[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 7




INDIA:

BJP promises 'New Odisha', capital punishment to sexual offenders in its 
manifesto----Releasing the New Odisha Sankalpa Patra, BJP national president 
Amit Shah said Odisha is one of the worst performing states in the country due 
to all-round failures of BJD government.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday sought to end the 19 years of 
"misrule" of BJD government by promising employment to one person of a family, 
interest free farm loan to small and marginal farmers, capital punishment to 
offenders of sexual crime on minor girl child and slew of other sops to realise 
its vision of "New Odisha."

Releasing the New Odisha Sankalpa Patra, the party's manifesto for the state 
four days ahead of the 1st phase election, BJP national president Amit Shah 
said Odisha is one of the worst performing states in the country due to 
all-round failures of BJD government.

"I have come here to appeal the people of the state to elect a government which 
does not clash with the Centre and stonewall the process of development. The 
people have lost hope on BJD government which has failed to deliver in the last 
19 years. Give BJP a chance and I assure you we will bring a rapid 
transformation of the state," Shah said.

With the farmers issue taking centre stage of 2019 election and the state 
government not cooperating the centre for the implementation of the Pradhan 
Mantri Kishan Saman Nidhi Yojana (PM-Kisan), the BJP promised to implement the 
farmers income augmentation scheme if voted to power.

The BJP which crowdsourced inputs for its manifesto said that the party will 
provide irrigation to all agricultural land in 5 years time with a dedicated 
fund of Rs 1 lakh crore. It promised to extend the Pradhan Mantri Shram Mandhan 
Yojana to the farm sector by covering all agricultural workers under the 
pension scheme after they tuned 60 years of age.

Coming down heavily on the BJD government for the increasing atrocities on 
women especially sexual attack on minor girls, the saffron party promised to 
implement the central law which will provide capital punishment to offenders of 
sexual assault on girls below 15 years of age.

As the Narendra Modi government is under fire from the opposition for its 
failure to keep promise of providing 2 crore job to unemployed youth per annum, 
the BJP manifesto said it will provide job to one person of a family.

"The BJP will fill up all the existing vacancies in the state government within 
2 of coming to power," said Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

On creation of self-employment opportunity, the BJP manifesto said it will 
create a "Skill Odisha Fund" with a corpus of Rs 3,500 crore which will be 
utilised in skill development programmes for 20 lakh youths in 5 years.

This apart, a revolving fund of Rs 3000 crore will be set up for extending loan 
upto Rs 3 lakh per head with nominal interest of Rs 1 %.

The election manifesto committee headed by senior BJP leader Biswa Bhusan 
Harichandan said the party will urge the people to elect a government which 
understated their language and free from bureaucratic control.

(source" newindianexpress.com)

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

Koli gets 11th death sentence in Nithari murder case



A CBI court awarded death sentence -- 11th -- to Surender Koli in the Nithari 
serial killing case, here on Saturday.

CBI Prosecutor J.P. Sharma said it was the 11th case in which Koli has been 
ordered to be hanged till death. But the court acquitted the co-accused 
Maninder Singh Pandher, due to lack of evidence.

According to Sharma, a 10-year-old girl went missing after she had gone to 
deliver 'ironed' cloths at D-5, residence Pandher, where his domestic help Koli 
was living, on June 21, 2005.

When the girl did not return home for 2 days, her parents lodged a complaint at 
Sector 20 police station on June 23, 2005.

The case was handed over to the CBI on June 11, 2007 and the agency submitted 
chargesheet on April 9, 2008.

The court of special judge Amit Vir Singh held Koli guilty on Friday. On 
Saturday, the court awarded a death sentence to Koli and imposed a penalty of 
Rs 1.10 lakh on him. The court, however, acquitted Pandher for lack of credible 
evidence.

On December 26, 2006 the Noida Police had recovered scull from the back of the 
house. In a DNA test, it was established that the scull was of the missing 
girl. The DNA report became most crucial evidence against Koli.

38 witnesses testified in the case.

(source: business-standard.com)








SOUTH AFRICA:

NFP calls for referendum on death penalty



With fewer than 33 days left before elections, the National Freedom Party (NFP) 
says a referendum should be called on the death penalty for violent crimes 
including murder and rape.

The party this week invited media houses to a detailed presentation of its 
election manifesto, titled “Giving power back to the people”, and also called 
for another referendum, on a gun-free society.

NFP MP Sheik Emam Manzoor said the party wanted to a referendum on the death 
penalty for violent crimes including murder and sexual crimes against women, 
children, the elderly and people with disabilities.

