[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Sept. 24



VIETNAM:

Vietnam court sentences drug traffickers to life, death


A court in the northern province of Nam Dinh sentenced a drug trafficker to 
life in jail and her supplier to death on Wednesday.

Tan Leng May, 67, received the death sentence; Le Thi Sinh, 47, was sentenced 
to life in prison.

Both women grew up in the northern province of Lai Chau.

Sinh was arrested on May 29 while carrying over a kilogram of heroin to Nam 
Dinh.

Police say she bought the drugs from her supplier, May, the previous day.

May was arrested the following afternoon at her home where police seized nearly 
4 kilograms of heroin.

May said she bought all the drugs from a person named Sung, whose whereabouts 
remain unknown.

Vietnam has some of the world's toughest drug laws.

Those convicted of smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 
kilograms of methamphetamine face the death penalty.

Producing or selling 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal 
narcotics is also punishable by death.

Narcotic materials seized

Airport customs officials and police in Da Nang are investigating a shipment of 
1.1 kilograms of materials commonly used to synthesize narcotics.

The materials were seized at the city's international airport on September 12.

The shipment's declaration form claimed they were cosmetic powders being sent 
from a Da Nang local to a person in Australia, the most common destination for 
narcotic materials sent to Vietnam in recent years.

Customs officials doubted the declaration and sent the powder to the Crime 
Science Office of the Ministry of Public Security in Da Nang.

In the middle of last month, customs officials at Da Nang Airport seized 2 
cases of narcotic ingredients being smuggling to Australia. The shipments 
contained a total of four kilograms were disguised as jaggery bars.

(source: Thanh Nien News)






SINGAPORE:

Record heroin haul for CNB; 2 arrested


The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) seized 6.5kg of heroin - the single largest 
haul of heroin this year - on Tuesday (Sep 23) in an operation to dismantle a 
local drug syndicate.

The operation also saw 1.3kg of cannabis seized, along with other drugs such as 
Ice, ecstasy, Erimin-5 tablets, CNB said in a press release on Wednesday. The 
drugs had a street value of about S$506,000, it added.

CNB staged a sting at a commercial building in Geylang. Its officers arrested 
two Singaporean men aged 44 and 46 in their car parked in the commercial 
building's compound. About 535g of heroin was recovered from the car, and a 
small amount of Ice was recovered from the older man.

CNB officers also raided a unit in the same commercial building which was 
believed to be the syndicate's hideout. They found the larger stash of heroin 
and cannabis there, and more than S$12,000. In addition, about 460g of heroin 
was recovered from the 44-year-old's home in Jalan Kayu.

Investigations are ongoing. If convicted, the 2 men may face the death penalty.

"The large amount of heroin seized could potentially feed the addiction of 
about 3,125 heroin abusers for a week," said CNB Director Ng Ser Song. He said 
CNB would continue to clamp down on drugs in Singapore. "Let this be a warning 
to the drug syndicates out there that Singapore will not tolerate any illicit 
drug activities."

(source: Channel News Asia)






IRAN----executions

3 prisoners hanged in Nowshahr and Qazvin


At least 3 prisoners were hanged in cities of Nowshahr and Qazvin on Wednesday 
while anther report indicates that a group of 3 prisoners were transferred for 
execution in Gohardasht prison in city of Karaj.

Last week, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's in his annual report to the 
General Assembly expressed alarm at the recent increase in executions in Iran.

The report said: the promises made by Hassan Rouhani "have not yet led to 
significant improvements, and restrictions on freedom of expression continue to 
affect many areas of life."

He also criticized the Iranian regime for carrying out death sentences on 
juveniles. "According to information gathered from reliable sources, more than 
160 juveniles are currently on death row and at least two have been executed in 
recent months for crimes that they committed when they were younger than 18," 
Ban's report said.

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

(source: NCR-Iran)

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

5 Prisoners Executed in Iran


5 prisoners were hanged in 3 different Iranian cities, reported Iranian state 
media.

According to the state run Iranian news agency Fars, 1 man was hanged in the 
prison of Noshahr (Northern Iran) early this morning Wednesday September 24. 
The prisoner who was identified as "Jaber N." was convicted of a murder in 
2004. His age at the time of committing the alleged offence wasn't mentioned in 
the report.

2 other prisoners convicted of drug-related charges were hanged in the prison 
of Qazvin (west of Iran) early this morning reported Fars news agency. The 
prisoners were identified as "Sadegh Mohammadkhanloo" (33) charged with 
trafficking of 995 grams of the narcotic substance Crystal, and "Asghar 
Mahtabi" (35) charged with possession and trafficking of one kilogram of crack 
and 200 grams of crystal, said the report.

2 other men, convicted of murder were hanged in the prison of Mashhad 
(Northeastern Iran). One of the prisoners was an 18 year old boy sentenced to 
death for murdering another man in 2009. It is not clear whether the prisoner 
was 18 at the time of committing the alleged offence or 18 year was his age at 
the time of execution. The other prisoner hanged in Mashhad was 27 year old and 
convicted of a murder in 2010. None of the prisoners were identified by name. 
The executions were carried early morning Sunday September 21.

Iran Human Rights is investigating whether one of the prisoners executed in 
Mashhad on Sunday was under 18 at the time of committing the alleged offence.

(source: Iran Human Rights)

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

Iranian Authorities React to the Reports About Mohsen Amir Aslani's Execution 
This Morning----Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported today that 
Mohsen Amir Aslani was executed convicted of "Corruption on earth" and heresy. 
Iranian authorities have now reacted to this report.

A high ranking Iranian Judiciary official confirmed today execution of Mr. 
Mohsen Amir Aslani (37) in Rajaishahr prison of Karaj this morning. 
Gholamhossein Esmaeili, the Judiciary official, told Mizannews that Mohsen Amir 
Aslani was executed convicted of rape. He denied that Mr. Aslani's death 
sentence was related to his other charges.

Base on the information Iran Human Rights (IHR) has access to Mr. Amir Aslani 
had in March 2007 been charged with among others heresy, insulting Prophet 
Jonah and immoral acts. In March 2007 he was sentenced by sentenced by a the 
section 31 of Tehran's Court of Appeal to imprisonment, lashes and economic 
fines. But later he was charges with "corruption on the earth" for the same 
charges in addition to charges of rape. According to IHR's information, Mr. 
Amir Aslani never confessed to the rape charges and there was not sufficient 
evidence supporting these charges. IHR calls for an independent investigation 
of Mr. Mohsen Amir Aslani's case.

(source: Iran Human Rights)