[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Jan. 4



BAHRAIN:

NGOS condemn death penalty sentence of 2 Bahraini citizens



a Bahraini court sentenced Mohammed Ramadan and Husain Ali Moosa to death for 
their supposed involvement in a bomb explosion in al-Dair on 14 February 2014 
that resulted in the death of a policeman.

On 29 December, a Bahraini court sentenced Mohammed Ramadan and Husain Ali 
Moosa to death for their supposed involvement in a bomb explosion in al-Dair on 
14 February 2014 that resulted in the death of a policeman. Americans for 
Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB), the Bahrain Center for Human 
Rights (BCHR), the Bahrain Human Rights Observatory (BHRO), and the Bahrain 
Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) vehemently condemn the death penalty 
sentences against the Bahraini nationals amid concerns that their convictions 
relied heavily on evidence extracted by means of torture.

On 20 March 2014, Bahraini security officers arrested Mohammed Ramadan without 
presenting an arrest warrant. The government transported him the General 
Directorate of Criminal Investigation (CID) building without informing his 
family of his arrest. Upon arrival, Ministry of Interior (MOI) employees 
reportedly threatened Ramadan with torture if he did not confess to being a 
traitor. Shortly thereafter, officers began torturing him.

Mohammed Ramadan was reportedly subjected to sustained ill-treatment and 
torture for more than 4 days. In order to halt the abuse, he signed a false 
confession stating that he was involved in the explosion in al-Dair. Ramadan 
claims he was then informed that the government knew he was not involved in the 
charges against him, but that his participation in protests and other political 
activities made him a traitor and therefore he deserved to be sentenced for his 
crimes. When Ramadan attempted to explain that he was forced to sign the false 
confession to a judge, the court remanded him to Riffa Police station for 13 
days, where he was reportedly blindfolded, tied up with belts, and tortured 
once again.

Security forces arrested Husain Ali Moosa one week after the al-Dair bombing. 
He was housed at the CID, where he claims security officials hung him from the 
ceiling for three days while beating him with batons. Moosa reports that CID 
officers threatened to harm his relatives and fabricate cases against them, and 
additionally threatened to rape his sisters. In order to stop his torture, 
Moosa confessed to being involved in the al-Dair bombing. 3 days later, CID 
forces transferred Moosa to the Office of the Public Prosecutor, where he 
recanted his confession. As a result, he was again transferred to the CID, 
where security forces allegedly tortured him for three months.

While Moosa and Ramadan are the only defendants who received the death penalty, 
ten others were tried in connection with the Al-Dair bombing. Mohamed Mekki Ali 
was sentenced to life imprisonment, while nine other individuals also charged 
with involvement in the explosion have been sentenced to 6 years.

"Although the defendants emphatically claim that their confessions were 
extracted under torture, Bahrain's courts failed to consider their claims or 
even open an investigation," said Mohammed al-Tajer, Ramadan's lawyer and the 
Secretary General of BHRO. "Instead, the Bahraini judicial system utilized its 
anti-terrorism law to justify the death penalty in a case with no concrete 
evidence of their guilt, but abundant evidence of ill-treatment, torture, and 
politically motivated charges."

"The international community demonstrated consensus on Bahrain's human rights 
record when it made recommendations towards putting an end to torture and 
establishing an independent judiciary during Bahrain's Second Universal 
Periodic Review in 2012," said Nabeel Rajab, President of BCHR. "As the human 
rights situation in Bahrain continues to deteriorate, the international 
community must take active measures towards the realization of its decision."

"As a self-proclaimed exemplar for human rights promotion, the United States 
cannot overlook the implication of one of its allies condemning to death a 
prisoner accused on politically motivated charges and convicted utilizing a 
confession obtained under torture," said Husain Abdulla, ADHRB Executive 
Director.

"These death penalty sentences present a test for the European Union and the 
United Kingdom face," said Sayed Alwadaei, Director of Advocacy at BIRD. "Will 
the EU and the UK stand by the Union's guidelines on the death penalty and 
investigate their relationship with Bahrain or will they continue to be silent 
in the face of injustice".

