[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Sept. 10



BOTSWANA/SOUTH AFRICA:

Death penalty bungle


Botswana citizen Edwin Samotse - now possibly languishing in jail in that 
country - is the subject of frantic cross-border diplomatic efforts to save him 
from execution if he is convicted of murder.

The Botswana government sought Samotse's extradition after learning he had 
slipped into South Africa. South Africa refused to repatriate him when Botswana 
would not give assurances that he would not be sentenced to death if convicted.

But, because of what seems to have been a bungle by Home Affairs, Samotse was 
deported to his home country.

Now all Home Affairs can hope for is that its error will not lead to Samotse's 
death.

Department spokesman Mayihlome Tshwete said yesterday that there was as yet no 
indication that the authorities in Botswana would comply with South Africa' s 
request that he be returned to this country immediately.

"We are fighting for him to be returned [to South Africa] because the way in 
which he was deported was unlawful," Tshwete said.

Samotse had been kept in a Polokwane police station's cells. The Pretoria High 
Court prohibited his deportation on August 13.

"Officials from the Department of Home Affairs, without prior knowledge of the 
director-general and without any authority, secured the release of Mr Samotse 
from the Polokwane police station and transported him to the Groblersbrug port 
of entry between South Africa and Botswana, where they handed him over to 
Botswana officials," said Tshwete.

The circumstances of the officials' unauthorised actions are now the subject of 
an internal investigation. The officials involved have been suspended.

According to the extradition agreement between South Africa and Botswana, South 
Africa cannot surrender anyone without receiving assurances that Gaborone will 
not impose the death penalty.

But over the years South Africa has had little luck in cases regarding 
fugitives from Botswana.

Botswana law allows the death sentence for murder and treason, as well as for 
an attempt to kill a head of state and for mutiny.

There have been a number of cases over the years involving South Africans that 
ended with Botswana imposing the death sentence.

South Africans Lehlohonolo Kobedi and Mariette Bosch were both put to death in 
Botswana.

(source: Timse Live)






IRAN----executions

2 young men hanged in public Hamadan


2 young Iranian men in their 20s were hanged in public on Wednesday in city of 
Hamadan allegedly for being 'evil', the regime's judiciary declared in a 
statement.

The victims, identified as Vahid Q., 24 and Bahman Moussavi, 22, were hanged in 
Resalat district of Hamadan.

The city's commander of the State Security Forces (police) told state-run IRNA 
news agency that he hopes "the public executions would be a lesson for other 
offenders."

Meanwhile, according to reports received the authorities in Bandar Abbas prison 
transferred 2 inmates to isolation to await their execution.

Violations of human rights in Iran has taken new dimensions since Hassan 
Rouhani has taken office as the president of the Iranian regime.

Under so-called 'moderate' Hassan Rouhani the country has faced highest number 
of executions in a year compared to any Iranian president for the past 25 
years.

(source: NCR-Iran)

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

50% increase in the executions during recent 2 weeks


The Statistics and Publication Unit of human rights Activists in Iran has 
publicized a Comparative report on the executions in Iran in the 1st half of 
"Shahrivar" ( 23rd August- 6th September) this year, against the statistics of 
executions in the previous month and also same time last year. Finally, they 
have announced a 50 % of growth in the executions.

According to this report, a disturbing trend of execution is expected to be 
carried out.

Execution is a kind of punishment and indeed, execution is the maximum 
punishment for the convicted individuals. Section Six of Article II of the 
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights states "In countries which 
have not abolished the death penalty, sentence of death may be imposed only for 
the most serious crimes in accordance with the law in force at the time of the 
commission of the crime and not contrary to the provisions of the present 
Covenant and to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of 
Genocide. This penalty can only be carried out pursuant to a final judgment 
rendered by a competent court."

Iran has not signed the Optional Protocol to the ICCPR, which calls for the 
abolition of the death penalty and despite international warnings regarding 
executions and stopping the death penalty, and despite the lack of fair trial 
standards a large number of criminals and offenders are being executed by 
hanging in public and in secret.

Iran has the 2nd highest number of executions after China. If we want to 
compare the relative population of the 2 countries, the number of criminals and 
executed people, Iran will be the 1st country.

A look at the statistics of executions in the 1st half of "Shahrivar" this 
year:

In the 1st 2 weeks of Shahrivar (23rd August- 6th September) 2014, at least 32 
people including 2 women and 30 men, were executed.

Also, 20 of these 30 people were executed secretly and without officially being 
announced by the Judicial or police forces and only 12 of them have been 
reported by state run media. In addition, 4 of them were hanged in public.

The executions of 20 men suspected of carrying or possession of drugs and 8 
people were convicted of murder, the accusations of the rest are not known.

Statistics, based on City and Crime:

Bandar Abbas - 14 executions - 12 of them with charge of carrying and 
possessing drugs and 2 of them with charge of murder

Zahedan - 4 executions (3 men and 1 woman) - 3 of them with charge of carrying 
and possessing drugs and 1 of them with charge of murder

Kerman - 4 executions (3 men, 1 woman) - all of them with charge of carrying 
and possessing drugs

Mazendran - 4 executions - all with charge of murder

Karaj - 4 executions - the accusations are unknown

(source: Human Rights Activists News Agency)






INDIA:

Minister backs death penalty for hijackers


Civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Monday strongly backed the 
death penalty for the offence of hijacking in certain circumstances, even as 
his ministry highlighted several achievements in the aviation sector during the 
first 100 days of the Modi government, including a plan by the state-run 
Airports Authority of India (AAI) to construct low-frills airports at 5 
different locations in the country. The government has also put into place 
various measures to ensure more comfortable travel for persons with 
disabilities.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Mr. Raju said, "A hijacker doesn't value 
human life, so there is no reason why we should value the hijacker's life." As 
reported earlier by this newspaper, the government is planning to introduce the 
Anti-hijacking Bill, 2014, by repealing the Anti-hijacking Act, 1982. The 
government is expected to recommend death penalty for the offence of hijacking 
in case of loss of life.

