[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 17



COLOMBIA:

Colombia rules out death penalty for child molesters



Colombia has ruled out introducing the death penalty for murderers and child 
molesters after a police force general had applied to revoke the existing law.

Rodolfo Palomino, general of Colombia's National Police Force, re-opened the 
debate after a 4th person, accused of murdering 4 children, was arrested 
yesterday.

The crime, which has shaken Colombia in recent days, was described as a 
"slaughter" by the country's president Juan Manuel Santos on Twitter.

The children, 3 brothers aged 10, 14 and 17, and a nephew of the family, aged 
4, were found dead with gunshots wound to the head earlier this month in 
Florencia, the capital of the southern department of Caqueta.

According to Palomino, who revealed the criminal record of one of the murder 
suspect, the country should consider the death penalty, especially when it 
comes to crimes involving minors.

One of the accused, Chavez Cuellar, had previously been sentenced to 4 years in 
prison for the murder of a woman after raping her, Palomino confirmed.

"In these circumstances it is worth reviving the debate: whether it is or not 
to consider the death penalty for those who commit heinous crimes, especially 
those who are underage victims," Palomino told Radio Blu.

60 years in prison sufficient

However, Colombia's government and congress ruled out the appeal for the death 
penalty.

Interior minister Juan Fernando Cristo said that under no circumstances would 
he contemplate the possibility of implementing a measure of this nature, since 
he believed the maximum penalty of 60 years in prison established by law for 
such offences, is sufficient.

"Colombian legislation is very hard against this kind of crime, [but] what we 
need to do is apply it in a timely, severe manner, and that judicial officials 
and authorities in investigations work quickly and effectively," Cristo said.

Senate president Jose David Name added that the country is not ready legally to 
apply such sentences.

"Colombia will have no legal certainty to apply the death penalty. I understand 
the pain we have with these events, but we have to think with a cool head. 
Changing the constitution and not solving the problems of [our] justice 
[system], is not viable," he told local media.

In 2014, Colombia ranked 10th in a United Nations report on countries with the 
highest murder rates in the world with 30.8 homicides per 100,000 people in 
2012.

(source: International Business Times)








IRAN----impending juvenile execution

Iran urged to halt execution of juvenile offender ---- Human rights groups call 
for immediate halt to planned execution of Saman Naseem, convicted of taking up 
arms against the state while a minor



Human rights activists have urged Iran to halt the imminent execution of a 
young man convicted of taking up arms against the state when he was under 18.

Saman Naseem, now 22, is scheduled to be executed on Thursday after being found 
guilty of moharebeh (enmity against God) for his alleged membership of PJAK, an 
armed Kurdish opposition group, and alleged involvement in a gun battle with 
Iran's Revolutionary Guards near Sardasht, a city in West Azerbaijan province.

Naseem, who was 17 at the time of his arrest in July 2011, appeared on Iran's 
state television later that year, saying he had shot at members of the elite 
military unit. He is being held in Orumiyeh prison in north-west Iran.

Activists said Naseem retracted his confession during his trial and that it was 
made under duress. Iran has signed the international treaties which prohibit 
the execution of those convicted of crimes committed when they were juveniles.

Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty International's deputy director for Middle East 
and North Africa, called on Iran on Monday to halt the planned execution of 
Naseem and launch a thorough review of his case.

"Imposing the death penalty on someone who was a child when the alleged crime 
took place goes against international human rights laws that Iran has committed 
to respect," she said.

"This is the reality of the criminal justice system in Iran, which makes a 
mockery of its own statements that it does not execute children and upholds its 
obligations under the convention on the rights of the child."

Iran's penal code prohibits death penalty for juveniles for offences whose 
punishment can be administered at the discretion of the judge, such as drug 
offences. But a death sentence may still be applied if he or she has committed 
crimes considered to be "claims of God" and, therefore, have mandatory 
sentences - such as moharebeh, sodomy, rape, theft.