We the undersigned organizations are deeply concerned that Ramadan's and 
Moosa's prosecutions relied substantially on evidence obtained under torture 
and are in direct violation of Bahrain's obligations under the Universal 
Declaration of Human Rights, International Covenant on Civil and Political 
Rights, and the Convention against Torture. We therefore call on the United 
Kingdom, the European Union, the United States and other national and 
international bodies to:

-- Condemn the application of the death penalty against Mohammed Ramadan and 
Husain Ali Moosa;

-- Call on Bahraini authorities to vacate Ramadan's and Ali's sentences and to 
unconditionally release all political prisoners;

-- Request a full investigation into all credible allegations of torture, as 
mandated by the Convention Against Torture;

-- Encourage applicable reparations to be awarded to victims of torture as 
required by the Convention against Torture;

-- Urge the implementation of international regulations against the use of 
torture as a means to extract false confessions;

-- Entreat the Government of Bahrain to ratify the Optional Protocol of the 
Convention against Torture; and

-- Urge the Government of Bahrain to replace its anti-terrorism laws with 
legislation that does not encroach upon citizens' rights to free expression, 
association and assembly.

(source: AhlulBayt News Agency)








THAILAND:

Thailand pledges harsh penalty on aviation violation



Thailand's transport officials have been urged to stringently enforce aviation 
laws with harsh penalties to curb safety-threatening acts, after a lantern 
sucked into a plane engine caused flight cancellation.

Officials have been asked to crack down on activities that disrupt aviation 
operations, including the illegal broadcast of community radio waves, Bangkok 
Post quoted a source at the Transport Ministry as saying on Sunday.

Thailand has an aviation safety legislation with stipulation that anyone found 
to have conducted activities threatening to aircraft be subject to a jail term 
of 5 to 20 years, and life sentence or even death penalty under more serious 
circumstances, according to the source.

The move came after a Thursday incident in which pieces of a hot-air lantern 
were found in the engine of an Airbus A320 plane at Chiang Mai airport, causing 
immediate cancellation of the flight.

Transport Minister Prajin Juntong subsequently ordered a study of measures to 
prevent aviation accidents caused by lanterns and Bang Fai rockets.

The threat to aircraft is growing more significant as releasing lanterns and 
firing Bang Fai rockets have become popular entertainment activities all year 
round, deputy permanent secretary for transport Woradech Harnprasert said.

The Department of Civil Aviation will sign an agreement with relevant 
organizations in the coming week, with the goal of better regulating the 
release of lanterns, especially during major festivals, department 
director-general Somchai Phiphutthawat said.

It has been proposed that only a specific size of lantern made from fireproof 
materials should be allowed, and they should be released only at specific times 
and locations, Somchai said.

(source: Xinhua)








PAKISTAN:

Multan to hang 1st death row inmate, January 7



A death warrant was received by Multan Central Jail authorities today for 
Shabbir alias "Dr" alias "Fauji" for his involvement in the murder of a 
policeman.

The death row convict is set to be hanged on January 7 (Wednesday).

Hailing from Southern Punjab, Shabbir had reportedly exhausted all options to 
appeal his case, which led to his death warrant being issued.

This would be the 1st hanging at the Multan jail. There are nine more death row 
convicts present in the jail at this time.

3 to hang in Sukkur

Sukkur Central Jail authorities received the death warrants of 3 inmates who 
were convicted for the 2001 murder of then Karachi's Director Defence, Syed 
Zaffar Ali Shah.

The 3 convicts are set to hang early morning on January 13 (next Tuesday). 
Arrangements have been made for the families of the 3 inmates to visit them one 
last time.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had approved the lifting of Pakistan's long-upheld 
moratorium on the death penalty after a Taliban attack in Peshawar killed 148 
people, including more than 130 schoolchildren. A series of hangings have 
followed the decision, despite much global criticism. Only those death row 
inmates convicted on terror-related charges have been hung.

(source: Dawn)

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

Pakistan issues death warrants for 7 more militants: Official



Pakistan on Saturday issued orders to hang 7 more militants, an official said, 
the latest in a wave of executions in the wake of the Peshawar school massacre, 
which claimed 150 lives in the country's deadliest terror attack.

