Specialized Criminal 
Court, the country's terrorism tribunal, on September 3, 2018. A family member 
told Human Rights Watch that Saudi authorities allowed him contact with a 
lawyer at the hearing for the 1st time since his detention a year earlier. At 
the hearing, prosecutors handed down 37 charges and announced that they would 
seek the death penalty. The vast majority of the charges are connected to his 
alleged ties with the Muslim Brotherhood and Qatari government, and his public 
support for imprisoned dissidents. None refer to specific acts of violence or 
incitement to acts of violence.

"At a time when Saudi Arabia's ambitious economic plans such as the Aramco IPO 
are stalling out, the crown prince's prosecutors are investing in threatening 
clerics and women's rights activists with execution," said Sarah Leah Whitson, 
Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "Unless Saudi Arabia has evidence 
that al-Awda committed a recognizable crime the authorities should release him 
immediately."

Al-Awda was among the first of dozens of people detained in mid-September 2017 
by the Presidency of State Security, an agency established only months before, 
following Mohammad bin Salman's appointment as crown prince. Al-Awda had 
remained in detention, partly in solitary confinement, with no lawyer and 
limited ability to contact family members. Authorities have also detained his 
brother and banned 17 members of his family from traveling abroad. Al-Awda's 
charges coincided with the opening of trials against a number of other people 
for alleged association with the Muslim Brotherhood.

Al-Awda was a prominent member of the Sahwa Movement in the early 1990s, which 
criticized Saudi Arabia's decision to allow the US military into the country to 
protect it from a potential Iraqi invasion. Since 2011 al-Awda has advocated 
greater democracy and social tolerance. In January, the office of the UN high 
commissioner for human rights described al-Awda as "an influential religious 
figure who has urged greater respect for human rights within Sharia [Islamic 
Law]," and called for his release.

On September 5, local Saudi media outlets printed the first 5 of the charges, 
and Human Rights Watch reviewed the others from a copy of the court???s charge 
sheet it obtained. The initial charges are mostly related to his alleged ties 
to the Muslim Brotherhood and other organizations supposedly connected to it. 
Saudi Arabia declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization in March 
2014. One such organization listed in the charge sheet, the International Union 
of Muslim Scholars, was not named as a terrorist organization by Saudi 
authorities until November 20, 2018, over 2 months after al-Awda's arrest.

The 1st charge reads: "Corrupting the land by repeatedly endeavoring to shake 
the structure of the nation and bring about civil strife; inflaming society 
against the rulers and stirring up unrest; and connection to characters and 
organizations and holding meetings and conferences inside and outside the 
kingdom to enact the agenda of a terrorist organization against the nation and 
its rulers."

Multiple charges relate to his public solidarity with imprisoned dissidents, 
opposing the Saudi-led isolation of Qatar in mid-2017, and alleged ties to the 
Qatari government. Other charges include having "a suspicious relationship" 
with the former Gaddafi government in Libya, publicly opposing Saudi Arabia's 
hosting of former Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, "mocking 
governmental achievements," and "offending patriotism and loyalty to the 
government and the country..."

Another group of charges alleges that al-Awda violated terrorism financing 
regulations by calling for donations for "the Syrian Revolution" and rebel 
groups "outside the jurisdiction of official agencies," without citing specific 
incidents or groups. Al-Awda, merely called for people to donate to charity 
organizations operating in Syria, the family member said.

Saudi authorities detained al-Awda on September 7, 2017. On September 12, 2017, 
the Presidency of State Security announced that it was taking action against 
those acting "for the benefit of foreign parties against the security of the 
kingdom and its interests." Authorities detained al-Awda's brother Khaled later 
that month after he tweeted about his brother's detention, media reported. He 
remains in detention.

A family member told Human Rights Watch at the time of al-Awda's arrest that he 
believed it was related to al-Awda's failure comply with an order from Saudi 
authorities to tweet a specific text to support the Saudi-led isolation of 
Qatar. Instead, he posted a tweet on September 9, just before his arrest, which 
stated in part, "May God harmonize between their hearts for the good of their 
people," an apparent call for reconciliation between the Gulf countries.

Al-Awda was among dozens of dissidents, writers, and clerics detained in 
September 2017. Activists have circulated lists of more than 60 people being 
held, though Saudi authorities have not released information about their cases.

