[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Dec. 14


IRAQ:

Death Sentences for Political Rivals----High-Profile Cases Highlight Need for 
Judicial Reform


Iraq's prime minister should order stays of execution for one rival of former 
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and an associate of another. The death sentences 
were handed down after trials in which both defendants alleged they had been 
subjected to torture and denied access to lawyers during interrogation, 
highlighting Iraq's urgent need for judicial reform.

On October 22, 2014, Baghdad???s Central Criminal Court sentenced Rasha 
al-Husseini, a secretary to former Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi, to death on 
terrorism charges. The court???s judgment appears to be based entirely on 
al-Husseini???s confession. Her lawyers allege that security forces 
psychologically and physically tortured her. On November 23, the same court 
sentenced Ahmed al-Alwani, a former parliament member, to death on murder 
charges. Family members told Human Rights Watch they saw torture marks on him 
before his trial.

"Iraq's judiciary is still handing down convictions in politicized trials, 
fraught with legal irregularities," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and 
North Africa director. "Despite promises of reform, the government is sitting 
idly by while Iraq's terribly flawed justice system sentences people to death 
on little or no evidence."

Security forces arrested al-Husseini and about a dozen other Hashimi staff 
members in late December 2011. In March 2012, Human Rights Watch reported 
evidence that several of them had been tortured. One, a bodyguard named Amir 
Sarbut Zaidan al-Batawi, died about three months after his arrest. His body 
displayed signs of torture, including in several sensitive areas. The 
government denied the torture allegations and did not investigate.

Al-Husseini's family told Human Rights Watch that they had complained to the 
office of Iraq's president and prime minister about irregularities in her case, 
including allegations that to force her confession, security forces at the 
Intelligence Directorate in the Baladiyat neighborhood of Baghdad tortured her 
with electric shocks, beat her, suspended her from the ceiling, and threatened 
to rape her, her sisters, and her mother. Rather than investigate the 
allegations, both offices told the family that the legal system would take care 
of the case, the family members said. Al-Husseini is in the Kadhimiyya 
detention facility, awaiting transfer to death row.

Family members said they were only able to visit al-Husseini in detention after 
paying US$500 to security officers at each visit. Lawyers representing 
al-Husseini told Human Rights Watch that she told them security officers 
promised her that if she fabricated information about the former vice 
president's alleged terrorist activities, they would release her.

The Iraqi government should investigate the allegations that security forces 
tortured al-Husseini to coerce her confession, hold accountable security forces 
suspected of torture, and order a retrial for al-Husseini if such abuses are 
found, Human Rights Watch said.

On November 25, 2014, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the international 
organization of parliaments, released a report calling on Iraqi authorities to 
provide information on the al-Alwani case and on al-Alwani's current 
whereabouts, which the government has not revealed. The report expressed doubt 
about whether his trial complied with basic due process requirements and fair 
trial guarantees given the lack of available information on the proceedings. A 
lawyer for al-Alwani told Human Rights Watch that he was not permitted to see 
al-Alwani until after security forces had already interrogated him, but would 
not provide any other details on his detention, interrogation, or trial.

Al-Alwani was charged with murder after security forces stormed his Ramadi 
compound on December 28, 2013, and fired on him and his family. Security forces 
alleged that al-Alwani forfeited his parliamentary immunity by firing back at 
them, killing 2 soldiers. Al-Alwani denied the charges.

Relatives told Human Rights Watch that security forces required bribes to allow 
them to visit al-Alwani at the Muthanna Airport Prison by the Counter-Terrorism 
Service, where he was held. During their visit they saw torture marks on his 
body, they said. Security forces killed al-Alwani's brother and 5 of his 
bodyguards during the raid. There has been no investigation into the killings 
or into allegations that security forces tortured al-Alwani, relatives said.

Iraq's new prime minister, Hayder al-Abadi, has announced reforms aimed at 
curbing security force abuses and promised to incorporate the Sunni minority 
into the fight against the Islamic State (also known as ISIS). Sunnis have long 
complained that security forces and the judiciary unfairly target them for 
abuse.

In a December 9, 2014 interview, Human Rights Minister Mohamed al-Bayati 
defended Iraq's use of the death penalty in alleged terrorism cases despite the 
serious fair trial deficiencies Human Rights Watch documented. They include 
death penalty cases in which the conviction was based on confessions obtained 
through torture and secret informant testimony.