Among the 7 is Shafqat Hussain, who was 15 when he was sentenced to death for 
the kidnapping and murder of a 7-year-old boy in 2004, the official said.

"The courts have issued death warrants for 7 convicts," Nawaz Shaikh, the 
prison department home secretary in southern Sindh province, told a news 
agency.

"Prisoners Shahid Hanif and Khalil Ahmed convicted for killing government 
official on sectarian grounds, Zulfiqar Ali for killing 22 policemen deputed at 
the US Consulate in Karachi and Behram Khan for killing a young lawyer will be 
hanged on January 13, while Shafqat Hussain will be executed for killing a 
child on January 14," Shaikh said.

"2 others, Talha and Saeed, will be given capital punishment for sectarian 
killings on January 15," he added.

Rights groups in the country have opposed Hussain's conviction and sentence 
saying he should have been tried in a juvenile court and not been given the 
death penalty, which cannot be imposed on minors in Pakistan.

Pakistan ended its 6-year-old moratorium on the death penalty in terror cases 
last month in the wake of the slaughter at an army-run school in the 
northwestern city of Peshawar on December 16.

Heavily-armed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) gunmen murdered 150 people, 134 
of them schoolchildren, in the attack, which shocked the world and brought 
promises of swift and decisive action by the government and military.

Seven convicted militants have been hanged so far since the de facto ban on 
capital punishment ended. 6 of those executed were found guilty of trying to 
assassinate then-military dictator Musharraf in Rawalpindi in 2003 and the 7th 
was sentenced in connection with a 2009 attack on the Army headquarters.

Pakistani officials have said they plan to hang 500 convicts in the coming 
weeks, drawing protest from international human rights campaigners.

The United Nations, European Union, Amnesty International and Human Rights 
Watch have called on Pakistan to re-impose its moratorium on the death penalty.

Rights campaigners say Pakistan overuses its anti-terror laws and courts to 
prosecute ordinary crimes.

(source: Agence France-Presse)

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

Nawaz advises president to reject appeals of 5 death-row convicts



Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday wrote a letter to President Mamnoon 
Hussain, urging him to reject the mercy petitions of 5 condemned prisoners who 
were convicted for their involvement in terrorism cases.

The convicts include Muhammad Ikramul Haq alias Lahori alias Farooq Haider (son 
of Bashir Ahmed); Ahmed Ali alias Asif Shish Naag (son of Ghulam Abbas); 
Muhammad Tayyab alias Sajjad (son of Nabi Ahmed); Ghulam Shabbir alias Doctor 
alias Nasir alias Zeeshan alias Sohail (son of Bashir Ahmed) and Zulfiqar Ali 
(son of Abdul Hameed).

The 5 prisoners hailing from Karachi and convicted for target killings had been 
arrested in different instances.

On Dec 17, the Prime Minister had approved the removal of moratorium on the 
death penalty after the attack on Peshawar's Army Public School which killed 
148 people - including more than 132 school children.

In the wake of the removal of the moratorium on the death penalty, 7 executions 
have been carried out.

The moratorium on the death penalty was imposed by former President Asif Ali 
Zardari during the tenure of the Pakistan Peoples Party government in 2008.

(source: The Nation)

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

Govt wants SC to urgently take up its appeal in Lakhvi case.



A day after filing an appeal against the Dec 29 Islamabad High Court (IHC) 
verdict suspending the detention orders of Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, the alleged 
mastermind of Mumbai attacks, the federal government requested the Supreme 
Court on Friday to hear the matter on an urgent basis, preferably on Jan 5.

"In the interest of justice the titled CPLA (civil petition for leave to 
appeal) may kindly be fixed for hearing on Jan 5 (Monday) or on any earlier 
date," pleaded the fresh application moved by Advocate on Record Mohammad 
Siddique Khan Baloch on behalf of the government.

The application filed under the relevant Supreme Court Rules 1980 said that 
several questions of public importance with regard to the constitution and law 
had been raised in the petition pending before the court.

