[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

July 9


NORTH KOREA:

Seoul: North Korean leader has so far executed 70 officials.


Young North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has executed 70 officials since taking 
power in late 2011 in a "reign of terror" that far exceeds the bloodshed of his 
dictator father's early rule, South Korean officials said Thursday.

South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, at a forum in Seoul, compared Kim 
Jong Un's 70 executions with those of his late father, Kim Jong Il, who he said 
executed about 10 officials during his first years in power.

An official from South Korea's National Intelligence Service, who refused to be 
named, citing office rules, confirmed that the spy agency believes the younger 
Kim has executed about 70 officials but wouldn't reveal how it obtained the 
information.

Yun also said that the younger Kim's "reign of terror affects significantly" 
North Koreans working overseas by inspiring them to defect to the South, but he 
also didn't reveal how he got the details.

North Korea, an authoritarian nation ruled by the Kim family since its founding 
in 1948, is secretive about its government's inner workings, and information 
collected by outsiders is often impossible to confirm.

High-level government purges have a long history in North Korea.

To strengthen his power, Kim Jong Un's grandfather, North Korea founder Kim Il 
Sung, removed pro-Soviet and pro-Chinese factions within the senior leadership 
in the years after the 1950-53 Korean War. The high-ranking victims included 
Pak Hon Yong, formerly the vice chairman of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea 
and the country's foreign minister, who was executed in 1955 after being 
accused of spying for the United States.

Kim Jong Un has also removed key members of the old guard through a series of 
purges since taking over after the death of Kim Jong Il. The most spectacular 
purge to date was the 2013 execution of his uncle, Jang Song Thaek, for alleged 
treason. Jang was married to Kim Jong Il's sister and was once considered the 
second most powerful man in North Korea.

South Korea's spy agency told lawmakers in May that Kim ordered his 
then-defense chief Hyon Yong Chol executed with an anti-aircraft gun for 
complaining about the young ruler, talking back to him and sleeping during a 
meeting.

Experts say Kim could be using fear to solidify his leadership, but those 
efforts could fail if he doesn't improve the country's shattered economy.

(source: Associated Press)






PHILIPPINES:

Veloso's recruiters indicted for trafficking, estafa


A government prosecutor has found basis to file cases in a Nueva Ecija court 
against the alleged recruiters of Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipina death row inmate 
in Indonesia.

Set to face cases of qualified trafficking, illegal recruitment, and estafa are 
Maria Cristina Sergio and Julius Lacanilao, and their alleged African cohort, 
alias "Ike," according to a resolution issued on Thursday by Assistant State 
Prosecutor Susan Azarcon.

"Certainly good news. About time. Quite a long road to justice but we are 
getting there. The lull will come after this storm," said Edre Olalia, legal 
counsel for Veloso's family.

Azarcon said the 3 are liable for "simple illegal recruitment" because they 
transported Veloso to Malaysia in 2010 without a valid license.

On estafa, the prosecutor said the respondents "falsely pretended and 
misrepresented" that Sergio had the capacity to deploy Veloso as domestic 
helper in Malaysia in exchange for P20,000.

"Clearly, complainant (Veloso) suffered damage as the promised job abroad was 
inexistent as well as the cash and the monetary value of the cellular phone and 
the tricycle pawned to respondents," the resolution read.

The respondents were indicted for qualified trafficking for exploiting Veloso, 
who was caught in Yogyakarta airport in 2010 carrying 2.6 kilograms of heroin.

"This exploitative purpose of using complainant (Veloso) in transporting 
illegal drugs resulted to the incarceration of (Veloso). Worse, complainant, 
who was referred and considered by respondents as 'victim' will eventually 
suffer the penalty of death," the resolution said.

Veloso was spared from execution in April after the last minute appeal of the 
Aquino administration to the Indonesian government, which gave way to the 
Philippine investigation on the drug syndicate that allegedly victimized her.

Sergio and Lacanilao also have a pending large-scale illegal recruitment case 
before the Baloc, Nueva Ecija Regional Trial Court branch 37 for allegedly 
recruiting Lorna Valino, Ana Marie Gonzales and Jenalyn Paraiso.

(source: Sun Star)






ISRAEL:

Jewish Home backs death penalty for terrorists----Party leader Bennett says 
bill to execute murderers convicted on terror charges is 'moral and right'

Jewish Home party leader Naftali Bennett on Wednesday voiced support for a bill 
that would impose the death penalty on terrorists convicted on murder charges.

