[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Oct. 29


NORTH KOREA----public execution

North Korean officials 'publicly executed for watching South Korean soap 
operas'


North Korea has reportedly publicly executed at least 50 people this year, 
including several party officials for watching soap operas.

According to South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS), Pyongyang has 
purged about 10 officials from Kim Jong-un's Workers' Party for watching South 
Korean soaps.

The officials, who also faced charges of bribery and womanising, were thought 
to be close to Kim's executed uncle, Jang Song-thaek, Yonhap news agency 
reported.

All television and media is under strict state control and access to the 
internet is limited but despite a harsh crackdown, banned foreign shows and 
films have been gaining popularity in recent years.

Some are believed to be secretly streamed over the internet, while others are 
smuggled into the country on DVDs, video cassettes of memory sticks sold on the 
black market.

A North Korean defector calling himself "Mr Chung" revealed North Korea's 
preferences in a Channel 4 documentary last year.

He smuggles radios, USB sticks and DVDs of soap operas and entertainment shows 
into the North, posing as a mushroom importer.

"The men prefer watching action films," he said. "Men love their action films! 
I sent them Skyfall recently. The women enjoy watching soap operas and dramas.

"The more people are exposed to such media the more likely they are to become 
disillusioned with the regime and start wanting to live differently."

A group of activists in South Korea led by another defector from the North send 
satchels containing anti-regime flyers, noodles, $1 bills and USB sticks 
containing South Korean soap operas over the border attached to balloons.

North Korea forbids its 24 million people from watching foreign broadcasts and 
videos out of fear outside influence could undermine the dictatorship's 
ideology.

Anyone caught smuggling them in or distributing illicit material can be 
executed for crimes against the state and viewers have reportedly been 
sentenced to years in prison camps or hard labour.

A similar purge was reported last year, when around 80 people were said to be 
executed for watching South Korean television shows in November.

In the eastern port of Wonsan, the authorities gathered 10,000 people in a 
sports stadium to watch the execution of 8 people by firing squad, JoongAng 
Ilbo reported.

It is not known whether the most recent group of officials executed include the 
6 reported missing earlier this month.

Kim recently sparked global speculation over power struggles and even a coup by 
disappearing from public view for 40 days.

South Korean spies have since claimed the leader is recovering following an 
operation to remove a cyst from his right ankle, although there is a chance the 
condition could recur because of his weight.

(source: The Independent)






SAUDI ARABIA:

Saudi Arabia is shooting itself in the foot by executing Shiite cleric


The House of Saud's plans to execute a revered Shiite cleric and protest leader 
reveal the extent to which the regime is vulnerable and desperate to perpetuate 
itself. Going ahead with the execution would be strategic miscalculation.

Significant political developments have unfolded in Saudi Arabia in recent 
weeks following a court decision to execute Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr, a 
polarizing Shiite cleric and political activist who has campaigned for civil 
equality, an inclusive socio-political system, women's rights, minority rights, 
and the release of political prisoners. Prosecutors condemned the cleric to 
death by beheading as punishment for charges of sedition, though the execution 
date has not yet been set.

Sheikh Nimr has been the fiercest critic of the Kingdom's absolute Sunni 
monarchy for the last decade, but gained a considerable public following after 
leading a series of protests in 2011 in opposition to the Saudi military's 
violent intervention and suppression of the pro-democracy movement in 
neighboring Bahrain, a satellite state with a Shiite majority ruled by a 
heavy-handed Sunni dynasty. His sermons and political activism continually 
emphasized non-violent resistance.

The Kingdom's decision to sentence Nimr to death has complex implications that 
will push sectarian tensions to fever pitch inside Saudi Arabia and throughout 
the region, dangerously sharpening tension with Iran. Prominent clerics in Iran 
and Bahrain, as well as Shiite militant groups such as Hezbollah of Lebanon and 
the Houthi movement of Yemen, have all condemned the verdict and warned the 
Kingdom not to proceed with the execution.

