[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 18


BANGLADESH:

Jamaat-e-Islami leader Abdus Subhan to hang for war-time atrocities in Pabna



The International Crimes Tribunal-2 Chairman, Justice Obaidul Hassan, handed 
down the maximum penalty on Wednesday.

With 6 of the 9 charges levelled by the prosecution having been proven beyond 
any shred of doubt, Subhan was sentenced to be hanged till death.

The other 2 tribunal members, Justice Md Mujibur Rahman Mia and Justice 
Shahinur Islam, were also present at the time of the sentencing - the 16th 
conviction for crimes against humanity.

Subhan was the chief of Jamaat's Pabna unit and sat on the party's highest 
policymaking body during the post-Liberation War era.

It came to light in the trial that Subhan, with Pakistani soldiers, had 
indulged in murders, mass killings, arson and lootings once 'Operation 
Searchlight' was launched on the night of Mar 25, 1971.

He is the 9th top Jamaat leader to be convicted for war crimes committed during 
Bangladesh's war of independence from Pakistan.

Who is Subhan?

A former MP from Pabna town, Subhan was born on Feb 19, 1936, in the Tailakundi 
village at Sujanagar.

His father was Sheikh Naimuddin, and mother, Nurani Begum.

In 1954, he passed the Kamil exams from the Aliya Madrasa in Sirajganj. He 
later became the head Maulana of the same institution, and subsequently the 
superintendent of the Ulot Senior Madrasa in Arifpur.

He was appointed the chief of the Pabna district unit of the Jamaat once it was 
formed.

>From 1962 to 1965 he was a member of the Provincial Council.

He contested in the 1970 election but lost to Awami League candidate Amjad 
Hossain.

Subhan was the General Secretary and subsequently the Vice-President of the 
'Peace Committee' in Pabna during the 1971 war, formed to help the Pakistani 
forces in suppressing the freedom struggle of the Bengalis.

It was under his leadership that units of the Peace Committee, Razakars, Al 
Badr, Al Shams, and Mujahid were formed in police station areas of Pabna 
district.

Witnesses testified that Subhan orchestrated killings, loot, abductions, and 
other atrocities in various villages with the help of these vigilante groups 
and Pakistani soldiers.

Korban Ali, the 6th prosecution witness, identified Subhan standing in the dock 
as the man who, brandishing a pistol, had rounded up villagers and shot them, 
and told the Pakistani soldiers to shoot as well.

The tribunal was also told that, during the war, Subhan had prepared and 
supplied to the Pakistani forces a list of local Awami League leaders and 
activists and Hindus.

Sensing the fall of the Yahya Khan regime towards the end of the independence 
struggle, he, along with Jamaat guru Golam Azam, went over to Pakistan.

Subhan later returned to Bangladesh following a change in the political 
scenario and went on to become a member of parliament.

The case timeline

Investigation into Subhan's war crimes by the prosecution's investigating 
officers Motiur Rahman and Md Nur Hossain began on Apr 15, 2012.

The charge-sheet against the Jamaat leader was filed on Sep 15, 2013.

He was arrested at the toll plaza of the Bangabandhu Bridge on Sep 20, 2012. He 
was was later shown arrested in the war crimes case and sent to jail.

The International Crimes Tribunal-1 began Subhan's trial on Dec 31, 2013 on the 
basis of 9 charges brought against him.

The case, however, was shifted to Tribunal-2 on Mar 27, 2014 before the 
deposition by witnesses had begun.

The hearing got under way on Apr 1, 2014 with the opening arguments by 
prosecutors Sultan Mahmud Simon and Rezia Sultana.

31 witnesses including investigators Motiur Rahman and Md Nur Hossain testified 
for the prosecution.

On the other hand, the defence was unable to produce any witness, although 3 
had been initially named.

The tribunal had kept the verdict pending after hearing ended on Dec 4, 2014.

The 16th verdict

The much-awaited trials for crimes against humanity committed during the war 
began with the constitution of the International Crimes Tribunal on Mar 25, 
2010.

The tribunal in the 1st verdict sentenced to death former Jamaat-e-Islami 
member Abul Kalam Azad alias 'Bachchu Razakar' on Jan 21, 2013.

The collaborator of the Pakistani occupation army could not appeal against the 
verdict as he was absconding.

