[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

May 2


IRAN----executions

4 Prisoners Hanged in Arak Prison



In the morning of Sunday 26th April, 4 prisoners were hanged in Arak city.

According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency in Iran (HRANA), 
they were executed in the courtyard of Arak prison. There is no information 
about their identity and charges, also authorities and official institutions 
have not announced these executions, yet.

In addition to the high number of executions in Iran which has been always 
criticized by human rights activists and international institutions, almost 
secret executions and executions without any transparency and official 
notifications, have made executions in Iran, more complex and have added to the 
uncertainty in this area.

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

A Report about the Status of Bahrooz Alkhani, Death Row Prisoner



Psychological condition of Behrooz Alkhani, death row prisoner who is 
imprisoned since 5 years ago has been alarming.

According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency in Iran (HRANA), 
Behrooz Alkhani, who has been alleged to connection with PJAK and participation 
in assassination of Khoy's prosecutor and has been sentenced to death, is now 
facing serious problems in prison of Ormia and judicial authorities refrain 
from sending him to hospital.

A close relative of Behrooz Alkhani stated that the most important request by 
him and his family at the moment is sending him to a hospital and getting 
health care: "Due to physical and psychological tortures during detention and 
execution sentence, he is suffering from psychological problems and depression, 
and even when his family go to meet him, he is not in a good mood to see them 
and has told them that 'you do not need to come to visit me.' The prosecutor 
refrains to send him to hospital because of kind of his charges, but this is 
not right, to deprive him from hospital and treatment until he die in prison, 
just because he has been sentenced to death." Behrooz Alkhani's case was 
referred to the Supreme Court due to his appeal, and the Supreme Court did not 
upheld the verdict that was issued by branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court in 
Ormia and referred the case to Branch 10 of the Appeal Court and his sentence 
was confirmed again in this court. Then with his new appeal, his case was sent 
back to the Supreme Court and the Court has not yet issued a final ruling.

This prisoner, also in a separate case on charge of keeping weapon, was 
sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. His relatives said that the weapon has not 
been confiscated by intelligence agents when he was arrested.

(source for both: HRANA News Agency)

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

Death sentence: Bravo!



On the central square of the town of Kermanshah, Iran, 2 pedophiles, who raped 
a 9-year-old boy, were executed by hanging publicly. One of the perverts filmed 
the hideous crime on video. A crowd of people gathered on the square to watch 
the execution. As the 2 criminals were being hanged, the crowd was chanting: 
"Thank you, court!" and "Bravo!" As many as 145 people have been executed in 
Iran since the beginning of the year.

Iranian officials assert that the authorities execute only most dangerous 
perpetrators, whose crimes are fully solved and proved. According to official 
statistics, there were 179 people executed in Iran in 2010. In other words, the 
number of executions in the country grows.

Most often, Iranian courts execute criminals for drug-related and sex crimes. 
This year, over 85 from 145 people were executed on charges of drug trafficking 
and rapes. It is worthy of note that Iran practices death penalty for 
homosexual activities. Adultery, especially committed by women, is considered a 
grave crime in Iran too.

It has been recently reported that an Iranian court found a young Iranian 
female, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, guilty of committing adultery. The woman 
was sentenced to death penalty by stoning.

The woman has been living in prison since 2006; her execution has been delayed 
indefinitely. The sentence triggered an international scandal: even the UN 
General Assembly took the side of the poor Iranian woman. Icelandic Foreign 
Minister Ossur Skarphedinsson stated that his country was ready to grant 
political shelter to the woman.

Iranian justice looks quite original from the contemporary point of view. Majid 
Mohavedi, a young Iranian, threw hydrochloric acid at the face of his beloved 
woman after she refused to marry him. The court decided that the man must be 
punished similarly. As a result, the court sentenced the man to have acid 
dripped in his eyes to blind him.

According to Iran's Islamic laws, such punishments are allowed after causing 
bodily harm to an individual. In Iran, even underage individuals can be 
sentenced to death penalty.