These developments are a symptom of the greater Sunni-Shiite sectarian conflict 
raging throughout Iraq, Syria and other hotspots across the region, 
representing the most poignant challenge facing the Muslim world in 
contemporary times. Western governments and corporations have aided and abetted 
Saudi Arabia and other wildly repressive theocratic monarchies, which have been 
given carte blanche to shape and spread radical Sunni Islam. The United States 
has long tolerated the House of Saud exporting fanatic sectarianism throughout 
the Islamic world in the interest of furthering its own strategic foreign 
policy objectives.

Saudi Arabia, a key financier of jihadist groups fighting in Syria and Iraq, 
has used its vast oil wealth to promote the ideology of ultra-conservative 
Wahhabism in missionaries throughout the Muslim world over the past 3 decades. 
It has sought to promote a puritanical and rigidly exclusionist Islam that 
declares non-Muslims - and Muslims of minority sects - as infidels. The Kingdom 
is governed by a feudalistic, decadent monarchy bent on entrenching its own 
power and the uncontested legitimacy of the King as the de facto leader of 
Sunni Islam.

The rise of the Islamic State organization is the result of reckless Western 
and Gulf policies that have destabilized both Iraq and Syria. Because this 
group and their fellow travelers do not recognize the legitimacy of the House 
of Saud, the Kingdom has constructed a massive fence around its borders, in 
addition to taking measures to prevent domestic sympathizers from becoming 
politically active inside the country. Saudi Arabia has recently agreed to an 
American request that the Kingdom provide a base to train so-called "moderate" 
Syrian rebel fighters, in the name of fighting extremism.

The execution of Sheikh Nimr, a revered Shiite religious scholar, will be 
widely read by fanatic Sunni militia groups as a Saudi endorsement of their 
campaign of sectarian cleansing and bloodletting of Shiites and minorities in 
Iraq and Syria, in the interest of crushing any political opposition to radical 
Wahhabism. The notion that a country so demonstrably sectarian and extremist 
can be entrusted with the task of training "moderates" is appalling.

The House of Saud has promoted the unsubstantiated narrative that Iran is 
actively plotting to undermine Sunni Islam, characterizing the country's Shiite 
minority as co-conspirators. The 2 million strong Shiite minorities - who 
represent some 10 to 15 % of the population - live in the oil-rich eastern 
province that is strategically vital to the Saudi economy. This blatant 
manipulation of the sectarianism is aimed at dividing the citizens of Saudi 
Arabia from forming a unified opposition to the monarchy.

Sheikh Nimr was shot 4 times by police and arrested in February 2012, fueling 
protests throughout the eastern province, mainly in Qatif and Awamiyah, but 
also wider unrest in Sunni areas such as Hejaz, Mecca, and the capital, Riyadh. 
Open dissent is rare in the Kingdom, but it is becoming increasingly common 
with the rise of the internet. More than half the country is under 
18-years-old, while the heirs to the throne are rapidly ageing.

Open-minded sections of society are beginning to come to the realization that 
Saudi Arabia is a brutally theocratic, opulent gerontocracy utterly dependent 
on energy exports and Western patronage. The rise of the Islamic State group, 
whose leadership claims to represent all Muslims, has created a situation where 
Riyadh must demonstrate its Islamic credentials through its uncompromising 
implementation of Sharia law, which has led to a recent surge of executions by 
beheading.

Riyadh's calculation is that executing Sheikh Nimr will help increase support 
for the monarchy from a society with strong anti-Shiite leanings. It will also 
polarize the Shiite minority and young cosmopolitan Sunnis, leading to wider 
unrest and more open displays of dissent against the monarchy. In death, the 
Saudis would immortalize Sheikh Nimr as a symbol of opposition, thereby 
shooting themselves in the foot. It would be a major strategic blunder for the 
House of Saud to give its opponents a martyr.

The Saudi ruling family feels increasingly vulnerable from both internal and 
external threats, and the pervasive stoking of sectarian tension and 
anti-Shiite sentiment are an attempt to deflect from other potential forms of 
dissent, such as the lack of political representation and the dire poverty that 
many in the Kingdom live under. Sheikh Nimr's call for compassion, social 
justice and civil equality undeniably claim the moral high ground. The only 
move Riyadh can make to delegitimize this message is to fuel irrational, 
unthinking sectarianism.