Meanwhile, no-frill airports will be built at Jharsuguda in Orissa, Teju in 
Arunachal Pradesh, Hubli and Belgaum in Karnataka and Kishangarh in Rajasthan. 
Sources said no-frills airports would only provide the "essential services 
required to operationalise an airport" and would be single-level buildings 
without aerobridges. These airports are meant to promote connectivity to tier-2 
and tier-3 cities.

In response to a question on the ailing airline industry, the minister made it 
clear that the government would not be involved in bailout packages for private 
airlines.

The government also announced that to make travel more comfortable for persons 
with disabilities, 2 window seats in every flight which were not near the 
emergency exits would be blocked for potential use by persons with disabilities 
till 24 hours before the journey.

In addition, check-in baggage will be delivered to disabled persons either at 
the ladder point or exit of escalator belt. On damage of equipment of disabled 
persons, he or she will be compensated by the airport operator or airline who 
is responsible for the damage. A mobile-based application system for public 
grievances has also been introduced. Mr Raju seemed irked by a certain question 
from a mediaperson and made it clear that he was working for the entire country 
as aviation minister and was not showing any favouritism towards his home-state 
Andhra Pradesh.

(source: Asian Age)

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

High Court confirms death for killer driver


The Bombay High Court on Tuesday upheld the death sentence awarded to Santosh 
Mane, a former State Transport driver who went on the rampage after hijacking 
an empty bus in Pune in January 2012. His reckless act killed nine persons and 
injured 36 more.

"This is an exceptional and rarest of rare case where the crime is so cruel, 
diabolical and revolting so as to shock the collective conscience of society," 
the Division Bench of Justices V.M. Kanade and P.D. Kode observed while passing 
the judgment on Tuesday.

The court dismissed an appeal filed by Santosh Mane and rubbished his claim of 
insanity.

"This is not a case of a driver of a public vehicle committing a road accident 
while on public duty, but a case where, after hijacking the bus, he killed 
innocent people and damaged public property undaunted by all attempts to 
dissuade him from his killing spree of hapless victims," the court said.

The court observed that commuting the death penalty for such a gruesome crime 
would send a wrong signal to society. Santosh Mane hijacked an empty State 
Transport bus from the Swargate bus depot in Pune on January 25, 2012, after 
his superior refused to change his duty according to his convenience.

(source: The Hindu)






BANGLADESH:

2 gets death penalty for killing rural electrification official ---- According 
to the case documents, Zakir and Jasim stabbed ShShariful Alam, a rural 
electrification official in Chandanaish of Jhenaidah, to death at Satkania on 
December 24


A Chittagong court yesterday gave death sentence to two persons for killing a 
rural electrification official at Chandanaish upazila in Chittagong in 2006.

The court also acquitted 3 others as the charges brought against them could not 
be proved.

Judge of Public Safety Tribune of Chittagong Md Moniullah yesterday gave the 
verdict, said Special Public Prosecutor Jahangir Alam of the tribunal.

The convicts are Zakir Hossain, 50, and Didarul Alam Jasim, 55, while the 
acquitted are Kaosara Begum, Mojaffar and Taher.

Of the convicts, Zakir was tried in absentia while Jasim was present during the 
procedure.

According to the case documents, Zakir and Jasim stabbed ShShariful Alam, a 
rural electrification official in Chandanaish of Jhenaidah, to death at 
Satkania on December 24.

Satkania police filed a case in this connection the following day.

During investigation, police found that Jasim and Zakir's wife Kaosara Begum 
were colleagues of Shariful and they borrowed Tk2 lakh each from Shariful for 
business purpose.

When Shariful gave pressure on them to repay the money, Jasim and Jakir planned 
to kill him, said the prosecution.

On September 30, 2011, the court framed charges against the five accused after 
submitting the charge-sheet. The court sentenced the verdict after testifying 
16 witnesses.

(source: Dhaka Tribune)

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

Defence makes case in Jamaat leader Kamaruzzaman conviction appeal


The defence has finished making its case in war crimes convict Mohammad 
Kamaruzzaman's appeal against the death penalty.

An Appellate Division bench led by senior judge Justice SK Sinha heard 
Kamaruzzaman's lawyer SM Shahjahan on Tuesday, who claimed his client was 
innocent.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam began his deposition after him. After he 
finishes the defence may get an opportunity to reply.

The International Crimes Tribunal on May 9 last year sentenced Kamaruzzaman to 
death for his 'crimes against humanity' during the 1971 War of Independence.

He was the head of Al-Badr in Mymensingh during the war.

He appealed against the verdict on June 6 last year. Because of the death 
penalty, the State has not appealed in this case.

The Jamaat assistant secretary general was sentenced to death on charges of 
genocide at Sohagpur and for murder of Golam Mostafa.

Earlier the Appellate Division heard the appeals on war criminal Quader Molla 
and Delwar Hossain Sayedee. Molla's death sentence was carried out on Dec 12 
last year.

Sayedee's hearing ended on Apr 16 and is pending a verdict.

This is the 1st time the chief justice is not in the bench hearing the appeals 
against verdicts of the war crimes cases.

(source: bdnews24.com)