[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

May 13



RUSSIA:

Russian State Duma refuses to institute capital punishment for terrorism



Russia's State Duma has rejected in the 1st reading on Tuesday the initiative 
of member of the Liberal Democratic Party faction Roman Khudyakov on 
instituting capital punishment for terrorism.

The lawmaker suggested making relevant amendments to articles 78, 83, 87, 88 
and 205 of the Russian Criminal Code. In his opinion, "there's a considerable 
gap in the criminal legislation between the degree of social danger of the 
crime committed and the punishment for it." "More than 1/2 of citizens support 
the institution of the death penalty for terrorism, while the criminal 
legislation doesn't envisage capital punishment for it," Khudyakov said, ITAR 
TASS reports.

However, the State Duma Committee on Civil, Criminal, Arbitration and 
Procedural Legislation spoke against the amendments. The committee concluded 
that the concept of the initiative ran counter to the current legislation and 
Russia's international commitments, specifically, Protocol No.6 to the European 
Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms 
concerning the Abolition of the Death Penalty.

(source: Russia.Az)








MALAYSIA:

Sabah's death row inmates in prison since the 1990s----Sabah Prison Director 
says this is due to executions being called off for some reason or other.



It has been quiet for quite a while since the last execution was carried out in 
Sabah. Those in death row have been languishing in prison since the 1990s as a 
result of executions being called off for some reason or other.

Sabah Prison Director Abdul Basir, while confirming this, attributed the 
virtual "moratorium" on death sentences to the need "to allow inmates to 
exhaust all their legal remedies before executions can be carried out".

Prison Department Director-General Zulkifli Omar however chipped in that 
Malaysia has not stopped executing hardcore criminals at least, both local and 
foreign, but they may not have been publicised as in Indonesia recently. "Like 
Indonesia, we will not succumb to foreign pressure. Foreigners are not exempt 
from the death penalty."

He disclosed, without giving any breakdown, that currently there were 1,043 
death row inmates nationwide. "We don't have offhand the number of foreigners 
in death row but there have been executions of foreigners."

Their comments come in the wake of Suhakam's Roundtable Discussion in Kota 
Kinabalu since Monday on the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, 
Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) which Malaysia has refused 
to sign for more than 2 decades.

Malaysia, continued Zulkifli, has for example the mandatory death penalty by 
hanging for drug trafficking in contrast to Indonesia's execution by firing 
squad. "Capital punishment is mandatory for murder, terrorism-related offences, 
robbery with firearms and firearms possession, kidnapping and ransom."

"Ultimately, foreign nationals would come to know of our laws (on the death 
penalty) and respect them."

Abdul Basir, resuming, disclosed that death sentences in Sabah would not be 
carried out unless they received the consent and signature of the Governor. 
"When it comes to death sentences, there are several steps to be carried out 
including finally the Governor's consent and signature."

Moderator Commisioner Aishah Bidin raised the issue of many death row inmates 
in Sabah being subject to long periods of incarceration, causing mental 
torture. "Anytime, a prison officer could come in and tell them that their time 
has come."

"The right to life is the highest form of right and the decision to kill a 
criminal because of the lives taken would not make the government any better."

Suhakam Vice Chairman Khaw Lake Tee feels that the government should sign CAT 
without waiting to amend the laws on the death penalty. "They keep saying that 
we have the penalty in our books and we need to amend them before signing CAT. 
It's not necessary."

"The government has been giving the same excuse each time when the death 
penalty is raised. CAT is one of nine core international treaties."

The participants at the roundtable which came from government, enforcement 
agencies, NGOs and individuals, also discussed torture, caning, whipping and 
other methods of punishment like community service.

(source: Free Malaysia Today)








PAKSITAN:

3 More To Be Hanged In Machh Jail



The Balochistan Home Department issued the black warrants of 3 condemned 
prisoners in Central Jail Machh.

Sources in the Home Department told that the black warrants of condemned 
prisoners were sent to the Machh jail administration on Monday for execution. 
The condemned prisoners include Muhammad Musa, Ali Gul and Akhtar Muhammad.

The Jail Superintendent had been asked to fix the date for execution of the 
condemned prisoners within 7 days.

