[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

May 28



SINGAPORE:

Urgent action required for Kho Jabing



The Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Campaign (SADPC) and We Believe in Second 
Chances strongly urge the Cabinet to advise the President, Mr Tony Tan, to 
grant clemency to death row inmate, Kho Jabing.

Sarawakian Kho Jabing, now 31, was convicted of murder under section 300(c) of 
the Penal Code on 24 May 2011, which carried the mandatory death sentence at 
the time of conviction. In 2012, Parliament amended the Penal Code to give 
judges the discretion to sentence offenders convicted under s 300(c) to life 
imprisonment with caning. This change was applied retrospectively and Kho was 
afforded an opportunity to have his death sentence reconsidered.

On 18 November 2013, Justice Tay Yong Kwang re-sentenced Kho to life 
imprisonment and 24 strokes of the cane. On 14 January 2015, the Court of 
Appeal, by a majority decision (with 2 out of the 5 judges dissenting) 
overturned Justice Tay's decision and sentenced Kho to death.

We wish to highlight 2 issues with Kho's death sentence.

First, the dissent by the 2 judges should be taken as indication that 
reasonable doubt exists over whether Jabing should be sentenced to death. 
Indeed, both Justice Woo Bih Li and Justice Lee Seiu Kin reasoned that there 
was "reasonable doubt whether Jabing's blows were all inflicted when the 
deceased was laying on the ground" which made it "unsafe to conclude beyond 
reasonable doubt that he (Jabing) acted in away which exhibited a blatant 
disregard for human life".

Second, Jabing did not posses the intention to kill, nor was the murder 
premeditated. This was a robbery gone wrong. The death penalty, if it is to be 
applied at all, should be reserved for the most exceptional cases. In light of 
the above, we urge the Cabinet take into consideration these facts in advising 
the President and reiterate our call for a clemency pardon.

Kho's family delivered their clemency petition to the President on 27 May 2015. 
In their personal letters, they expressed their deep regrets to the family and 
loved ones of the victim, and pleaded with the President to extend compassion 
towards Kho and spare his life.

(source: Rachel Zeng, Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Campaign (SADPC) & Damien 
Chng, We Believe in Second Chances)








FINLAND:

Finland's incoming justice minister says he approves of death penalty for major 
crimes



Finland's incoming justice minister from the populist Finns Party says he 
approves of the death penalty in "some circumstances."

Jari Lindstrom was expressing his personal opinion and not speaking on behalf 
of the incoming government. He said Thursday that capital punishment could be 
acceptable for "extremely heavy crimes, such as against small children."

The 49-year-old lawmaker says the death penalty wasn't "one of the main issues" 
on his agenda when he is due to take up his ministerial post on Friday.

The death penalty, banned in Finland in 1949, has been abolished in all EU 
countries.

Lindstrom is 1 of 4 new ministers from the EU-skeptic Finns Party, which is in 
a ruling coalition for the 1st time.

(source: Associated Press)








VIETNAM:

Death penalty still needed to punish corrupt officials, lawmakers say



Many lawmakers have objected to the government's plan to let convicts escape 
death penalties by returning 1/2 of the money or property they gained from 
their offenses.

According to the proposal, part of a series of amendments drafted for Vietnam's 
Penal Code, the rule should be applied to people who do not commit "extremely 
serious" crimes, without specifying which ones.

Lawmakers interpreted the proposal as a way out for corruption convicts, 
arguing that they will be the main beneficiary and that the rule, if passed, 
will cause injustice.

Nguyen Duc Chung, an assemblyman from Hanoi, said at a meeting on Tuesday it is 
"unfair" that corrupt officials who steal a huge amount of public money can 
live, while while poor people who deal drugs have to accept death sentences 
because they have no money to pay.

The death penalty needs to remain as the highest punishment for corruption 
crimes, or laws will lose their deterrence effect, he said.

Huynh Ngoc Anh from Ho Chi Minh City agreed, saying that it is "not right" to 
make light of a crime which Vietnam has been fighting but not managed to stop 
yet.

No concession

7 crimes have been proposed to be removed from Vietnam's death penalty list.

They are robbery, vandalizing equipment and works significant to national 
security, gross disturbances of public order, surrendering to enemy forces, 
acts of sabotage and waging invasive wars, crimes against humanity, and drug 
smuggling.

However, Le Dong Phong, another assemblyman from HCMC, said some of these 
including war crimes rarely happen, but in many countries around the world they 
are still punishable by death to prevent them effectively.

He also opposed a proposed rule that would reduce the highest punishment for 
drug mules to life sentence, arguing that not all of the convicts are poor 
people who desperately earn their living by smuggling drugs.

Instead, the government may consider increasing the amount of involved drugs 
that justifies a death sentence, Phong suggested.

Under Vietnam's current drug laws, which are considered among the toughest in 
the world, anyone convicted of smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or more 
than 2.5 kilograms of methamphetamine faces death.

The government is also seeking to eliminate the death penalty for criminals 
aged 70 and above. Currently only pregnant women and women who are raising 
children under 3 years old are eligible for the concession.

(source: Thanh Nien News)