International human rights law requires that where the death penalty has not 
been abolished, it should be imposed only for the most serious crimes and after 
scrupulous adherence to international fair trial standards. Trials in Iraq 
often violate these minimum guarantees, Human Rights Watch said.

Human Rights Watch opposes capital punishment in all circumstances because of 
its cruelty and finality, and the fact that trials resulting in death sentences 
are plagued with arbitrariness, prejudice, and error.

The Iraqi government should order a stay on the executions of al-Husseini and 
al-Alwani until their allegations of abuse during interrogations have been 
fully investigated.

"Prime Minister Abadi has promised reform, a positive move," Stork said. "But 
he needs to address the widespread abuses and irregularities in a judicial 
system that routinely fails to address allegations of torture and fair trial 
violations."

(source: Human Rights Watch)






MALAYSIA:

'Mandatory death sentence takes away more than life'


The mandatory death sentence takes away more than just a life, it robs every 
shred of hope for those convicted.

Criminal lawyer Amer Hamzah Arshad said the mandatory death penalty which is 
served in Malaysia are for offences such as murder, drug trafficking and 
kidnapping which, unfortunately, are plenty.

"At the investigation stage, the families of the suspect are so desperate to 
save a life that they become victims of unscrupulous individuals who exploit 
and exhort them by promising to get the charges reduced for a huge sum of 
money," he said at the recently concluded death penalty forum 2014.

He added that this scenario is why 80% of such cases did not make it to court.

"Besides that, there are also issues such as corrupted police witnesses who lie 
in court, individuals who fabricate or withhold critical evidence, use 
underhanded tactics to secure an involuntary admission and others who exploit 
legal loopholes all in the name of prosecuting a suspect."

"In the criminal court, if custody or control of drugs can be established, it 
is pre assumed that the suspect had knowledge of the crime and will be 
prosecuted accordingly. There is no room for circumstances."

Amer commended Singapore's positive step towards drug trafficking by making the 
death sentence discretionary instead of mandatory.

"If a mistake has been made and the death penalty has been carried out, how 
does one raise the dead?" he asked.

He proposed imprisonment for life to replace the death penalty as it would give 
the suspect an opportunity to turn over a new leaf and if new evidence is 
unearthed, the suspect could be released and given a new lease on life.

"We should not be so quick to decide matters pertaining to lives because we 
have no right to play God," he stressed.

Amer also spoke about the psychological impact the sentence has on death row 
inmates, adding that he has seen even tempered individuals turn violent as they 
struggle to accept the sentence handed out to them.

"The death sentence takes away all hope as they see the end of their lives 
before them."

Meanwhile, Amnesty International campaigner Gwee Lee said Malaysia voted 
against the resolution of the Global Moratorium on Death Penalty recently at 
the United Nations General Assembly 2014.

She said the number of countries global wide which are against the death 
penalty have been increasing over the years but Malaysia is not one of them.

She added that as of last year, 22 countries still practised the death penalty 
and a total of 778 executions were carried out, excluding China where details 
of executions are a State secret.

"A huge majority of the executions are from Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia for 
offences such as blasphemy, adultery, drug offences and others. In North Korea, 
the death sentence is served for offences like watching banned videos, 
corruption and pornography".

She emphasised that the death penalty is cruel and infringed on the basis of 
human rights which is the right to live.

She was speaking at the Forum on Death Penalty in Malaysia organised by Hakam 
in conjunction with Human Rights Week (Dec 8-12), Co organizer of the forum, 
Andrew Choo said Malaysia's blanket of secrecy on the number of executions in 
the country made it difficult to gauge the situation.

"We do not know how many people are on the death row or how many people have 
been executed. The government is tight lipped about the matter and we can only 
broach the subject in Parliament. We hope forums like this will provide a 
platform where people can share their opinions and experiences on the mandatory 
death penalty and also raise awareness," said Andrew who is also the Co 
chairman of Human Rights Committee.

(source: The Sun Daily)

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

Sydney woman Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto faces death penalty after being 
allegedly caught with 1.5kg of ice at Kuala Lumpur's International Airport


An Australian grandmother says she was set up and is the innocent victim of 
drug mules as she faces the death penalty after being allegedly caught with 
methamphetamine in Malaysia.

Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto, 51, from Liverpool in south-western Sydney, could 
be hanged for allegedly moving 1.5kg of methamphetamine - more commonly known 
as ice - through Kuala Lumpur's International Airport last week.

Mrs Pinto Exposto was travelling on Malaysia Airlines Flight 387 en route from 
Shanghai to Kuala Lumpur where it stopped over and was scheduled to continue 
through to Melbourne.

Her legal team said she had in her possession a bag of documents she had 
collected from Shanghai.

It is claimed the documents were for her fiancee - an American soldier serving 
in Afghanistan - and related to his impending retirement.

When inspected by Malaysian customs staff, the backpack was allegedly found to 
contain men's clothing, which her lawyers say did not belong to her, and drugs 
in a specially stitched compartment.

The Australian High Commission has engaged high-profile Malaysian lawyer, 
Muhammad Shafee Abdullah and Sydney-born Tania Scivetti to represent Mrs Pinto 
Exposto.

Mr Shafee said his client volunteered her bags to customs officials at the 
airport before they discovered the drugs.

"There is a very strong chance that she is one of those naive and innocent 
mules that has been used by some unscrupulous people - she doesn't seem to know 
what is going on," Mr Shafee said.

The legal team has previously saved the lives of 2 Australians charged with 
drug offences.

Victorian mother-of-8 Emma L'Auguille spent 115 days in a Malaysian prison 
after police charged her with drug trafficking.

She was set free in 2012.

After a 2 year legal saga, Perth man Dominic Bird also had his charges dropped 
after he was accused of selling 167g of ice to an undercover policeman.

Malaysia has a hard line approach to drugs and implemented the death penalty 
for such offences in 1983.

Anyone caught carrying more than 50g of a drug is considered a trafficker and 
can be sent to the gallows.

2 Australians, Kevin Barlow and Brian Chambers, were executed in 1986 after 
they were caught with 141.9 grams of heroin on the island of Penang.

The case comes just 1 week after Australian woman Kalynda Davis, 22, and her 
travelling partner, New Zealand national Peter Gardner, 25, were held in China 
on suspicion of smuggling ice.

Ms Davis has since returned home to Sydney, but Mr Gardner has been held in 
detention for more than 5 weeks and his fate was expected to be determined 
yesterday.

There are allegations he was involved in a drug-smuggling plot which Ms Davis 
knew nothing about.

Ms Pinto Exposto was remanded in custody and is likely to be charged at her 
next court appearance scheduled in Kuala Lumpur on Friday.

(source: The News)






INDIA:

HC upholds death penalty to acid attack accused


Madhya Pradesh high court upheld the capital punishment awarded to a man by 
sessions court for throwing acid on 28-year-old woman in Morena, who succumbed 
to acid burns in few hours.

Gwalior bench of MPHC on Friday dismissed the appeal filed by Yogendra Tomar 
against the verdict of additional sessions judge.

A local court in Morena had on July 24 sentenced Tomar to death. 3 others, 
including 2 cousins and grandmother of the woman sustained injuries in an acid 
attack that took place in district's Porsa village on July 21, 2013.

Sessions court ruled accused Yogendra Singh Tomar should get harshest 
punishment for acid attack because it fell into the "rarest of rare" category 
under Indian law. "To be hanged till death," upper sessions judge P C Gupta had 
ordered.

On July 21, 2013 deceased Rubi Gupta was at her parents' house in Porsa town 
when Tomar, a resident of Ambah, knocked the doors and entered the house and 
threw acid on the woman. Rubi was badly injured in the attack. When the 
victim's cousins and grandmother offered resistance, Tomar threw acid on them 
too before fleeing. All 4 were rushed to the district hospital where Rubi 
succumbed.

1 of the cousins lost sight. Investigations revealed Tomar was a jilted lover 
and took revenge. Officials said Tomar had an affair with the victim in the 
past.

Police said Rubi, who had recently separated from her husband Sanju Gupta after 
10 years of married life, had allegedly entered into a relationship with Tomar, 
also a married man. Rubi filed a divorce case against her husband three years 
ago and was living at her uncle's house in Agra. However, Tomar was 
pressurising her to stay with him.