Last week, Amnesty published a letter written by Naseem and sent out of jail, 
in which he describes in distressing detail his time in prison.

"During the first days, the level of torture was so severe that it left me 
unable to walk. All my body was black and blue. They hung me from my hands and 
feet for hours. I was blindfolded during the whole period of interrogations and 
torture, and could not see the interrogation and torture officers," he wrote, 
according to Amnesty.

"They told me that they would kill me right there and would cover my grave with 
cement. When I wanted to sleep during nights, they would not let me rest by 
making noises using different devices, including by constantly banging on the 
door. I was in a state between madness and consciousness. I could not have any 
contact with my family during this time."

Human Rights Watch, which has described Naseem's trial as unfair, said Iran was 
among a handful of countries known to have executed juveniles in the past 5 
years. The others are Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and the Hamas authorities in 
Gaza.

"This is an open-and-shut case since there is no dispute that Saman Naseem was 
under 18 when security forces arrested him," said HRW's Sarah Leah Whitson. 
"Naseem and his family should have never suffered mental anguish associated 
with being on death row for months on end, let alone facing imminent hanging."

Whitson added: "Leaders of PJAK and other armed groups operating in Iran should 
know that they are as responsible for putting the lives of children like 
Naseem's in harm's way. There is simply no excuse for allowing children to take 
part in armed activities on behalf of an opposition group."

(source: The Guardian)

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

Iran is set to execute juvenile offender Saman Naseem, who is charged with 
"enmity against God" and "corruption on earth".



Naseem, now 22, was arrested and sentenced to death when he was 17. The 
execution by hanging is scheduled for Thursday (19 February), despite the 
country being urged by many rights groups to halt it.

Naseem was arrested after a gun battle between the Revolutionary Guards and 
Kurdish militant organisation PJAK, of which he is believed to be a member, 
took place in Sardasht.

Following the arrest, Naseem was reportedly forced to make a confession, aired 
on national TV, in which he admitted to having fired towards the guards. 
However, he retracted his confession during the first court session in which he 
said he had only fired in the air.

Naseem was 1st charged and sentenced to death in January 2012, but the 
country's Supreme Court overturned the sentence and sent the case back for a 
retrial, arguing that he had been under the age of 18 at the time of the 
alleged crimes.

He then was tried and sentenced to death again.

Rights groups have warned that Iran has signed a treaty which forbids the 
execution of people who were convicted when they were juvenile.

Amnesty International explained that Iran allows capital punishment for 
juveniles in case of qesas (retribution-in-kind) and hodoud (offences and 
punishments for which there are fixed penalties under Islamic law). However, 
article 91 of the Islamic Penal Code excludes the death penalty if the juvenile 
offender did not understand the nature of the crime or its consequences, or if 
there are doubts about the their mental capacity.

"Iran has willingly ratified treaties that oblige the country to not use the 
death penalty for individuals under the age of 18," Bahareh Davis, Amnesty 
International's researcher on Iran, told IBTimes UK.

"Saman Naseem was 17 at the time of the crime he was accused of, he should have 
never been sentenced to death. The authorities' treatment of his case is in 
breach of both international human rights law and Iran's domestic laws," she 
continued.

Amnesty also warned that Naseem was not allowed to see his lawyer during 
investigations, a violation of international standards of a fair trial.

Davis also said that Naseem told his family he was tortured and beaten at the 
Orumiyeh prison, north-western Iran, where he is being detained.

"The latest development on the case is deeply concerning. He was beaten for 
several hours by men, apparently from the Ministry of Intelligence, who had 
cameras and recording devices, in order to force him to make another 
video-taped 'confession'," Davis said.

"In 2014 Iran said that authorities exercised due diligence when dealing with 
cases involving juveniles, yet we keep seeing these shocking cases where people 
are unfairly sentenced to death and are subjected to prolonged torture and are 
forced to make 'confessions' that are used against them," she continued.

