[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Jan. 19



VIETNAM:

Vietnam condemns 8 drug convicts to death



A court in the northern province of Hoa Binh on Monday sentenced 8 people to 
death and handed down life sentences to 5 others at the conclusion of a mass 
trial.

Of the convicts who got the death penalty, 7 men and 1 woman were found guilty 
of being part of a ring that smuggled around 180 kilograms of heroin across 
Vietnam's northern mountainous provinces.

5 other members of the ring were jailed to life in prison, while a further 17 
defendants handed jail terms ranging between 6 to 20 years for different crimes 
such as drug trafficking, harboring criminals, offering, brokering and taking 
bribes, murder, illegal use of weapons and opposing officials on duty.

Because of the large number of smuggled heroin and the seriousness of the case, 
such harsh sentences were justified, according to the verdict, which was 
delivered at the conclusion of the 14-day trial.

Police busted the rings in June 2011 in Hoa Binh, making mass arrests and 
seizing large quantities of illegal drugs. They also confiscated 4 cars, 4 guns 
and 27 cell phones during the raid, local media reported.

In what was Vietnam's largest-ever narcotics case, the country's highest court 
in June 2014 upheld the death penalties against 29 of 30 people sentenced to 
die 5 months earlier. The drug mules were found guilty of smuggling nearly 2 
tons of heroin from Laos into Vietnam and then on to China.

Vietnam has some of the world's toughest drug laws. Those convicted of 
smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kilograms of 
methamphetamine face the death penalty.

The production or sale of 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal 
narcotics is also punishable by death.

Vietnam switched to lethal injection from the firing squad in November 2011.

However, an European Union refusal to sell Vietnam the deadly injection led to 
a delay in executions until August 2013, when Vietnam began manufacturing its 
own lethal serum.

At that time, the number of death-row prisoners was reported to hover 600.

The EU banned the exportation of lethal injection drugs because it regards 
capital punishment to be a violation of human rights.

Although there are no official statistics, the death penalty is most frequently 
handed down in Vietnam to those convicted of drug offences and murder.

(source: Thanh Nien News)








NEPAL/INDONESIA

Govt urged to save 5 Nepalis on death row ---- Nepalis convicted on drug 
charges in Indonesia



Informal Sector Service Center (INSEC) has urged the government to immediately 
take up diplomatic initiatives to save the lives of 5 Nepalis on death row for 
drug related charges in Indonesia.

According to a press statement issued by INSEC on Monday, Bahar Tamang, Bir 
Bahadur Gurung, Indra Bahadur Tamang, Nar Bahadur Tamang and Til Bahadur 
Bhandari have been reportedly convicted and handed death sentences.

The organisation made the appeal a day after Indonesia executed 6 people 
including 5 foreigners on drug trafficking charges.

It is the moral responsibility of government to protect its citizens from death 
penalty as Nepal has signed an international treaty for abolishing the death 
penalty.

Nationals of Brazil, Malawi, Nigeria, Vietnam and the Netherlands were executed 
along with one Indonesian on Sunday.

Indonesia had stopped capital punishment for 5 years until 2013. However, the 
recent resumption of the capital punishment by the Indonesian government has 
drawn criticisms from the local human rights activist as well.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that Brazil and the Netherlands have recalled their 
ambassadors in protest against the execution of their citizens.

(source: Kantipur.com)