[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide----BANG., INDON., ST. KITTS, IRAN, S. ARAB., AUST.

[Rick Halperin]

Nov. 12



BANGLADESH:

Oishee Rahman given death sentence for murder of parents


The verdict delivered by Judge Sayed Ahmed of Dhaka's Third Speedy Trial 
Tribunal found the teenage girl's friend Mizanur Rahman Rony guilty of abetment 
and handed him a sentence of 2 years' rigorous imprisonment.

A fine of Tk 5,000 has also been clamped on Rony, failure to pay which will 
have him spend another month in jail.

The court acquitted Asaduzzaman Jony, another friend of Oishee, who also faced 
charges of abetment in the crime.

Police Inspector Mahfuzur Rahman and his wife Swapna Rahman were found murdered 
in their apartment in Dhaka in 2013.

Police pressed charges against their daughter Oishee Rahman, her 2 friends and 
house help Khadija Akter Sumi for murders at the couple's residence in the 
capital's Chamelibagh.

The underage house help is being tried before a juvenile court.

In its verdict, the court said that Oishee had 'planned the murder well ahead'.

"She was in her senses while committing the murder. The defence claimed she was 
a minor but failed to prove it. She was a drug addict but was normal when she 
killed her parents," it said.

Oishee took shelter at the home of her friend Rony, who was found guilty of 
abetment on Thursday and given a prison term.

"Rony has already spent 19 months in jail since his arrest, which period will 
be adjusted with his 2 years jail sentence," said Prosecutor Mahabubur Rahman.

Meanwhile, defence counsel Faruk Ahmed said that the defence would appeal 
against the verdict.

The case was filed by the slain police officer's brother Mashiur Rahman, who 
had maintained that his niece was not involved in the killings.

He kept to his stance while testifying in court.

bdnews24.com reached him on Thursday after the verdict. "I am ill and will 
speak later," was his response.

The bloodstained bodies of the Special Branch inspector and his wife were found 
in a locked bathroom in their apartment on Aug 16, 2013.

The autopsy report said that Rahman and his wife died of stabbing, which 
appeared to have been inflicted by amateurs.

Oishee along with the house help turned herself in at the police station the 
next day. Her friends Rony and Jony were arrested later.

The DNA of Mahfuzur and his wife matched the samples taken from Oishee's 
bloodstained clothes and ornaments, according to police.

According to the police statement, Oishee mixed sleeping pills in the coffee 
consumed by her parents. As they fell unconscious, she first stabbed her mother 
and then her father to death.

Police had initially come under strong criticism for taking into remand an 
'underage' Oishee, whose school documents showed she was below 18.

Following an order by the court, an examination was subsequently conducted to 
determine Oishee's actual age.

Oishee was sent to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital for physical examination. 
Doctors concluded that she was nearly 19 years old and Sumi 11.

In March 2014, police submitted the charge sheet in court, according to which 
Oishee had acted alone in killing her parents. The other 3 were charged with 
abetment to murder.

During interrogation, Oishee confessed to killing her parents with the help of 
Sumi.

But she later pleaded for a retraction of her confession, claiming police had 
tortured and forced her into making the statement.

The trial at a juvenile court of the underage house help Sumi is yet to be 
concluded.

The court indicted the 11-year-old girl in May last year and granted her bail.

She was released from the Gazipur juvenile correctional facility in June last 
year and placed in her mother's custody.

(source: bdnews24.com)

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

Roundup: Bangladesh girl gets death penalty for killing parents


A Bangladesh court in capital Dhaka sentenced a girl to death on Thursday after 
convicting her of murder of her parents about 2 years ago.

Judge MD Sayeed Ahmed of the Dhaka's Speedy Trial Tribunal-3 said Oishee 
Rahman, the only daughter of slain inspector of Special Branch (SB) of 
Bangladesh Police and his wife, was an adult when she killed her parents.

He said, "Therefore, there is no way to consider her a minor."

"I've no alternative but to give death sentence to a child like girl as as she 
had committed the per-planned killings in a cool head," said the judge while 
delivering the judgement.

On Aug. 16, 2013, police found the bodies of Special Branch Inspector Mahfuzur 
Rahman and his wife Swapna Rahman at their flat in Dhaka.

In the charge sheet, DB Inspector Abul Khair pointed to Oishee, an O level 
student, as the murderer of her parents by stabbing them indiscriminately after 
mixing sleeping pills with their coffee after they tried to stop her from 
taking drugs.

According to the charge sheets, the girl alone killed her parents.

The girl's friend Mizanur Rahman Roni was given 2 years of rigorous jail term 
for giving shelter to her while her another friend Asaduzzaman Johnny was 
acquitted of the charges.