"We are gravely concerned and we continue to campaign and ask the authorities 
to immediately halt Naseem's execution and give his case a judicial review."

At least 2 people executed every day

Iran has 1 of the highest rates of executions in the world. Some of the 
executions, mainly by hanging, are carried out against minorities and opponents 
of the government.

"Executions for national security offences are common in Iran. Those accused of 
such offences are usually held in solitary confinement for long periods and 
generally do not have access to lawyers," Davis said.

"Lawyers are also prevented from reading the casefiles and are often denied 
adequate time to prepare defence. Individuals from ethnic minority groups also 
face a greater risk of being sentenced to death for national security 
offences."

In a previous interview with IBTimes UK, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, spokesperson 
of NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR) said: "On average more than 2 people are 
executed every day."

The country sparked worldwide outrage after it executed Reyhaneh Jabbari, a 
26-year-old woman charged with the murder of a man who allegedly attempted to 
rape her.

(source: International Business Times)

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

Amnesty blasts imminent execution of young Kurdish prisoner in Iran



Amnesty International (AI) has expressed disbelief that Iranian authorities 
plan to execute 22-year-old Kurdish prisoner Saman Naseem on Thursday, noting 
he was tortured as a teenager to "confess" to alleged crimes.

"That the Iranian authorities are preparing to put to death a young man who's 
been tortured for 97 days to 'confess' when he was 17 years old beggars 
belief," the London???based watchdog???s deputy regional director Hassiba Hadj 
Sahraoui said in a statement last week.

"With less than a week left before he is due to be executed, there is no time 
to waste," she added. "Saman's execution must be immediately stopped and his 
case thoroughly reviewed."

According to Amnesty, Saman was arrested in July 2011 following a gun battle 
between Iranian Revolutionary Guards and the outlawed Party For Free Life of 
Kurdistan (PJAK), in the city of Sardasht.

He was sentenced to death by a Revolutionary Court in January 2012 in Mahabad 
for "enmity against God" and "corruption on earth," and his death sentence was 
confirmed for the second time by the Supreme Court in December 2013.

"After his arrest, he was held in a Ministry of Intelligence detention center 
without any access to his family or a lawyer," AI wrote in a special report on 
his case.

In a letter published by AI, Saman said that Iranian prison officials had 
tortured him for 97 days when he was a teenager to force him to "confess" to a 
crime, before sentencing him to death.

In the letter last week Saman said he had been kept in a tiny cell and 
constantly tortured, until he was forced to put his fingerprints on confession 
papers, admitting that he had taken up arms against the state.

"This is the reality of the criminal justice system in Iran, which makes a 
mockery of its own statements that it does not execute children and upholds its 
obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child," he said in his 
letter.

Amnesty's statement urges people to appeal to Iranian leaders on Saman's 
behalf, "Reminding them that Iran has ratified both the International Covenant 
on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, 
which strictly prohibit the use of the death penalty against people who were 
below 18 years of age at the time of the crime."

"During the first days, the level of torture was so severe that it left me 
unable to walk. All my body was black and blue. They hung me from my hands and 
feet for hours. I was blindfolded during the whole period of interrogations and 
torture, and could not see the interrogation and torture officers," Saman's 
prison letter read.

According to AI, Saman's family was not informed of his arrest and learned 
about it from state TV, where he was shown "confessing" to "taking part in 
armed activities against the state."

Saman said in his letter that he was not allowed contact with his family and 
that during his trial the judge had threatened him with more torture.

"They repeatedly told me that they had arrested my family members including my 
father, my mother, and my brother. They told me that they would kill me right 
there and would cover my grave with cement," read his letter. "When I wanted to 
sleep during nights, they would not let me rest by making noises using 
different devices, including by constantly banging on the door. I was in a 
state between madness and consciousness," he wrote.