In any case, the silence from Washington has been deafening. The US has not 
given any sign that it is opposed to Sheikh Nimr's execution and would not be 
inclined to take the side of a Shiite cleric that Riyadh accuses of being an 
agent of Tehran. Washington's missionary democracy promotion is left at the 
door when dealing with Saudi Arabia, which is far too strategic and beneficial 
to US military and economic interests to be cut loose as a liability. Sheikh 
Nimr's only fault is opposing the wrong regime in the wrong country. If he 
campaigned with the same program against a government that the West regarded 
with hostility, the world would know his name.

(source: Nile Bowie is a political analyst and photographer currently residing 
in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia----RTT news)






BANGLADESH:

Bangladesh: Death penalty will not bring justice for crimes during independence 
war


The death sentence against a leading opposition figure in Bangladesh for war 
crimes will not bring justice to the millions of victims of the independence 
war, Amnesty International said.

Additionally, the defence team has consistently raised concerns that trial 
proceedings have not followed fair trial standards.

Motiur Rahman Nizami, head of Jamaat-e-Islami, the third largest political 
party in Bangladesh, was sentenced to death for war crimes today by the 
International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), a Bangladeshi court established to 
investigate the events of Bangladesh's 1971 independence war.

"Bangladesh must overturn the death sentence against Motiur Rahman Nizami and 
all others. The death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading 
punishment and can never be a way to deliver justice," said Abbas Faiz, Amnesty 
International's Bangladesh Researcher.

"The crimes committed during the independence war were horrific, and there is 
no question that victims deserve justice. But the death penalty only 
perpetuates the cycle of violence."

"The death penalty is not only a violation of the right to life, but it is an 
irreversible punishment if it leads to execution, and leaves no room to correct 
any possible judgment errors or fair trial violations from the proceedings."

All verdicts so far have come against individuals associated with the 
opposition Jamaat-e-Islami party. The ICT has faced allegations of unfair 
trials from rights groups since it was established - complaints echoed by 
Nizami's defence team during the trial.

"The ICT is a unique opportunity for justice and reconciliation in Bangladesh. 
But in the face of consistent concerns raised by the defence team about the 
trials not being fair it will only have the opposite effect and create more 
resentment," said Abbas Faiz.

Previous death sentences handed down by the ICT have led to large-scale street 
protests, and Jamaat-e-Islami have already called for a 3-day national strike 
(hartal) to protest today's verdict.

"The political situation in Bangladesh is extremely tense, and there is a real 
risk that any street demonstrations could erupt into violence. It is crucial 
that security forces ensure that people's right to demonstrate peacefully is 
respected, and that leaders on all sides urge their supporters to not commit 
abuses," said Abbas Faiz.

As of today, 140 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice. 
Bangladesh was 1 of only 9 countries that carried out executions every year 
between 2009 and 2013.

Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception, 
regardless of the nature or circumstances of the crime; guilt, innocence or 
other characteristics of the individual; or the method used by the state to 
carry out the execution. The organization calls on the Bangladeshi authorities 
to immediately establish a moratorium on executions as a first step towards 
abolition and commute all death sentences.

(source: Amnesty International)


GHANA:

Report: Abolition Of Death Penalty In Ghana


REPORT ON A WORKSHOP ORGANIZED BY FRANCE EMBASSY AND AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, 
GHANA ON ABOLITION OF DEATH PENALTY IN GHANA TO MARK THE 12TH UN INTERNATIONAL 
DAY AGAINST DEATH PENALTY : - ACCRA, GHANA ON 9TH OCTOBER 2014

Introduction

The Embassy of France in Ghana and Amnesty International, Ghana organized a 
workshop in Accra to discuss the abolition of the death penalty in Ghana. The 
event which took place on 9th October, 2014 was organized to mark the 12th UN 
International Day Against Death Penalty. The aim of this workshop was to enable 
the participants to discuss the way-forward for abolition of the death penalty 
in Ghana as the country prepares for a possible referendum on whether the death 
penalty should be abolished in Ghana or not.