Superintendent Machh Jail Ishaq Zehri told DawnNews that Akhtar Muhammad from 
Killa Abdullah district would be executed on May 19, while Muhammad Musa and 
Ali Gul would be hanged on May 20.

The mercy petitions of the prisoners were rejected by President Mamnoon Hussain 
previously. The condemned prisoners were convicted by anti-terrorism courts in 
Quetta for various murder cases.

(source: thenewstribe.com)

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

Death row: Reply sought in plea for legal aid to Pakistanis held abroad



Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday granted time to the federal government until 
June 15 to reply to a petition seeking directions for the government to defend 
Pakistanis on death row in the Middle East.

The judge observed that the court would start proceedings at the next hearing 
even if the government did not submit a reply.

Barrister Sarah Belal, counsel for the Justice Project Pakistan (JPP), 
submitted that in December 2014, the court had directed the Ministry of 
Interior, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis 
and the Bureau of Immigration & Overseas Employment to submit para-wise replies 
to the issues raised in the petition but they had not abided by the court 
orders.

She said 8,597 Pakistanis were imprisoned abroad. Of them, 4,357 are 
incarcerated in the Middle East alone, she said.

Belal said, "Since October we have seen 23 executions of Pakistanis in Saudi 
Arabi. Other countries are making representations to the Gulf states for their 
prisoners, but our country is exhibiting a lackadaisical attitude towards the 
lives of its citizens abroad."

The JPP had filed a petition in the LHC on behalf of the families of Pakistani 
migrant workers facing execution in the Middle East. The petition includes the 
families of those whose loved ones had been recently beheaded in Saudi Arabia.

Belal said there had been longstanding concerns about the criminal justice 
system in the Middle East, falling short of international standards of fair 
trial - especially in death penalty cases. "Pakistani migrant workers 
imprisoned in the Middle East are at the mercy of local courts with no access 
to lawyers, impartial translators and counsellor assistance from the Pakistani 
diplomatic missions," she said.

She said such Pakistanis faced punishments due to lack of understanding of the 
legal process, inability to communicate directly with the court and having no 
mechanisms of producing evidence from Pakistan in their defence. She requested 
the court to direct the government to defend Pakistanis languishing in Middle 
East jails.

(source: Express Tribune)








INDONESIA:

Veloso's Indonesian lawyers meet with DOJ officials



Mary Jane Veloso's lawyers from Indonesia met with Philippine Department of 
Justice (DOJ) officials on Tuesday to discuss her case.

Her lawyers said they will do everything they can to have her death sentence 
lifted.

One of her lawyers, Rudyantho, said he remains optimistic about the case of 
Veloso.

"I come here to try to find out how to help Mary Jane... We try to do our best 
for Mary Jane," he said.

According to Rudyantho, they also discussed how the charges against Veloso's 
alleged recruiters, Kristina Sergio and Julius Lacanilao, can be used to plead 
her case.

"We just try to find out the real story, what happened in Kuala Lumpur when 
Sergio recruited her to Kuala Lumpur then send her to Indonesia," the lawyer 
said.

"My target is how we can cancel the death penalty," he added.

Veloso's lawyers will fly back to Indonesia on Thursday.

Veloso was meted the death penalty in Indonesia for bringing in 2.6 kilograms 
of heroin from Malaysia in 2010.

She was scheduled to be executed via firing squad at midnight on April 29 but 
was granted a last-minute reprieve by Indonesian authorities after Sergio 
turned herself over to Philippine police

(source: ABS-CBNNews)

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

Robert Ellis murder: Indonesian prosecutors call for 15 years' jail for wife 
---- Prosecutors could have pushed for the death penalty but instead ask for 15 
years with deductions for time already served



The wife of the murdered British-Australian businessman Robert Ellis should be 
jailed for 15 years for orchestrating the hit, Indonesian prosecutors have 
argued.

Noor Ellis admits she approached 5 men to take care of her problems with her 
husband in Bali. They ambushed him in his villa, slashed his throat and dumped 
his corpse in a ditch last October.

Prosecutors could have pushed for the death penalty for premeditated murder.

Ellis, known also as Julaikah Noor Aini, cried when the court heard the 
recommendation on Tuesday. Prosecutor Made Dipa Umbara said time already served 
since the crime should be deducted from a 15-year sentence.

"The defendant's actions caused the victim's death," he said.