Tomar started harassing her after a break-up. Month before the incident, Tomar 
convinced Rubi to come to her parental house in Porsa village to discuss and 
resolve the matter. She believed him and came to her mother's house.

A case was registered against Tomar on the basis of statements given by the 
victim's grandmother. She informed police that Tomar was harassing her for the 
last one year.

(source: The Times of India)





UNITED KINGDOM/IRAN:

UK foreign aid millions helped Iran hang 3,000... including women and children: 
Shocking report reveals how drugs war cash funded reign of terror

British aid has assisted the brutal execution of nearly 3,000 people accused of 
drug smuggling in Iran, according to a report to be released this week. The 
campaign group Reprieve says millions of pounds from British taxpayers can be 
linked to 'control' operations and hangings carried out by the hard-line 
Islamic regime.

Those killed - often in public, suspended from cranes after forced confessions, 
torture and secret trials - include women, children and political dissidents.

Human rights groups say the deaths are designed to spread fear rather than curb 
the drug trade.

Reprieve's research reveals Britain channelled more money to Iran than the rest 
of Europe combined, in an effort to fight the drugs trade.

Yet Iran has the world's highest per capita execution rate, despite the UK's 
public stance of seeking the death penalty's abolition around the globe. 
Britain's support was quietly stopped amid outrage that it was boosting Iran's 
security machine, but Reprieve believes scores more people sentenced to death 
still face execution thanks to British aid already received.

And it points out that millions still flow to similar operations in 
neighbouring Pakistan, which has the world's largest death row population. 
Several Britons, including 1 mother and a man with learning difficulties, face 
execution for alleged drug crimes.

'You look at those on death row in these 2 places and they are never the cartel 
kingpins but the poorest and most vulnerable, including children and people who 
are mentally ill or have learning difficulties,' said Maya Foa, Reprieve's lead 
investigator.

'It is utterly hypocritical of Britain to call for worldwide abolition of the 
death penalty and then support policies in breach of its own human rights rules 
that encourage the round-up and execution of scapegoats and mules.'

Such policies fly in the face of the Coalition's defence of its controversial 
11 billion pounds of aid handouts on the grounds of a 'moral obligation' to 
help the world's poorest people.

Reprieve's report - European Aid For Executions - reveals Britain gave nearly 6 
million pounds to 12 Iranian anti-drug projects between 1998 and 2012. During 
this period there were 2,917 confirmed executions of alleged offenders. They 
included a 15-year-old boy and a Dutch woman who joined anti-government 
protests.

The cash provided Iran's feared security forces with border posts, 1,000 
bullet-proof vests, night-vision devices, body scanners, satellite phones, 
computer software, sniffer dogs and specialised surveillance vehicles. It was 
channelled through the United Nations Office On Drugs And Crime, whose director 
has praised Iran's 'good practices' and 'active role' in fighting drugs.

One flagship project co-funded by Britain was the creation of 'border liaison 
offices' beside Afghanistan.

Among those subsequently caught was 15-year-old Naeem Kolbali, hanged for 
alleged drug trafficking although executions of juveniles breach international 
law. 16 more children were put to death in another Iranian border project.

War orphans are often forced to carry drugs such as heroin and crystal meth 
between the 2 countries. Reports suggest some are sentenced to death without 
appearing in court.

Jannat Mir, a 15-year-old Afghan schoolboy hanged in April, was denied access 
to lawyers.

The number of executions has been rising in Iran, with 647 known to have taken 
place this year - the majority for drug offences. Human rights group Amnesty 
has accused the country of carrying out a 'killing spree of staggering 
proportions' under cover of the war on drugs.

Many hangings are carried out in public, although one notorious prison has a 
beam that can hold 60 nooses and once recorded 89 deaths in a single day. Those 
facing accusations have complained of beatings, torture and mock executions to 
force confessions.

Iran has a massive drugs problem, with more than 1 million addicts amid soaring 
opium production in neighbouring Afghanistan.

But Reprieve says donors setting targets for aid encourage an increase in 
often-dubious convictions and subsequent death sentences. Cases such as that of 
Zahra Bahrami, a British resident with dual Dutch-Iranian nationality, also 
fuel fears the regime uses the drugs war to clamp down on political dissent.