In view of the grounds mentioned in the appeal, the application said, the 
matter in it was of urgent nature which required immediate consideration by the 
apex court.

The interior secretary, district magistrate of Islamabad Capital Territory and 
Senior Superintendent Police of Islamabad jointly filed an appeal in the 
Supreme Court against the IHC order granting conditional release of Lakhvi by 
suspending his detention orders issued by the Islamabad district administration 
soon after an anti-terrorism court (ATC) granted him bail on Dec 18.

The following day, a civil judge handed over the custody of Lakhvi to Islamabad 
police in connection with a 6-year old 'kidnapping' case.

The government contended that in the aftermath of the Dec 16 Peshawar school 
attack there were apprehensions that Lakhvi might incite or propagate possible 
terrorist activities prejudicial to public peace, tranquillity and maintenance 
of public order.

Moreover, it said, Lakhvi was nominated in a 2009 FIR and sent to lockup on 
judicial remand after completing investigations. There was likelihood that the 
accused, along with other criminals, would cause damage to important government 
installations and other public places, resulting in breach of peace within the 
federal capital, it said, adding that possibility of any untoward incident 
could not be ruled out because Lakhvi was affiliated with a proscribed 
organisation.

Lakhvi has been behind bars since Feb 19, 2009 after an FIR was registered with 
the FIA's Special Investigation Unit for allegedly training terrorists and 
facilitating the Mumbai attacks on Nov 26, 2008, in which 166 people were 
killed.

"In view of the importance of the case, it is respectfully requested that this 
matter (government appeal) may kindly be fixed at the earliest date," the fresh 
application said.

Chief Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk has constituted a special 3-judge bench to hear 
pending appeals of convicted militants challenging the verdicts issued by the 
ATCs either under the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 or the Suppression of Terrorist 
Activities (Special Courts) Act 1975, a law that deals with activities like 
sabotage, subversion and terrorism.

The bench comprising Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rehman 
and Justice Umar Ata Bandial will take up on Monday a number of cases starting 
with 6 appeals against the issuance of death penalty by special courts.

The bench has been constituted in line with a decision taken at a meeting of 
chief justices of superior courts on Dec 24 in which it was held that trial of 
terrorism-related cases would be given priority.

The meeting also decided that offices of the Supreme Court and high courts 
would separate terrorism-related appeals as well as militancy-related cases so 
that the former could be heard on a priority basis.

(source: The Kashmir Monitor)


INDIA:

SGPC writes to states for release of Sikh detainees



The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has written to the governors 
and chief ministers of various states for the freedom of the Sikhs who are in 
jail beyond normal life terms.

The SGPC has also formed a 5-member committee led by its president, Avtar Singh 
Makkar, to pursue the case. SGPC executive member Karnail Singh Panjoli; 
secretaries Dalmegh Singh and Manjit Singh; and additional secretary Daljit 
Singh Bedi are also on the committee.

Bedi told the media here on Saturday that the committee would meet the 
governors and the CMs of the states where these Sikhs were held. The 1st 
meeting comes up on January 9 with Uttar Pradesh governor Ram Naik and CM 
Akhilesh Yadav. In the letters, the SGPC has told the governors and the CMs 
that they would be to blame if anything happened to former militant Gurbaksh 
Singh, who was on fast-unto-death in Ambala for the past 50 days for the 
release of the Sikhs.

"His deteriorating condition has become a cause of worry for the SGPC and Akal 
Takht jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh on whose assurance he had ended his 
previous hunger strike in December 2013," said the SGPC additional secretary. 
The governors/CMs contacted are of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, 
Karnataka, and Jammu and Kashmir. The SGPC has a list of 119 militants it want 
freed.

On the list are the likes of Davinder Pal Singh Bhullar, who is sentenced to 
death for killing security personnel in a 1993 bomb blast outside the Youth 
Congress headquarters in New Delhi. Bhullar is in Delhi's Tihar jail and the 
Supreme Court had commuted his death penalty to life imprisonment on medical 
grounds.