Factors weighing in Ellis's favour were her regret, her admission and her 
previous lack of convictions, he said.

Prosecutors also recommended 15 years for 2 of the men involved, Urbanus Yoh 
Ghogi and Yohanes Sirokudu.

Robert Ellis, 60, was set upon in his kitchen by 5 men who slashed his throat 
"like killing a pig", police said at the time.

His wife of 25 years admitted to hatching a plan to "teach him a lesson" after 
being denied a divorce.

Police allege she paid about $15,000 to the men, who are on trial for the same 
charges. 2 maids are also on trial for their part, which included cleaning up 
the bloody kitchen.

Ellis's defence will respond to the sentence recommendation next week.

1 of Ellis's sons, Peter, said on Twitter he was shocked by the recommendation.

"How can a maximum of death sentence be reduced to 15 years?" he said. "Is this 
a joke? I feel sick."

(source: The Guardian)








SAUDI ARABIA----executions

3 Yemenis beheaded in Saudi, 83 executions in 2015



Saudi Arabia beheaded 3 Yemenis for drug trafficking Wednesday, bringing to 83 
the number of executions in little more than 4 months, compared with 87 all of 
last year.

The condemned men, Eisa Ali Ahmed Hajri, Mohammed Ali Saifi and Majid Gasim 
al-Ahdal, were convicted of trying to smuggle hashish into the kingdom, the 
interior ministry said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press 
Agency.

They were executed in Jazan province which borders Yemen.

The ministry has cited deterrence as a reason for its use of the death penalty 
despite criticism from human rights watchdogs.

London-based Amnesty International ranked Saudi Arabia among the world's top 
three executioners of 2014.

On a visit to Riyadh this month, French President Francois Hollande said 
capital punishment "should be banned," and his country is campaigning around 
the world for its abolition.

Drug trafficking, rape, murder, apostasy and armed robbery are all punishable 
by death under Saudi Arabia's strict version of Islamic Shariah law.

(source: Agence France-Presse)



IRAN:

Increase in capital executions in Iran



News regarding the number of capital executions in Iran continues to be of 
great concern. A few days ago, I published a collection of data on the 
executions in the country during the month of April in the "Cronache de Il 
Garantista". The data is collected thanks to the work of the NGO Hands Off Cain 
and unfortunately the list is extensive. Between April 16 and 20 only, at least 
20 prisoners have been executed for crimes related to drugs dealing in various 
cities in Iran.

Iran's Constitution is based on the Islamic law: "Islamic law is the essential 
source for all branches of law", among which social and civil legislation. 
Hanging is the preferred method to aply Sharia law in Iran. For the loop a 
strong rope or a steel wire is used, placed around the neck so as to crush the 
larynx, causing a prolonged death struggle with severe pains. A few days ago, 
also the United Nations condemned the practice.

The reports presented by the Special Rapporteurs coordinated by Ahmed Shaheed 
to the United Nations in Geneva on May 8th, state: "The Iranian Government 
refuses to recognize the full extent of the executions that took place in the 
country, showing a callous disregard both for human dignity and for 
international law and human rights". Based on reports in our possession, no 
less than 98 prisoners were executed between April 9 and 26, with an average of 
6 executions per day. This latest mount in executions brings the number of 
victims, from January 1st to today, at over 340, among whom 6 political 
prisoners and 7 women.

(source: radicalparty.org)








ENGLAND:

Priti Patel refuses to say whether she wants to bring back death 
penalty----Priti Patel, the new employment minister, is pressed on her views on 
the death penalty after previously suggesting it would act as a deterrent to 
murderers and rapists



Priti Patel, the new employment minister, has refused to say whether she still 
wants to bring back the death penalty as a deterrent to crime.

In September 2011 Ms Patel told the BBC's Question Time programme that she 
would support the reintroduction of the death penalty because she believed it 
would act as a deterrent to crime.

"I have said this before and I say this again: I do think that when we have a 
criminal justice system that continuously fails in the country and where we 
have seen murderers and rapists ... reoffend and do those crimes again and 
again I think that's appalling," she said. "On that basis alone I would support 
the reintroduction of capital punishment to serve as a deterrent."

During an interview on Sky News about new employment figures, Miss Patel was 
pressed repeatedly about her views on the death penalty.

