[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 3



JORDAN----impending female execution

Jordan To Execute Sajida Al-Rishawi After ISIS Video Released

Jordan will execute Sajida al-Rishawi, the failed female suicide bomber whose 
release was sought by the Islamic State militant group, "within hours," Reuters 
reported on Tuesday. The report comes shortly after the group released a video 
showing the death of a Jordanian fighter pilot it has held since December.

"The decision has been taken to implement the death sentence against the Iraqi 
convict and others," a Jordanian security source told Reuters, speaking on 
condition of anonymity.

Last week, militants threatened to kill captured Jordanian pilot Lt. Muath 
al-Kaseasbeh if al-Rishawi was not released. Jordan said it was willing to 
exchange al-Rishawi for the pilot, but demanded proof of life first.

On Tuesday, the group released a gruesome video that appeared to show 
al-Kaseasbeh being burned alive. Jordanian state television said the pilot had 
been killed on Jan. 3.

Al-Rishawi, who is from Iraq, received the death penalty in Jordan in 2006 for 
her role in al Qaeda attacks on 3 luxury hotels in the Jordanian capital of 
Amman in November 2005.

Her suicide vest failed to explode, but the bombings left more than 60 people 
dead and were some of the deadliest in Jordan???s history. Jordan issued a 
moratorium on the death penalty the same year, but it has recently been lifted.

(source: Huffington Post)








SAUDI ARABIA:

Saudi Arabia Defends Public Beheadings After ISIS Comparisons



While ISIS militants have made headlines for their brutal public executions of 
civilians, key Western ally Saudi Arabia has continued and even expanded its 
own policy of public beheadings with far less scrutiny. Despite protests Monday 
from a top Saudi official about comparisons between the Saudi government and 
ISIS, Saudi Arabia's system of crime and punishment is remarkably similar to 
that of the Islamist organization it has denounced, experts said.

Both ISIS and Saudi Arabia's absolute monarchy rely on the same ideology and 
system of religious interpretation in their approach to punishment, said Ali 
Al-Ahmed, a Saudi expert and the director of the Institute for Gulf Affairs in 
Washington, D.C. "The Saudi judicial process, if we can call it that, is the 
same as ISIS'," he said. Unlike every other Muslim country, Saudi Arabia 
refuses to codify its laws, which "gives the judge, or the government here 
because they are one and the same, leeway to decide whatever punishment they 
want."

This, according to Al-Ahmed, is precisely the same system used by ISIS, which 
regularly hands down severe punishments in the territories under its control. 
The militant group, which rose to international prominence after capturing 
swaths of land in Iraq and Syria last year, has drawn outrage for its brutal 
tactics, including videotaped beheadings of journalists and other civilians.

Such a comparison was rejected by Interior Ministry spokesman Mansour al-Turki, 
who told NBC News in an interview published Monday that Saudi criminal 
punishments were legitimate because they were based on "a decision made by a 
court" rather than ISIS' "arbitrary" killings. "ISIS has no legitimate way to 
decide to kill people," he said, adding that "the difference is clear."

Human rights activists beg to differ, however. "It is not legitimate for Saudi 
Arabia to uphold the claim that there is due process rights within the 
proceedings of the judiciary," said Fadi Al-Qadi, a Middle East spokesman for 
Human Rights Watch. According to the rights group, the kingdom executed at 
least 68 people last year for crimes such as murder, rape and drug trafficking. 
On Sunday, authorities beheaded a convicted murderer, bringing to 17 the number 
of people who have been executed since the beginning of 2015, reported Agence 
France-Presse.

Capital punishment is imposed in the kingdom under many problematic 
circumstances, said Delphine Lourtau, the lead researcher for the Death Penalty 
Worldwide project at Cornell Law School in Ithaca, New York. Not only are 
defendants often denied access to lawyers, but death sentences are often 
imposed in cases where confessions are obtained under torture, a circumstance 
that makes it impossible to justify the death penalty, she said. "Frequently, 
capital punishment is carried out for nonviolent offenses -- drug offenses that 
don't cause harm to anyone. These are particularly egregious violations of 
international law."