“We want to appoint special child commissioners in all the courts and ensure 
that a specialist is appointed to assist women in courts and police stations 
when they come to open abuse cases. Severe punishment should be imposed on 
those found guilty,” Manzoor said.

The NFP is returning to the ballot after failing to participate in the 2016 
local government elections due to lack of finances and has sent a list of 56 
national candidates to the Electoral Commission while in KwaZulu-Natal, it sent 
21 candidates for the provincial list.

“We have already tabled a motion in Parliament to make South Africa a gun-free 
society and we are waiting for it to come back for debate.”

He also called for greater protection for police officers and incentives such 
as danger allowances.

Senior party members have also expressed confidence in its ailing leader Zanele 
kaMagwaza-Msibi saying that as per their constitution, she could stand for a 
2nd term.

(source: iol.co.za)








SRI LANKA:

Death for drugs may backfire, anti-narcotics partners say



Attempts to implement the death penalty after 42 years may undermine much 
needed international support for the current counter narcotics campaign, 
experts caution.

The recent police and military successes in intercepting large shipments of 
narcotics was the result of shared intelligence, both domestically and 
internationally.

Sri Lankan law enforcement agencies also receive essential technical 
assistance, and specialised training from foreign states and international 
organisations.

However, many countries that have abolished the death penalty and international 
organisations that are duty bound to uphold humanitarian laws may have to 
restrict or rethink intelligence sharing, providing training and equipment or 
deporting wanted suspects, if Sri Lanka enforces the death penalty against 
those convicted of narco trafficking and distribution.

Sri Lanka has not carried out the death penalty since 1976. However, President 
Maithripala Sirisena, is pushing to remove the moratorium on the death penalty 
for selected individuals on death row. Last year, a list of names was finalised 
and the process to select a hangman is underway.

“UNODC will not endorse the use of the death penalty as an effective deterrent 
to drug trafficking crime, in fact it is counter-productive to intelligence 
sharing on drug trafficking networks,” said Shanaka Jayasekara of the United 
Nations office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). “Maintaining the moratorium on 
carrying out the death penalty is vital to ensure continued support and 
collaboration with foreign drug enforcement agencies.”

Foreign drug enforcement agencies have so far been supportive of Sri Lankan 
efforts and have advanced technical capabilities to acquire valuable 
intelligence and corroborate information on drug trafficking networks, a senior 
police officer told the Sunday Times.

Several embassies and high commissions in Colombo declined to comment on 
whether the death penalty would change the current intelligence and supportive 
relationship with Sri Lanka.

In August 2018, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres in a letter 
to the Sri Lankan President called on the government to maintain the moratorium 
on the death penalty. And in March this year the UN High Commissioner for Human 
Rights Michelle Bachelet Jeria said she was deeply concerned about the calls to 
reinstate the death penalty.

Last month, a UNODC initiative to establish a South Asia Regional Intelligence 
Coordination Centre in Colombo was postponed by the Presidential Secretariat 
even after the plans were approved by the Foreign Ministry and Cabinet.

Sri Lanka has not invested in the technological tools needed to identify and 
classify narcotics, President Maithripala Sirisena said during his budget 
speech in Parliament last week. He claimed that law enforcers had been 
successful in the counter narcotics drive through human efforts, initiative and 
without modern tools, which, he said, are on order from foreign sources.

The Human Rights Commission and Amnesty International have issued statements 
calling for the moratorium on the death penalty not to be removed.

In a letter addressed to President Sirisena in July last year, the Human Rights 
Commission of Sri Lanka also expressed concerns and asked that the capital 
punishment decision be revoked. The Commission suggested a series of strong and 
long term policies (including strengthening of institutions and procedures) 
aimed at addressing serious crimes including drug trafficking).

(source: sundaytimes.lk)








IRAQ:

Iraqi court sentences alleged ISIS lawyer to death



Iraq’s Nineveh Criminal Court on Sunday sentenced a man who reportedly worked 
as a lawyer for the Islamic State following the emergence of the jihadist group 
in Iraq and Syria in 2014.

The person held a prominent position within the group’s hierarchy, according to 
a statement released by the Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq.

The convicted man confessed during his trial to having pledged allegiance to 
the Islamic State and receiving orders and instructions from the jihadist 
group’s leadership while he was in Syria’s Hajin area.

The statement mentioned he was responsible for identifying prominent figures in 
Nineveh for the Islamic State and threatening them of murder.

The sentence was handed down in accordance with the provisions of Article IV of 
the anti-terrorism law.

Human rights groups have long criticized inconsistencies in the Iraqi judicial 
process and the preponderance of flawed trials.