She said her views were "not relevent" to the debate about employment figures, 
and that she had made the comments "a long time ago".

She said: "I made a comment that it would only be appropriate when we have the 
most horrendous and heinous crimes. It is not something that is relevent to 
today's political debate or discourse at all.

Michael Gove, the new Justice Secretary, also called for the return of the 
death penalty as a newspaper columnist.

Mr Gove said he supported the return of the noose out of "respect for 
democracy", and because it would force the courts to act with "scrupulous 
fairness".

Writing in the late nineties as a Times columnist, Mr Gove also strongly 
criticised the Stephen Lawrence inquiry for being marred by "McCarthyism" and 
bearing the "whiff of Salem". The inquiry accused the Metropolitan Police of 
institutionalised racism. Mr Gove has not repeated the comments in nearly 20 
years.

Priti Patel's exchanges on the death penalty in full

Presenter: One thing that came up yesterday is both you and Michael Gove have 
both advocated bringing back the death penalty in the past. Is that something 
you want to do now?

Priti Patel: I've been asked about this previously on a number of occassions. I 
made a comment that it would only be appropriate when we have the most 
horrendous and heinous crimes. It is not something that is relevent to today's 
political debate or discourse at all.

I am very much focused in my job as employment minister supporting what we do 
when it comes to growing our economy and getting more people back into work.

Presenter: It is appropriate to ask do you still believe it.

Priti Patel: I've told you already, exactly when that comment was made a long 
time ago...

Presenter: It wasn't that long ago, it was on Question Time.

Priti Patel: I'll say it again it was made a long time ago and it is not 
relevant to today's debate.

Presenter: But do you still believe it?

Priti Patel: I said it back then, when I was asked a question. It is not 
relevant to today's political debate and the subject I am here to discuss with 
you.

Presenter: But why are you not willing to say whether you believe something?

Priti Patel: Because I am here to talk about employment today.

(source: The Telegraph)








AUSTRALIA:

Palmer seeks end to death penalty help



A bill to prevent police and intelligence officers from sharing information 
with foreign governments that leads to the death penalty will be introduced to 
parliament on May 25.

Palmer United Party leader Clive Palmer has been given an opportunity to move 
his private member's bill by the lower house's selection committee.

Under the bill, police or other officials could be jailed for directly or 
indirectly disclosing information to other countries that might lead to the 
death penalty.

It follows the executions of Bali 9 ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran 
Sukumaran.

The Australian Federal Police gave information to Indonesian officials about 
the Bali 9, which led to their arrests for drug smuggling.

(source: 9news.com.au)








NIGERIA:

Group Advocates Death Penalty For Corruption



An Abuja-based nongovernmental organisation, Voice of the Voiceless has 
advocated that the federal government should attach death penalty as capital 
punishment for corruption in Nigeria.

Speaking to journalists during a march against corruption yesterday in Abuja, 
the group's president, Comrade Oliver Ezeama, said they staged the campaign 
advocating for death penalty for corruption because it is destroying the nation 
speedily, saying they want it to be killed from its root instead of just being 
managed.

Ezeama said the nation has tried to fight corruption through various methods in 
the past to no avail, adding that some set of people are busy feeding fat on 
proceeds of corruption to the detriment of the larger society.

He said: "Look at other African countries progressing; countries that Nigeria 
started with; they are far ahead of us and we are still behind. All these 
countries that are far ahead of us do not have oil or natural resources as much 
as we do but they are all progressing.

"These countries were able to catch up and overtake Nigeria because they 
embraced transparency; integrity and dignity while we have remained 
underdeveloped by corruption, with citizens living in penury and from hand to 
mouth. It is high time we see corruption as a very serious issue in this 
country; the menace is more serious than Boko Haram."

According to him: "The nation has channeled a lot of energy into tackling or 
security challenge while corruption is killing the very essence of our 
nationhood. Boko Haram kills thousands while corruption kills millions every 
day.

"Corruption is worse than HIV and even Ebola that is why we must develop 
anti-corruption policies as countries like China that stabilised their economy 
because of their strict action against corruption. That is why we are pushing 
for nothing less than death penalty because Nigerians are not scared of 
imprisonment, no matter the length of prison time meted out to them."

(source: Leadership Nigeria)