[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 26



INDIA:

4 sentenced to death in Indian-held Kashmir



A court in Indian-held Kashmir on Friday sentenced 4 men to death after they 
were convicted of raping and murdering a 13-year-old girl in the northern 
Kupwara district in 2007.

The District and Sessions court called it a "rarest of rare cases" to justify 
resorting to capital punishment.

Tabinda Gani, an 8th grade student from the Langate area in northern 
Indian-held Kashmir, or IHK, was abducted, raped and murdered by the four 
convicts while she was on her way home from the school on July 7, 2007.

"It was a Friday and the schools closed early at noon for the Friday prayers. 
And Tabinda was passing through a less frequented stretch of road when these 4 
people abducted her," Ghulam Mohammad Shah, the public prosecutor told The 
Anadolu Agency. "When she failed to return home for a couple of hours, her 
family started looking for her and what they found was heartrending."

Tabinda's family and villagers, Shah said, found in an orchard bottles of 
alcohol and soft drinks and nearby a shoe belonging to Gani and then a piece of 
her dress.

"Then they found her naked body half buried under a small mound of earth and 
covered by hay. Her throat had been slit and she had been raped and 
brutalized," Shah said.

The police in the IHK arrested the 4 people sentenced Friday in August 2007. 
After a trial of 8 years in which the statements of more than 80 witnesses were 
recorded, the court gave them the death penalty.

While 2 of the convicted were locals from the same district, the other 2 were 
from India.

The courtroom, which was jam-packed with hundreds of people, saw numerous 
emotional outbursts when the verdict was delivered. Gani's family broke down 
and hugged each other. They said that they hoped the verdict would bring 
closure to a painful journey and the unspeakable loss.

"For the last 8 years, we have waited to hear these words. But we continue to 
wait for the day when they will all be hanged," Mohammad Iqbal, Gani's brother 
said.

The death sentence was a first for the District and Sessions judge, Mohammad 
Ibrahim Wani, who told The Anadolu Agency that he hoped that it would also be 
his last.

"It is extremely difficult to sentence someone to death. Life and death are in 
God's hands alone, but I followed the law. It was the rarest of rare cases and 
that is why I gave them capital punishment," Wani said.

Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is held by India and Pakistan in 
parts and claimed by both in full.

(source: turkishweekly.net)

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

'Hang them all'----The verdict is a relief to all Tabindas waiting for justice



Kupwara Court awards death penalty to all four convicts involved in the gang 
rape and murder of Tabinda Ghani, a 13-year old minor. 'Pain' will be too mild 
a word to describe the feelings of victim's parents all these years and 
'relief' will be even milder to capture their emotion after the judgment was 
pronounced. Hail Judiciary. Hail justice. We can only hope that the verdict is 
upheld at all levels and the criminals are hanged soon to let justice 
practically prevail and let Tabida's soul rest in eternal peace. Any more 
appeals and any more reviews will only let the pollution sustain on the earth 
in the form of those four wolves in human guise.

In such deaths lies life for humanity. Thus says Quran Valakum Fil Qisasi Hayat 
(and life for you is in the retribution). Letting such predators live any 
longer imperils the prospect of life on earth. Such punishments may not undo 
what has been done, but for sure, leave a message. By this we deter potential 
criminals from executing their intent. Tabinda is a symbol of innocence and now 
Tabinda will live as a symbol of justice. Every time a rapist is punished, 
every time the flag of humanity will wave with all majesty. Tabida case is not 
a gender issue, it's a human tragedy and is to be seen from human angle only. 
There is no need to make gender politics out of it. Such bowel-shaking stories 
are beyond any interpretation of gender. Even beasts won't dispute this 
reality, not to speak of men.

To hail the decision is to say the obvious. One can only wish that such 'rarest 
of the rare' cases be decided within an equally 'rarest of the rare' time 
frame. Faster the trial, harsher the punishment, stronger the faith people will 
repose in the institution of justice. There are many similar (if not the same) 
cases where the only mercy shown to the convicts can be to be merciless with 
them. Though we can't be uniform in the quantum of punishment in all crime 
cases, but when a story is as grave as this, any punishment less than execution 
will amount to absolving the criminal.