In the 2nd verdict, delivered on Feb 5 the same year, Jamaat Assistant 
Secretary General Abdul Quader Molla was awarded life term in jail.

The judgement triggered protests by youths at Dhaka's cultural hub, Shahbagh, 
who thought the verdict was 'too lenient' and demanded maximum punishment for 
Molla.

The protests were joined by tens of thousands, leading to the emergence of 
secular platform Ganajagaran Mancha demanding capital punishment for all war 
criminals.

The movement rippled across Bangladesh, forcing the government to amend the 
tribunal law giving the prosecution a chance to appeal against verdicts.

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court finally sentenced war criminal 
Molla to death on Sep 17, 2013. He was executed on Dec 12 the same year.

Jamaat Nayeb-e-Ameer Delwar Hossain Sayedee was sentenced to death in the 3rd 
verdict, delivered on Feb 28, 2013.

His supporters in Jamaat strongholds went berserk after the judgement.

According to the government, over 70 people, including police personnel, were 
killed in violence during the protest against the verdict.

Hearing Sayedee's appeal, the apex court lessened his punishment to 
imprisonment until death on Sep 17 last year.

The tribunal sentenced to death another assistant secretary general of Jamaat, 
Muhammad Kamaruzzaman, on May 9, 2013.

The Appellate Division upheld the verdict on Nov 3.

Ghulam Azam, who headed Jamaat during the war against Pakistani oppressors, was 
sentenced to 90 years in prison on Jun 15, 2013 for plotting, planning and 
instigating crimes against humanity. It was the 5th verdict.

The former Jamaat leader died at the age of 92 in a hospital on Oct 23, when 
his appeal was being heard.

Jamaat Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed was handed down capital 
punishment on Jul 17, 2013.

In the 7th verdict, BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury 
was sentenced to be hanged by his neck until death.

Both Mujaheed and Chowdhury have appealed to the Supreme Court.

On Oct 9, 2013, former BNP minister Abdul Alim was sentenced to prison until 
death.

The 83-year-old war criminal died on Aug 30 last year. He had served 11 months 
in a prison cell of a hospital.

Al Badr commanders Ashrafuzzaman Khan and Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin were given the 
capital punishment on Nov 3, 2013 for killing intellectuals during the war. 
Both are on the run.

The 10th verdict was delivered on Oct 29, last year.

This time, Jamaat chief Motiur Rahman Nizami, who was the chief of the Al Badr 
vigilante during the war, was sentenced to death.

The verdict observed that he used Islam willfully and consciously to uproot the 
Bangali nation.

He, too, has filed an appeal at the Supreme Court.

As Bangladesh Nationalist Party's (BNP) closest ally, Nizami served as a 
minister during the 2001-6 tenure of Khaleda Zia.

Chittagong Al Badr commander Mir Quasem Ali was sentenced to walk to the 
gallows. The Shura member of the party is said to be its main financier.

On Nov 13 last year, Faridpur Razakar commander Zahid Hossain Khokon was 
sentenced to death.

Brahmanbarhia Razakar commander Mobarak Hossain, expelled by local Awami 
League, got the death sentence on Nov 24 last year.

Former Muslim League leader from Habiganj, Syed Mohammad Kaiser, who became a 
state minister during military dictator Hussein Muhammad Ershad's regime, was 
also sentenced to death for war crimes on Dec 23.

The last verdict was delivered on Dec 30, sentencing Jamaat Assistant Secretary 
General ATM Azharul Islam to death.

(source: bdnews24.com)








SUDAN:

Sudan prosecutor seeks 6 charges against opposition detainees



Sudan's prosecutor on Tuesday called for 2 political detainees to face a raft 
of charges, some of which could incur the death penalty, their defence told 
AFP.

Farouk Abu Issa and Amin Makki Madani were arrested in Khartoum on December 6 
after returning from the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, where they signed an 
agreement aimed at uniting opposition groups.

The prosecutor submitted its case recommending 6 charges against the 2 to a 
judge in Khartoum, said Moaz Hadra, spokesman for the detainees' defence.

The judge will also hear the prosecution case in a court on Monday February 23, 
before deciding whether to press the charges against the opposition figures.

The charges were founding and running a "terrorist organisation," as well as 
"undermining the constitutional order, inciting war, inciting hatred against 
the state and publishing false reports," Hadra said.

All except publishing false reports carry the death sentence as the maximum 
penalty.