Other prominent detainees in the group include Essam al-Zamil, an economist; 
Mustafa al-Hasan, an academic; Abdullah Al-Malki, a writer; and dozens of other 
clerics including Awad al-Qarni, Ibrahim al-Nasser, and Ibrahim al-Fares. 
Authorities imprisoned Abdulaziz al-Shubaily and Issa al-Hamid, human rights 
activists, around the same time. Both had lost appeals of convictions for their 
human rights work following unfair trials.

Al-Awda's trial follows a recent crackdown on women's rights activists in Saudi 
Arabia that has led to the arrest of at least 13 women under the pretext of 
maintaining national security.

The charges against al-Awda do not cross the threshold of crimes for which 
capital punishment can be justified under international human rights law even 
in countries that still have the death penalty. International standards, 
including the Arab Charter on Human Rights, ratified by Saudi Arabia, require 
countries that retain the death penalty to use it only for the "most serious 
crimes," and in exceptional circumstances. In 2012, the United Nations special 
rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions stated that where 
used, the death penalty should be limited to cases in which a person is 
intentionally killed.

Human Rights Watch opposes capital punishment in all countries and under all 
circumstances. Capital punishment is unique in its cruelty and finality, and it 
is inevitably and universally plagued with arbitrariness, prejudice, and error.

"Saudi Arabia's Western allies should stop pretending that the country has a 
reform agenda when at the same time the Saudi justice system is threatening to 
kill peaceful government critics," Whitson said.

(source: Human Rights Watch)








IRAN----execution

Iran executes Kurdish political prisoner



Iran has executed Kurdish political prisoner Kamal Ahmadnejad in Minadoab, 
northwest Iran, on Monday morning. He faced charges of killing an IRGC member 
and membership in a Kurdish dissident group.

According to a source he was suddenly taken to Ward 2 2 weeks ago and was 
executed on Monday, September 10. His family and relatives were not notified 
until the prisoner was already hanged.

Kamal Ahmadnejad was arrested in 2014 along with 5 others each of whom was 
sentenced to 15 years behind bars.

Political Prisoner Kamal Ahmadnejad, wrote a letter to the UN Human Rights 
Rapporteur, Mrs. Asma Jahangir in November 2017, that revealed the horrific 
extent of his experiences in prison. He detailed the tortures he had been 
subjected to and described how the authorities tortured him to make televised 
confession.

In his letter political prisoner Kamal Ahmadnejad wrote, "I was arrested on 
December 24, 2014 by the Intelligence Ministry agents in Miandoab city. I spent 
24 hours in the Miandoab Detention Center under torture. I would not even know 
why I was arrested.

I was informed of a murder charge fabricated by the inspector at the behest of 
Ministry of Intelligence. They set a bail bound for me on the charge of murder 
and I was transferred to Intelligence detention center of Urmia on charges of 
murder.

I was interrogated and tortured for 6 months in solitary confinement of the 
Ministry of Intelligence. Cells colored with horror and fear. In fact, the 
cells are designed in a way to break the will of the prisoner and make him 
surrender by creating an atmosphere of fear, terror, and despair. Solitary 
cells of Intelligence detention center, turns every citizen to a criminal and 
felon.

I was no exception to the rule. I was subjected to physical, mental and 
psychological torture for 6 months. Torturers and interrogators were only 
trying to introduce me as a murderer.

I gradually realized that I am in custody along with 5 other individuals from 
the village of Gamishgoli, 3 of whom were arrested 2 months earlier than me."

"Every day I wished a hundred times to die. I had gone completely mad! Why me?" 
he said.

Among the torture methods he was subjected to are kicking and punching, lashing 
with cable, electric shocks. He further mentioned that he was threatened with 
his wife being arrested.

He also explained how he confessed under torture to the crime he had not 
committed. Then he was forced to attend in a TV interview, after being 
threatened with death.

"The text of the interview was already prepared by the interrogators and 
torturers. A few days before the interview they tortured me to memorize the 
text to then read it during the interview," Ahmadnezhad said.

In another part of his letter Kamal Ahmadnejad wrote, "During detention and 
interrogation period, they did not pay attention to my personal remarks and 
defenses.

During my incarceration and interrogation, no attention was paid to my 
statements about being innocent. Judge of the First Branch of the Penal (court) 
of Miandoab, issued a death sentence without considering my evidences and 
documents, and only by referring to the Ministry of Intelligence.

They did not summon to court the witnesses who were willing to testify that I 
was at home on the day the murdered was committed. The scene of murder was also 
not restored due to lack of evidence.