One such story is the recent acid throwing incident that has spoilt the life of 
an innocent girl whose parents are going through hell. Going by the ideal 
principles of eye-for-eye, head-for-head, retribution, the only way to do 
justice would have been to do the same to the criminals what they have done to 
the victim. Though it may not fit in the technical scheme of justice but the 
least one expects is to clean the earth of such scum. Sooner they go, lighter 
shall the world feel.

(source: Ajaz ul Haque, Greater Kashmir)








MALAYSIA:

PH embassy allays fears of execution in Malaysia



While Mary Jane Veloso is set to face firing squad on Tuesday, the Philippine 
Embassy here assured the public that the 18 Filipinos in death row in Malaysia 
won't be executed anytime soon.

Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia Eduardo Malaya said that while a number of 
Filipinos, mostly involved in drug-related cases, have been meted the death 
penalty, not one has been executed by Malaysian authorities.

"It is to the good fortune of the Philippines there has not been a carrying out 
of execution of any of this death penalty convictions involving Filipinos," 
Malaya told INQUIRER.net in an exclusive interview. "And that is something that 
I think we ought to recognize and be thankful for."

Malaya said that while Malaysian authorities, like the Philippines, view drug 
offences "with deep seriousness," public sentiment pertaining to the death 
penalty has seemingly discouraged executions.

"There has not been an execution. It is also because there is an emerging 
sentiment here that maybe the carrying of death sentences is too harsh a 
measure for this or for any type of offense," he explained.

There have been groups within Malaysia calling for the abolition of the death 
penalty.

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, there are 18 Filipinos in death 
row in the country.

Malaya confirmed that most of them were jailed because of drug trafficking 
charges.

He said consular personnel regularly visit Filipinos in Malaysian jails. 
Working together to address their concerns are the assistance to nationals 
(ATN) officer, the Department of Social Welfare attache and non-government 
organizations.

Death penalty has been abolished in several countries like the Philippines on 
humanitarian grounds. Problems with the justice system also raise concerns that 
innocent individuals might erroneously be meted the death penalty.

Countries like Malaysia and Indonesia, however, continue the practice.

On Saturday, Veloso's family confirmed that the Filipino would be executed on 
April 28 in Indonesia. Veloso was sentenced to death after she was found guilty 
of drug trafficking. She was arrested in 2010 after being caught carrying 2.6 
kilograms of heroin.

President Benigno Aquino III has repeatedly wrote to the Indonesian government 
to appeal for Veloso's life. He will fly to Malaysia on Sunday afternoon to 
attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit where he will 
try to meet with Indonesian President Joko Widodo for another attempt to save 
Veloso.

(source: inquirer.net)








PAKISTAN:

Court rejects his bail plea in Pakistan flag-hoisting case



A Budgam court today rejected separatist Masarat Alam's bail plea in the 
Pakistani flag hoisting case in which he had been charged with sedition and 
waging war against the country.

While rejecting the bail plea, the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Budgam, observed 
that the law restraints courts for bailing out the accused charged for offences 
under section 121 RPC (sedition), which carries death penalty or life 
imprisonment.

Masarat, who has already been slapped with the Public Safety Act and shifted to 
the high-security Kot Bhalwal Jail on April 23, was arrested by the J&K Police 
on April 17 from his Habbakadal home following an FIR against him for raising 
pro-Pakistan slogans and hoisting Pakistani flag during the April 15 rally to 
welcome hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani.

In the FIR registered on April 15 at the Budgam police station, Masarat, 
Geelani and others were charged under sedition (121), waging war against the 
country (124-A) and other offences.