The Embassy of France in Ghana funded the workshop.

Participants

There were about 80 people who attended the workshop. The participants were 
made up of about 40 media men & women and about 40 people drawn from CSOs, 
government institutions, and para-statal institutions.

Facilitator & Presenters

The France Embassy invited Anne Souleliac, an Expert from the World Coalition 
on Abolition of the Death Penalty based in Paris, France to make presentations 
and also facilitate the workshop. Justice Emile Short, a former Commissioner of 
the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice, Ghana (CHRAJ), 
chaired the occasion. There were various national expert and stakeholder 
presenters including the France Ambassador to Ghana, the Director of Amnesty 
International Ghana, the Director of Human Right Advocacy Centre (HRAC), a 
Chaplain at the Ghana National Catholic Secretariat and two (2) Human Right 
Activists - Mr. George Aggrey of the Ghana Education Service and Dr. Vincent 
Adzahlie-Mensah of the University of Education, Winneba.

Mode of the Workshop

Various experts and stakeholders made presentations at the workshop. The 
presentations were then followed by an open forum for brainstorming and 
discussions by the participants. The discussions were moderated by Anne 
Souleliac, the Visiting Expert, Mr. Pierre-Yves, Kervennal, Democracy & 
Governance Advisor of the France Embassy in Ghana and Lawrence Amesu, Director 
of Amnesty International, Ghana.

The deliberations at the workshop focused mainly on the strategies that Ghana 
might adopt to ensure that the death penalty clause would be expunged from the 
country's 1992 Constitution which is currently under review. Various 
suggestions and recommendations were made for discussions and the following 
were the agreed action plan and conclusions.

ACTION PLAN/OUTCOME/CONCLUSION OF THE WORKSHOP

-- A Coalition of organizations including CSOs and other related institutions 
was formed. Related institutions (e.g. National Commission for Civic Education 
(NCCE), which were not present at the workshop should be encouraged to join the 
Coalition.

-- The Coalition will have a mandate to carry out country wide advocacy and 
human right education for the abolition of the death penalty in Ghana.

-- Amnesty International, Ghana will host the Coalition.

-- Media men and women should be engaged to give public education on the need 
to abolish the death penalty.

-- There should be a call for a de jury moratorium by the President - the 
Coalition should take this recommendation forward.

-- Amnesty International Ghana should create a link at her website solely for 
social media interaction and information dissemination on issues regarding 
abolition of death penalty in Ghana.

-- The Coalition will submit its action plan/proposal to the Embassy of France 
and other interested Embassies for consideration of funding support.

-- The Coalition should react (e.g. press release, press conference etc) 
immediately to every death sentence that may be passed by any Court in the 
country.

Media Coverage

The Ghanaian media (both print and electronic) covered and reported extensively 
on the proceedings at the workshop. Three national TV stations (Metro TV, 
Multi-TV and TV3) telecast their report during their main evening news 
broadcast to nation in the evening of 9th October. See enclosed a copy of Ghana 
Daily Graphic report of 10th October, 2014 titled "Expunge death penalty from 
Constitution - Panelists" Also enclosed is a list of links to social media 
reports on the event.

Also, on 6th October 2014, prior to the workshop, media men from Ghana's TV3 
station visited the office of Amnesty International, Ghana and interviewed the 
Director of the Section on the purpose and the intended objectives of the 9th 
October planned workshop. The interview was telecast at the evening news on the 
same day (6th October 2014). The Ghana Television Station-24 (GTV24) also 
hosted a 2-man live television panel discussion on the topic "Abolition Death 
Penalty in Ghana - the Wayforward". The 2 panelists were the Director of 
Amnesty International, Ghana who presented the issues from the perspectives of 
abolitionists and a Ghanaian Social Commentator, who presented the issues from 
the views of retentionists. There were also phone-ins from the Ghanaian public. 
While some of them (phone-in callers) called for the abolition of the death 
penalty others called for its retention in the Ghana's Constitution. Preceding 
Activities