The charge sheet also said the couple had been given seven sedatives mixed in 
tea or coffee before they were killed.

Oishee was reportedly furious with her parents, specially her mother as they 
did not allow the drug-addict daughter to get out of the house.

The medical report also found her mentally unstable as she had been taking the 
contraband yaba tablets before and during the murder.

Defending Oishee at the court, her lawyer Faruk had earlier argued that since 
the girl was a minor when the murders took place, her trial must be held at a 
juvenile court instead of a general court, as per the law.

In her written statement on Oct. 20 this year, the girl reportedly alleged that 
police had coerced her to falsely confess to the murder of her parents.

Her lawyers say they will move an appeal with the High Court Division of the 
Supreme Court against the court's verdict.

(source: Xinhua News Agency)






INDONESIA:

Greater Jakarta: Hong Kongers could face death penalty


The West Jakarta Prosecutor's Office has said it will indict two Hong Kong men 
for allegedly attempting to smuggle 49 kilograms of methamphetamine into the 
country and demand that they be handed the death penalty at a court hearing 
scheduled for Thursday.

The office's head, Reda Mantovai, said on Tuesday that the 2 suspects, Kwok Fu 
Ho and Ko Chi Yuen alias Acuan, had violated Article 114 of the Narcotics Law.

"We will read out our indictment for the 2 suspects on Thursday," he said as 
quoted by tribunnews.com.

The 2 suspects were arrested by the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) in a raid 
on an apartment in West Jakarta recently. The 2 said they just fulfilled an 
order to pick up the methamphetamine from a person identified as Andrew, who is 
still at large.

The government has been imposing strict penalties on drug traffickers in what 
it calls "an emergency call against drugs traffickers".

In April, the government executed 2 Australian drug ringleaders, Andrew Chan 
and Myuran Sukumaran, despite intense lobbying efforts by the Australian 
government and international human rights organizations to save their lives.

The government plans to continue imposing the death sentence on drug 
traffickers even though local and international organizations have demanded 
that the government amend the law.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said recently that he would not give clemency to 
anyone found trafficking drugs within the archipelago.

(source: The Jakarta Post)






ST KITTS-NEVIS:

Pressure on St Lucia to abolish death penalty


The United Nations Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) 
Working Group has called on St Kitts-Nevis to establish a moratorium on the use 
of the death penalty with a view to its abolition.

The UPR yesterday conducted an examination of St Kitts-Nevis human rights 
record and called on the twin-island Federation to also "take active measures 
to abolish corporal punishment of children in all settings".

As it did in the case of St Lucia last week, the UPR also called on the 
Caribbean Community (Caricom) country to adopt legislation prohibiting 
discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

It also called on Basseterre to repeal all legislation that may discriminate 
against LGBTI persons, to decriminalise same-sex relations between consenting 
adults and to prosecute all perpetrators of sexual and domestic violence.

This was the twin-island Federation's 2nd review and the UPR said it was aimed 
at highlighting human rights developments in the country since its 1st review 
and provided an opportunity for States under review to spell out steps taken to 
implement recommendations posed during their 1st reviews.

In her presentation to the UPR, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs in St Kitts-Nevis, Kaye Bass, noted that the twin-island Federation has 
not imposed the death penalty for several years and only 3 people have been 
executed within the last 30 years, and none in almost 7 years; She said 
Parliament had also passed the Police Complaints Act in 2014, which provided 
for the receipt, investigation and determination of complaints by the public 
against the police and for related matters. In July this year, the police 
unveiled its Crime Action Plan to enhance public safety which stressed crime 
prevention and intelligence-led policing.

She said the government was reviewing criminal justice procedures to reduce the 
length of detention without trial and aimed to reduce the backlog of criminal 
cases and that the state was continuing to adopt measures to put an end to 
corporal punishment.

(source: Jamaica Observer)



IRAN----executions

At Least 5 Prisoners Hanged in 2 Days (East Azerbaijan and Kerman)


On Tuesday November 10, 3 prisoners were reportedly hanged at Baft Prison on 
alleged rape charges. A day earlier, 2 prisoners were reportedly hanged at 
Tabriz Prison on alleged murder charges.

An official report by Kerman's Judicial Department identifies the 3 prisoners 
from Baft as: E.M., A.A., and N.H. Although Iranian official sources have been 
silent on the 2 executions carried out in Tabriz, East Azerbaijan, the 
Kurdistan Human Rights Network identifies the prisoners as: Rahim Ahmadi and 
Mohammad Ali Moradi.

(soure: Iran Human Rights)




SAUDI ARABIA:

Saudi authorities executing one prisoner every 2 days


Saudi Arabia has doubled the number of prisoners they have killed in the last 
year - 151 in total. The Saudi authorities are currently executing at least 1 
prisoner every 2 days.