"At this stage of investigation, only merits of bail application are to be 
taken note of and also appearance of reasonable grounds for believing that he 
(Masarat) has been guilty of an offence punishable with death or imprisonment 
for life," CJM, Budgam, observed in his orders passed today.

The CJM further said this was not the stage where prima facie case was to be 
made out as if the accused was required to be charged or discharged from the 
allegations.

"More so, the offences 121 RPC carries the punishment of death or life 
sentence, regarding which section 497 clause 1 CrPC puts legal restraint on the 
court for bailing out the accused. The bail is rejected," the court said while 
disposing off the bail application of Masarat Alam.

Masarat was released from the Baramulla sub-jail on March 7 after serving over 
4 years in administrative detention.

(source: The Tribune)








INDONESIA----impending executions

Executed on the stroke of midnight: Seven coffins laid out and Wednesday's date 
painted on to wooden crosses, confirming Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran have 
just hours to live----A local funeral director inscribed the names of those to 
be shot on crosses



Australians Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran will be executed just after the 
stroke of midnight on Wednesday, it has been confirmed.

The date - April 29 - became official when a local funeral director in Cilacap, 
the nearest port to Nusakambangan, or Death Island, was instructed to inscribe 
the names of those to be shot by firing squad and the date of their deaths.

Funeral director Suhendra Putro, on Sunday was busily stencilling crosses and 
putting finishing touches to writing the names of the Christian victims and the 
dates of their deaths, reports The Herald Sun.

As well as the names of the two Australians, the names of Brazilian national 
Rodrigo Gularte, Nigerian, Okwudili Ayotanze, and Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso of 
the Philippines, were also written in white on the wooden crosses. The date 
'29.04.15' was also written in white ink and the letters 'RIP'.

It meant the condemned men and the lone female will be killed after the stroke 
of midnight on Tuesday night-Wednesday morning.

This was further confirmed by Utomo Karim, the lawyer for a Nigerian prisoner 
facing the firing squad, and also in a letter sent to Filipina maid Veloso.

'Each convict on death row was called in 1 by 1, for between 30 minutes to 1 
hour, it varied,' Mr Karim said.

'My client (Nigerian Raheem Agbaje Salami) was notified of the day of the 
execution, it will be (just after midnight on) Tuesday night.'

Mr Karim added that the six others were also told the countdown to their 
execution had started.

'My client has received a notification letter that in 72 hours there will be an 
execution,' said Mr Karim.

'Families will have time to visit Nusakambangan until Tuesday 2pm ... it will 
be carried out on later on Tuesday after midnight.'

Sukumaran's last wish is to paint for as long as possible, while Chan's is to 
go to church with his family in his final days.

The men were issued with a 72-hour deadline on Saturday to face a 12-man firing 
squad, and both the Australian government and their families have pleaded with 
Indonesia to spare the convicted drug smugglers.

In previously unreleased interviews, Chan has told of the anguish he feels for 
his family, saying that it is not right that his mother will have to bury him.

Despite his impending execution, Sukumaran has not stopped painting, with the 
pair's Australian lawyer Julian McMahon coming off a boat from the island 
clutching a small collection of eerie new self-portraits.

One of them even had '72 hours just started' etched on it after he and Chan 
were told they are likely to be executed within days.

In a brief interview on arriving at Wijaya Pura port in Cilacap, Chan's 
brother, Michael, and Sukumaran's brother, Chintu, made more pleas to 
authorities to spare their brothers' lives.

'The 2 boys are holding up pretty well. Somewhere in the legal system there's 
got to be mercy. Please ask the (Indonesian) Prime Minister to show mercy,' 
Michael Chan said.

In interviews that have surfaced for the 1st time, the Australians spoke about 
facing the death penalty, but also of hope and their genuine efforts at 
rehabilitation in 2011.

The emergence of the interviews comes as their families have been seen making 
the journey over to Nusakambangan, Indonesia's 'Death Island', to spend their 
final hours with the pair.

Sukuraman's mother Raji and siblings Brintha and Chunthu were among those to 
visit him on Sunday.