Bahrami returned to Iran for her daughter's cancer treatment and was then 
arrested after joining anti-government protests. She was tortured, held in 
solitary confinement, charged with smuggling and forced to make a televised 
confession before execution in January 2011. 'If they execute people for drugs 
there is no international outcry,' said Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, a professor of 
medicine and leading Iranian human rights activist.

'They are victims of an execution machine that is meant to spread fear. The 
number of executions goes up when the authorities face protests or civil 
society becomes too bold, then goes down during elections and when the 
international community has its eyes on Iran.'

Britain finally cut off its aid 3 years ago following concerns in some other 
European countries over Iran's increasing use of death sentences. 'The 
donations are leading to executions,' said one Danish minister after his 
country evaluated the projects.

But Reprieve accuses the Coalition of pouring money into similar programmes in 
Pakistan, which has more than 8,000 people on death row. Britain is one of the 
biggest aid donors to Pakistan despite concerns over corruption. Almost 13 
million pounds has been handed to 22 counter-narcotic projects - again, far 
more than given by other European nations.

A Pakistan minister disclosed earlier this year that 100 prisoners had been 
given death sentences for drug offences since 1997, including 5 British men and 
1 woman. Another 444 cases punishable by death were outstanding.

Those on death row include Arshad Ahmed, 52, a father of 5 from Birmingham who 
has learning difficulties. He was arrested in 2003 for possession of heroin 
worth 4 million pounds after he carried locked luggage on to a flight to 
Britain.

Lawyers say his disability was ignored while there was no investigation into 
the men who gave him the bags. The same gang is thought to be behind the 
smuggling of 140lb of heroin by Birmingham mother-of-three Khadija Shah. She 
was given a life sentence in March.

Although there have been no hangings in Pakistan for 6 years, they are expected 
to resume next year. 'The government has in principle decided to lift the 
moratorium,' said one official in Islamabad.

A Foreign Office spokesman said the UK worked closely with partners to tackle 
drug trafficking and production: 'We have a robust mechanism for identifying 
and managing the potential risks of our actions in relation to supply.'

He added that Britain was implacably opposed to the death penalty 'in all 
circumstances' and was concerned by suggestions that executions might resume in 
Pakistan.

(source: Daily Mail)


CHINA/NEW ZEALAND:

Kiwi to find out China death row fate


Kiwi builder Peter Gardner's chances of avoiding the death penalty in China 
have rapidly deteriorated with local customs officials revealing that they 
believe he was the owner of 2 pieces of luggage stuffed with 30 kilograms of 
methamphetamine.

Today marks D-Day for the 25-year-old as it is his 37th day in detention, the 
longest Chinese authorities can keep a person without releasing them or 
charging them.

However, shocking details provided to The Sun-Herald newspaper indicate that 
customs officials believe Gardner was involved in a drug-smuggling plot and his 
Australian travelling partner, 22-year-old Kalynda Davis, had no knowledge or 
involvement.

Guangzhou Customs said that Gardner, a NZ-Australian dual national from 
Sydney's north-west, was the owner of 2 drug-filled bags checked in to Flight 
CZ325 from Guangzhou to Sydney.

The zippers were sealed with super glue and, when they were prised open in an 
interrogation room at Baiyun Airport, officials said they found 60 
vacuum-sealed bags of suspicious particles, later proven to be 30kg of the drug 
- the largest single haul of meth headed overseas ever seized by Guangzhou 
customs.

Guangzhou Customs also revealed it had caught another Australian national 
attempting to smuggle drugs out of China just this month - the 11th Australian 
caught in similar circumstances this year ??? underlining the thriving drug 
trade between southern China and Australia.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is understood to be 
providing ongoing consular assistance to as many as nine Australians on serious 
drug charges in China, some of whom are potentially facing the death penalty.

Gardner and Davis, who booked tickets to travel to Guangzhou for just 3 days, 
were pulled aside at 9.55pm on November 8 after officials detected 
irregularities with two pieces of luggage they checked in.

In a move that has raised many unanswered questions, Davis was abruptly 
released 30 days later and returned home to Sydney this week with her elated 
parents Larry and Jenny.

