[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Sept. 25


SINGAPORE:

6.5kg of heroin seized in largest haul this year


The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) has made its largest single seizure of 
heroin so far this year, seizing about 6.5kg of heroin, which could have fed 
the addiction of about 3,125 heroin abusers for a week, during an operation 
against a local drug syndicate on Tuesday.

Also seized were about 1.3kg of cannabis, small amounts of other drugs, such as 
ice and ecstasy, and more than S$12,000 in cash.

The CNB said the drugs have a street value of about S$506,000 and the syndicate 
is believed to have been smuggling in a sizeable amount of drugs from a 
neighbouring country and distributing it to the local market.

2 Singaporean men, aged 44 and 46, were arrested in the operation. If 
convicted, the 2 may face the death penalty.

(source: todayonline.com)






NIGERIA:

No to Death Penalty for Our Soldiers


On September 16 2014, a court martial in Abuja sentenced to death by firing 
squad 12 soldiers of the 7th Division of the Nigerian army in Maiduguri, Borno 
State, for mutiny. It also convicted the soldiers of criminal conspiracy and 
attempt to commit murder, for which they were sentenced to life imprisonment.

The events leading to the court martial occurred on or about May 14, 2014 when 
the soldiers allegedly shot at the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 7th 
Division, Major-General Abubakar Mohammed. The soldiers reportedly felt that 
their superior officers, under the leadership of General Mohammed, had shown a 
callous disregard for the lives of their junior colleagues, sending them on a 
mission that had a high level of risk to their lives. The risky timing of the 
mission, they believed, could have been changed to avoid the near certainty of 
the men being ambushed by Boko Haram. They were thus protesting against an 
apparent failure of responsible judgment and a duty of care by their superior 
officers.

The incident of May 14 was an embarrassment to both Nigeria and our armed 
forces. It was further evidence of the deplorable state of affairs within the 
army and it came at a time when the army was under intense scrutiny of the 
international community on their professionalism and commitment to human 
rights. The whole world had also been wondering why our armed forces were 
unable to search and rescue over 200 schoolgirls abducted from Chibok.

PREMIUM TIMES does not in any way condone the actions of these soldiers. Using 
violence to express frustration and dissent is never justified. There are due 
processes, which should be followed to register displeasure and discontent. 
Investigating the incident and punishing the misconduct is right and proper.

However, the death sentence meted out to the soldiers is deeply flawed and 
condemnable on many grounds. To begin with, it is arguable that the charges 
preferred against the soldiers were disproportionate to what actually 
transpired. There is no evidence that anyone was hurt during the protest for 
which the soldiers were charged and condemned. It would indeed be a tragic 
commentary on the state of the Nigerian army if so many armed soldiers with the 
intention to kill were unable to inflict any harm on their target.

The more likely story is that these soldiers acted without intent to kill. If 
so, an essential element of the crime for which they were charged was not 
present.

Secondly, there were several mitigating factors. The credible allegations of 
corruption, high rate of combat-related mortality, non-payment of allowances to 
fighting men on the frontlines and absence of rotation are all factors that 
easily mitigate the charges. In law, these factors, together, support a defence 
of provocation or, alternatively, of post-traumatic stress disorder.

There are serious doubts whether the court martial under the Army Act complied 
with the essential rules of fair hearing. The guarantee of fair hearing in 
criminal proceedings under Nigeria???s Constitution requires a clear separation 
of the roles of the prosecutor, judge and defence. Yet, in a court martial, the 
Army is the investigator, prosecutor, defence counsel, and the judge. This is 
akin to placing soldiers charged before a court martial beneath the protections 
provided for in our constitution. We agree that persons who opt to go into the 
armed forces subject themselves to a special regime with its own forms of 
discipline. We draw the line, however, at any suggestion that our men and women 
in uniform should thereby be placed outside the protection of the Constitution.

These clear flaws persuade us in PREMIUM TIMES that in this case, capital 
punishment cannot be supported or justified. Indeed, the facts of this case 
demonstrate the savagery of the death penalty as a form of punishment 
altogether. Legalized killing in the name of justice or in this form is both 
insidious and hypocritical. It is murder.

Above all, far from engendering discipline at a time that we need it most in 
our armed forces, the fate of these valiant men could seriously undermine 
discipline in the armed forces, which is the bedrock of military ethics. No 
action has been taken to address the corruption at senior levels of the armed 
forces that exposes our country to the mortal threat by what was thought to be 
a rag-tag insurgency. It is corruption and the associated poor weaponry and 
equipment available to the armed forces that have exposed our men and women in 
uniform to avoidable death and danger. Until this problem is addressed, our 
fighting men and women will feel that they are being led to slaughter by a 
country unfit for their sacrifice.

(source: Editorial, Premium Times)






PHILIPPINES:

Senate moves to restore death penalty


Plans are afoot in the Senate seeking to restore the death penalty owing to an 
upsurge in heinous crimes but the Palace is lukewarm to the idea.