The bill, proposed by Yisrael Beytenu Knesset freshman Sharon Gal, was a plank 
in the Orthodox-nationalist party's platform leading up to the March elections. 
The bill will be brought to the Ministerial Committee on Legislation on Sunday.

Bennett wrote on his Facebook page that the Jewish Home party's Knesset members 
will support the bill.

"A murderous terrorist, such as the murderers of the Fogel family [in the West 
Bank settlement of Itamar in 2011], needs to know that he will end his life 
like he cuts down [the lives of others]," Bennett said. "It's moral and it's 
right."

While the bill tentatively has the support of Jewish Home's 8 seats, and 
Yisrael Beytenu's 6, it remains unclear whether Prime Minister Benjamin 
Netanyahu's ruling Likud party, with its 30 lawmakers in the Knesset, will get 
behind the measure. According to Haaretz, Likud officials were still debating 
whether to support the bill.

The bill proposes that someone convicted of murder on terrorist charges would 
be sentenced to death by an Israeli civilian court. Meanwhile, anyone convicted 
of such charges in the West Bank, which is under Israeli military control, 
would receive a similar sentence from a military court. It would also amend the 
existing law to allow a basic majority of judges to hand someone a death 
sentence, rather than requiring a unanimous decision.

In theory, capital punishment exists in Israel - for war crimes, crimes against 
humanity, genocide, treason and crimes against the Jewish people - but it has 
only been exercised with the execution of Adolf Eichman in 1962. Right-wing 
politicians have indicated support in principle for the death penalty for 
terrorists; 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.

During the election campaign, Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman 
repeatedly called for the death penalty for terrorists. During one stump 
speech, Liberman said that Israeli Arabs who support the state "should receive 
everything [in terms of rights]; those against us, it cannot be helped, we must 
lift up an ax and behead them - otherwise we will not survive here."

Gal, the lawmaker who proposed the bill, said that the party had made a promise 
to voters, "and we're determined to make it happen."

"We must change the reality and eradicate terrorism," he said. "Death sentences 
will strengthen Israel's deterrence - it's moral and ethical to legalize it in 
order to save the lives of our citizens. It has broad support among the people 
- it's clear to everyone that it's a law that must pass."

(source: The Times of Israel)






KURDISTAN/IRAQ:

KRG's block on executions makes for long death row


The number of inmates under death sentence in the Kurdistan region has grown to 
a record high as authorities continue to maintain a de facto moratorium on 
death penalty.

In the region's 3 provinces, there are now 205 prisoners who have been 
sentenced to death. The number is higher than in any year since the 1990s when 
the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) established its autonomous courts, 
virtually independent of Iraq's judiciary.

Apart from terrorism-related cases, no other death sentence has been carried 
out since 2008 because KRG President Masoud Barzani has refrained from ordering 
the executions to be carried out.

Kurdistan Parliament passed a terrorism bill on April 4, 2006, that instructs 
the death penalty for acts of terrorism or affiliation with a terrorist 
organization.

"These inmates are in terrible mental condition since they have no idea whether 
they will be executed or not," said KRG Minister of Social Affairs Muhammad 
Hawdiani.

Hawdiani said he supports abolishing the death penalty and has recommended the 
sentences for these inmates be commuted to life in prison.

The Human Rights Committee in the Kurdistan Parliament, in coordination with 
the Directorate of Human Rights Affairs, prepared a bill in 2011 to abolish the 
death penalty in the region. The bill has passed to parliament for discussion, 
but no date has so far been set to vote on it.

The number of prisoners on death row rose from 135 in 2011 to 205 in 2015, 
partly due to changing attitudes toward the judiciary in terms of families of 
victims reaching settlements outside the court system.

In capital punishment cases, if the perpetrator and the victim's family resolve 
through the traditional settlement "sulh," the death sentence is altered to 
life incarceration.

Bestun Fayeq, a lawmaker who works with human rights in the Kurdish parliament, 
said the Kurdistan region should push Iraq to abolish death sentences all 
together.

"It would solve the problem fundamentally because the death penalty is still 
very much implemented in rest of Iraq," Fayeq said.