Joining them were Chan's mother Helen, brother Michael and fiance Feby, among 
other friends.

It is unclear how many of the 10 prisoners Indonesia's has readied for 
execution will face the firing squad, with reports Frenchman Serge Atlaoui has 
been granted a reprieve.

Chan's comments from 4 years ago reflected the grief seen on his loved ones' 
faces as they made one of their final journeys to see the convicted drug 
smugglers.

Chan told AAP their imprisonment had 'obviously affected our families the 
most'.

'Imagine your mother, or you know, your father picking up that telephone call,' 
he said.

'It's heartbreaking. It's obviously harder on them than it is on yourself.

'You obviously look at yourself and you say to yourself, "I've really screwed 
up big time".

'It's not right you know. A mother's not supposed to bury their kid. Obviously 
a kid is supposed to bury their mother.'

At the time, Chan and Sukumaran were about to lodge their bids for clemency.

They spoke about making mistakes and paying for them.

'Everyone makes mistakes in life,' Chan said.

'No one's perfect. Yeah, we screwed up big time, and you know, we're obviously 
paying the price for it right now.

'The death penalty. You can think about it, you can let it lay within your mind 
but we choose to continue doing what we're doing.'

Sukumaran said in prison 'you have a lot of time to reflect on all the stupid 
things you've done'.

'You don't see what you're doing is really that bad,' he said.

'Working with all these people, like inside here teaching ... you get something 
out of it. I think that makes you a stronger person as well.'

Despite testimonials to their rehabilitation behind bars from prison governors 
to politicians, academics and Australian artist Ben Quilty, repeated legal 
appeals and calls for a reprieve have failed.

Chan and Sukumaran, convicted in 2005 for their role in a plot to smuggle 8.3kg 
of heroin from Bali to Australia, were given the official 72 hours notice on 
Saturday that means they could face the firing squad on Tuesday.

Although the date has not been set, Indonesian authorities said the pair will 
be among a group of death-row prisoners executed this week.

It has also been revealed the undertaker in the port of Cilacap has been asked 
by the police chief to prepare the coffins for transport to the island, which 
will happen 'soon'.

Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop confirmed the executions will be 
scheduled imminently on Saturday, but called on the Indonesian government to 
show mercy to the pair.

'The thoughts and prayers of many Australians would be with Mr Chan and Mr 
Sukumaran,' a statement from Ms Bishop read.

'I spoke to Mr Sukumaran's mother Raji yesterday and assured her the government 
would continue to seek clemency from Indonesian President Widodo for both men.

'Nothing can be gained and much will be lost if these 2 young Australians are 
executed. I again respectfully call on the President of Indonesia to reconsider 
his refusal to grant clemency.

'It is not too late for a change of heart.

'Australia asks no more of Indonesia than it has asked of other nations where 
Indonesian citizens on death row have been granted clemency including for 
serious drug offences.'

Last ditch efforts to save the pair have also been launched by not-for-profit 
organisations, such as Amnesty International.

Thousands of flowers will be used to spell out the words KeepHopeAlive at a 
reserve overlooking Sydney Harbour in an appeal for Chan and Sukuraman.

Amnesty International says the floral message will be displayed from Monday at 
Blues Point Reserve.

'Today in Indonesia, up to 9 people - including Australians Andrew Chan and 
Myuran Sukumaran - face imminent execution in as little as 72 hours,' Amnesty 
said in a statement.

'More than 140 countries around the world have now abolished the death penalty 
for good. It's not too late for Indonesia to join them.'

Members of the public are encouraged to contribute to the appeal by purchasing 
flowers from Amnesty's website.

Earlier, Australian embassy officials were called to Cilacap, the port town 
closest to Nusakambangan where the Bali 9 pair are now jailed, for a meeting 
about Indonesia's execution plans.

'I fear the worst,' Ms Bishop told reporters in Brussels. 'I fear that 
Indonesia will seek to proceed with the execution of the 2 Australian citizens.