Along with human rights groups, the United Nations has focused its scrutiny on 
the kingdom, particularly after it increased its rate of executions to 1 per 
day back in August, reported NBC. The U.N. said the kingdom's practice of 
beheading citizens was "prohibited under international law under all 
circumstances" and said the government was carrying out executions "with 
appalling regularity and in flagrant disregard of international law standards."

The Saudi government's beheading of a woman in Mecca on Jan. 12 has renewed 
attention on the issue after a video of the execution was posted online and 
distributed by human rights activists, according to the New York Times. The 
kingdom, which is part of the U.S.-led international coalition fighting the 
militant group, has not welcomed the spotlight on its beheading practices and 
has arrested the man thought to be responsible for shooting and publishing the 
video. Al-Turki's comments on the issue follow weeks of unflattering 
comparisons between the Saudi government and ISIS on social media.

Despite al-Turki's defensiveness on the subject, it is unlikely that Riyadh is 
feeling any significant international pressure to reform its justice system, 
said Al-Qadi. "The bottom line is you're not seeing a political, legal 
discussion about this among the Saudi elite," he said. "Saudi Arabia's allies 
in the West have to deliver a clear message that the battle against ISIS brings 
with it a commitment to human rights and a commitment on behalf of those 
participating in the coalition to bring an improvement to its own human rights 
record."

Western governments have been notably silent on Saudi Arabia's rights record, 
according to Lourtau, who pointed to deep ties between Riyadh, the U.S. and the 
European Union. In the case of the United States, which has been criticized for 
its own high rate of executions -- including botched attempts that have been 
described as inhumane -- it may also be difficult to credibly criticize the 
Saudis for their practice of capital punishment.

However, this should not deter Washington from pressing for reforms to the 
systemic problems underlying the practice and pushing for transparency, access 
to legal counsel and a stop to torture in prisons, said Lourtau. "These are all 
norms the U.S. can get behind and put pressure on its allies to enforce," she 
said. "There is space for pressure and diplomatic negotiation even for 
countries that support capital punishment."

(source: International Business Times)








JAPAN:

Top court upholds death sentence for Akihabara rampage killer



The Supreme Court finalized the death penalty on Feb. 2 for a man convicted of 
killing 7 and injuring 10 in a high-profile rampage in Tokyo's packed Akihabara 
district in 2008.

In rejecting an appeal by Tomohiro Kato and upholding a lower court ruling, 
Chief Justice Ryuko Sakurai said, "(Kato's) responsibility is grave since his 
indiscriminate killings were well-prepared and carried out in a brutal manner 
with a strong intent to murder.

"The incident had a significant impact on society, and relatives of the victims 
are strongly hoping that he will be punished."

On June 8, 2008, Kato, a 32-year-old former temp worker, rented a truck and 
plowed it into a crowd of people in the bustling Akihabara electronics district 
before jumping out of the vehicle with a knife and going on a stabbing spree.

Sakurai said Kato went on a rampage after "he was outraged because he believed 
he was treated in a harassing manner at his workplace--on top of postings 
belittling him on an online bulletin board--when he had a deepening sense of 
isolation as a result of having to move to 1 job after another as a temp 
worker."

Sakurai said Kato committed the killings "to let those who harassed him know 
that their actions will bring about serious consequences."

Kato's defense team requested a reduced sentence in court proceedings in 
December last year, contending that the abusive manner in which his mother 
raised him had an impact on shaping his character and was a major factor behind 
the crime.

"I would like him to face the death penalty and ponder anew the value of a 
human life," said Hiroshi Yuasa, a taxi driver who was injured in the killing 
spree, at a Feb. 2 news conference in Tokyo after the ruling.

Yuasa, 61, wrote repeatedly to Kato to ascertain his motive in an attempt to 
prevent a recurrence of indiscriminate killings.

3 years ago, Kato wrote a book about what set him off to go on the rampage, but 
Yuasa said the effort is just "an excuse made by a child who is justifying 
himself."

Yuasa wrote to Kato in November encouraging him to author more books about the 
Akihabara killing spree.

"(Your books) will bring many people to contemplate the case and generate 
something that will lead to the next step," he wrote in his letter to the 
convicted killer.

(source: The Asahi Shimbun)








PAKISTAN----executions

2 hanged for killing city doctor



Attaullah alias Qasim and Mohammad Azam alias Sharif of a banned organisation 
were hanged to death on Tuesday morning at Karachi Central Prison for killing 
Dr Ali Raza Peerani in June 2004 in city's Soldier Bazaar area.