Over 1,700 people were on death row in Iraq towards the end of 2014 despite 
widespread use of death penalty in the country. According to a recent United 
Nations report 177 people were executed in 2013.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein and UN Special 
Representative for Iraq Nickolay Mladenov have urged Iraq to impose a 
moratorium on the death penalty and has called on the Kurdistan region to 
abolish it permanently.

(source: Rudaw.net)



RWANDA/KENYA:

Rwanda: Busingye Tips Kenyans On Death Penalty


Johnston Busingye, the Minister for Justice and Attorney General, has urged 
visiting Kenyan officials to consider abolishing the death penalty in their 
country.

"I have never regretted since we abolished the capital punishment. I wish it 
would be the case for your country as it brings more benefits than dealing with 
petitions from people appealing for mercy after being sentenced to death," the 
minister told the delegation in Kigali on Tuesday.

The delegation is comprised of members of the Power of Mercy Advisory Committee 
(POMAC) of Kenya.

"When you think about how to kill a human being, it also becomes a big 
challenge since human life is sacred," Busingye stated.

He further told the delegation that abolishing the death sentence in Rwanda's 
penal code has tremendously contributed to restorative justice. Rwanda 
abolished the death penalty in 2007.

"After the 1994 Genocide, our capacity to try those who were charged had become 
too low. If we maintained the death sentence, with Gacaca cases would have put 
over half-a-million people on the death row. Imagine someone signing for such a 
number of people to be hanged or executed and what would remain in minds of the 
people?

"That is how we thought about a system that would help us embrace justice, 
involving the community and promoting the unity of Rwandans instead of putting 
convicts on the death row," he said.

Regina Saira Boisabi, the vice chairperson of POMAC, noted that there is a 
difference between the Rwandan justice and mercy systems and those of Kenya.

"For us, we still have the death penalty and have many convicts in prisons, 
while Rwanda is decongesting prisons. We hope that our visit will leave us 
equipped with knowledge in terms of exercise of power of mercy and system of 
justice."

The Kenyan delegation, which is on a 1-week study tour, will visit different 
justice and correctional services, and the Kigali Genocide Memorial to learn 
about the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

(source: All Africa News)






INDIA:

Law Commission of India to hold one-day consultation on death penalty


The Law Commission of India is to hold a 1-day consultation on the death 
penalty on the coming Saturday i.e. 11th July, 2015 at the India HabitatCentre 
in New Delhi.

Inaugurated by Shri Gopal Krishna Gandhi, the consultationwill bring together a 
select group of leading figures in the judiciary, thebar, academia, media, and 
political and public life, to debate and discussvarious aspects of the death 
penalty.

In order to facilitate comprehensivedeliberations, the consultation is 
organized as a roundtable and allparticipants will attend the event throughout 
the day. Each session will beginwith short remarks by invited speakers. The 
floor will then be open for inputsfrom all participants.

(source: niticentral.com)

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

A P J Abdul Kalam favours abolition of death penalty----Kalam said capital 
punishment was one of the most difficult tasks for him as President.


A P J Abdul Kalam has supported abolition of the death penalty saying that as 
President of India, he felt pain in deciding on such cases as most of them had 
"social and economic bias". Kalam was responding to a Law Commission 
consultation paper on capital punishment and was one of the few people who have 
supported abolition of death sentence. Most of the over 400 respondents have 
supported continuing with the provision of death penalty.

In his response to the paper, Kalam said capital punishment was one of the most 
difficult tasks for him as President. Quoting from his book "Turning Points", 
Kalam said "one of the more difficult tasks for me as President was to decide 
on the issue of confirming capital punishment awarded by courts ... to my 
surprise ... almost all cases which were pending had a social and economic 
bias.

"This gave me an impression that we were punishing the person who was least 
involved in the enmity and who did not have a direct motive for committing the 
crime," he said. The former President, however, said there was of course one 
case where he found that the lift operator had in fact committed the crime of 
raping and killing the girl without doubt. "In that case I affirmed the 
sentence," he said.

He was referring to the case of Dhananjoy Chatterjee who was executed by 
hanging for the rape and murder of an 18-year-old girl at her apartment in 
Bhowanipur on 5 March 1990. The Commission has called a day-long meet on 
Saturday on death penalty to conclude the process of consultation. A final 
report would be submitted to the Supreme Court sometime next month.