The Islamic State emerged in Iraq in 2014 and quickly occupied vast swaths of 
territory in the country. In late 2017, Iraq declared final victory against it, 
but the extremist group continues to launch insurgency attacks, ambushes, and 
kidnappings across the country.

(source: kurdistan24.net)








BRUNEI:

Brunei Has Never Executed Anyone And This is Unlikely to Change



Since 2014, the small south east Asian Sultanate of Brunei has been amending 
its penal code to reflect letter and spirit of Islamic law. Crucially, the 
Islamic law that forms the basis of the revised penal code will only apply to 
instances involving Muslims. This means that non-Muslim tourists in Brunei will 
still be subject to the same British penal law that Brunei had erstwhile 
enforced throughout its territory since becoming an independent state in 1984.

Most notably, because the British penal laws of many post-colonial states were 
never amended to reflect contemporary developments in the UK itself, countries 
like Brunei prohibited homosexual relations not due to Islamic law but due to 
post-colonial British laws. It was only in 1967 that homosexual relations were 
made legal in England and Wales. In 1980, homosexual relationships were made 
legal in Scotland whilst in 1982 the same became law in Northern Ireland. Even 
today, the UK’s legal system is not monolithic when it comes to the issue of 
same-sex rights under the law. Most notably, whilst same-sex marriage is legal 
in Great Britain, it remains illegal in Northern Ireland.

It is against this context that one must view contemporary legislative 
developments in Brunei. It is likewise true that just as Brunei inherited 
Britain’s laws regarding homosexuality, the country also inherited British laws 
regarding capital punishment. In fact, the last time that someone was executed 
on the soil of Brunei it was whilst the Sultanate was under British rule. This 
hanging took place in 1957 and there has not been a single execution in Brunei 
since. This means that in the history of Brunei as a post-colonial independent 
state, the death penalty has never been used and there is no reason to believe 
this will change.

It is a further misnomer that Brunei revised its penal code to specifically 
target homosexuals. The year-by-year shift from a British corpus of criminal 
law to an Islamic one has been one that covers all areas of the law. It just so 
happens that the Islamic legal view on homosexual relations has caught the eye 
of the international media whilst other elements of Brunei’s revised penal code 
have not. That being said, the illegality of same-sex relations is not new in 
Brunei, the issue has simply gone from one that was governed by a largely 
Victorian British conception of justice to one governed by a strict Islamic 
conception of justice.

For all intents and purposes however, the situation on the ground in Brunei 
will not change. Just as technically homosexuality remains illegal in Singapore 
although the law is openly not enforced, in Brunei there will not be any acts 
of violence against homosexuals in the small Sultanate whose indigenous 
population is a mere 428,697 people.

These are the facts – facts which have been woefully misinterpreted by 
so-called responsible media outlets.

(source: eurasiafuture.com)

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

‘It’s dangerous to go out now’: young, gay and scared in Brunei----Draconian 
new laws have spread unease rather than outright panic in a population that is 
used to finding ways around legislation



A day after it became legally possible to be stoned to death for having gay sex 
in Brunei, 21-year-old Zain* got a bitter taste of the new reality.

Walking down the street in skinny jeans and high-heeled boots, a flamboyant 
anomaly in the conservative sultanate, the university student became a target.

“I saw this van about 50 metres away,” said Zain, who is gay. “When the driver 
saw me, the van accelerated, just to run me over, but I dodged it. I was like, 
‘Bitch, what the hell was that?’”

Last week Brunei – a tiny tropical nation on the island of Borneo, a former 
British protectorate that is home to 420,000 people – introduced harsh new 
sharia laws, including death by stoning for adultery and gay sex, and 
amputation of limbs for theft.

The punishments are part of the third and final phase of sharia laws to be 
implemented after they were first announced in 2013. Following panic and outcry 
then, plans for the most grievous penalties had lain seemingly dormant for 
years. Many had hoped that the government had quietly decided to back down.

But in late December last year a little-read official gazette announced that 
the laws would be effective as of Wednesday last week.

Decried as inhumane, archaic and barbaric, the new laws have seen Brunei dubbed 
the Saudi Arabia of south-east Asia, sparked widespread international 
condemnation and calls from celebrities such as George Clooney and Elton John 
to boycott hotels owned by sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah, including the 
Dorchester in London, and the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles.

But amid the cacophony of international criticism, in Brunei the laws came into 
effect with zero official fanfare, or even a passing mention. On Wednesday the 
lead story in the Borneo Bulletin, Brunei’s main English-language daily 
newspaper, was about missing fire hydrants – with not a word about the laws.