Both were awarded the death penalty by an Anti Terrorism Court on July 6, 2004, 
however, managed to avert execution for more than 10 years due to moratorium 
placed on executions in 2008. The convicts shifted to Sukkur prison from 
Karachi in 2012 due to security reasons were few days ago brought back to the 
Central Prison of the metropolis, on Sindh High Court orders, for final 
implementation of the much delayed punishment this morning. On Monday, their 
application seeking suspension of their death warrants was also dismissed by 
the court.

According to jail authorities, the convicts were adequately examined by the 
jail doctors before being hanged, while their bodies were duly checked and 
handed over to their relatives. Families of both Attaullah and Azam were 
residents of Qayyumabad, Korangi area. Strict security measures were taken 
inside and around the prison since Monday. Heavy contingents of law enforcement 
agencies were deployed at all roads leading towards the central prison to avert 
any untoward incident.

(source: Daily Times)

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

In a first, govt set to hang man who says he killed in self defence



Pakistan could today (Tuesday) see the 1st execution of someone who has been 
convicted for non-terrorist offences in a civilian court - in violation of the 
government's own policy.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif last year lifted the country's moratorium on 
executions, but has repeatedly stated that this applies only to 
terrorism-related cases. However, unless a stay of execution is granted to 
Shoaib Sarwar - who was convicted of murder following a trial process which saw 
a number of irregularities - will be hanged on Tuesday.

Sarwar's execution will be the 1st of someone who was neither convicted of 
terrorism offences nor convicted in a specialist terrorism court since the 
moratorium was lifted in December.

The superintendent of Central Jail, Rawalpindi, where Sarwar is being held, has 
questioned whether the execution should go ahead, citing the policy of the 
Interior Ministry, which states that "death sentences only in terrorism-related 
matters ... are to be executed".

Sarwar's lawyers were in court on Monday, seeking a stay of the execution, but 
it is not yet clear whether or how the Interior Ministry is going to act.

At the time of his conviction, Sarwar claimed to have acted in self-defence, 
but due to bad advice from his defence counsel, a number of key witnesses who 
could have supported his case were never called - although newspaper reports 
and eyewitnesses at the scene had both corroborated his version of events.

Maya Foa, head of the death penalty team at legal charity Reprieve said: "The 
government's policy on executing only terrorists is in disarray. If Shoaib is 
hanged tomorrow, Nawaz Sharif's promise will not be worth the paper it is 
printed on. Shoaib has already suffered an unfair trial and 17 years on death 
row. The Interior Ministry must stay his execution today, before it is too 
late."

(source: Pakistan Today)

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

Pakistan prisoner Shoaib Sarwar wins stay of execution----Shoaib Sarwar's 
family say mitigating factors were not taken into account



A Pakistani man who was due to be hanged on Tuesday has been granted a 
last-minute stay of execution.

Shoaib Sarwar would have been the 1st person to be executed in a non-terror 
related case since Pakistan lifted a moratorium on executions in December 
following the Peshawar school massacre.

His family say he acted in self-defence and was a juvenile at the time of the 
murder of which he was found guilty.

Meanwhile 2 other men convicted on terror charges were hanged on Tuesday.

On Monday, Shoaib Sarwar's family were summoned to meet him for the last time, 
Pakistan's Dawn newspaper reported. Then on Tuesday a 21-day stay of execution 
was announced, ordered by the president. It is not clear what will happen when 
the deadline expires.

Shoaib Sarwar was sentenced to death for the murder of the son of a police 
inspector in Wah Cantonment in 1998. His family have argued that he was only 17 
at the time and was trying to protect his sister and her friends from 
neighbourhood harassment when a scuffle turned violent and Qais Nawaz was shot 
dead.

However, because his parents were poor they could not afford proper defence 
counsel, according to Shahab Siddiqi of the non-profit human rights law firm 
Justice Project Pakistan (JPP).

The case has created interest because Shoaib Sarwar was not sentenced by an 
Anti-Terrorism Court and therefore should not come within the government's 
policy of executions, Mr Siddiqi told the BBC.

A date for his client to be put to death was set by a local court hearing an 
application filed by complainants in the case, he said.