'I am deeply and profoundly concerned by this.'

Chan and Sukumaran, who were arrested over a heroin smuggling plot in 2005, can 
be executed 72 hours after being given notice, according to Indonesian law.

A former inmate of Kerobokan prison has told of how he was baptised by Bali 9 
drug smuggler Andrew Chan who helped him kick his 20-year drug addiction, told 
Daily Mail Australia he is heartbroken and struggling to cope with the news.

'I am really disappointed with the government and how they deal with this 
issue,' Matius Arif Mirdjaja said.

'It would be better to make sure justice rather than execute, better to secure 
rights rather than take them.

'It's definitely really hard for me to cope with this. I have to keep my 
faith.'

Mirdjaja also accused the Indonesian government of using the executions the 2 
Australians as a distraction.

'This is not about law enforcement - it is a tragedy presented for public 
consumption,' he said.

'Government have lost their mind to gain popularity by execution; they use the 
drugs war to hide other issues that are more serious.' Mirdjaja said he spoke 
with Chan and Sukumaran two weeks ago, and the 2 were 'good'.

'Andrew is OK, Myu starting making a sketch. But they were attacked by 
mosquitoes.'

The 40-year-old started a bible group with Chan inside Kerobokan prison.

Since he was released in 2013, Mirdjaja has preached at churches in south-east 
Asia, while trying to roll out rehabilitation programs started by the 
Australians to help others at 17 different prisons around Indonesia.

Filipina Mary Jane Veloso's transfer from Yogyakarta prison is considered an 
ominous sign for the other prisoners, after Indonesian Attorney-General H.M. 
Prasetyo said the 10 death-row inmates would be executed together for the sake 
of 'efficiency.'

News website Rappler reports the executions will take place on Tuesday.

Veloso's sister Marites told Rappler her sister called her with the news.

She had been told the date in the presence of embassy officials, hours after 
her family had visited, according to the website.

The embassy of the Philippines was called to the same Saturday meeting, along 
with France, Brazil and Nigeria, who all have citizens listed to face the 
firing squad.

While admitting the summons has her worried, Ms Bishop said there was still 
time for President Joko Widodo to show mercy towards the 2 rehabilitated 
Australian men.

'He is the leader of a great nation, a dear and close friend of Australia,' she 
told reporters. 'We ask that he take into account our considerations.'

Ms Bishop's office says the Foreign Minister is seeking a phone call with her 
Indonesian counterpart, Retno Marsudi, who was unavailable on Friday with 
Indonesia hosting the Asian African Conference.

Indonesian officials say the Cilicap meeting signals the beginning of the 
'execution process'.

On Thursday, Indonesia's head of General Crimes sent letters to the prosecutors 
of all 10 prisoners and ordered preparations be made for their executions.

The lawyer for Nigerian man Raheem Salamim, who is sharing a cell block with 
Chan and Sukumaran on Nusakambangan, confirmed Thursday the Nigerian Embassy 
had also received a letter summoning officials to Cilacap.

'Based on experience from the previous execution, they're going to tell them 
the date for the execution,' lawyer Utomo Karim said.

President Widodo told Indonesian news agency Antara while he would not 
interfere with the inmates' outstanding legal appeals, the executions would 
take place upon their conclusion.

'When it will be done is no longer a question,' he said. 'It is only awaiting 
the conclusion of all procedures and the legal process, which I will not 
interfere in. It is only a matter of time.'

In Gallipoli, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said efforts to save Chan, 31, and 
Sukumaran, 34, would continue.

'I guess there's always hope while there's life but obviously these are late 
days.'

Chan and Sukumaran's families will fly to Indonesia on Saturday and their 
lawyers, who have lodged a challenge with the constitutional court, are also on 
the way.

The Attorney-General has already suggested that a Constitutional Court 
challenge will not be taken into account, believing the pair have exhausted 
their appeals options.