In a consultation paper released on May 22 last year, the Law Commission had 
said that at this juncture, an exhaustive study on the subject would be a 
useful and salutary contribution to the cause of public debate on this issue. 
Such a study will also provide a definitive research-backed orientation to the 
lawmakers and judges on this very contentious issue, it had said.

The Commission said the study would have to address queries and concerns of 
courts and present an international perspective on the issue. The Supreme 
Court, in Santosh Kumar Satishbhushan Bariyar vs Maharashtra and Shankar 
Kisanrao Khade vs Maharashtra, had suggested that the Law Commission should 
study the death penalty in India to "allow for an up-to-date and informed 
discussion and debate on the subject."

The views set forth during the consultation will aid the Commission in 
formulating its report on the issue, the law panel said in a statement.

(source: The Indian Express)

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

Will the Gavit sisters, serial killers of children, be the 1st women to be 
hanged?----Despite all of this, the sisters are still hopeful that they will 
escape the sentence.


In 2001, the Kolhapur sessions court awarded the death penalty to the Gavit 
sisters - Seema Gavit and Renuka Shinde - for abducting and killing a dozen-odd 
children aged between 1 and 4 years. In the next 14 years, their appeals 
against the sentence were turned down by all subsequent authorities including 
the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court. In April 2014 came the final blow 
for the sisters, when their mercy petition was rejected by the President of 
India.

Despite all of this, the sisters are still hopeful that they will escape the 
sentence. To stretch the legal discourse further, the duo in August 2014 filed 
a fresh petition before the Bombay High Court citing "delay in execution" as 
the latest reason for getting off death row. Since then there is a stay on 
their execution and the case, as expected, is moving at a snail's pace. With 
its last hearing held in April 2015, the case will now come up in October 2015.

The sisters are not alone. In the past 3 years, President Pranab Mukherjee has 
rejected 24 mercy pleas (till May 2015) of which only two convicts- Mohd Ajmal 
Kasab and Afzal Guru- have been hanged till date. The remaining convicts have 
managed to procure a stay on their hanging by moving fresh petitions before the 
respective High Courts, primarily on the grounds of prolonged procedural delays 
in execution. Maharashtra has 30 convicts on death row, including 1993 blast 
convict Yakub Memon and the 3 Shakti Mills rapists. All convicts facing death 
sentences in Maharashtra are moved to Yerwada in Pune or the Nagpur jail, 
because these are the only 2 prisons in the state that have gallows.

In January 2014, a 3-judge panel headed by Chief Justice of India Palanisamy 
Sathasivam commuted sentences of 15 death row convicts, ruling that the 
"inordinate and inexplicable delay is a ground for commuting death penalty to 
life sentence".

The Gavit sisters, too, have sought relief on the grounds of "delay" on the 
state government's part in executing them. But the state government has blamed 
the delays on the procedural lapses done by the jail superintendent as well as 
on the fire in Mantralaya. The government, in its affidavit filed before the 
Bombay High Court, said it could not furnish complete documents before the 
President at the earliest due to the fire, and had to procure relevant 
documents from the jail superintendent.

Sources in the home department also claim that the sisters, too, have 
deliberately delayed the proceedings under legal guidance. "They knew the delay 
will go in their favour. So, initially, one of the sisters sat on the consent 
to file mercy petition for over a year," said a senior officer.

While awarding the death sentence to the sisters in 2001, Judge GL Yedke in 
Kolhapur had described the 9 kids' murders as 'the most heinous', and observed 
that the 2 sisters seemed to have enjoyed killing the children.

What is the case against the Gavit sisters?

Renuka and Seema, along with their mother Anjanabai Gavit, used to kidnap 
children and push them into begging. They killed some of the children after 
they stopped being productive. The sisters are currently lodged at the Yerwada 
jail in Pune. Anjanabai passed away during the trial, and the sisters' father 
Kiran Shinde turned approver and was acquitted.

(source: DNA India)






GHANA:

Amnesty International urges Ghana to ratify Protocol


Mr. Lawrence Amesu, the Director of Amnesty International (AI) Ghana, has 
called on Parliament to ratify the 2nd Optional Protocol to the International 
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), as the next step towards 
abolishing the Death Penalty in Ghana.

He explained that although Ghana had shown commitment to the abolition of the 
Death Penalty, it continued to abstain from voting on it when it was called for 
voting at the United Nations.