Following the Taliban attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar that left 
150 people dead, the government lifted a moratorium on executions for 
terror-related cases.

However, it did not spell out the status of non-terror related cases, and 
whether they would remain exempt from the death penalty, the BBC's M Ilyas Khan 
in Islamabad reports. It seems likely that the 21-day stay of execution has 
been issued to allow the government time to firm up its policy, our 
correspondent says.

On Tuesday, 2 other men on death row were hanged in Pakistan.

Attaullah, alias Qasim, and Mohammad Azam, members of the banned Sunni militant 
group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), were convicted of killing doctor Ali Raza in 
2001 in Karachi, officials said.

A total of 22 people have now been executed since the government brought back 
hangings in terror cases.

Pakistan has the world's largest number of death row inmates, with more than 
8,000 people awaiting execution, human rights groups say.

(source: BBC news)








EGYPT:

Egypt death verdicts in violation of human rights: EU



The European Union (EU) has denounced Egypt for "violating" human rights by 
sentencing 183 Muslim Brotherhood supporters to death.

"Today's decision of a court in Egypt to sentence 183 defendants to death 
following a mass trial is in violation of Egypt's international human rights 
obligations," the EU's foreign service said in a statement on Monday.

The statement further voiced EU's strong opposition to the use of death 
penalty.

Earlier on Monday, an Egyptian appellate court upheld the death sentences of 
the defendants for their alleged role in killing a number of police officers in 
2013.

Back in December 2014, an Egyptian court issued death sentences for 188 
anti-government protesters. However, the appeals court acquitted 2 defendants, 
handed down a 10-year prison term to a minor and dropped charges against 2 
others after it was found that they had had lost their lives.

The court stated that the accused, of whom 143 are currently in jail, stormed a 
police station in Kerdasa, a village on the outskirts of the capital city of 
Cairo, in mid-August 2013, killing 13 security forces.

The deadly assault took place after the Egyptian army attacked sit-ins by the 
supporters of the country???s ousted president, Mohamed Morsi, in an operation 
that claimed the lives of over 700 protesters.

The harsh verdict against anti-government protesters came around 2 months after 
an Egyptian court dismissed a murder charge against the country's deposed 
dictator, Hosni Mubarak, in connection with the killing of hundreds of 
demonstrators during the 2011 uprising that ended his decades-long rule.

Rights groups have severely criticized the government of Egyptian President 
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi for launching a heavy-handed crackdown on anti-government 
protesters and "stifling" freedom of speech in the Arab country.

They say the crackdown on supporters of Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's 1st 
democratically-elected president, has left over 1,400 people dead and 22,000 
arrested, while hundreds have been sentenced to death in mass trials.

Morsi was ousted in July 2013 in a military coup led by Sisi who was then the 
army commander.

(source: Press TV)

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

Deposed Egyptian President to Be Tried for Treason on February 15



The 1st hearing in the case against ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, 
accused of disclosing classified information to Qatar, is scheduled for 
February 15, according to local media citing judicial sources.

"[The accused] passed top secret documents relating to the activities of the 
Egyptian army and intelligence services to Qatari intelligence and Qatar's Al 
Jazeera television channel to weaken the Egyptian state," the indictment 
against Morsi and 10 of his associates, reads.

Egypt's 1st democratically-elected president is also accused of "spying for 
foreign governments" in a similar case. Morsi, along with 35 former members of 
his team, are charged with providing documents of national importance to 
foreign intelligence services, in particular to Iran.

The prosecution in the first case, which is asking for the death penalty, also 
alleges that the accused cooperated with extremist groups aiming to destabilize 
the situation in Egypt. A final verdict is expected on May 16.

In addition to the 2 espionage charges, Morsi, along with 14 members of the 
Muslim Brotherhood Islamist movement, faces a 3rd charge of inciting violence. 
The case, postponed by the criminal court in Cairo until April 21, involves the 
December 2012 killing of 10 protesters outside the presidential palace.

In earlier remarks, the ousted president did not recognize the court's 
jurisdiction.

Morsi's ouster by the Egyptian military dates back to July 2013, following mass 
protests demanding his resignation. Since then police have repeatedly clamped 
down on Muslim Brotherhood members.

(source: Sputnik News)