'My brother made a mistake 10 years ago and he's paid for that mistake every 
single day since then,' says Sukumaran's younger sister Brintha in an emotional 
plea his life to be saved.

Sukumaran's sister, Brintha, has pleaded for her older brother's life in a 
short YouTube video.

'My brother made a mistake 10 years ago and he's paid for that mistake every 
single day since then' she says, clutching a photo of Sukumaran as a boy.

'My family and I have also paid for this mistake as well.'

But he's become a good man after 10 years in jail, she says.

'He has taught so many Indonesian prisoners about art and how to live outside 
in the world and have a good and productive life,' she said.

'From the bottom of my heart, please President Widodo, have mercy on my 
brother.'

(source: Daily Mail)

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

Mary Jane to family: No resentments----A day after being given her 72-hour 
execution notice, Mary Jane is still in high spirits. Outside prison, efforts 
to save her grow.



It was like a typical Sunday family gathering. Mary Jane Veloso and her family 
spent some 6 hours together joking and laughing, having a picnic lunch of 
sorts, and hearing mass in an open courtyard.

It didn't seem as if the 30-year-old Filipina was going to face the death 
penalty soon. She hugged each of her family members - all 7 of them - tight 
when she saw them, including her brother Christopher and former husband, 
Michael Candelaria, who arrived in Cilacap only the previous night.

"Nothing changed. If anything changed, she said it was good because she was 
able to sleep well last night," sister Marites Veloso-Laurente told Rappler 
shortly after leaving Nusakambangan prison island.

But something did change: Between the family's first visit on Saturday and on 
Sunday, April 26, Mary Jane received the official 72-hour notice of her 
execution.

The mother of 2 has always maintained she was tricked into bringing drugs into 
Indonesia, but Marites said her sister is at peace with whatever her fate will 
be.

And she wants her family to do the same. "No resentments," Mary Jane said, 
according to Marites.

"Before she is buried, she wants us to be able to wholeheartedly accept her 
fate so that she won't feel burdened and reach heaven faster," said Marites of 
Mary Jane, who is Catholic like 8 out of 10 Filipinos.

Even within the maximum-security walls of Nusakambangan, where high-profile 
terrorists are also incarcerated, Mary Jane continued to be her usual friendly, 
cheerful self.

One of the Australians also on death row, Myuran Sukumaran, told a Philippine 
embassy official: "Look at her (referring to Mary Jane). I see her, she???s 
like a little girl??? the way she speaks, the way she moves, the way she 
laughs. How can they execute her?"

Growing support

Outside the so-called execution island, support for the Filipina is growing as 
the fight to save her life intensified.

Philippine embassy officials in Cilacap said Indonesian prosecutors on Sunday 
officially received a copy of the second case review request for her, which 
they hope will convice Indonesian officials to order a stay on her execution.

On Monday, Filipino lawyer Edre Olalia from the National Union of People's 
Lawyers said 4 institutions will file legal briefs as amicus curiae (friend of 
the court) for Mary Jane, including from the International Association of 
Democratic Lawyers, Reprieve, and the International Commission of Jurists.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino III also said he would try to speak to 
Indonesian President Joko Widodo to seek clemency for Mary Jane while in 
Malaysia for a regional summit on Monday.

Protests in support of her were also held in Jakarta and in front of Indonesian 
embassies in Manila and in Hong Kong, notably by Indonesian migrant workers.

(source: rappler.com)

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

Brazil battles Indonesia execution plans



The Brazilian government says it is pressing ahead with diplomatic efforts to 
prevent the execution of a Brazilian sentenced to death by firing squad in 
Indonesia.

Rodrigo Muxfeldt Gularte was among nine foreign drug convicts, including 
Australia's Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, whose death sentence was 
confirmed on Saturday by Indonesia.

A spokesman for Indonesia's attorney general said an exact date had not yet 
been set for the firing squad executions.

