[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 14



INDONESIA:

UN rights expert calls for halt to Indonesia executions, cites international 
obligations



UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, Christof Heyns, urged a halt 
to further executions of people convicted of such offences, after 6 prisoners 
were executed in January and Indonesian officials announced that 8 more would 
be executed by firing squad in the coming days.

"Under international law, the death penalty is regarded as an extreme form of 
punishment which, if it is used at all, should only be imposed for the most 
serious crimes, that is, those involving intentional killing, and only after a 
fair trial, among other safeguards," Heyns said.

"However, despite, several appeals by UN human rights experts and civil society 
organizations urging the Indonesian Government to reconsider imposing the death 
penalty for drug related offences, the authorities decided to execute 6 people 
by firing squad on 18 January 2015."

The UN human rights office says that the available information suggests that 
the 14 people were convicted after unfair trials. 12 of the people are foreign 
nationals who did not receive adequate interpreting services or the right to 
translators or lawyers at all stages of their trials and appeals.

"Any death sentence must comply with international obligations related to the 
stringent respect of fair trial and due process guarantees, as stipulated in 
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Indonesia is 
a State party," Heyns said. "I previously expressed concerns over the 
imposition of death penalty for drug related offenses, and that such death 
sentences undertaken in contravention of Indonesia's international human rights 
obligations is tantamount to an arbitrary execution."

He said the International Covenant provided that anyone sentenced to death 
shall have the right to seek pardon or commutation of the sentence.

"I regret that the authorities continue to execute people in violation of 
international human rights standards," said Heyns. "I urge the Government of 
Indonesia to establish a moratorium on execution with a view of its complete 
abolition, in order to comply with the international move towards the abolition 
of the death penalty."

Independent experts or special rapporteurs are appointed by the Geneva-based 
Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a country situation or a 
specific human rights theme. The positions are honorary and the experts are not 
UN staff, nor are they paid for their work.

(source: India Blooms News)

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

Australia pleads with Indonesia over death row men----Prime Minister Abbott 
warns Canberra will make displeasure known should Indonesia execute two 
Australian drug smugglers.



Prime Minister Tony Abbott has pleaded with Indonesia to heed Australia's call 
for clemency for 2 Australian death row convicts.

Andrew Chan, 31, and Myuran Sukumaran, 33, are facing execution by firing squad 
after being convicted over a failed 2005 bid to traffic heroin from Indonesia's 
island of Bali into Australia.

"Millions of Australians are feeling very, very upset about what may soon 
happen to 2 Australians in Indonesia," Abbott told reporters in Sydney on 
Saturday.

"And my plea, even at this late stage, is for Indonesia to be as responsive to 
us as it expects other countries to be to them when they plead for the life of 
their citizens on death row overseas."

Abbott warned that Australia would make its displeasure known should the 
executions go ahead.

Australian media reported that there are 360 Indonesians on death row around 
the world, including in Malaysia, Singapore, China, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, 
with 230 of these on drugs charges.

'Close neighbour '

Abbott, in an interview with The Daily Telegraph, also noted that Australia had 
stood by close neighbour Indonesia in times of need, particularly after the 
devastating 2004 Asian tsunami.

"We abhor the death penalty, we regard it as barbaric," he told the paper.

Asked whether his government would withdraw Australian officials if the 
executions go ahead, Abbott said: "We will find ways of making our displeasure 
known."

"We respect Indonesia's sovereignty but we would very much appreciate an act of 
magnanimity in this case," he added.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has warned Indonesia against underestimating the 
strength of public feeling for the pair, sentenced to death in 2006 for 
attempting to mastermind the trafficking of more than 8 kilogrammes of heroin 
out of Bali into Australia.

She said travellers could choose to boycott Indonesia, whose Bali island is an 
extremely popular holiday spot with Australians.

Australian politicians are united in opposing the execution of Chan and 
Sukumaran, who have worked to rehabilitate themselves in their decade behind 
bars.

But both have lost their appeals for clemency to new President Joko Widodo - 
whose government recently executed 6 convicted drug smugglers.

Widodo has been a vocal supporter of capital punishment and has vowed a tough 
approach to ending what he has called Indonesia's "drug emergency".