11 people were executed in the country on May 27th. According to Iranian news 
agency IRNA, the criminals were convicted of drug use and trafficking, armed 
robbery, kidnapping, rapes and murders.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has recently spoken about the need to toughen 
punishments for sex crimes committed against children. The president 
particularly put forward a suggestion to consider the issue about chemical 
castration for pedophiles. In Iran, they do not castrate, but hang pedophiles. 
Many Russians would probably chant "Bravo" to executions of pedophiles too.

Pharmaceutical prophylaxis of sex crimes is practiced in many states of the 
United States of America: California, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Louisiana, 
Montana, and others. Such measures are used in many countries including Canada, 
Israel, Britain, France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Poland and Norway. In the 
USA and Poland, the chemical castration of pedophiles is an obligatory 
procedure.

Iran is not the only country that uses death penalty for sex crimes committed 
against children. This type of punishment is practiced in South Korea, Iraq and 
Saudi Arabia. In other countries, such convicts are isolated from the society 
to life or for an indefinite period of time.

It is worthy of note that the number of death penalties in China is a lot 
larger than in Iran. The Celestial Empire holds the world leadership at this 
point. China has taken several steps during the recent years to cut the number 
of death sentences.

In general, death penalty was legally abolished in 31 countries of the world. 
China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the USA and Yemen take the lead on the number of 
death penalties in the world. According to official information, there were 527 
death sentences executed in 2010. It is lower than in 2009, when there were at 
least 714 executions conducted. However, as unconfirmed information says, there 
were several thousands of people executed in China in 2010.

(source: Pravda)








SUDAN:

Detained South Sudanese pastors on hunger strike



2 South Sudanese pastors who are still in the custody of Sudan's Security and 
Intelligence Services since nearly 5 months ago in Khartoum reportedly began a 
hunger strike on Tuesday in protest against their detention.

On 21 December last year, Reverend Yat Michael Ruot, a visiting South Sudanese 
pastor from Juba, was arrested after Sunday worship. Rev. David Yein Reith of 
the Presbyterian Evangelical Church was also arrested on 9 January as he 
returned to his home at the Gerif West Bible School in Khartoum from a prayer 
meeting.

His arrest may have been linked to a letter he delivered to the Office of 
Religious Affairs in Khartoum to inquire about the arrest of Pastor Yat 
Michael, according to his relatives.

Defence lawyers told the Khartoum-based Al Tariq electronic newspaper yesterday 
that the Sudanese security had opened a criminal case against the two religious 
leaders under articles 26, 50, 51, and 53, 62, and 125 of the Sudanese penal 
code.

The detained priests were referred to prosecution in March and that they are 
still waiting for trial up until now. The charge under article 50 of the 
Sudanese penal code (undermining the constitutional system) could result in the 
death penalty, according to the defence lawyers.

(source: radiotamazuj.org)








PAKISTAN:

Saulat Mirza's execution being deferred for another month



Interior Ministry has prepared a summary to defer the execution of former MQM 
worker Saulat Mirza for another month. Saulat Mirza was awarded death penalty 
in May 1999 for the murder of Managing Director, KESC Shahid Hamid.

Sources said the summary is being sent to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who will 
forward it to the president for his orders so that fresh death warrants are not 
issued for Saulat Mirza's execution.

The government has decided to delay the execution in order to widen the scope 
of murder of Shahid Hamid after the report of Joint Investigation Team which 
investigated the former MQM worker in Machh Jail.

In the light of the JIT report, the sources said that the scope of the 
investigation would be widened and MQM leaders identified by Saulat Mirza would 
also be investigated.

(source: Daily Times)

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

Justice served: Man, son sentenced to death



Additional District and Sessions Judge Tahir Abbas on Friday sentenced a man 
and his son to death after they were convicted of abducting and killing a man.

The judge also fined them Rs100,000 each. They would have to undergo an 
additional sentence of 6 months if they failed to pay.