At a public event the same day, the sultan was similarly oblique, saying only 
that he advocated “stronger Islamic teaching”. In fact, in the quiet and 
predictable Bruneian capital, Bandar Seri Begawan, the reception of the new 
sharia penal code has run counter to international perceptions.

On the ground, young Bruneians say they are less scared of being prosecuted 
under the new laws than of how they might embolden religious conservatives, and 
justify acts of hate against them – like strangers trying to run them over in 
the street, or worse.

Given the absence of reports in the self-censoring local press, Zain heard the 
news on Twitter. His first thought, he told the Observer, was “oh my God I am 
going to die, I am going to be stoned to death”.

But after reading the fine print, he and others in Brunei’s underground LGBT 
scene are sceptical that anyone will actually be stoned. The high burden of 
proof, requiring a confession, or at least four credible witnesses to a 
criminalised act, means it won’t be easy to prosecute.

And while capital punishment has long been law in Brunei – although by hanging 
rather than stoning – no one has been executed since 1957.

“So that’s why I am not really scared about the law, but I am scared about the 
people,” said Zain. “The implementation gives a lot of conservative people who 
are very homophobic a lot of power. It is more dangerous for people like me to 
go out now.”

Other LGBT Bruneians agree the laws will be very difficult to enforce, but that 
hasn’t stopped them feeling paranoid. Are their neighbours, for example, 
watching them now?

Many, especially the more visible transgender people, are keeping a low 
profile, living even more discreetly than they already did.

Rafay, another gay Bruneian man, said: “To me, it makes my life even more 
complicated. It’s somewhat harder for me to be open when I’m in public.”

Although the draconian measures are in place, in the capital it feels as though 
little has changed. Days after the law came into effect, no cases had been 
prosecuted and sharia police were not combing the streets. LGBT Bruneians are 
in an uneasy state of wait and see. “I might leave Brunei,” said Rafay, “if the 
situation worsens.”

Some have already made changes to their lifestyles. Ali, a thirtysomething 
artist, said he would simply stop dating men. “I consider myself bi[sexual], so 
for me I guess it is just pretty easy – I just cut the other half,” he said. 
“For me it’s an extra risk I can just cut off. I know that doesn’t apply to 
most people. If they are gay they can’t just cut off guys, so I am 
fundamentally opposed to the laws.”

Living in a conservative majority-Muslim society with strict laws already in 
place – gay sex, for example, has long been illegal – young Bruneians are 
skilled adapters. The sale of alcohol and cigarettes is banned, but they know 
where to find contraband sources.

If they want to party they can drive a few hours to the Malaysian border town 
of Miri, and go clubbing for the night, or take a short flight to neighbouring 
Kuala Lumpur. And if they do party at home, it’s always best to have a member 
of the royal family in tow, some half-joke. In Brunei, locals say it’s all 
about who you know.

“It sucks, but it wasn’t great to begin with. We are very good at adapting, we 
all learn to have 2 or 3 social media accounts,” said Anna, a young 
professional, of the new laws. “We Bruneians can’t do anything about it, so I 
don’t know how outside forces can help. It’s more about how we as Bruneians can 
get through this together.”

Alongside the shock and uncertainty, there is also a feeling of indignation 
that the international coverage has skewed perceptions of their country that 
detract from what they see as its attributes – a strong education and 
healthcare system, and no income tax. Typically proud of their nation, 
Bruneians also worry about the economic repercussions, even those who identify 
as LGBT.

The laws might give them a reason to crack down on people who are not loyal to 
the throne----'Ali'

The sultan has pushed for sharia law since the 90s, despite the failure of 
other family members to live up to his standards. His brother Prince Jefri’s 
flamboyant lifestyle involved a harem of foreign mistresses, erotic sculptures 
of himself with his fiancee, and a luxury yacht he called Tits.

In a country that bills itself as something of a sanctuary – the full name of 
the country is Brunei Darussalam, meaning in Arabic “abode of peace” – 
Bruneians have different answers when asked how it has become a country with 
draconian sharia law.

Ali’s working theory was that, as rumours swirl that the sultan, 72, is likely 
to abdicate soon, he was paving the way for his son, the crown prince, to take 
over. “The laws might give them a reason to crack down on people who are not 
loyal to the throne, and the people that are not loyal to the throne are 
usually people who are more liberal and progressive and probably doing all the 
adultery,” he said. “They are preparing for when the crown prince, who is not 
popular at all, takes the throne, and then there is going to be a lot more 
dissent, I think.”