The Brazilian foreign ministry told the G1 news website that the government 
would pursue 'high-level' contacts to press Indonesia to suspend the execution 
for humanitarian reasons, saying Gularte suffers from schizophrenia.

The 42-year-old's family has presented several doctors' reports to the 
Indonesian authorities attesting to the fact that he is a schizophrenic.Gularte 
was caught entering the country in 2004 with 6 kilograms of cocaine hidden in 
surf boards, and was sentenced to death in 2005.

The foreign ministry said Brazilian diplomats would continue to provide 
consular assistance to Gularte 'as far as possible', but stressed its respect 
for Indonesia's sovereignty and recognised the seriousness of his crime.

Brazil's charge d'affairs in Jakarta, Leonardo Carvalho Monteiro, was with 
Gularte when he was notified that he would be executed, the ministry said.

If the sentence is carried out, Gularte would be the 2nd Brazilian executed in 
Indonesia this year.

In January, Marco Archer Cardoso Moreira was put to death after being convicted 
of drug trafficking, which touched off a diplomatic crisis between Jakarta and 
Brasilia.

(source: skynews.com.)

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

Indonesia Gives 72-Hour Execution Notice to Drug Traffickers



Indonesia notified 9 foreigners and a local man convicted of drug trafficking 
that their executions will be carried out within days, ignoring appeals by the 
U.N. chief and foreign leaders to spare them.

Authorities also asked the 4 Nigerian men, 2 Australian men, a Filipino woman, 
and 1 man each from Brazil, France and Indonesia for their last wish, the 
spokesman for the attorney general, Tony Spontana, said Sunday.

He said the legal options of 9 of them have been exhausted, while Frenchman 
Serge Atlaoui still has an outstanding legal complaint over the procedure 
followed in his request for clemency. Spontana said he expects the Supreme 
Court to rule on it Monday.

The 72-hour notice indicates the executions by firing squad in Besi prison on 
Nusakambangan Island will be carried out at the earliest on Tuesday or 
Wednesday.

The pending executions have caused an international outcry, particularly in 
Australia, France and the Philippines, which are opposed to the death penalty.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to 
"urgently consider declaring a moratorium on capital punishment in Indonesia, 
with a view toward abolition."

French President Francois Hollande has warned of diplomatic consequences if 
Atlaoui is executed, and said Saturday that there could be possible economic 
fallout as well.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, whose government has been pressuring 
Indonesia to spare the two Australians, arrived on a visit to Paris on Saturday 
night and was expected to discuss the situation with Hollande.

Australian heroin traffickers Andrew Chan, 31, and Myuran Sukumaran, 33, were 
the ringleaders of a gang of 9 Australians arrested in April 2005 while trying 
to smuggle more than 8 kilograms (18 pounds) of heroin from the resort island 
of Bali to Sydney.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino III said Sunday that he would again appeal 
the case of Filipino convict Mary Jane Veloso to Jokowi when they meet at an 
annual summit of Southeast Asian leaders in Malaysia on Monday.

The Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila issued over the weekend Veloso's 
handwritten letters from her Indonesian prison where she pleaded to Aquino and 
other officials to continue efforts to save her. She repeated that she was 
tricked by a compatriot into carrying illegal drugs in a luggage as she 
traveled in the hope of landing a job as a house helper.

"Please save my life, I have 2 children who need the love of their mother," 
Veloso wrote to Aquino. "We're poor and I wanted to change our life but I could 
never commit the crime they have accused me of."

About 100 left-wing activists from women's and migrant workers' groups carried 
Veloso's portraits, lit candles and demanded that Jokowi spare her life in a 
vigil late Sunday at the Indonesian Embassy in Manila. They held up placards 
that read: "Stop execution" and "Mercy and compassion for Mary Jane."

Consular officials and relatives were arriving on Sunday at a town near 
Nusakambangan, the high-security prison island, for the last visit to the 
convicts.

Indonesia has extremely strict drug laws and often executes smugglers. More 
than 130 people are on death row, mostly for drug crimes. About 1/3 of them are 
foreigners.