Prosecution said Bashir Ahmed got suspicious that Muhammad Shahid, a neighbour, 
was having an affair with his daughter. They said Ahmed and his father 
Shahnawaz abducted Shahid when he was on his way to a market. They said the men 
first beat him, then doused him in petrol and set him alight. Prosecution said 
the man was seriously injured and taken to a hospital where he later died. They 
said police presented arrested the men soon after and presented their challan 
in court.

After examining evidence and witnesses, the court awarded them death penalty 
and imposed fine of Rs100,000 each.

(source: Express Tribune)








PHILIPPINES:

IBP asks gov't to 'institutionalize' help for jailed Filipinos abroad



The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) is willing to provide legal 
assistance to Filipinos jailed abroad but has asked the government to first 
"institutionalize" its help mechanisms for Filipinos languishing in foreign 
jails, some of whom are on death rows.

IBP president Vicente Joyas said the government needed to first make a complete 
list of the number of Filipinos charged with criminal cases in foreign 
countries and those already spending time in jail.

According to Joyas, IBP is willing to enter into a memorandum of agreement with 
any government agency to enable the lawyers' group to act on behalf of the 
jailed Filipinos and coordinate with their counterpart bar associations abroad.

"The government's legal assistance to our countrymen facing criminal cases 
abroad is inadequate," he said here on Thursday.

Joyas said the government would only be forced to move into action at the last 
minute if the convicted Filipino was already staring death in the face. He said 
a competent lawyer should be there from the very start of the court hearing.

Joyas noted that in the case of Mary Jane Veloso, who had been jailed for 5 
years after she was convicted of a drug trafficking case in Indonesia, the 
Aquino administration only provided full legal assistance when she was about to 
be executed via firing squad.

Collective appeal

It was the last-ditch efforts by President Benigno Aquino III, human rights 
workers and international personalities and a collective appeal by the Filipino 
people that won for Veloso a reprieve early on Wednesday, he noted.

He said providing the right legal representation early into the cases could 
save innocent Filipinos, most of them overseas Filipino workers victimized by 
human traffickers and international drug syndicates.

Charles Jose, Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, has said around 88 
Filipinos are facing the death penalty abroad.

He said 1/2 of the Filipinos on death row, mostly in China and Malaysia, were 
jailed for illegal drugs, while the other 1/2 faced murder charges. Since 2011, 
5 Filipinos have been executed in China for drug trafficking.

In Veloso's case, she was arrested in an Indonesian airport on April 25, 2010, 
after authorities found packs of heroin weighing 2.6 kilograms hidden inside 
her suitcase. During the trial, she was only represented by an Indonesia 
court-appointed pro bono lawyer. An Indonesian court handed down her the death 
sentence on Oct. 11, 2010.

Lawyer Edre Olalia, secretary general of National Union of Peoples' Lawyers 
(NUPL), said it took the government 3 years and 8 months to seek a judicial 
review for Veloso's case.

NUPL came to Veloso's defense on April 7 in a last-ditch effort of her family 
to save her from the firing squad.

Joyas said the last-minute legal help by the state in Veloso's case had long 
been the practice of the government in all other criminal cases of Filipinos 
overseas.

He urged the government to continue its appeal for clemency to Veloso in 
exchange for her disclosures on the operation of the international drug 
syndicate that had victimized her.

***********

Timeline: The case of Mary Jane Veloso



Long before the story of Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso made headlines around the 
world, the Filipino maid's struggle for freedom already begun 5 long years ago.

Veloso was apprehended at Audisucipto International Airport in Yogjakarta, 
Indonesia, on April 25, 2010, for possession of heroin weighing 2.6 kilograms. 
She was sentenced to death just 6 months after her arrest.

2 Indonesian presidents, 2 appeals, 3 clemency letters from President Benigno 
Aquino III and a powerful #SaveMaryJane online campaign later, Veloso was 
granted a reprieve at the 11th hour on April 29, 5 years after her ordeal 
began.

INQUIRER.net lists in detail Veloso's 5-year ordeal, as told by National Union 
of Peoples' Lawyers.

2010

January - Mary Jane returns to the Philippines after working for 10 months as a 
domestic worker in Dubai. She returns to Manila without finishing her 2-year 
contract because her employer attempted to rape her.