A) France Ambassador's Lunch Meeting - 8th October, 2014

Prior to the workshop, the France Ambassador to Ghana, hosted a lunch meeting 
at his residence on 8th October 2014. This lunch meeting was held for 14 
selected individuals with interest in the issue of abolition of the death 
penalty in Ghana to discuss the issue and make suggestions which would feed 
into the workshop on 9th October. These individuals were made up of heads 
and/or representatives of selected CSOs (e.g. AI Ghana, HRAC, Ghana UPR 
Coalition) and other institutions including the Commissioner of CHRAJ, The 
President of Ghana Bar Association, the Deputy Chairman of the Constitutional, 
Parliamentary and Legal Select Committee of the Ghana Parliament, the Chairman 
of Ghana Constitutional Review Implementation Committee and representatives of 
selected Embassies.

The main outcomes of the lunch meeting include:

-- Confirmation that there was no other alternative legal means to abolition 
the death penalty in Ghana other than going to referendum for the people of 
Ghana to make the decision. It was also confirmed that this decision must be 
made by at least 40% of Ghanaian voting population voting at the referendum and 
75% of this voting population must vote "Yes" for abolition of the death 
penalty in Ghana for the DP clause to be removed from the 1992 Constitution 
which is currently under review.

-- Confirmation that the Constitutional Review Implementation Committee's 
on-going Regional Consultative process has been suspended because the issue of 
whether the Committee has a mandate to continue the consultative process was 
pending at the Supreme Court of Ghana.

-- It was expected that the Courts will be able to make a decision by end of 
December 2014. It was also confirmed that if the Courts decided that the 
Constitutional Review process should go ahead, it would take at least six (6) 
months of consultations before a referendum could be conducted to decide on the 
entrenched constitutional issues including the abolition of the death penalty 
in Ghana.

-- It was recommended that strategic and mass education of Ghanaians was 
necessary to ensure that the abolition of the death penalty would receive 75% 
"Yes" votes at a referendum.

B) Meeting with Representatives of Selected Institutions

As part of the event/workshop to mark the 12th International Day Against the 
Death Penalty, the France Embassy and Amnesty International, Ghana organized a 
series of meetings with selected organizations on 8th October 2014. These 
meetings were arranged to enable the visiting Expert from the World Coalition 
Against Death Penalty, Anne Souleliac to interact and share ideas with 
representatives of CSOs and other institutions that are campaigning for 
abolition of death penalty in Ghana. Pierre-Yves Kervennal, the Development & 
Governance Advisor of the France Embassy and Lawrence Amesu, Director of 
Amnesty International, Ghana, accompanied Anne Souleliac to these meetings. The 
team met with the representative of the following organizations/institutions:

-- the Executive Director of Human Right Advocacy Centre,

-- representatives of the Executive Director, Human Development Department of 
the National Catholic Secretariat, Ghana

-- the President, Ghana Bar Association

-- the Deputy Commissioners, Commissioner on Human Rights and Administrative 
Justice, Ghana

The discussions and suggestions at these meetings were also fed into the 
deliberations at the workshop on the following day - 9th October.

Report Compiled by: Lawrence Amesu, Director, Amnesty International, Ghana

(source: spyghana.com)






PAKISTAN:

Asia Bibi's death penalty: A test case for human rights in Pakistan


The lawyers of Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian woman convicted of blasphemy, 
are set to appeal against her death penalty in the Supreme Court. Activists say 
the case will serve as a test for human rights in Pakistan.

Asia Bibi has been languishing in prison for more than five years. The 
49-year-old mother of 5 was arrested in June, 2009 after her neighbors 
complained that she had made derogatory remarks about Islam's Prophet Mohammed. 
A year later, Bibi was sentenced to death under the Islamic Republic's 
controversial blasphemy law despite strong opposition from the national and 
international human rights groups.

The slim hope that the Pakistani judiciary might pardon Bibi and eventually 
release her was dashed earlier this month when the Lahore High Court (LHC) 
ruled to uphold her 2010 death sentence.