AI says that Saman retracted his earlier "confession" during the trial and said 
that "he fired into the air and not towards the Revolutionary Guards."

"Iran's deplorable practice of torturing people into 'confessing' to crimes 
before sentencing them to death must stop immediately. Imposing the death 
penalty on someone who was a child when the alleged crime took place goes 
against international human rights laws that Iran has committed to respect," 
AI's Sahraoui said in her statement.

(source: rudaw.net)








INDONESIA:

Bali 9: Australians will not be executed this month, says official ---- Andrew 
Chan and Myuran Sukumaran's transfer postponed because prison at Nusa Kambangan 
where execution was due to be carried out is not ready



Convicted Australian drug smugglers Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan will not 
be moved from their Bali prison for execution this week, Indonesian authorities 
say, and it is unlikely executions will take place this month.

A spokesman for Indonesia's attorney general said the prisoners' transfer had 
been delayed because the prison at Nusa Kambangan, where they will be executed, 
is not yet ready.

Spokesman Tony Spontana said: "I cannot be sure how many days it will take to 
finish this preparation but I can guarantee the executions will not take place 
this month, if there are no extraordinary changes."

Spontana also said the Australian government had asked for Chan and Sukumaran 
to have more time to spend with their families.

"I'm sure this week there won't be any transfers," he told reporters in Jakarta 
on Tuesday.

A team from the attorney general's department had inspected Nusa Kambangan and 
found issues that must be resolved before moving the prisoners, Spontana said.

Problems had arisen because of the plan to execute more than 5 people there. 
"The space for the executions and the isolation cells will need some 
adjustments," he said.

Spontana said there were already 5 prisoners in the space reserved and on 
seeing this, the team realised no others would fit.

"We will immediately develop this facility to make it broader," he said. "It 
will take time because the breadth is 5 metres right now. The execution site 
right now is also only technically suitable for 5 people."

He said adjustments would have to be made or an alternative place found.

Spontana also indicated that Brazilian national Rodrigo Gularte, who is on 
death row for a drug offence, would not be executed while questions remain 
about the state of his mental health.

"We have also received letters from the head of the Nusa Kambangan prison about 
one of the inmates showing indications of mental illness. He has already asked 
the attorney general's office to have Mr Gularte checked at a hospital outside 
the prison because there are limited medical facilities at the prison," he 
said.

"We have to make sure he is fully recovered before the execution."

No date has been announced for the executions, which will also include 
prisoners from France, Nigeria and the Philippines.

Kerobokan prison governor Sudjonggo told reporters on Tuesday afternoon he had 
no knowledge of a postponement to the transfers. "I haven't received any 
notification of that," he said.

At Kerobokan prison on Tuesday, Sukumaran's sister, Brintha, and other family 
members removed several large bags of books, mostly on art and painting.

Sukumaran's friend, the artist Ben Quilty, wrote on his Facebook page: "Myu is 
clearing out his studio today. And my heart is broken."

Officials said on Monday that the pair would be transferred this week. Lawyers 
for Chan and Sukumaran had said they should not be moved to the prison where 
the execution would take place while the legal process continued.

The lawyers said they had new indications their last-ditch legal appeal was 
moving forward. They are appealing against the decision not to grant clemency 
made by the president, Joko Widodo, on the basis that Indonesia was facing a 
"drug emergency".

Speaking to reporters in Jakarta on Monday afternoon, Lubis said the legal team 
had been summoned to a meeting with the head of the administrative court next 
week.

"This is prima facie evidence that the legal process is still ongoing," Lubis 
said. "I hope this legal process will be respected by the attorney general and 
all parts of the government.

"So they cannot move them, not to mention execute them, while the legal process 
is still going on." But the attorney general made no mention of any link 
between the appeals and the delay.

On Tuesday afternoon Indonesia's foreign minister, Retno Marsudi, stressed that 
the application of the death penalty is in accordance with due process.