Balwant Singh Rajoana (Patiala central jail), on death row for assassinating 
the-then chief minister, Beant Singh, in 1995; co-convicts Jagtar Singh Hawara 
and Paramjit Singh Bheora (from Tihar); Lakhwinder Singh, Gurmit Singh and 
Shamsher Singh (Burail, Chandigarh); ad former Khalistan Liberation Force (KFL) 
militant Daya Singh Lahoria (Tihar) are also on the list.

The SGPC has also sought the freedom of the militants behind bars in Punjab. 
These include Lal Singh (in Nabha jail), Baaz Singh (Amritsar), Assa Singh 
(Hoshiarpur).

SGPC additional secretary Bedi said Waryam Singh, Sikh prisoner in Pilibhit, 
UP, had crossed 90 and even lost his eyesight partially. "It is a violation of 
human rights that no one is bothered to consider his case for release," said 
Bedi.

"Gurdip Singh at Gulbargha in Karnataka; and Gurmit Singh Fauji at Bikaner in 
Rajasthan are behind bars for the past 20 years," he said. In the last couple 
of days, Akal Takht jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh has sent a delegation to 
Union home minister Rajnath Singh with a list of 80 detainees.

(source: Hindustan Times)








IRAN----executions

3 Public Executions in Iran Today



3 men were hanged publicly in the town of Torqabeh near Mashhad (Northeastern 
Iran) today. The state run Iranian news agency Fars reported that 3 men 
identified as "Mehdi V", "Ehsan K" and "Mahmood K" were convicted of raping a 
young woman in one of the villages near Torqabeh.

The report didn't mention the age of the men and the exact time of the offence.

Mehdi and Ehsan were sentenced to death by public execution convicted of rape, 
while Mahmood was sentenced to 100 lashes and public execution for threatening 
and raping the woman, said the report.

On January 1, one man was hanged in Qazvin, while according to unofficial 
sources 13 prisoners were hanged in 3 different prisons on January 1. These 
include 4 women in Bam, 7 prisoners in Kerman and 2 prisoners in Bandar Abbas.

(source: Iran Human Rights)








NIGERIA:

Nigerian NGO seeks UN action over mass death sentences ---- 52 soldiers have 
been sentenced to death after being found guilty of mutiny



A Nigerian NGO has sought intervention by the UN to stop the execution of 
dozens of army soldiers recently convicted of mutiny by a secret court martial.

"The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has been in discussion 
with Johel Dominique at the Office of the UN Special Rapporteur on 
Extrajudicial, Arbitrary or Summary Executions both on the telephone and via 
email," the NGO executive director Adetokunbo Mumuni said in a statement on 
Sunday.

"Dominique has confirmed that Special Rapporteur [Christof Heyns] is 
considering appropriate action to avert the imminent execution of 54 soldiers 
on death row in the country," he added.

On December 17, a Nigerian court martial sentenced 52 soldiers to death after 
being found guilty of attempted mutiny, an offence that attracts death penalty 
in the military.

The prosecutor said the convicts committed the offence on August 4 in 
Maiduguri, the provincial capital of Nigeria's restive northeastern Borno 
State, after they refused orders to deploy for an operation intended to 
recapture towns taken by Boko Haram militants.

For the last 5 years, Nigeria has battled a fierce Boko Haram insurgency that 
has ravaged the country's volatile northeastern region and claimed thousands of 
lives.

The year 2014 has proved to be the insurgency's bloodiest, with increasingly 
frequent attacks, higher death tolls and a deluge of displaced persons.

The Nigerian NGO said "it is not right or fair to try everyone in mass 
proceedings, and that such unfair trial should not send someone to the 
gallows."

"The imposition of mass death sentences is in breach of the International 
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Nigeria is a party," it 
insisted.

According to the NGO, Heyns is considering appropriate action, including 
communication to President Goodluck Jonathan, regarding the imminent execution 
of the soldiers.

"[We] welcome the decision by Heyns to intervene in the matter," said Mumuni.

"Given his longstanding human rights commitment and achievements, we have 
absolutely no doubt that Heyns will work assiduously to ensure that justice is 
done in this matter," he added.

(source: World Bulletin)

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

UN Considers 'Appropriate Action' To Avert Execution Of 54 Soldiers On Death 
Row ; The Office of the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Arbitrary or 
Summary Executions, Mr.