"After investigation, it was discovered that this drug trafficking was operated 
by (Gardiner)," Guangzhou Customs said.

"There was no evidence that shows (Davis) had any subjective intention to take 
part in this drug trafficking crime and she has been released back to Australia 
now."

Under Chinese law, police can detain those suspected of serious crimes for 30 
days without charge, after which prosecutors can decide within seven days 
whether to indict.

Gardner's family have not flown to China and he remains in a Guangzhou 
detention centre awaiting his fate. They declined to comment on the case.

Former school friends described Gardner as a gentle, friendly guy. He has an 
unblemished criminal record in New South Wales apart from a drink driving 
charge.

"He is a really great guy, really caring, nice and softly spoken, I guess he 
just got tangled in a bad way of life," said one friend from Richmond High 
School.

"Every time I talked to him he was always genuine and never seemed like he 
would get involved in that."

A qualified builder, Gardner was born in New Zealand but grew up in Sydney. The 
New Zealand government has taken charge of his case, indicating that he entered 
China on his New Zealand passport.

A spokeswoman for the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said 
they had visited Gardner in the detention centre to provide consular advice and 
check on his wellbeing.

"He remains in custody and has legal representation," the spokeswoman said.

"The Ministry cannot comment on the ongoing investigation or interfere in the 
judicial proceedings of another country."

(source: Fairfax News)






INDONESIA:

Never Could Say Good-Bye ---- Joko Widodo Warns Death Row Narcotic Offender to 
Expect No Mercy from the Office of the President


Further clarifying his no-nonsense stand on narcotics and lack of mercy for 
those in prison and awaiting execution for drug offenses, Indonesian President 
Joko Widodo has declared that the Nation is "in a state of emergency over drug" 
and is of no mind to pardon drug convicts sitting on death row.

Quoted by the State News Agency Antara, President Widodo, speaking at Gadjah 
Mada University in Yogyakarta said, "Nearly 40-50 Indonesians die every day due 
to drug consumption." The President said an estimated 4.5 million people in 
Indonesia are addicted to drugs with at least 1.2 million beyond treatment due 
to their state of health.

In the same speech, President Widodo confirmed that he has 64 applications for 
clemency on his desk from convicts on death row who have exhausted the legal 
appeal process.

Included in this total, are a number of foreign national, including at least 3 
in Bali - Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran from the "Bali 9," and British 
Grandmother Lindsay Sandforth.

Removing any hope that foreigners might be treated differently in the macabre 
parading of people before the firing squad, the President said, "I do not 
pardon any of them," adding that his refusal to compromise his hard stance 
against drugs can serve as a shock therapy to the international community of 
narcotics suppliers.

In addition to the 64 sentenced to death for their involvement with narcotics, 
another 72 people have been sentenced to death for crimes ranging from homicide 
to terrorism.

5 convicts - 2 of them Nigerians - are expected to be executed before the end 
of 2014.

(source: Bali Discovery)






SYRIA:

Islamic State beheads four men for blasphemy in Syria: monitor


Islamic State's self-declared police force in western Syria decapitated 4 men 
after accusing them of blasphemy, a rights group monitoring the Syrian conflict 
said on Saturday.

The men were beheaded in the countryside east of the city of Homs by the 
militant group's "Islamic Police", the British-based Syrian Observatory for 
Human Rights said.

The Observatory, which monitors the conflict using sources on the ground, 
reported a similar killing on Tuesday, when Islamic State beheaded a man in a 
town square in the north of the country.

Residents and activists say Islamic State has beheaded and stoned to death many 
people in areas it controls in Syria and Iraq for actions they see as violating 
their reading of Islamic law, such as adultery, homosexuality, stealing and 
blasphemy.

They have also killed rival fighters by similar methods off the battlefield and 
have set up patrols to police public behavior in their bid to establish a 
caliphate.

The Observatory also reported on Saturday that Islamic State had stoned a man 
and a woman to death for adultery in Manbij town in northern Syria after Friday 
prayers.

The group, which is the target of U.S.-led air strikes in both countries, has 
also killed a smaller number of foreign captives.

The Observatory said last month that Islamic State had killed 1,432 Syrians off 
the battlefield since the end of June when it declared a caliphate in the 
territory under its control.

(source: Reuters)