April 18 - Mary Jane is approached by her friend Ma. Kristina "Tintin" Sergio, 
a resident of Talavera town, and was promised a job as a domestic worker in 
Malaysia. She is illegally recruited.

April 22 - Mary Jane and Tintin leave for Malaysia. When they arrive in 
Malaysia, Tintin tells her that the supposed job is no longer available but 
that she can still find work elsewhere. They stay there for a few days before 
Tintin sends her to Indonesia, allegedly for a 7-day holiday, after which she 
would go back to Malaysia for employment.

April 25 - Mary Jane is apprehended by customs and excise authorities at 
Audisucipto International Airport in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, upon arrival due to 
alleged possession of 2.6 kilograms of heroin.

April 27 - Mary Jane's parents receive a call from her in-laws informing them 
that Mary Jane arrived safely in Malaysia. They visit Tintin in Talavera and 
she tells them that Mary Jane's employer is "very kind." Tintin also gives them 
clothes and milk, supposedly bought by Mary Jane for her youngest son, Mark 
Darren.

May 9 - Mary Jane calls her family to wish her father a happy birthday.

May 11 - Mary Jane's sister, Darling, receives a cryptic text message from her 
telling her to take care of her children.

May 12 - Darling receives another cryptic message from Mary Jane, prompting the 
family to call her. Mary Jane then tells them that she is in jail. A few hours 
after, they call her again and she tells them about the events that transpired 
before she was apprehended in Indonesia.

May 13 - Mary Jane's family goes to Tintin's house in Talavera. Tintin tells 
them to "keep silent, don't tell anyone and don't approach the media.??? Tintin 
also allegedly tells them that should they fail to keep quiet, Mary Jane and 
the rest of the family will be in grave danger because "she (Tintin) belongs to 
an international drug syndicate." Tintin also allegedly tells them that the 
syndicate will spend millions to get Mary Jane out of jail.

August - Mary Jane's family decides to go to Manila despite Tintin???s warning 
to ask for help from some media outfits. They also go to the Department of 
Foreign Affairs (DFA) to report Mary Jane's case. They meet case officer 
Patricia Mocom, who promises to assist them and help Mary Jane. Since then, the 
family religiously goes back to DFA Manila to request for updates on Mary 
Jane's case. They also seek the help of their mayor and governor, as well as 
the National Bureau of Investigation, police and authorities in Cabanatuan 
City. They are told by the NBI that they cannot file any complaints against 
Tintin due to lack of evidence.

Oct. 4 - Indonesian public prosecutor Sri Anggraeni presents in the Sleman 
district court the recommendation for life imprisonment as penalty for Mary 
Jane's offense. Mary Jane is represented by court-appointed pro bono lawyer Edy 
Haryanto.

Oct. 11 - The district court of justice of Sleman in Yogyakarta sentences Mary 
Jane with the death penalty.

Oct. 22 - The Philippine Embassy in Jakarta reportedly files an appeal with the 
appeals court of Yogyakarta.

Oct. 25 - Mary Jane's family receives a call from her to wish her son a happy 
birthday. Since then, they are able to communicate with Mary Jane regularly via 
phone. They tell Mary Jane to write an affidavit and send it via mail, 
detailing the events that led to her arrest, to be used for the complaint they 
want to file in the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) against Tintin.

Oct. 27 - The Philippine Embassy recommends the hiring of a private lawyer for 
Mary Jane for the appeal stage, prompting the Office of the Undersecretary of 
Migrant Workers' Affairs to authorize the disbursement of $5,000 from the legal 
assistance fund to hire the services of Rudyantho & Partners Law Office.

November - The family receives a post mail from Mary Jane containing photos but 
no affidavit. They call Mary Jane, who is in turn surprised that her affidavit 
did not reach the family. She says she will send them her affidavit again soon.

December - The family receives another post mail from Mary Jane, again 
containing photos and a bandanna from a priest, but still no affidavit. They 
immediately report this to Mary Jane, who confirms that she sent her affidavit 
along with the rest of the mail's contents.

