[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Nov. 3



AFGHANISTAN----female stoned to death

Afghan woman stoned to death for 'adultery'


A young Afghan woman was stoned to death after being accused of adultery, 
officials said Tuesday, a medieval punishment apparently recorded in a video 
that harks back to the dark days of Taliban rule.

The 30-second clip run in Afghan media shows a woman in a hole in the ground as 
turbaned men gather around and hurl stones at her with chilling nonchalance.

The woman, named by officials as Rokhsahana and aged between 19 and 21, is 
heard repeating the shahada, or Muslim profession of faith, her voice growing 
increasingly high-pitched as stones strike her with sickening thuds.

Policy reversal in Afghanistan

The killing took place about a week ago in a Taliban-controlled area just 
outside Firozkoh, the capital of central Ghor province, officials said, 
confirming the video which went viral on social media.

"Yes, the footage shown in the media is related to Rokhsahana, who was stoned 
to death," a spokesman for Ghor's Governor Seema Joyenda told AFP.

Rokhsahana was stoned by a gathering of "Taliban, local religious leaders and 
armed warlords", Joyenda said.

Joyenda, 1 of only 2 female governors in Afghanistan, said Rokhsahana's family 
had married her off against her will and that she was caught while eloping with 
another man her age - seen as tantamount to adultery.

The man was let off with a lashing, Joyenda's spokesman said.

The brutal punishment meted out to Rokhsahana highlighted the endemic violence 
against women in Afghan society, despite reforms since the hardline Taliban 
regime fell in 2001.

In March a woman named Farkhunda was savagely beaten and set ablaze in central 
Kabul after being falsely accused of burning a Koran.

The mob killing triggered protests around the country and drew global attention 
to the treatment of Afghan women.

Joyenda condemned the stoning in Ghor, calling on Kabul to launch a military 
operation to rid the area of insurgents and other armed groups.

Mortar shells fired from Afghanistan land in Kurram Agency

"This is the 1st incident in this area (this year) but will not be the last," 
she said.

"Women in general have problems all over the country, but in Ghor even more 
conservative attitudes prevail."

In September a video from Ghor appeared to show a woman - covered head to toe 
in a veil and huddled on the ground - receiving lashes from a turbaned elder in 
front of a crowd of male spectators.

The flogging came after a local court found her guilty of having sex outside 
marriage with a man, who was similarly punished.

Shariah law decrees stoning as the punishment for men and women convicted of 
having sex outside marriage, but the penalty is very rarely applied in Muslim 
countries.

Public lashings and executions were common under the Taliban???s 1996-2001 
rule, when a strict interpretation of Sharia law was enforced, but such 
incidents have been less common in recent years.

The Taliban have so far not commented on the stoning in Ghor.

Long condemned as misogynistic zealots, the militants have recently sought to 
project a softened stance on female rights.

But the insurgents' recent 3-day occupation of the northern provincial capital 
of Kunduz offers an ominous blueprint of what could happen should they ever 
return to power.

Harrowing testimonies have emerged of Taliban death squads methodically 
targeting a host of female rights workers and journalists just hours after the 
city fell on September 28.

(source: The Express Tribune)






PAKISTAN----executions

4 executed in 2 Punjab jails


4 death row prisoners in 2 jails of Punjab executed in the wee hours of 
Tuesday, ARY News reported.

3 condemned prisoners were executed in Gujrat district jail on Tuesday morning.

3 convicts, 2 brothers and their maternal uncle, were hanged to death over 
double-murder in year 2000. They had committed murder of 2 brothers over 
personal enmity 15 years ago.

Another death row convict, Akram, was hanged to death in Kasur district jail 
for killing a man in 1998.

The hangings brought the tally of executions to more than 250 since the 
Pakistan ended a 6-year moratorium on the death penalty in December, after 
Taliban militants gunned down more than 150 people, most of them children, at 
Army Public School in Peshawar.

Pakistan had initially reinstated hangings only for those convicted of 
terrorism, but in March this year they were extended to all capital offences.

The executions have been opposed by the United Nations and European Union (EU). 
Amnestry International and other rights groups campaigning against capital 
punishment, have criticized the government of Pakistan's decision of resumption 
of executions in the country.

(source: arynews.tv)

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

Parliamentary panel approves death penalty, life imprisonment for child rapists


In what will be a historic legislation, a parliamentary panel approved on 
Tuesday life imprisonment or death penalty for a child's rapist.

"Whosoever commits an offence under sub-section (1) of section 376 against a 
woman when she is under 14 years of age shall be punished with imprisonment for 
life or death," a source quoting the amended clauses of the Pakistan Penal Code 
1860 told The Express Tribune.

The bill, which has been approved by the National Assembly's Standing Committee 
on Interior, will now be sent to the National Assembly for approval. "It's a 
historic legislation which will prevent children from rapists," said MNA 
Shaista Perverz, who moved the bill.