"The death penalty is part of the law of Indonesia," she said. "It is 
implemented as a last resort for the most serious of crimes. The decision is 
taken by our judicial system, which is independent and impartial.

"In the application of the death penalty Indonesia has ensured that due process 
of law is fully adhered to and that all credible legal avenues are undertaken 
in accordance with the Indonesian legal system.

"The decision to enforce the death penalty is not directed to a particular 
country."

Marsudi also said that Indonesia's fight against drugs had entered a "critical 
stage" and that drugs had "ruined the lives of many hardworking Indonesians".

On bilateral issues with Australia, Marsudi stressed Indonesia's sovereignty 
and said the case in hand was a legal, rather than political situation.

"Although we understand the position of the Australian government, it should be 
underlined that this issue is purely a law enforcement issue, law enforcement 
against an extraordinary crime."

Quilty is organising a vigil for Myuran in Sydney on Wednesday night. The 
event, at the Sukumarans??? church in Sydney's west will feature speakers such 
as radio host Alan Jones. Chaser member Craig Reucassel will act as MC.

Eddie Perfect is hosting a similiar event organised by the artist Matthew 
Sleeth in Melbourne. Justice Lex Lasry will speak at the Federation Square 
event and Missy Higgins will perform music. Representatives of the Chan and 
Sukumaran families will attend.

An event is also being planned in Perth on Wednesday night.

(source: The Guardian)

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

Australians' transfer to Indonesia execution site delayed



The transfer of 2 Australians to an Indonesian island prison for execution will 
not go ahead this week as planned, the attorney-general's office said Tuesday, 
as Canberra pressed for their lives to be spared.

Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, ringleaders of the so-called Bali 9 heroin 
trafficking group, were to be transported this week to the high-security prison 
for their execution, followed by several other prisoners whose appeals for 
mercy have also been rejected.

Indonesian authorities have confirmed the Australians will be among the next 
group to face the firing squad, but have remained tight-lipped about which 
foreign convicts will join them or when the execution will take place.

But attorney-general's spokesman Tony Spontana announced Tuesday the prisoners 
would not be moved to Nusakambangan Island, off the main island of Java, until 
a date for their execution had been determined.

"It is delayed. The transfer will not be done this week," he told AFP.

"The transfer of the convicts will be carried out closer to the execution 
date."

Spontana insisted the executions would proceed, but the prisoners would only be 
taken to the island prison 3 days beforehand. Death row inmates must be given 
72 hours' notice under Indonesian law before facing the firing squad.

The decision to delay the move was made after the Australian government asked 
for more time for the families to be with their loved ones, Spontana said.

Logistical difficulties involving capacity at Nusakambangan were also cited as 
a reason.

The Australians and five other foreigners -- including citizens from France, 
Ghana, Brazil and Nigeria -- have already lost their appeals for presidential 
clemency, the final hope of avoiding the firing squad.

Legal and diplomatic efforts to save the Australians have escalated in recent 
weeks, with every surviving former prime minister of Australia urging Jakarta 
on Tuesday to spare their lives.

Australia's current government has urged Indonesia -- which faced a diplomatic 
outcry last month when it executed six drug offenders including five foreigners 
-- not to proceed, particularly while last-ditch legal measures are being 
pursued.

Lawyers for the pair have a court date next Tuesday to examine their claim that 
Indonesian President Joko Widodo did not follow the rules in rejecting Chan and 
Sukumaran's clemency bids.

- Act of mercy -

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".

He has shocked rights groups with his support for executions, as they had hoped 
he would take a softer line on capital punishment.

The case of the so-called Bali 9 ringleaders is being followed closely in 
Australia, a key tourism market for the Indonesian island.

In an unusual show of unity, all surviving former prime ministers on Tuesday 
made a plea to spare the men.

"They committed a very serious crime but have demonstrated genuine 
rehabilitation," said John Howard, whose conservative government began efforts 
to save the pair during his term in office.