The Office of the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Arbitrary or Summary 
Executions, Mr. Christof Heyns has stated that "appropriate action including 
communication to the government of President Goodluck Jonathan is being 
considered regarding the imminent execution of 54 soldiers in Nigeria."

This followed a petition submitted to Mr Heyns by Socio-Economic Rights and 
Accountability Project (SERAP) in December 2014 in which the group asked 5 UN 
human rights independent experts to individually and jointly use their "good 
offices and positions to urgently request the Nigerian government and its 
military authorities not to carry out the mass death sentences imposed on 54 
Nigerian soldiers for what the government claimed was disobeying a direct order 
from their commanding officer."

The development was disclosed by SERAP executive director Adetokunbo Mumuni in 
a statement dated 4 January 2015.

According to Mumuni, "SERAP has been in discussion with Johel Dominique at the 
Office of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, arbitrary or summary 
executions both on the telephone and via email. Johel Dominique has confirmed 
that the Special Rapporteur is considering appropriate action to avert the 
imminent execution of 54 soldiers on death row in the country. We have also 
confirmed to the Special Rapporteur that SERAP has the consent of Mr Femi 
Falana, SAN, the legal counsel to the 54 soldiers to file the petition."

"SERAP welcomes the decision by Mr. Christof Heyns to intervene in the matter. 
Given his longstanding human rights commitment and achievements, we have 
absolutely no doubt that Mr Heyns will work assiduously to ensure that justice 
is done in this matter and we wish him well as he strives to do that," Mumuni 
stated.

It would be recalled that SERAP had in a petition dated 23 December 2014 and 
addressed to 5 special rapporteurs stated that, "It is not right or fair to try 
everyone in mass proceedings, and that such unfair trial should not send 
someone to the gallows. Imposition of mass death sentences is in breach of the 
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Nigeria is a 
party. This Covenant limits the circumstances in which a state can impose the 
death sentence."

The 5 special rapporteurs are: Christof Heyns, Special Rapporteur on 
extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; Juan Mendez, Special Rapporteur 
on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; Pablo 
de Greiff, Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation 
and guarantees of non-recurrence; Mads Andenas, Chair-Rapporteur of the Working 
Group on Arbitrary Detention; and Ben Emmerson, Special Rapporteur on the 
promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism.

According to SERAP, the courts-martial held in secret were "a mockery of 
justice" and ignored issues raised by the condemned men that "suggest lack of 
transparency, accountability and general deficiencies" in the handling of the 
security budget and arms purchases.

The petition copied to Mr Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human 
Rights also stated that, "Under international law, cases involving capital 
punishment such as the present one require the full and scrupulous respect of 
the guarantees of highest standards of fairness, due process and justice."

"All human rights depend for their enjoyment the right to life, which is the 
most fundamental of all rights. The right to life symbolizes everything that 
the United Nations works and stands for, be it in the area of peace and 
security, development or human rights. To reject the act of irreversibly taking 
someone's life is to embrace belief in human progress and dignity," SERAP also 
argued.

According to the organization, "The imposition of mass death sentences is 
unjust and incompatible with fundamental human rights. The UN General Assembly 
to which Nigeria becomes has called for a worldwide moratorium on execution. In 
fact, the Special Rapporteurs have pointed stated that the right to life is a 
fundamental right, not a toy to be played with."

The organization stated further that, "The UN has also acknowledged the 
discriminatory and arbitrary nature of judicial processes and the danger of the 
death penalty being used as a tool of repression. It has documented evidence to 
show that the death penalty is no deterrent, stressing that "depriving a human 
person of his or her life is incompatible with the trend in the 21st century."

It would be recalled that on Wednesday December 17 2014, the Nigerian Army's 7 
division General Court Martial convicted 54 soldiers for conspiracy to commit 
mutiny and sentenced them to death by firing squad. The facts of the case 
indicate that the soldiers, from the 111 Special Forces, were charged for 
disobeying a direct order from their commanding officer, Timothy Opurum, a 
Lieutenant Colonel, to take part in an operation to recapture Delwa, Bulabulin 
and Damboa in Borno State from Boko Haram terrorists on August 4.