Mr. Amesu said Ghana's abstinence from voting at the UN on the issue could 
partly be because the country had not yet ratified the 2nd ICCPR, which would 
facilitate the abolition of the death penalty and called on government to 
ratify it.

Speaking at a forum on the next steps to the abolition of the death penalty, 
after the stall of the Constitutional Review Process, Mr. Amesu recounted some 
actions of government, which showed its commitment to abolishing the death 
penalty.

He stated that Ghana is in the category of countries referred to as 
abolitionists in practice or de facto abolitionists, having carried out no 
executions over the past 22 years, although nine death sentences were imposed 
in 2014.

President John Dramani Mahama, on Ghana's 54th Republic Day Anniversary, on 
July 1st, 2014, commuted 21 death sentences to life imprisonment, leading to a 
reduction in the number of people on death row in Ghana to 137 as at December 
2014.

Exercising his prerogative of mercy, the President, on 1st July, 2015, again 
commuted the death sentences of 14 prisoners on death row to life imprisonment, 
and gave a definite term of 20 years to 1 prisoner on life sentence, showing 
his commitment to abolition of the death penalty.

Mr. Amesu commended the French Embassy for its continued support for Amnesty 
International and the Death Penalty Coalition since they started the 
discussions on the fight for abolition of death penalty in Ghana, saying the 
platform also helped to share information among coalition members to better 
equip them with knowledge and skills for their respective advocacy campaigns.

Mrs Jane Gasu Aheto, the Director, Legal and Consular Department of the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, stated that, the final 
decision to abolish the death penalty lay with the people of Ghana, hence the 
importance of such fora to educate them on its importance.

She pledged the ministry's commitment to support the campaign and to engage 
stakeholders where necessary at the national, regional and international levels 
on the issue. She also stated that the Ministry would continue to collaborate 
with Amnesty International on this and other important matters.

Mrs. Adelaide Anno-Kumi, the Chief Director, Ministry of the Interior, on her 
part, emphasised the need for a complete reform of Ghana's sentencing regime.

She said in light of the congestion at the various prisons across the country, 
the ministry had held a meeting with stakeholders in the sector to discuss the 
need for a non-custodial sentencing regime and had received approval from 
majority of the stakeholders present.

The Ministry had thus forwarded a communique to the Attorney General for a Bill 
to be drafted to reform the sentencing regime in Ghana.

(source: ghanaweb.com)


NIGERIA:

Oshiomhole advocates stiffer penalties for rape, child abuse


Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has advocated stiffer penalties against 
rapists, paedophiles and anyone involved in child abuse to serve as deterrence 
to others.

He also urged people of the state to stop giving alms to child beggars to 
discourage the rising trend of child beggars in the state.

Speaking to the Chairman and members of the International Federation of Women 
Lawyers (FIDA) in the state, led by Mrs. Stella Ojemen, who paid him a courtesy 
visit at the Government House, on Tuesday, Oshiomhole said, "Edo State 
Government appreciates that you are addressing some of the challenges that 
government ought to have addressed like ensuring that we all mount campaigns 
against rape and defilement as well as ensure that when people have carried out 
these heinous crimes, that they are properly arrested and that they are 
diligently prosecuted with a view to sending them to prison.

"We have discussed this time and again at our Executive Council Meetings and at 
a point, we asked the Attorney-General to review the laws such that the number 
of years a convict gets will commensurate with the severe nature of rape and 
defilement".

Oshiomhole continued, "we are concerned, we have discussed this and we have a 
feeling that the number of reported cases are on the increase. We also know 
that because of the nature of our environment, there will be several others 
that may not even be reported at all.

"When you look at the sheer number of rape cases that are recorded, it is clear 
that across the country, both rape and defilement cases are increasing and 
therefore this calls for tougher measures on the part of those strengthening 
the law and providing for stiffer and harsher punishments than what is 
currently obtained but also ensure that the few cases that are reported are 
properly prosecuted with a view to securing conviction.

"Consistent with our commitment in this area, I would advise that whenever you 
have such cases, when you are likely to have much more information than even 
the Ministry of Justice or Police, and there might be cases where efforts are 
made to cover up cases reported in some quarters, you are an NGO and might wish 
to open up such cases. So I will advise you to liaise effectively with the 
Attorney-General and also encourage the Local Government Chapters to ensure 
that all cases are reported."