Senate President Franklin Drilon said another lawmaker has been pushing for the 
Senate to start debates on the death penalty. Senator Vicente Sotto on Tuesday 
delivered a privilege speech advocating the restoration of death penalty, 
citing the recent cases of high-profile murder, kidnapping-for-ransom and drug 
trafficking among other heinous crimes.

President Aquino, however, has maintained his reservations on the death penalty 
although the issue has been discussed several times before and after the 2010 
election campaign, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said.

"What happens if there was a wrong judgement? What if it was a mistake? An 
issue like this---there's no reversal if the death penalty was imposed," said 
Lacierda.

To the best of his knowledge, Lacierda said the President's position remains 
the same.

"I think there was a discussion during the campaign, there was another 
discussion sometime during the 1st or 2nd year of this administration, but his 
position remains - it's still the same. He has reservations on the death 
penalty," Lacierda said.

What they're looking into, Lacierda said, is the entire judicial framework, of 
improving it to ensure that the judgment that would be made will be right, 
fair, and just.

Interviewed over Radyo Bombo, Drilon scalled for a thorough study to determine 
if the rising criminality is due to the absence of the capital punishment or 
the failure of the PNP to address the peace and order situation.

"We should look into that extensively because the Philippine National Police 
has enough budget. It is important to know if the police are visible, because 
if they are not, then that is probably one of the reasons for the rising 
criminality," he said.

Because of the absence of death penalty, Sotto pointed out that for the past 
several years, we have become a virtual "wild, wild west in the Eastern 
Islands."

"Whether it be murder, rape, drug manufacturing, criminals have more fun in the 
Philippines," he said.

Some P4 million of shabu and drug ingredients were seized while 4 persons were 
arrested in a raid conducted in a big shabu laboratory in Pampanga, Sotto said.

He also cited the murder of the 75-year old mother of actress Cherry Pie 
Picache inside her own home, the killing of a 7-year old girl in Pampanga and 
1-year old girl who was also possibly raped.

(source: Manila Standard)






PAKISTAN:

Abduction and rape: Rapist handed death penalty on 3 counts


A lower court in Sibi on Wednesday convicted a man of rape and murder and 
handed him death penalty on 3 counts.

District and sessions court Judge Rashid Mehmood found the man, Sunny Masseh, 
guilty of kidnapping, raping and murdering and also imposed Rs600,000 fine on 
him.

According to the petitioner, Sunny Masseh had kidnapped a 5-year-old daughter 
of a Hindu trader on January 22, 2014, in Sibi. Reportedly, the convict 
sexually abused and raped the girl, who was later found unconscious with her 
hands and feet tied with a rope. The victim was admitted to hospital in a 
critical condition, where she succumbed to her injuries after a few days.

(source: Pakistan Tribune)

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

Briton on Death Row Shot in Pakistan Prison


A 70-year-old Scottish man sentenced to death in Pakistan for committing 
blasphemy was shot and wounded in prison Thursday, officials said, and is 
currently being treated in hospital.

Mohammad Asghar was sentenced to death in January for claiming to be a prophet 
of Islam, moving British Prime Minister David Cameron to say he was "deeply 
concerned" about the issue.

Asghar, who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in Britain in 2010, had 
declared his prophethood in court and included a reference to it on his 
business card, a government prosecutor said at the time of his trial.

"A jail employee shot him (this) morning. He is in a stable condition," an 
official of Adiyala Prison in Rawalpindi told AFP.

"The employee has been arrested and investigations have been launched," the 
official said, requesting anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to media.

A member of his legal team, who also requested anonymity, told AFP that Asghar 
was shot in the back and a criminal case had been started against a constable.

The British High Commission in Islamabad said in a statement: "We can confirm 
that a British national has been injured in prison in Pakistan. We are 
providing consular assistance."

Asghar's family has urged the British government to intervene to bring him 
home, saying he had attempted suicide in jail.

They also said the allegations against Asghar stemmed from a property dispute 
with one of his tenants.

Blasphemy is an extremely sensitive issue in Pakistan, where 97 % of the 
population is Muslim and insulting the Prophet Mohammed can carry the death 
penalty.

Last week, gunmen shot dead a university professor in Karachi known for his 
liberal views on Islam who had been labeled a "blasphemer" in a text message 
campaign.

Adiyala jail also houses Mumtaz Qadri, the former bodyguard of Punjab 
provincial governor Salman Taseer whom he gunned down in 2011 over the 
politician's call for the blasphemy laws to be reformed.

Qadri was feted by a wide segment of the population including many lawyers, 
while a mosque named in his honour was recently built in the capital Islamabad.

Though Asghar was on death row, Pakistan has had a de facto moratorium on 
civilian hangings since 2008. Only 1 person has been executed since then, a 
soldier convicted by a court martial and hanged in November 2012.

(source: naharnet.com)