The number of cases of rape reported each year in Pakistan run into some 
thousands. Very few, however, ever reach their logical conclusion.

In November last year, the interior ministry had told the Senate that an 
alarming 14,583 rape cases had been registered in the country over the last 5 
years.

Punjab, which accounted for 12,795 of the cases, saw convictions in just 949 
cases. Of the 90 rape cases reported in the federal capital, there was 
conviction in only 1 case.

In August, a gang of 20 to 25 men had filmed as many as 400 videos of sexual 
abuse involving at least 280 children belonging to Hussain Khan Wala village in 
Kasur, Punjab. As the country's biggest child pornography scandal went viral on 
social media it prompted country-wide outrage while the law enforces sprang 
into action to defend themselves and to downplay the sickening child abuse 
expose.

PPP for joint sitting of parliament on anti-rape legislation

Last month, a report of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) probing the scandal 
revealed that as many as 239 children were sexually abused and 31 cases had 
been registered. Activists condemning the Kasur child abuse case have demanded 
that the case be in tried in military court and that the real culprits behind 
it be arrested.

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

Teenager sentenced to death for minor's murder


An anti-terrorism court sentenced a teenager to death and two others to life in 
prison for kidnapping and murdering an 8-year-old child in Gilgit.

The death penalty was handed to Shoaib Ahmed during a hearing in the court of 
Judge Raja Shahbaz. Shoaib was also fined Rs0.3 million.

Teenager held for rape and murder of minor

The court sentenced Abrarul Haq and Muhammad Usama to life in prison and a fine 
of Rs0.3million each. Abrar and Usama are 15 and 16 years of age, respectively, 
while Shoaib is 17.

Husnain, the victim, was murdered by the convicted teenagers in November 2014 
after being sexually abused. In an effort to keep him quiet about the assault, 
investigators said the three boys brutally killed the victim and dumped the 
body in a cave near the Gilgit River.

Investigators added they cut his ears, smashed his head with stones, stabbed 
and finally strangled him. Husnain was left in a pool of blood 500 metres from 
his house in Majini Mohalla.

Minor raped, killed in DI Khan

According to the 7-page judgment, "The prosecution has proven its case against 
Shoaib Ahmed, Ibrarul Haq and Muhammad Usama beyond a shadow of doubt by 
producing sufficient evidence such as circumstantial evidence, accounts of 
where they were last seen evidence, CCTV footage, medical evidence, forensic 
serological report, recovery of the body by the suspects, confessional 
statements, judicial confessions and recovery of the weapon."

The judgment added Shoaib was convicted under Section 302 (b) of the Pakistan 
Penal Code (intentional and deliberate murder) and Section 7 (a) of ATC Act 
1997. Shoaib will be hanged to death.

The 2 other convicts were sentenced under sections 302/34 of PPC and Section 
7(A) of ATC act 1997.

(source for both: The Express Tribune)






SINGAPORE:

Halt the execution of Kho Jabing


The Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (Adpan) urgently calls on the government of 
Singapore to halt the impending execution of 31-year-old Sarawakian Kho Jabing, 
whose application for clemency was rejected by the president of Singapore on 
Oct 19.

Kho Jabing was arrested in February 2008 for his participation in a robbery 
during which he hit a victim with a wooden stick or branch, resulting in the 
man's death. He was convicted in 2010 under Section 300c of Singapore's Penal 
Code, and his mandatory death sentence was confirmed by the Court of Appeal in 
2011.

In 2013, amendments to Singapore's mandatory death penalty regime came into 
force, allowing Jabing the opportunity to be re-sentenced. Describing 
Jabing???s actions as "opportunistic and improvisational", a High Court judge 
re-sentenced him to life imprisonment with 24 strokes of the cane.

However, the prosecution appealed and in January 2015 a 5-judge Court of Appeal 
reinstated the death sentence after deeming in a majority decision that Jabing 
had "exhibited a blatant disregard for human life".

It is important to note that Jabing's final death sentence was not passed with 
a unanimous decision, but a slim majority. 2 of the 5 appeal judges did not 
feel that the death penalty was appropriate for his crime, and felt that there 
was reasonable doubt as to the number of times and intensity with which Jabing 
had hit his victim that would affect any consideration of whether he had acted 
with a blatant disregard for human life.

The death penalty is the most final and irreversible of punishments. We cannot 
afford a single shred of doubt when a state condemns an individual to the 
gallows. Yet here we have the case of 3 learned judges - the High Court judge 
and 2 Court of Appeal judges - saying they did not believe capital punishment 
suitable in Jabing's case.

It is therefore unsafe to pass the ultimate sentence of death when doubt 
clearly exists even among Singapore's most esteemed legal professionals.

Adpan urges the president and the cabinet of Singapore to reconsider their 
decision not to grant Jabing clemency.

(source: malaysiakini.com)



BANGLADESH:

2 get death penalty for killing schoolgirl


A Narayanganj court awarded death penalty to 2 accused and life term to 3 
others for raping and killing schoolgirl Tania in Siddhirganj upazila of 
Narayanganj.