Therefore, I declare that I am innocent and do not commit any crime. The 
Intelligence Ministry and other provincial security agencies are trying to kill 
me."

He urged Ms. Asma Jahangir, UN Special Rapporteur for human rights in Iran, 
Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and all human rights activists, to 
speak out over his situation in any way possible.

(source: Iran Human Rights)

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

Kamal Ahmad Nejad, Kurdish political prisoner, was executed / Execution of 6 
Kurdish political activists in the past week



Another Kurdish political prisoner was sentenced to death, executed by the 
Iranian government.

According to Report of the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Kamal Ahmad 
Nejad, a political prisoner sentenced to death , was executed on Monday, 
September 10, at the central prison of Miandoab.

A source informed, Kamal Ahmadnejad's death sentence was arrested and convicted 
of being a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and was executed 
without family information and the last visit wasn't carried out.

Kamal Ahmadnejad is from the village of Gamishgolli Miandoab. In the fall 2015, 
along with 5 others, the names of Milad Abdi, Saeed Siahi, Soleyman Kerry, 
Mostafa Tahazadeh and Halmat Abdollahi were arrested on charges of killing 1 of 
the members of the Revolutionary Guard called Hashem Zinali.

The Iranian judiciary was sentenced to death for Ahmadnejad on September 18, 
2016, and for 5 other defendants, each sentenced to 15 years in prison.

By registering the statistics, in the statistics center of Hengaw, only in the 
past week, 4 Kurd political prisoners and 2 Peshmerga were executed by the 
Judiciary and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.

(source: hengaw.net)








PAKISTAN/IRAN:

Pakistanis on death row in Iran: LHC gives last chance to ministries for reply 
- 15 seconds ago



The Lahore High Court (LHC) Tuesday directed federal ministries - Foreign 
Affairs, Interior and Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development - for 
filing reply to a petition about Pakistani citizens on death row in Iranian 
jails.

During the proceedings, the court took serious note of non-filing of reply by 
the respondents despite passage of a period of 5 months.

Justice Shahid Waheed heard the petition, filed by Justice Project Pakistan 
(JPP), seeking details of Pakistanis imprisoned in Iran and the actions taken 
by the government in order to get their death sentences reviewed under recently 
amended Iranian drug laws.

Reacting to a request for grant of more time for filing the reply, the court 
observed that there were so many Pakistanis languishing in Iran's jails. "Don't 
you care about them?" he asked.

The court directed the respondent ministries for filing their replies and a 
list of Pakistanis on Iran's death row in 2 weeks. "No further adjournment will 
be granted after this period," the court added.

The petitioner had requested the court to direct the Government of Pakistan to 
make immediate and forceful representations, as required by law, on behalf of 
Pakistani citizens on death row in Iran, both to secure reviews of their death 
sentence under the Amendment, and to ensure their extradition to Pakistan.

The JPP submitted that new Iranian drug laws entitled prisoners sentenced to 
death under previous standards to filing reviews; however, the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs and Pakistan embassy in Tehran had not taken any steps to 
facilitate the Pakistani prisoners.

In January 2018, the Supreme Court of Iran announced that those sentenced to 
death for drug crimes would have their sentences commuted only if they apply 
for such a commutation.

The Pakistanis sentenced to death in Iran under previous standards faced 
imminent execution if applications for review were not filed on their behalf, 
it added.

(source: Pakistan Today)








EGYPT:

EU condemns Egypt's mass death sentence



The Cairo courtoom in which the death sentences of 75 people, initially passed 
in July over clashes in 2013 between security forces and supporters of ousted 
president Mohamed Morsi, was confirmed on Saturday

The European Union on Tuesday condemned death sentences passed on 75 people in 
Egypt, saying there were "serious doubts" over whether the defendants had been 
given a fair trial.

An Egyptian court on Saturday confirmed the sentences, initially passed in July 
over clashes in 2013 between security forces and supporters of ousted president 
Mohamed Morsi, prompting criticism from the UN and rights campaigners.

A spokesperson for the EU's diplomatic service reiterated the bloc's 
"opposition to capital punishment in all circumstances".

"The circumstances of this mass trial cast serious doubts on the respect of due 
process and in particular the defendants' rights to a fair trial," the 
spokesperson said in a statement.

Some 739 defendants were tried together, most of them charged with killing 
police and vandalising property. Nearly 350 were given 15-year sentences and 
another 47 jailed for life. Award-winning photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zeid, who 
was arrested as he covered the clashes that turned into a bloodbath, was given 
a 5-year sentence.