Not only are we seeing an escalation in the number of prisoners executed in 
Saudi Arabia, the large majority of them are being sentenced to death for 
non-violent offences and the 'crime' of attending protests. Some, like Ali 
al-Nimr and Dawoud al-Marhoon, were just children when they were arrested and 
sentenced to death.

"This dramatic spike in executions should be cause for strong condemnation from 
the Saudis' closest allies, like the UK and the US. The international community 
and Saudi Arabia's closest allies must call for an end to the tide of senseless 
killing."----Maya Foa, director of Reprieve???s death penalty team

Ali and Dawoud were both convicted on the basis of 'confessions' they signed 
after being tortured, at secretive trials in which their lawyers were largely 
blocked from representing them. Reprieve's research has found that the use of 
torture to extract 'confessions' is widespread in Saudi. Some prisoners on 
death row had been beaten so badly they had broken bones and teeth.

Separate studies by the European-Saudi Organisation for Human Rights (ESOHR) 
and Amnesty International have found that 2015 saw the Saudi authorities carry 
out at least 151 executions. Of those, the majority appear to have been 
convicted for non-violent crimes, including drug offences. The surge indicates 
that the country is executing at least 1 prisoner every 2 days.

Last month, Reprieve research found that, of those identified as awaiting 
execution in Saudi Arabia, some 72% were convicted for non-violent offences - 
including attendance at political protests - including juveniles, Ali and 
Dawoud.

Ali Mohammed al-Nimr

On 14 February 2012, at the age of 17, Ali was arrested for participating in an 
anti-governmental protest in the eastern district of Qatif of Saudi Arabia. 2 
years later he was sentenced to death by 'crucifixion', based solely on a 
fabricated statement he was tortured into signing and that was used as an 
alleged confession. Ali is now facing imminent execution.

Dawoud Hussain al-Marhoon

A 2nd Saudi juvenile is facing imminent death by beheading for his role in 
pro-democracy protests. Dawoud al-Marhoon was 17 when he was arrested without a 
warrant by Saudi security forces in May 2012. He was tortured and made to sign 
a 'confession' that was later relied on to convict him.

(source: reprieve.org.uk)

***********

IHR Condemns Execution of 3 Iranians in Saudi Arabia


Iran Human Rights condemns the execution of 3 Iranian citizens in Saudi Arabia. 
They were reportedly beheaded by Saudi authorities on alleged drug charges. 
According to a statement released by the Saudi Ministry of Interior, the 
executions were carried out on Monday November 9 in the city of Dammam, capital 
of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The 3 Iranians have been identified 
as: Bani Bakhsh, Mohammad Akram Baluch, and Omid Boolideh.

"The death penalty is an inhumane punishment and we condemn it for all charges, 
regardless of where it happens. Based on international human rights laws, the 
death penalty may only be carried out for the most serious crimes, and drug 
related offenses are not considered to be among the most serious," says Mahmood 
Amiry-Moghaddam, the spokesperson for Iran Human Rights.

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

Sunni Kurd Faces Imminent Execution for His Activism


Shahram Ahmadi has been sentenced to death in Iran due to his activism as a 
Sunni Muslim and a Kurd.

Members of ethnic or religious minorities in Iran who engage in criticism of 
the government are singled out by authorities for particularly harsh treatment, 
and there is a well-documented history of the Judiciary disproportionately 
meting out capital punishment to minority activists.

"Making speeches, distributing books and pamphlets, or opposing the government 
are not capital offenses. Unfortunately Judge Moghisseh said that Shahram's 
first 2 crimes are that he's a Sunni and a Kurd. Therefore he was presumed 
guilty from the start," a source told the International Campaign for Human 
Rights in Iran.

The source added that Ahmadi's lawyer was planning to deliver a petition to 
halt the death sentence which has been approved by the Supreme Court and could 
be carried out imminently. His co-defendants, his younger brother Bahram and 
his friend Asghar Rahimi, were executed in December 2012.

Shahram Ahmadi, 40, was shot and wounded during his arrest by intelligence 
agents on April 26, 2009, an event that coincided with supreme leader Ali 
Khamenei's visit to Sanandaj in Kurdistan Province. He was held in solitary 
confinement for 34 months in the Intelligence Ministry detention center in 
Sanandaj and Zanjan and then transferred to Evin and Rajaee Shahr Prisons.

He was sentenced to death for moharebeh (enmity with God) as a member of a 
Salafist Sunni opposition group by Judge Moghisseh of Branch 28 of the 
Revolutionary Court on October 9, 2012. Even though the death sentence was 
initially rejected in August 2015 by Branch 31 of the Supreme Court, it was 
reinstated by Judge Moghisseh, a judge well known for the harsh sentences he 
hands down in politically motivated cases, and eventually approved by the 
Supreme Court.