The special tribunal for women and children repression prevention in 
Narayanganj has delivered the verdict on Tuesday in presence of the convicts.

The death row convicts are Mohor Chan and Amir Hossain. Safar Ali, Nur-e-Alam 
and Monir were awarded life term.

Public persecutor Rakib Uddin said Amir and his allies gang raped and later 
strangled Tania to death on 13 December in 1999. They dumped her body in 
Shitalakhya River.

Later, police recovered her body.

Tania's family members filed a case with Siddhirganj police station.

Tania was a class VIII student of Rebati Mohan High School.

(source: prothom-alo.com)






INDONESIA:

Pedophile suspected of sexually abusing 15 children would rather face death 
penalty than castration


The police have arrested the 1st suspected pedophile who might be chemically 
castrated for the horrid crimes he allegedly committed.

The suspect, Maskur, is suspected of sexually abusing at least 15 children 
around Pancoran, South Jakarta.

Yesterday, Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Yohana Yembise 
visited Maskur, who is in police custody, to tell him first hand that he may be 
the first to be punished with castration.

"He apologized. He said, 'give me lashes or give me the death penalty, but 
don't castrate me,'" Minister Yohana said as she recalled their meeting, as 
quoted by CNN Indonesia yesterday.

That said, Yohana conceded that the presidential decree authorizing the use of 
chemical castration to punish pedophiles is yet to be signed.

"Until now there's no scientific proof that castration as a punishment can 
deter sexual violence. So we're still looking into it academically," she said.

Maskur is suspected of sexually abusing at least 15 children between the ages 
of 6 and 12 during the last 3 years. The South Jakarta Police are conducting 
medical tests on 11 of Maskur's alleged victims.

Under the current Child Protection Laws, Maskur could face 20 years in prison 
if proven guilty.

(source: Coconuts News)






ISRAEL:

Death penalty for terrorists 'will return sanity to Israel'----Dozens of rabbis 
call on gov't to implement death penalty; initiators say it would also stop 
citizens taking law into their own hands.


Dozens of Israeli rabbis have signed a halakhic (Jewish legal) ruling calling 
on the government to institute the death penalty for terrorists.

The letter, initiated by the Derekh Hayim organization, calls for authorities 
to act with an iron fist against the ongoing wave of terrorist attacks.

"In these difficult times, when Jewish blood is being spilled like water, we 
must repeat the obvious: Anyone who wants to harm a Jew, it is imperative to 
preempt him and kill him before he carries out his deed," the letter reads, 
going on to site the Talmudic dictum that "he who comes to kill you, arise and 
kill him first."

"It is forbidden to be negligent regarding (the Torah command) 'Do not stand 
idly by your fellow's blood," it continues, saying those principles also apply 
"after the act."

"The government must decree the death penalty for terrorist murderers," the 
letter adds, stressing that any leniency towards "encourages terror."

Implementing the death penalty would serve as a deterrent, and ensure that even 
if captured alive the terrorist would not be able to carry out any attacks in 
the future, i.e. upon his or her release from prison.

The rabbis added that taking a strong hand against terrorism would also win 
Israel respect internationally.

They noted that Israeli law actually already includes the option of the death 
penalty, meaning that far from embarking on an arduous legislative process the 
government simply needed to opt to use it.

Israel has only ever handed down the death penalty once, when it executed Nazi 
leader and one of the architects of the holocaust Adolf Eichmann in 1962. 
Despite having the option to use it in other cases, such as mass-murdering 
terrorists, Israel has observed an unofficial indefinite moratorium on the 
death penalty since then.

The letter was signed by dozens of rabbis including Derekh Hayim chairman Rabbi 
Yitzhak Ginsburg; former Kiryat Arba-Hevron Chief Rabbi and leading 
Religious-Zionist figure Rabbi Dov Lior; Temple Institute head and halakhic 
authority Rabbi Yisrael Ariel; Kiryat Motzkin Chief Rabbi David Drukman; Alon 
Shvut Chief Rabbi Gidon Perel; Karnei Shomron Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Levi; Yitzhar 
Chief Rabbi David Dudkevich and numerous religious-Zionist roshei yeshiva 
(yeshiva deans).

Derekh Hayim spokesman Rabbi Yossi Pla'i explained the motivation behind the 
letter.

"When government policy is that there is no death penalty for terrorists, and 
on the contrary, we see that even terrorist murderers sit in prison in good 
condition and are released in (prisoner swap) deals, this is something which 
erodes the feeling of security" for Israel's citizens, he said.

"As a result, it is no wonder that members of the public want to harm 
terrorists themselves, in the knowledge that they will not receive a fitting 
punishment" he added, referring to the increased incidents of incensed 
civilians attempting to lynch neutralized terrorists who carried out attacks.

Handing the death penalty to terrorists who harm Jews would mark a "return to 
sanity and justice," he said.

(source: Israel National News)