The EU said it was relieved he would soon be freed, based on time already 
served behind bars, but warned that the conditions for his release "appear not 
to be in line with Egypt's constitution and international obligations".

(source: al-monitor.com)

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

The execution of those who survived at Rabaa in Egypt



While the world's attention is on Idlib on the one side and on Trump's lawsuits 
and the wars he has declared against everyone on the other, the military coup 
court in Egypt silently sentenced 75 people to death.

Conducting a coup is the vilest crime in the world because it is one which 
includes all kinds of despicable offenses. It includes lying, betrayal, 
treason, theft, usurpation, murder, rape and all other offenses. A coup is an 
entity of crimes wherein all crimes are committed at once.

When a coup cannot be prevented, these crimes are continuously committed. 
Murder, lies, theft and distorting the facts continue. Even though Sisi 
deserves to be tried for all these crimes, he finds a way to try the ones whose 
basic living rights he violated.

The coup organized by Sisi in Egypt opened a new space for itself by spreading 
the lie that Morsi was becoming a dictator. Eventually, a defense minister 
appointed by Morsi was shown as a savior and his coup caused the death of 
thousands of people, leading to a dark period that was not experienced even in 
the darkest times in Egypt's history. It also resulted in a coup regime that 
deems oppression proper for its own people. When it was not possible to disband 
the peaceful demonstrators by persuasion, fire was opened at the crowds and 
3,000 unarmed demonstrators were barbarically massacred. Those who were not 
massacred on the streets were arrested and held in prisons under grave 
conditions where they were tortured for years. In these prisons, a few people 
die every week under these conditions. Those who survive, on the other hand, 
get the death penalty in a single-session trial.

Recently, in a trial continuing in Egypt, 75 people were sentenced to death, 
including the close coworkers of Egypt's 1st democratically-elected President 
Mohammed Morsi. Hundreds of others were sentenced to life in prison. Among 
those who were given the death penalty were Muhammad Biltaci, father of Esma 
Biltaci who was deliberately massacred and became a symbol of the Rabaa square, 
and 2 of the greatest scholars of Egypt, Imam Saffad Higazi and Tarik al Zumer. 
Among those who were given lifetime imprisonment, there is Mohammed Bedii who 
maintained his composure even after 3,000 of his brothers and sisters were 
brutally massacred in a bloody ambush by the coup plotters at Rabaa square.

They knew very well that if they were carrying a single pocket knife, the 
regime would use it to legitimize the violence. But beyond that, not resorting 
to armed resistance was a result of the responsibility they felt towards their 
own people. Armed resistance would lead to a civil war and chaos that no one 
would be able to stop. They knew this very well and even though it was hard to 
stand, even though they were being oppressed and even massacred, they chose to 
have patience.

If peace is one of the most important values of the world we are living in, 
these people should have been rewarded for sacrificing their own rights to 
prevent the escalation of violence in their country.

Yet, while the world did not see this graceful act, the military coup regime 
held them responsible for its own massacres. There is no doubt that the 
massacre of 3,000 demonstrators is a great crime that necessitates a trial. 
However, when not a single person asked questions about the context or 
aftermath of this massacre, not to mention conducting trials, the coup plotters 
got even more shameless and dared to try the Rabaa victims, those who could not 
run away, those who did not die, the survivors of a massacre, and they pin 
their own crimes on these people.

It is such a boldness that not even one person feels ashamed when it was found 
out that 5 of those sentenced to the death penalty died in prison due to 
torture and the dire conditions.

The coup in Egypt and the attitude of the world toward this coup is an example 
that reveals the hypocrisy of the world order we are living in with all its 
parameters.

How long will the Western world, who is giving lectures over and over again on 
why democracy has not developed in the Muslim world, be able to hide the fact 
that almost all of the blame, if there is any, is theirs?

In the meantime, while the military coup regime was sentencing 75 innocent 
protesters to death, the U.S. gave 1,2 billion dollars of aid to Sisi. Just 
like paying a subcontractor his fee!

Yet, democracy and human rights or the so-called "Western values" are being 
trampled here.

While the U.S. is stopping the sale of weapons to Turkey through congress 
decisions whenever there is a disagreement, it is paying Sisi even after all he 
has done to kill democracy??? Isn???t this the killing of a blooming democracy 
in a Muslim country?

(source: yenisafak.com)