The United Nations human rights experts are part of what it is known as the 
Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest 
body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights, is the general name of the 
independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms of the Human Rights Council 
that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts 
of the world.

Signed

Adetokunbo Mumuni

SERAP Executive Director

4/1/2015

www.serap-nigeria.org

(source: Sahara Reporters)








QATAR:

3 Asian men sentenced to death for murdering elderly Qatari woman



A Lower Court in Doha has awarded the death penalty to 3 Asian men after they 
were found guilty of killing an elderly Qatari woman at her home in the city's 
New Salata Area some 3 years ago.

The crime took place in early 2012 when the trio allegedly broke into the house 
where the victim was staying alone.

According to Doha News, which broke the story of the sentencing, the accused 
used to work at a construction site near the victim's house. The men were 
familiar with the layout of the house as the lady had invited them for meals 
during Ramadan.

On the fateful night , the octogenarian lady, who was sleeping in her room on 
the ground floor, woke up and raised an alarm after learning that some people 
had entered her house. But she was stabbed to death by the intruders who had 
robbery in their mind. However, she was was able to alert her Ethiopian maid, 
who was sleeping on the 1st floor.

Though the maid was also attacked by the burglars she was able to lock herself 
in and call her sponsor's family for help.

The assailants had fled before the police arrived on the scene. The suspects 
were apprehended by the police 3 days after the incident.

During interrogation they confessed to the crime. The police recovered the 
knives used for the heinous act from a location in Al Wakrah. The men were 
reportedly not able to lay their hands on any valuables, Doha News said.

The defendants, who are learnt to be in their 20s, are likely to appeal the 
verdict.

Though the report identified the three convicts as Indians , a spokesman for 
the Indian embassy said he had no knowledge of any Indian national involved in 
the case. The official said he had visited the Central Prison a few times in 
the last 3 months but had not come across any of his compatriot being held 
there on such charges.

A lawyer who usually appears for Indian nationals in such cases also echoed 
similar sentiments.

(source: Gulf Times)








TRINIDAD:

Ramadhar backs return of hangman



Congress of the People (COP) leader Prakash Ramadhar says he is in support of 
the death penalty and will assist the People's Partnership (PP) in pushing 
through legislation when the matter is brought before Parliament again. 
Speaking to the media after the party's executive meeting at the COP 
headquarters in Charlieville, Chaguanas, yesterday, Ramadhar said a strong 
message must be sent to those who commit the most heinous of crimes that they 
must pay the ultimate penalty for murder.

"It is important for us to recognise that a message has to be sent that those 
who're willing to take life, that the most severe consequence is available to 
them," Ramadhar said. "That is why the Government had brought legislation in 
the past to categorise murders, the most grievous of them, premeditated 
murders, assassinations. Those are the ones that once one is charged and 
convicted, you must pay the penalty with your life."

The country has already recorded seven murders for the year and Ramadhar 
admitted the PP must deal with the issue. "Murder is atrocious for all. It is 
something that certainly needs to be addressed, but we've taken steps in terms 
of the detection of crime, such as DNA legislation and labs and the use of 
science to solve crimes."

He said it was easy to talk about the number of offences, but it was really 
about the use of technology to detect who was responsible and then bring them 
to justice.

Ramadhar said tremendous effort had been made by the Government to speed up 
trials, but before cases could get to trial they must be solved and suspects 
arrested, and the use of science would go a long way towards achieving those 
ends. He said in preparation for general elections this year, all party 
executives were asked last year to look at potential candidates for screening, 
so that they could have candidates of "good quality."

Responding to whether the COP would go it alone or remain in the coalition, 
Ramadhar said the lessons of 2007 were still with them. He said the COP was 
still an independent party, but it had learned well in working with its 
partners. Ramadhar said it was not a perfect equation, but it was one that had 
worked well for the people of T&T.

He also said the country was on the precipice of an economic meltdown when the 
Government came into office and the PP had been able to stabilise the economy 
and politics of the country.

(source: The Guardian)