The Governor however noted that the State has recorded a high level of victory 
in the fight against kidnapping and reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring that 
kidnappers are completely put out of business in the State.

He said, "I appreciate the issues you raised about kidnapping and the peculiar 
challenges that female victims suffer but we are dealing with it globally and 
we have recorded a lot of achievements. We have presently up to 50 cases of 
kidnappers that have been arrested and so the era of impunity where the state 
appears helpless is over.

"The unfortunate thing though is that as we apprehend we still have more young 
people going into the business. We will sustain our effort at arresting and 
ensuring prosecution. We have amended the law to provide for death penalty for 
proven cases of kidnapping and also to demolish the houses of the kidnappers or 
any premises used for kidnapping because we feel that landlords are liable, 
they are supposed to verify the character and status of their tenants. These 
are some of the measures we have taken to ensure that we make the state a lot 
safer for our people".

The Governor called on the people of the State to join hands with Government 
and other Non Governmental Organizations to ensure that incidents of child 
labour and street begging are completely wiped out of the State adding that Edo 
people are not lazy and will never succumb to begging as an alternative to hard 
work.

He said, "on the issue of Child Labour, I am disturbed at the growing numbers 
of beggars and their children that I see along the streets and a lot of these 
people are people who have migrated to Edo these past few months and unless we 
take firm measures, Edo may become a haven for beggars that have been thrown 
out of even their own states of origin where begging has been prohibited. I 
have directed the Commissioner for Women Affair to take firm measures to bring 
this incidence to an end.

"Edo cannot be a haven for beggars. We recognize the economic challenges but 
begging is not and will not be the solution and exposing children to begging is 
unhealthy and I will even appeal to Edo people not to give alms to child 
beggars because it doesn't help because women and their fathers push this 
children to the street, they use them in the manner they do hoping they will 
attract pity. The more pity we show to those kids, the more they are subjected 
to these dehumanizing practices. This is not a thing to be encouraged."

Earlier, Chairperson of International Federation of Women Lawyers, Edo State 
Branch, Mrs. Stella Ojemen said they were in Government House to promote the 
rights of women and children. She said, "We are not profit making and not a 
religious organization, non-political. Our duties are simple: to ensure that 
women and children who are confronted with all kinds of issues are protected. 
We are disturbed by the incidence of child labor and trafficking of women in 
the state and with the plight of widows who are being disturbed by the families 
of the husband.

"We are also worried by the incidence of female gender mutilation. We are also 
worried about the maltreatment of women and children in crisis zones and we are 
really disturbed by all of these issues."

(source: worldstagegroup.com)






UGANDA:

Lwakataka Co-Accused Convicted


Rally driver and businessman Ponsiano Lwakataaka's co-accused has been 
convicted on 9 counts of murdering 9 people in Rakai District.

Asuman Muddu, 20, a resident of Kasambya village in Rakai District, pleaded 
guilty to the offences before Masaka High Court Judge John Keitirima on Monday.

However, Lwakataaka and two of his co-accused, Vincent Fangesi and Emmanuel 
Zzinda, denied the charges, pleading not guilty to the 9 counts.

They were remanded until July 20 for trial as court set July 9 to give Muddu 
his sentence.

Court heard that on January 14, 2013, the accused and their accomplices, who 
are still at large, attacked and brutally killed the family of the late Pastor 
Steven Mugambe of Kyebe Pentecostal Church at Kyebe Trading Centre in Kyebe 
Sub-county in Rakai District.

Prosecution led by Peter Ssemalemba and Ann Kiiza told the court that Muddu 
confessed to police in an extra-judicial statement that he together with 
Fangesi, alias Kanyama and Zzinda, were hired by Lwakataaka at Shs30 million to 
kill the 9 family members.

Mr Semaremba asked the court to give Muddu a death penalty given the brutal 
manner in which the family members were killed.

However, Muddu's lawyer John Kalule, asked the court to use its powers to give 
his client a custodial sentence since he is a first time offender and has been 
on remand for more than a year. Mr Kalule added that the accused had not wasted 
court's time.

Lwakataaka's woes started early last year after he was arrested in possession 
of immature fish and shooting at police officers while allegedly smuggling the 
fish to DR Congo.

He was granted bail on August 1, 2014. However, he was re-arrested and remanded 
to Masaka Central Prisons over new charges of murder last September.

(source: The Monitor)