Abu Issa and Madani were arrested after returning from Ethiopia where they had 
signed the agreement uniting political parties, rebels and civil society groups 
opposed to the government.

Abu Issa signed for a grouping of opposition parties he leads and Madani signed 
for civil society groups.

The opposition accord came amid preparations in Sudan for April elections that 
are widely expected to extend President Omar al-Bashir's 25 years in power.

He seized power in a 1989 coup, but won a 2010 election that was criticised by 
observers for failing to meet international standards and was marred by 
opposition boycotts.

(source: Agence France-Presse)








NIGERIA:

Lagos re-okays death penalty to prevent murder, armed robbery



Contrary to several campaigns to have death penalty removed from the Lagos 
justice system, the state government Wednesday re-endorsed capital punishment, 
to serve as a deterrence against violent crimes, such as murder and armed 
robbery.

The endorsement was informed by an expert survey on the issue, where majority 
of the public felt that the death penalty is effective for deterrence and 
retribution for heinous crimes.

State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Ade Ipaye said it was in 
the light of the results of the perceptions and expert survey that the Lagos 
State Executive Council adopted the position that the death penalty should be 
retained in the Criminal Law of Lagos State.

Ipaye said following several abolition campaigns and international advocacy 
which were addressed to the Lagos State Government, in particular as the pace 
setter in justice sector reforms, the State Executive Council considered the 
proposition to abolish or retain the death penalty in the Lagos State Common 
Law.

In taking its decision, the State commissioned an empirical research that 
surveyed the perception of Lagos residents and elicited their opinion on the 
abolition debate, including the question whether they believe the death penalty 
currently deters violent crime.

The objective and outcome of the survey is to inform the development of a state 
policy on capital punishment that relies on empirical evidence and is based on 
consultation with citizens and justice sector stakeholders.

Ipaye noted that the survey was undertaken in 2 categories: public survey 
(random selection of 2,000 members of the public) and the experts' survey 
(selected 100 persons who have close contact with the criminal justice process 
and systems).

Over 1/2 of the respondents (51.1 %) advised Lagos State Government to execute 
convicts on the death row while only 38. 5 % maintained otherwise. 9.7 % were 
undecided while 0.8 % did not proffer any opinion.

"Whilst 61.9 % of the respondents believed that the death penalty is a 
necessary retributive tool, as much as 59 % opined that the death penalty does 
not bring a sense of happiness to the family of the victim(s). A majority of 
the respondents (67.2 %) however recommended that Lagos State should retain the 
death penalty," he said.

The study also found that gender, age and religion play important roles in 
understanding the orientation of Lagos residents on the issue of capital 
punishment.

"Hence while majority of the people support death penalty across the 
socio-demographics, more males, older people and less religious people support 
the death penalty.

"Majority of the respondents surveyed supported the use of the death penalty in 
Lagos State. The survey also revealed that over 54 % of the respondents advised 
the Lagos State Government to execute convicts on death row. A large number of 
respondents also believed that the death penalty is a necessary retributive 
tool and a majority of the respondents recommended that the State should retain 
death penalty because it serves positive retributive and deterrence purposes," 
Ipaye said.

(source: Nigeria Guardian News)




IRAN:

30 prisoners hanged in 4 days



In the latest wave of executions and repression in Iran, at least 30 prisoners 
have been hanged in prisons across country since Saturday. The victims included 
a 60-year-old man that had already spent 20 years in prison.

The executions were carried out in prisons in several cities across Iran. Some 
executions were carried out in groups.

On Tuesday, a group of 6 were hanged in Karaj's Gohardasht prison. They 
included 3 men identified as Vahid Lalabadi, Ayob Farhadi, 33 and Amir Davoodi, 
39, who had been transferred to isolation the day before. Another prisoner was 
hanged in Shiraz on the same day.

On Monday, at least 14 prisoners were hanged in the cities of Bam, Uromiyeh and 
Bandar Abbas. A group of 6 prisoners were sent to gallows in the city of Bam in 
southern Iran. A group of 5 prisoners were executed in Darya Prison in the city 
of Uromiyeh which included 3 residents of Kurdistan province and 2 residents of 
Azerbaijan province. One of the victims was identified as Rahim Soleimani, 60, 
who had already spent 20 years in prison.

On Monday, 2 other prisoners were hanged in Mashhad and 1 more prisoner was 
hanged in Bandar Abbas.