2011

The family reports the missing contents of Mary Jane's mail to Joseph Ladip of 
the PDEA.

Feb. 10 - The court of appeals of Yogyakarta upholds Mary Jane's death penalty 
sentence.

Feb. 21 - Embassy-hired lawyer Rudyantho files a memorandum of appeal in the 
Supreme Court of Indonesia on behalf of Mary Jane.

Feb. 22 - The Philippine Embassy reportedly appeals the case in the Supreme 
Court in Jakarta.

May 31 - The Supreme Court upholds Mary Jane's death penalty.

Aug. 23 - President Aquino intervenes a year after Veloso has already been 
sentenced to death, through a request for clemency with then Indonesian 
President Susilo Bambang Yudhyono, who imposes a moratorium on executions 
during his term.

Oct. 10 - Philippine Ambassador to Indonesia Maria Rosario Aguinaldo forwards 
Aquino's letter of clemency to the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

2012

Oct. 11 - The Veloso family receives a hysterical call from Mary Jane. She begs 
them to help her because her sentence has been upheld in all courts. She tells 
them that she is to be executed in a week's time. On the same day, the family 
rushes to the DFA. They are able to talk to Patricia, who tells them that the 
news is false and that the DFA has not received any news or reports from 
Indonesia. The family also goes to the PDEA in another attempt to file a case 
against Tintin. They are told that they cannot file due to lack of evidence.

Oct. 12 - The family calls Mary Jane to tell her about what Patricia said. She 
tearfully asserts that what she told them is true and it is already all over 
the news. They call Patricia but she again denies Mary Jane's claims. A few 
minutes later, Patricia calls them back and tells them that the news is indeed 
true.

2013

April - Mary Jane calls her parents and tells them to apply for passports 
because her police friends, Puri and Buta, and her fellow inmates have agreed 
to sponsor their visit to her in jail.

June 5 - Mary Jane's parents and eldest son Mark Danielle leave for Indonesia. 
They stay there for almost a month and are able to visit Mary Jane daily during 
the duration of their stay.

June 29 - The family arrives back in Manila.

July - Mary Jane sends her sister, Maritess, her handwritten affidavit via 
courier LBC.

2014

Dec. 30 Indonesian President Joko Widodo issues Presidential Decision No. 
31/G-2014 rejecting the request for clemency on behalf of Mary Jane.

2015

January - The family receives a call from Mary Jane. She tells them to seek 
assistance from anyone willing to help because she is scheduled for execution 
soon. Maritess calls the DFA and is informed that Patricia has been replaced by 
Violet Ancheta as case officer for Mary Jane's case. Violet tells them the news 
is false.

Jan. 19 - Lawyer Rudyantho files the application for judicial review of Mary 
Jane's case in the district court of justice of Sleman, Yogjakarta.

Jan. 28 - Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario hands a letter to Indonesian 
Foreign Minister Retnu L.P. Marsudi at the Asean (Association of Southeast 
Asian Nations) Foreign Ministers Retreat in Kota Kinabalu, requesting 
Indonesian authorities to give due course to the application for judicial 
review of Mary Jane's case.

Feb. 4 - Marsudi replies to Del Rosario, ensuring that all available legal 
measures have been undertaken in accordance with Indonesian laws.

Feb. 9 - President Aquino reportedly appeals Mary Jane's case to Indonesian 
President Widodo during the latter's state visit to the Philippines.

Feb. 16 - The DFA forwards to the Indonesian Embassy in Manila a copy of 
President Aquino's letter to Widodo on the petition for judicial review of Mary 
Jane's case. The DFA also forwards said letter to the Philippine Embassy in 
Jakarta.

Feb. 18 - Mary Jane's parents, her sister Maritess and her 2 sons are able to 
visit Mary Jane in Indonesia through the DFA. They are accompanied by Violet.

Feb. 22 -The family returns to the Philippines. Before they return, Chito 
Mendoza of the Philippine Embassy asks for Mary Jane's handwritten affidavit 
from Maritess.