"Mercy being shown in such circumstances would not weaken the deterrent effect 
of Indonesia's strong anti-drugs laws."

>From Malcolm Fraser, prime minister from 1975 to 1983, to his successors Bob 
Hawke, Paul Keating, Howard, Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard, they provided their 
support for clemency in comments to The Australian newspaper.

"We are very much opposed to the death penalty in Australia," said Fraser.

Rudd, who succeeded Howard as prime minister in 2007, said as a "deep, 
long-standing friend of Indonesia" he would "respectfully request an act of 
clemency".

Current Prime Minister Tony Abbott has also spoken strongly against the planned 
executions, warning Canberra will make its displeasure felt if they go ahead.

(source: Yahoo News)

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

No mercy: Indonesia executions to go ahead, says Attorney-General



Indonesia has spurned all appeals to spare convicts sentenced to death for drug 
trafficking, as it makes preparations to execute a new set that includes 2 
Australians and a Nigerian.

Even as the transfer of 2 Australians on death row in Indonesia to an island 
for execution was delayed , the country's attorney-general, H.M. Prasetyo said 
the execution will go on.

Every surviving former prime minister of Australia has joined the chorus of 
appeals on Jakarta to spare Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran from the firing 
squad.

"We are responding to the requests from the Australian government and 
families," Prasetyo told The Sydney Morning Herald of the postponement.

"We want the families to meet with Myuran and Andrew, to give them more time to 
be with the convicts on death row. This is not delaying the executions. This is 
just to provide the families with more time."

Chan, 31, and Sukumaran, 33, were sentenced to death in 2006 over their roles 
as ringleaders of a plot to smuggle heroin from Indonesia's Bali island to 
Australia.

They were set to be transported to a high-security prison on the island of 
Nusakambangan ahead of their execution as early as Wednesday, although no firm 
date has been announced.

Several other foreigners on death row whose clemency appeals have also been 
rejected, including from Brazil, France, Ghana, Nigeria and the Philippines, 
were also expected to be transferred soon.

Prasetyo said he did not know how much more time Chan and Sukumaran would be 
given, and reiterated that no date had yet been set for the executions.

"This is not something easy. This is not something fun but this is what we must 
do," he said. "The law states that they have to be executed once clemency has 
been rejected by the president."

Australia has urged Indonesia - which faced a diplomatic outcry last month when 
it executed 6 drug offenders including 5 foreigners - not to proceed, 
particularly while last-ditch legal measures are being pursued.

Chan and Sukumaran's lawyers reportedly have a court date next week to look at 
claims Indonesian President Joko Widodo did not follow the rules in rejecting 
their clemency bids.

"They cannot transfer, they cannot move Chan and Sukumaran, let alone kill 
them, while the legal process is going on," Todong Mulya Lubis told the 
Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

- Act of mercy -

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".

The case of the so-called Bali 9 ringleaders is being followed closely in 
Australia, a key tourism market for the Indonesian island.

In an unusual show of unity, all of Australia's surviving former prime 
ministers on Tuesday made a last-ditch plea to spare the men.

"They committed a very serious crime but have demonstrated genuine 
rehabilitation," said John Howard, whose conservative government began efforts 
to save the pair during his term in office.

"Mercy being shown in such circumstances would not weaken the deterrent effect 
of Indonesia's strong anti-drugs laws."

>From Malcolm Fraser, prime minister from 1975 to 1983, to his successors Bob 
Hawke, Paul Keating, Howard, Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard, all the former 
leaders provided their support for clemency in comments to The Australian 
newspaper.

"We are very much opposed to the death penalty in Australia," said Fraser while 
Gillard added: "I personally would find it heartbreaking if such extraordinary 
efforts to become of good character were not met with an act of mercy, of 
recognition of change."

(source: News Nigeria)

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

Lindsay Sandiford: Death row Redcar gran's sister travels to Bali in last ditch 
attempt to save her life



The sister of Redcar gran Lindsay Sandiford who could be executed in weeks, has 
flown to Bali in a last ditch attempt to save her life.