(source: Al Jazeera)

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

Jakarta calls Aust to meet on executions



Prime Minister Tony Abbott has urged Indonesia to heed last-minute pleas to 
spare 2 Australians, even as embassy officials in Jakarta are invited to a 
meeting on the logistics of their executions.

Andrew Chan, 31, and Myuran Sukumaran, 33, have been on death row since 2006 
for their roles in the Bali 9 drug smuggling ring, but the Jakarta meeting 
signals they could face the firing squad within the week.

"Millions of Australians are feeling very, very upset about what may soon 
happen to two Australians in Indonesia," Mr Abbott said in Sydney on Saturday.

"My plea even at this late stage is for Indonesia to be as responsive to us as 
it expects other countries to be to them when they plead for the life of their 
citizens."

Australia has not decided how it would respond to the executions, including 
whether to withdraw its ambassador, but Mr Abbott told The Daily Telegraph 
newspaper: "We will find ways of making our displeasure known."

Indonesia's Foreign Ministry has confirmed it has invited all embassies with 
citizens to be executed this month to a meeting on the formalities on Monday.

A date for the executions won't be provided at the meeting, but the provision 
of 72 hours notice will be discussed, as well as access to the prisoners for 
family and logistics over foreign media coverage.

Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir says officials representing Ghana, France, 
the Philippines and Nigeria have also been summoned. When Indonesia executed 
five foreign nationals last month, the meeting with relevant embassies took 
place 1 day before Attorney-General HM Prasetyo announced the execution date.

That announcement signalled the 72-hour notice period.

But in this case, the prisoners have to be transferred from jails all over 
Indonesia to the execution location, Nusakambangan island, off Central Java.

Authorities have permission to move Chan and Sukumaran from Bali's Kerobokan 
jail, but haven't set a date.

A spokeswoman for Foreign Minister Julie Bishop on Saturday confirmed the 
invitation to the Jakarta meeting.

Ms Bishop on Friday suggested the depth of feeling in Australia is so strong 
that Australians may boycott Indonesia if the executions go ahead. She says she 
wasn't urging for a boycott.

"I knew that there was very deep concern in the Australian public about the 
likely executions of Mr Sukumaran and Mr Chan, and that Australians will make 
their own decisions as to whether they want to travel to a country that does 
have the death penalty," Ms Bishop told Macquarie Radio on Saturday.

Boycott calls were growing on social media before Ms Bishop's remarks and 
politicians have received a flood of letters about the executions.

Ms Bishop's opposition counterpart Tanya Plibersek told the Seven Network she 
didn't think this was helpful.

"I'm really not sure that boycotting Bali is going to make much of a difference 
to the attitude in Jakarta," Ms Plibersek said.

(source: news.com.au)








PAKISTAN:

Amnesty slams 'disturbing and dangerous' escalation of death penalty in 
Pakistan



Amnesty International (AI) said Friday that use of the death penalty in 
Pakistan is undergoing a "disturbing and dangerous" escalation after the 
execution of 2 men convicted of non-terrorism offenses. Muhammad Riaz and 
Muhammad Fiaz were executed Friday for the murder of the son of the Supreme 
Court Bar Association's President in 2004. When the 6-year death penalty 
moratorium was lifted last December, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif [official 
profile] said the death penalty would only be applied to terrorism-related 
cases. AI urged Pakistan once again to reinstate the death penalty moratorium, 
noting that 24 people have been executed since December and 8,000 people are 
currently on death row. AI also criticized Pakistan for flaws in its judicial 
system, expressing concern for long periods of detention without charge and 
frequent use of torture during interrogations.

The Pakistani government has engaged in a series of anti-terrorism efforts in 
recent years, including lifting the moratorium on the death penalty after a 
school shooting that left more than 130 people dead. Several human rights 
groups, including AI and Human Rights Watch, urged the Pakistani government in 
January to halt the execution of another civilian convicted of a non-terror 
related offense. Last month Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain signed into law 
anti-terrorism legislation that will establish military courts for the hearing 
of civilian terrorism related cases. Last July Pakistan passed a strict 
anti-terrorism bill allowing police to use lethal force, search buildings 
without a warrant, and detain suspects at secret facilities for up to 60 days 
without charge. Sharif said in September 2013 that the country's anti-terrorism 
laws would be amended to more effectively combat modern threats.

(source: The Jurist)