March 3 - The Sleman district court holds the 1st hearing, where the defense 
informs the court of the reasons for the application of judicial review 
relating to the lapses in the proceedings at the trial court in 2010: 1) the 
problem in translations, 2) the qualifications of the court-appointed 
translators and 3) the language barrier.

(source for both: inquirer.net)

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

Boxer saves convicted Filipino drug trafficker on Indonesian death row----Manny 
Pacquiao wrote a plea to Indonesia President to spare the life of a Filipino 
woman who was sentenced to death for drug trafficking



His focus would surely be on the May 2 mega-fight with Floyd Mayweather, but 
Manny Pacquiao still had time to plead for someone's life.

Indonesia is known for their stance against drug related crimes which comes 
with a death penalty.

A woman from the Philippines where Pacquiao also comers from faces the death 
penalty after being convicted of drug trafficking and sentenced to death in 
October 2011.

Mary Jane Veloso was caught in April 2010 at Yogyakarta Airport in Indonesia 
with 2.6kg of heroin and was due to be executed on Tuesday, April 28.

A last minute postponement saved her due a plea from Pacquiao to the President 
of Indonesia and another twist in her case.

"His Excellency, President Joko Widodo, I am Manny Pacquiao. On behalf of my 
countrman, Mary Jane Veloso, and the entire Filipino people, I am begging and 
knocking on your kind heart that Your Excellency will grant executive clemency 
to her by sparing her life and saving her life from execution," the statement 
read.

"Mr President, on 2 May I'll be fighting in Las Vegas, Nevada, against Floyd 
Mayweather. It is considered the fight of the century. It will be a great 
morale booster if, in my own little way, I can save a life. I am dedicating 
this fight to my country and the entire Asian people, to which the Phillipines 
and Indonesia belong. Thank you, Mr President.

Although it is not known how much of a factor Pacquiao's plea played in 
Veloso's death postponement, the good cause by the boxer can never be 
forgotten.

(source: pulse.ng)








AUSTRALIA:

Former judge Ken Crispin says Australia should end cooperation with countries 
involving death penalty cases



A former Supreme Court Justice wants Australia to stop all police cooperation 
with countries on cases involving the death penalty.

Ken Crispin said newly revised guidelines for Australian Federal Police are too 
weak and would not guarantee there would not be a repeat of the circumstances 
in the Bali Nine case.

Convicted Australian drug smugglers Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, who were 
executed by firing squad in the early hours of Wednesday morning, were arrested 
by Indonesian authorities after a tip-off from the AFP in 2005.

Mr Crispin said he wanted Australia to stop all law enforcement cooperation 
with foreign jurisdictions on cases that carry the death penalty.

"We should have a general policy that we do not provide information to other 
countries that may lead to the death of our citizens," Mr Crispin told Saturday 
AM.

"That doesn't seem to me to be a terribly controversial proposition."

The former Supreme Court justice rejected suggestions the move would hurt 
Australia's own law enforcement efforts.

"There is no reason to imagine that we are going to be starved of information 
merely because we act on our principles and refuse to cooperate in cases where 
people are likely to be executed," Mr Crispin said.

"That is a price that is too high to be paid."

But he conceded a new policy would need some limited, specific and rigid 
exemptions.

"If we were to learn that somebody was about to carry out a terrorist attack on 
Jakarta that was likely to result in widespread death and injury we may have to 
bite the bullet and provide that information, notwithstanding the fact that 
somebody would be executed," he said.

The retired judge said when Federal Police finally publically respond to this 
week's executions he wanted an assurance that a similar case would not happen.

He said their guidelines needed to again be revisited.

"There seems to be a conflict between the current AFP guidelines and the 
ministerial direction and that should be resolved as a matter of urgency," Mr 
Crispin said.

"Secondly, I think that the mere statement that members of the Australian 
Federal Police should take into account the fact that the death penalty should 
not apply is far too weak.

"This is not a case in which there should be merely a totally unfettered 
discretion."

(source: ABC news)