Hilary Parsons is reported to have gone to the Indonesian island with 3 lawyers 
in a bid to save her 58-year-old sister's life.

Sandiford is facing death by firing squad after she was convicted of trying to 
smuggle 1.6 million pounds worth of cocaine into Bali in May 2012.

She claims she was forced to transport the drugs to protect her son, whose 
safety was at stake.

Sandiford, originally from Redcar but now of Cheltenham, currently has no legal 
representation and cannot afford to pay for a lawyer, which means she had been 
denied the opportunity to fully challenge her death penalty and the right to 
file for clemency.

And 2 other Bali prisoners - Australian ringleaders of a heroin smuggling ring 
are facing death by firing squad in what could be a matter of days.

The executions of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were said to be in the final 
stages of preparation.

Representatives of Indonesia's legal department were reported to be meeting 
Australian officials in Jakarta to discuss the execution.

Indonesia's Attorney General was reported to have said the prisoners will be 
transferred to the place where they will face the firing squad "in a matter of 
days".

It is understand that Sandiford has 1 last legal attempt at saving her own life 
which is to ask for a judicial review of her case.

Recently-elected President, Joko Widodo has said he will show "no mercy" to 
people sentenced to death for serious drug offences and so far he has held to 
his word with the execution last month of 6 prisoners for drug-linked offences.

However, the Attorney General's Department has made it clear that no-one will 
be put to death until they have exhausted every possible legal avenue.

The Foreign Office has previously said that it had consistently provided and 
offered consular support to Sandiford, which she at the time declined to 
accept.

(source: Gazette Live)








TURKEY:

Death penalty is not solution, says Ozgecan's father



The father of Ozgecan Aslan, a 20-year-old student who was brutally killed in 
southern Turkey, has said a return of capital punishment is not the solution, 
amid debates over increasing the penalties for such crimes.

"[The death penalty] may return to dissuade [from committing crimes], but it is 
not a solution ... People should learn to control themselves instead. Let's 
surrender to the good while there is still peace," Mehmet Aslan said on Feb. 
16, as reported by daily Cumhuriyet.

"Our only demand is that justice is served," he added.

Songul Aslan, Ozgecan's mother, demanded those who were responsible for the 
death of her daughter serve the sentence they deserved.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has expressed his hope that the 
"common awareness" that has emerged after Ozgecan's death might save the lives 
of many other women, praising her father's reaction. Davutoglu added that a new 
action plan against violence against women would be prepared.

Naciye Tan, the mother of Ozgecan's murderer, 26-year-old Ahmet Suphi 
Altindoken, has also said she shared the sorrow of Ozgecan's family, adding 
that she was also subjected to violence from Altindoken's father.

"No child is born a murderer, a thief or a terrorist. Everyone is born an 
angel. There are many things behind what has turned him into this," Tan said.

"I could not protect my child. His father tended to violence. We have been 
separated for years. I did not want our children to be raised with their 
father. I was subjected to violence from my husband, but could not tell 
anyone," she added.

"I know my son doesn't have the right to kill someone. I could never accept 
that. I haven't seen him since this incident," Tan said.

She also said that she wanted to meet with Ozgecan's family to express her 
sorrow, adding that she also has a daughter.

US embassy releases message for Ozgecan

The U.S. Embassy in Ankara posted a Tweet on Feb. 18 to express sorrow over the 
death of Aslan, condemning all acts of violence against women.

"We wish to express our deepest sorrow over the murder of Ozgecan Aslan. We 
strongly condemn this heinous crime and all acts of violence against women 
around the world," the embassy stated.

(source: Hurriyet Daily News)

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

EU Minister: "Reintroduction of death penalty not on agenda"



Turkish EU Minister and Chief Negotiator Volkan Bozkir stated that although 
death penalty was discussed at the last cabinet meeting on Monday, the 
reintroduction of the punishment is not on the agenda.