On Sunday, 4 prisoners were hanged in Shiraz's Adel Abbad Prison and Kerman's 
Shahab Prison.

On Saturday, 2 Baloch prisoners were hanged in Chahbahar Prison and another was 
sent to gallows in the northern city of Rasht.

Meanwhile, simultaneously with the new wave of executions aimed at rising fear 
in society, on Tuesday, a group of 3 men were paraded and humiliated in public 
in the city of Mashhad without being charged or sentenced.

(source: Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran)

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

Saman Naseem transferred to solitary confinement for possible execution



A group of 6 Iranian political prisoners including Saman Naseem being held in 
the central prison in the northwestern city of Uromiyeh were transferred to 
solitary cells on Wednesday for possible execution.

The other 5 political prisoners are: Yones Aghat, Habiballah Afshari, Ali 
Afshari, Sirvan Nezhavi, and Ibrahim Shapoori.

There is a growing concern that the political prisoners are transferred to 
isolation to await their execution.

International Human rights organizations have issued statement calling for 
immediate halt to planned execution of Mr. Saman Naseem who had been arrested 
at the age of 17.

According to the Amnesty International Naseem is due to be executed on February 
19 after being arrested on July 17, 2011.

Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for the Middle 
East and North Africa, said in a press release on February 13: "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."

In a letter seen by Amnesty International, Saman Naseem, now 22 years old, 
described how he was kept in a 2 x 0.5 meter cell and constantly tortured 
before being forced while blindfolded to put his fingerprints on 'confession' 
papers. He was forced to admit to acts that lead to his conviction for 
membership of an armed opposition group and taking up arms against the state. 
He was 17 years old at the time.

"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," Hassiba Hadj 
Sahraoui said.

According to an Urgent Action issued on Monday by Amnesty International, Naseem 
was beaten on Sunday to force him to make TV 'confessions.'

"Saman Naseem was allowed no access to his lawyer during early investigations 
and he said he was tortured, which included the removal of his finger and toe 
nails and being hung upside down for several hours," Amnesty statement said.

"Saman Naseem called his family on 15 February and told them that earlier that 
day men in plain clothes had taken him to the security department of the 
Oroumieh Prison. He said the men, who he believed belonged to the Ministry of 
Intelligence and were carrying cameras and recording equipment, beat him for 
several hours to force him into making video-taped 'confessions', but he 
refused to do so," AI statement added.

(source: NCR - Iran)

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

UN experts urge 'immediate halt' over scheduled execution of juvenile



The Government of Iran must comply with its international human rights 
obligations and immediately halt its planned execution of a juvenile offender, 
2 United Nations human rights experts urged today.

"Regardless of the circumstances and nature of the crime, the execution of 
juvenile offenders is clearly prohibited by international human rights law," 
Ahmed Shaheed, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, and 
Christof Heyns, the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, declared 
in a press release issued earlier today.

"The imposition of the death penalty in Iran contrasts the current 
international trend of abolishing the death penalty in law and in practice," 
they added.

Saman Naseem, who was 17 at the time of his arrest in 2011, was allegedly 
subjected to torture and made to confess to the crimes of "Moharebeh," or 
"enmity against God," and "Ifsad fil Arz," or "corruption on Earth," for his 
suspected involvement in armed activities with the Party of Free Life of 
Kurdistan. He was sentenced to death in April 2013.

According to a UN human rights report released last year, the new Islamic Penal 
Code that entered into force in 2013 now omits references to apostasy, 
witchcraft and heresy, but continues to allow for juvenile executions and 
retains the death penalty for activities that do not constitute most serious 
crimes in line with the safeguards guaranteeing protection of the rights of 
those facing the death penalty such as adultery, repeated alcohol use, and drug 
possession and trafficking.

Nonetheless, the independent experts recalled the "repeated assertions" by 
Iranian authorities that confessions obtained under torture were inadmissible 
under Iranian law while noting that the country was also party to the 
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and to the Convention on 
the Rights of the Child.

Iran has witnessed a surge in executions over the past 2 years.

At least 852 individuals were reportedly executed between July 2013 and June 
2014, representing an "alarming" increase in the number of executions in 
relation to the already-high rates of previous years, according to UN 
estimates. In addition, at least 60 persons, including 4 women, have reportedly 
been executed in January 2015 alone.

(source: UN News Centre)