[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

May 24



EGYPT:

Morsi supporter sentenced to death on terrorism charges----Anas Soliman Shahin 
was sentenced in absentia over terrorism charges, including joining and funding 
a terrorist organisation



Giza criminal court on Sunday sentenced a supporter of former president Mohamed 
Morsi to death on terror-related charges.

Anas Soliman Shahin was sentenced in absentia for "joining and funding a 
terrorist organisation", the Muslim Brotherhood, working with the Hamas 
movement in Gaza, and using secret tunnels between North Sinai and the Gaza 
Strip.

The court applied its maximum penalty in absentia until the defendants show up 
and a retrial starts. According to Egypt's penal code, a defendant is given the 
stiffest punishment if he/she fails to show up in court during the trial.

Last week, Cairo Criminal Court sought a death penalty for ousted Islamist 
president Mohamed Morsi and 105 others in the 'Wadi-Natroun jailbreak' case 
after referring them to the Grand Mufti for a non-binding review. The court's 
decision is considered a preliminary step before sentencing the defendants to 
death. The decision drew wide international criticism.

(source: Ahram Online)








IRAN----executions

5 Prisoners Hanged in Adel Abad Prison in Shiraz



5 prisoners were executed on charge of murder in the prison of Shiraz.

According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency in Iran (HRANA), 
in the morning of Tuesday 19th May, 5 prisoners were hanged on charges of 
murder in the courtyard of Adel Abad prison, in Shiraz.

1 of the prisoners was Mehdi Keshavarz and the identity of the other executed 
prisoners is unknown. Official sources and officials of the judiciary also have 
not given information about it.

In addition, it has been stated that the age of 1 of them, was 18 years, but 
due to lack of documentary evidences, HRANA's sources have not been able to 
confirm the accuracy of this issue, yet.

(source: HRANA news agency)

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

1 Execution For Drug-Related Charges And 3 Public Floggings in Iran



1 prisoner was hanged in the prison of Ardebil (Northwestern Iran) Saturday 
morning May 23, reported the Iranian state media.

The prisoner who was not identified by name was sentenced to death by the 
Ardebil Revolution Court (Section 1), charged with buying and possession of 990 
grams of heroin and 995 grams of crystal, reported the state run Fars news 
agency.

Iran Human Rights has observed a sharp increase in the number of executions for 
drug offences in the past few months in Iran.

The official website of the Judiciary in Khorasan Razavi (Northeastern Iran) 
flogging sentences of 3 prisoners were carried out publicly in the town of 
Joghatai near Mashhad. The prisoners were charges with drug offences and 
robbery, said the report. The number of lashes was not mentioned in the report.

(source: Iran Human Rights)








PAKISTAN:

Last-minute plea to save death-row prisoner



A Lahore-based lawyer says he is going to approach the Lahore High Court for 
staying execution of a condemned prisoner set for May 27 on the grounds that he 
was a juvenile at the time the crime was committed.

Faisal Mahmood was below 18 years of age when he was charged with murder of his 
friend on Jan 26, 1999, the lawyer is going to argue. Mahmood was charged by 
the Gujrat police.

A sessions court tried him under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) 
and handed down life imprisonment on April 26, 2000. The Supreme Court, when 
moved against the conviction, enhanced the sentence and converted it into 
capital punishment, says Barrister Ehtesham Amiruddin, who has taken the case 
of Faisal Mahmood pro bono.

The condemned prisoner approached the Supreme Court for commutation of sentence 
in the light of a presidential order conveyed by the interior ministry division 
on Dec 13, 2001, commuting death sentence of juveniles as defined in Juvenile 
Justice System Ordinance 2000, while asserting the convict was less than 18 
years of age on the date of commission of offence.

In Mahmood's case, the date of committing the offence was Jan 26, 1999 and as 
per school record his date of birth was Feb 1, 1981, which prima facie makes 
him less than 18 years on the date of occurrence, says the lawyer.

He says a public prosecutor assisted the Supreme Court on the point as to why a 
lesser sentence of life term was awarded to the convict by the trial court as 
well as the high court that was later enhanced.

The court had observed that since a plea that the convict was a minor was not 
taken at an earlier stage, it was rejected.

The lawyer says though Section 302 carries death penalty, the trial court 
awarded life sentence to Mahmood for being a juvenile. However, the court did 
not mention the reason in the order for awarding the lesser punishment, he 
adds.

(source: Dawn)








MALAYSIA:

'In Malaysia political leaders need only fear incarceration, not death penalty'



Malaysian politicians still have it better when compared to those in Egypt as 
the former only has to fear incarceration unlike the death penalty in the 
Middle East.

In stating so, Utusan Malaysia's collective editorial Awang Selamat highlighted 
the recent decision made by the Egyptian court who sentenced its former 
President Mohammed Morsi and well-known ulama Yusuf Al-Qaradawi to death.

Morsi, the Umno-owned daily wrote, was not only forced to step down, but was 
also arrested for months without any access to legal counsel and sentenced to 
20 years imprisonment prior to being handed the death penalty.

Awang Selamat decried the similar sentence for Yusuf, calling it "despotic."

The Malay daily went on to compare the situation in the country, noting that 
ulamas in Malaysia were free to criticise the government and support 
demonstrations without persecution.

"The political leaders that were imprisoned in this country, it was for the 
offence of sodomy based on reports lodged by the victim besides normally, 
corruption.

"In other words, no ulama and political leaders have ever faced the death 
sentence," wrote Awang Selamat, alluding to the twice incarcerated former 
opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

It then said that Egypt continued to be plagued by conflict as overthrowing a 
leader was undemocratic and had caused more devastation, instead of solutions.

"The ones at loss is the country and the Muslims and this should serve as a 
lesson for us here in Malaysia."

(source: the rakyatpost.com)