Minister Bozkir answered the questions of press members about claims that the 
government tends to reintroduce death penalty after the brutal murder of 
university student Ozgecan Aslan, at the opening ceremony of "Enhancement of 
the Vocational Education Quality and Youngsters' Professional Qualifications 
Project" where he attended along with Minister of Labor and Social Security 
Minister Faruk Celik.

"Death Penalty was discussed at the last cabinet meeting. I have expressed my 
own opinions as an EU Minister. Death penalty was fully removed from the 
legislations in constitution of our country in 2004. This is an important 
factor in EU membership process. None of the European countries imposing this 
punishment currently. I think life sentence is sufficient method. The 
reintroduction of the death sentence in not on the agenda of our government," 
Bozkir said.

(source: cihan.com)



ISRAEL:

Liberman says he'll legislate death penalty for terrorists----Slamming 
government for releasing security prisoners, FM says Israel 'constantly creates 
and strengthens their hope'



Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman called for the death penalty for terrorists 
Tuesday, harshly criticizing previous Israeli governments for agreeing to free 
thousands of security prisoners.

"We have to signal that we're changing direction. No more deals [to release 
prisoners]. Rather, the opposite: The 1st law that we will propose in the next 
Knesset will be the death penalty for terrorists. We must not give them hope," 
he said at a conference in Tel Aviv.

Given that the death penalty exists in the United States, and the fact that 
Jordan and Egypt bombed Islamic State targets in response to the killings of 
its respective citizens, Israel has no choice but to start executing 
terrorists, the foreign minister argued. "Otherwise we invite more terror and 
yet more terror."

Liberman said that global terrorism is currently the world's foremost 
challenge, and that Israel in particular must drastically alter the way it 
deals with terrorists.

"We created hope for terrorist organizations, all the terrorists who fight 
against Israel. Instead of building an iron wall and telling them they have no 
chance [because] we will fight, we constantly create and strengthen their 
hope," he said.

"Time and again we release groups of terrorists, and each of them has hope. 
They're not afraid; they know that at the end of the day we will surrender," 
Liberman added. "e released thousands of terrorists over the last decades, 
terrorists responsible for the most horrible attacks. It???s simply a wrong 
message. It encourages terrorism and creates more terrorists."

In theory, capital punishment exists in Israel (for war crimes, crimes against 
humanity, genocide, treason and crimes against the Jewish people), but it 
hasn't been implemented since the execution of Adolf Eichman in 1962. 
Right-wing politicians have indicated support in principle for the death 
penalty for terrorists, but a law that would establish a minimum punishment for 
a crime as loosely defined as "terrorism" would likely be struck down by the 
Supreme Court.

Speaking at the annual conference of the Institute for National Security 
Studies, Liberman criticized the conduct of the outgoing government - of which 
he was a member - during last summer's Operation Protective Edge in Gaza, 
arguing that the war's ambiguous outcome invited future attacks from the strip. 
It was clear that at least 1 more round of violence with Hamas in Gaza was 
inevitable, he lamented, saying Israel should strive for a "decisive victory" 
in every military campaign. Otherwise, he added, "we will simply lose out big 
time."

Liberman lauded the international community's resolve to fight the Islamic 
State group, praising Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Jordanian 
King Abdullah II for having launched airstrikes at the terrorist group, and US 
President Barack Obama for seeking authorization to launch a ground operation 
against it.

He posited that present-day terrorists were similar to the Nazis in that they 
sanctify death as a supreme value and were interested in martyrdom and killing 
as many innocents as possible.

"That's the essence of modern terror. They live to die and aren't rational 
actors," Liberman said. "The Nazi regime likewise wasn't rational; it was 
guided by various insane ideologies. They were ready to fight the entire world. 
Today, we face the same in a different version."

(source: Times of Israel)