In January, 6 convicted drug smugglers, including 5 from Brazil, the 
Netherlands, Vietnam, Nigeria and Malawi, were executed at the same prison, 
prompting the Netherlands and Brazil to recall their ambassadors in protest.

(source: Associated Press)

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

Widodo to lose standing as rights champion as Dinky says only 'miracle' will 
save Mary Jane



Indonesian President Joko Widodo will lose his standing as a champion of human 
rights in Southeast Asia if Filipina Mary Jane Veloso is executed, a member of 
the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights said Friday.

Meanwhile, in a meeting with Philippine NGOs, Social Welfare Secretary Corazon 
"Dinky" Soliman said "only a miracle can save Veloso" from death after the 
1st-time overseas worker was transported to Nusakambangan, the island where 
executions are held, with the Philippine embassy informed of the development.

The international watchdog Human Rights Watch, in a statement, urged Widodo to 
"urgently commute" the death sentences of Veloso and 9 other convicts, all but 
one foreigners, saying, "Indonesia's use of the death penalty is inconsistent 
with international human rights law, statements of UN human rights experts, and 
various UN bodies."

Rafendi Djamin, the Indonesian representative to the AICHR, also appealed to 
Widodo to commute the death sentence on Veloso, who was found guilty of trying 
to smuggle in 2.6 kilos of heroin into Indonesia in 2010.

Asked how Widodo???s reputation in the ASEAN will be affected by Veloso's 
execution, Djamin said: "Jokowi will be losing his credibility as one of the 
key actors in ASEAN promoting democracy and human rights."

The Indonesian president, a folksy governor of Jakarta before he won the 
presidential elections last year, ran on the platform of democracy. His win 
against a former military official was widely seen, locally and 
internationally, as a popular vote for "new" and "clean" leaders.

The impending execution of the 30-year-old mother of 2 is "upsetting for the 
human rights community and as Indonesian representative to AICHR, my position 
is to save lives."

Veloso "is more a victim of trafficking in persons who was dragged into drug 
trafficking," Rafendi said.

He suggested that the Indonesian President review his policy on capital 
punishment and the judicial system, which Indonesian human rights groups 
describe as corrupt.

"Fighting drugs and crimes is good, but not through execution of people. He 
needs to address the corruption issues" in the police and the judiciary, the 
AICHR official said.

Mugiyanto, senior program officer of the International NGO Forum on Indonesian 
Development, said police officials and judges in Indonesia can be bribed.

'Different political wind'

Rafendi noted that Veloso did not get a fair trial when as an "accused, she was 
not accompanied by an attorney and she did not understand the language" -- very 
basic requirements in a fair judicial system.

Widodo needs to listen to the human rights community and to the Indonesian 
Constitution, which contains principles that ensure the protection of life, he 
said.

"It is only that some laws contain death penalty," Rafendi said.

"Before this government, a de facto moratorium on the death penalty has been 
enforced for the last 4 years. Now, a different political wind is blowing. 
Jokowi (Widodo's nickname) believes that executions of drug traffickers will 
work, which is wrong and unacceptable to international standards."

Meanwhile, Phelim Kine, Human Rights Watch's deputy Asia director, said by 
sparing the lives of the 10 convicts, "Widodo can demonstrate true leadership 
by ending capital punishment as unacceptable state brutality."

The imminent executions follow those of six other convicts earlier this year, 
also on drug charges.

HRW noted that "Widodo has sought to justify the death penalty spree on the 
basis that drug traffickers on death row had 'destroyed the future of the 
nation'," and also cited a talk he gave students in December justifying the 
execution of drug traffickers as an "important shock therapy."

However, Kine argued that Widodo "should recognize that the death penalty is 
not a crime deterrent but an unjustifiable and barbaric punishment," and 
should, instead, "promote Indonesia as a rights-respecting democracy by joining 
the countries that have abolished capital punishment."

(source: interaksyon.com)