Some Bruneians are hoping that, eventually, all this will fade away. That life 
will be back to business as usual, soon enough. “I can’t imagine anyone 
carrying this punishment out. It’s not the Brunei I know, at least not the one 
I grew up in,” said Anna. “The future isn’t bright, but it isn’t bleak either. 
We just don’t know what’s going to happen.”

*All names have been changed.

(source: theguardian.com)

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

Hundreds protest outside The Dorchester hotel over Brunei gay death penalty



Hundreds gathered outside Brunei-owned The Dorchester hotel in London on 
Saturday afternoon (April 6) to protest against the country imposing the death 
penalty for gay sex.

Campaigners surrounded the 5-star complex in Mayfair, at one point breaching 
barriers put up outside the hotel and storming onto the building’s steps.

The demonstration was organised after LGBT+ activists and celebrities—including 
George Clooney, Billie Jean King, and Ellen DeGeneres—advocated for people to 
boycott nine hotels owned by Brunei in protest against the draconian 
legislation.

As well as The Dorchester, these hotels include The Beverley Hills Hotel in Los 
Angeles, Le Meurice in Paris, and Hotel Eden in Rome.

Brunei implemented the strict Islamic legal system of sharia law on Wednesday 
(April 3), making gay sex between men punishable with death by stoning and 
lesbian sex carrying a sentence of 40 whips of the cane or a 10 year jail 
sentence.

The Brunei Investment Agency—a government-owned corporation—possesses the 
hotels, which also include Plaza Athénée (Paris), Hotel Meurice (Paris), 
Principe di Savoia (Milan), Hotel Bel-Air (Los Angeles), Coworth Park (Ascot), 
and 45 Park Lane (London).

Activists chanted pro-LGBT+ phrases, including: “What do you want? LGBT rights! 
When do you want them? Now!,” and: “Homophobia has got to go.”

The demonstration was organised by The Peter Tatchell Foundation and Benali 
Hadamache, co-chair of The Green Party’s LGBT+ arm, LGBTIQA+ Greens.

“We are urging countries worldwide to suspend diplomatic, economic and military 
relations with Brunei and to threaten boycotts, sanctions and disinvestments if 
these extremist Sharia punishments are not revoked,” said Peter Tatchell, human 
rights campaigner and director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation.

“The UK royal family must stop hosting the Sultan and cut all ties with his 
despotic regime. Brunei should be suspended from the Commonwealth.

“These draconian laws violate the Commonwealth Charter, which Brunei has agreed 
to uphold.”

The introduction of the strict Islamic legal system of sharia law in Brunei, a 
former British protected state, will also impose the death penalty for 
adultery, amputation for those found guilty of theft, and flogging for 
abortion.

Protestors set off smoke bombs and laid rainbow-painted stones on the steps of 
the hotel to represent LGBT+ people in Brunei that will be executed under the 
legislation.

“We are urging countries worldwide to suspend diplomatic, economic and military 
relations with Brunei.” — Peter Tatchell, human rights campaigner

“The move to kill gay people by stoning is barbaric and has no place in the 
21st century,” said Hamdache.

“It’s time to demonstrate that London will not tolerate the Sultan’s brutal 
homophobia.

“We encourage all businesses and individuals to boycott any dealings with his 
chain of hotels. The Sultan should become an international pariah.”

“Just as importantly, we call on the UK government to take action against the 
Kingdom.

“It’s time, via the Commonwealth and all available channels, to pressure Brunei 
to rethink or else to withdraw our economic and political involvement with the 
country.”

(source: pinknews.co.uk)








EGYPT:

Giza court to sentence 7 defendants to death over 2016 Haram hotel attack



Giza Criminal Court on Saturday referred the papers for seven out of 26 
defendants to Grand Mufti Shawky Allam, before sentencing them to the death 
penalty over a terrorist attack on the Haram hotel in 2016.

The court set June 22 to read the verdict.

A referral to the Mufti is required in the Egyptian court system ahead of death 
sentences, even though the mufti’s opinion is advisory and not binding.

The defendants, 3 being tried in absentia, are charged with attacking a hotel 
in Haram street in Giza in 2016, which was receiving a bus transporting around 
40 tourists of Arab Israelis.

The attack left no casualties.

The Interior Ministry said that the gunmen fired birdshot and fireworks at 
security personnel guarding the scene and a tourist bus which happened to be 
present in front of the hotel at the time of attack.

The Islamic State-affiliated “Sinai Province” claimed responsibility for the 
attack, while also claiming the attack resulted in deaths and injuries among 
the security personnel.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office accused the defendants of leading a group 
established against the law, arming themselves with firearms, vandalism, 
attacking the Three Pyramids Hotel and using force against the police.

(source: egyptindependent.com)