"We are utterly disappointed, but we will file a review petition against the 
LHC decision in the Supreme Court," Asia Bibi's lawyer Naeem Shakir told 
reporters after the October 16 verdict. Shakir is still hopeful that the 
country's highest court will grant Bibi amnesty.

Bibi's family members are hoping for a presidential pardon

Others are not so hopeful.

Imran Nafees Siddiqui, an Islamabad-based civil society activist, says that the 
South Asian country's civil society should keep building pressure on the 
government and the courts irrespective of the legal outcome.

"[The blasphemy law] is a man-made doctrine and not a divine revelation. The 
rights group should continue to demand Bibi's freedom. The media should also 
play an active role," Siddiqui told DW. "The public opinion carries a lot of 
weight and can also influence courts' decisions. We have to create an 
alternative narrative to defeat the extremist discourse in the country. It is a 
test case for the rights of minorities in Pakistan," he added.

International condemnation

The Geneva-based World Council of Churches (WCC) has also come out in Bibi's 
defense. On Monday, October 27, the WCC's general secretary Rev. Olav Fykse 
Tveit issued a statement expressing his concern over the rejection of Bibi's 
appeal against the capital punishment.

"The alleged circumstances of the incident which led to the blasphemy charges 
against Asia Bibi are highly questionable, and the imposition of the death 
penalty in this case is totally inappropriate," said Tveit, adding that apart 
from the issues of religious freedom, the charges, ongoing imprisonment and 
threat of execution seemed to have infringed Bibi's basic human rights.

The leaders of Pakistan's Christian community have also expressed alarm and 
sorrow over the LHC ruling.

There have been demonstrations for Asia Bibi all over the world, including in 
Pakistan

But all this condemnation is not sufficient to convince the supporters of the 
blasphemy law. Fareed Ahmad Pracha, a leader of Pakistan's right-wing political 
party, the Jamaat-i-Islami, disagrees with the critics of the legislation and 
says the actual problem is not with the law but with its interpretation.

"We just want to say that the law should be enforced properly, there should not 
be any change made into the blasphemy law. We will not tolerate or accept this. 
If you make way even for a single change in the law, then there will be a 
number of changes, whereas there has never been a case where anyone has been 
punished," he emphasized.

Call for repeal of the law

There is evidence to support Pracha's claim. Although hundreds have been 
convicted of blasphemy, nobody in Pakistan has ever been executed for the 
offense. Most convictions are retracted after the accused makes an appeal. 
However, angry mobs have killed people accused of desecrating the Koran or 
Islam.

Controversial blasphemy laws in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, where 97 
percent of the population is Muslim, were introduced by the military dictator 
General Zia-ul-Haq in the 1980s. Activists say they are often implemented in 
cases which have little to do with blasphemy however. They are used to settle 
petty disputes and personal vendettas. Christians, Hindus and Ahmadis are often 
victimized as a result.

Mumtaz Qadri said he 'punished' Taseer for insulting Islam

A few months after Bibi's conviction, Salman Taseer, a former governor of the 
central Punjab province, was murdered by his bodyguard, Mumtaz Qadri. Qadri 
said he had killed Taseer for speaking out against the blasphemy laws and in 
support of Bibi.

In March 2011, Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan's former minister for minority affairs, 
was assassinated by a religious fanatic for the same reason.

Farzana Bari, director of Center for Women's Studies at Islamabad's 
Quaid-i-Azam University, believes discrimination will persist unless there is 
radical change. "It is high time that the government reform the blasphemy law," 
she said to DW. "These laws are against the spirit of Islam and are a cause of 
notoriety for the country."

Religious discrimination in Pakistan is not a new occurrence but it has 
increased considerably in recent years. Pakistan's liberal sections are alarmed 
by the growing influence of religious extremists in their country. Rights 
activists complain that the Islamists enjoy state patronage, while on the other 
hand liberal and progressive voices have to face the wrath of the country's 
security agencies.

(source: Deutsche Welle)