A source told the Campaign that in his youth Ahmadi attended Sunni religious 
classes in Kurdish mosques with his neighborhood friends and distributed books 
and CDs to raise awareness about Sunni Islam.

"We want a fair trial in front of a jury. If they act according to the law, 
Shahram will not be condemned to death," the source added.

(source for both: Iran Human Rights)

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

Remembering Ehsan Fattahian


Authors note: The year 2009 was important and memorable for all Iranian 
activists both inside and outside. Ehsan's martyrdom in November of that year 
solidified him as an inspirational figure for Iranians everywhere. I remain 
inspired by Ehsan's heroic resolve and hope to continue his path for freedom in 
our country.

November 11th marks the anniversary of the execution of Ehsan Fattahian, a 
Kurdish activist and freedom fighter arrested by the Iranian regime. Ehsan's 
life was noteworthy, particularly because of his defiance against the Iranian 
regime, and his dedication to the struggle for the freedom of Kurds and all 
Iranians. His legacy is significant as a representation of the sacrifices made 
by those who stand up to this regime and put their ideals and beliefs before 
their own self preservation.

Fattahian was arrested in 2008, for his membership in the Kurdish opposition 
organization Komala, and was subject to torture and threats while imprisoned. 
According to Amnesty International, Fattahian was denied access to an attorney 
during his trial, and sentenced to death for 'waging war against God". He was 
denied the right to appeal his death sentence, in contravention to 
international human rights laws, reportedly because he refused to provide a 
televised confession denouncing his beliefs.

Fattahian was executed on November 11, 2009, his body was never returned to his 
family and was buried secretly in Kermanshah, before the family was notified.

Despite the fact that he denied the charges against him, Fattahian should be 
remembered as a Kurdish militant and activist, who did not hesitate to take up 
arms to fight for the dignity and freedom of his people. Ehsan represented what 
the regime in Tehran fears the most: a young person with ideology, courage, and 
the commitment to stand against the fascist regime in Iran.

The story of Ehsan Fattahian is like that of many other Iranian freedom 
fighters, standing tall and unrepentant in the face tyranny and death. 
Fattahian remained steadfast until his last days, and maintained not only his 
dignity, but defiance toward the injustice imposed by the Iranian regime. In 
one of his last statements he said:

I never feared death. Even now, as I feel its odd and honest presence next to 
me, I still want to smell its aroma and rediscover it. Death has been the most 
ancient companion of this land. I don't want to talk about death, I want to 
question the reasons behind it. Today, when punishment is the answer for those 
who seek freedom and justice, how can one fear his fate? Those of "us" who have 
been sentenced to death by "them" are only guilty of seeking an opportunity for 
a better and fair world. Are "they" also aware of their deeds?

(source: Hamid Yazdan Panah is an Iranian-American human rights activist and 
attorney focused on immigration and asylum in the San Francisco Bay Area; 
Persian2English)






AUSTRALIA:

Queensland MP calls for the death penalty to be reintroduced for terrorists


A QUEENSLAND MP says the government should consider reintroducing the death 
penalty to deal with terrorists.

Moggill MP Dr Christian Rowan used a speech during a debate about Queensland's 
Counter-Terrorism and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2015 to call for "strong 
action" against terrorists.

"I certainly support the suspension of privileges, including the right to vote 
or receive social security or other governmental entitlements, if convicted of 
terrorism-related offences," Dr Rowan told Queensland's parliament last night.

"A reintroduced death penalty for certain or specified terrorist acts should 
also be considered in my view."

Dr Rowan is the former president of the Australian Medical Association's 
Queensland branch and was a specialist in addiction medicine before switching 
to politics for the Liberal National Party.

He also has a Masters degree in Diplomacy.

"We need strong action against those people, whether Australian born citizens 
or otherwise, who follow and promote transnational terrorism," he said in his 
Remembrance Day speech, reminding the community that although the occasion 
marked the end of historical battles, there were many diplomatic challenges 
ahead.

"The further evolution of global terrorism and the radicalisation of young 
Queenslanders and Australians is not only deeply disturbing but also very 
tragic.

"Stopping the spread of extremist agendas and insular ideologies can only be 
addressed through engaging the disenfranchised, the disaffected and the 
marginalised from a very young chronological age.

"Developing strategies and practical programs to address social, economic and 
educational disadvantage must be a top priority of successive governments in 
Queensland."

(source: news.com.au)

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

Terrorism death penalty 'not a deterrent'


A call to consider reintroducing the death penalty for terrorists would have 
the adverse affect of more people joining terror groups, a leading civil 
libertarian has warned.

Terry O'Gorman, the president of the Australian Council for Civil Liberties, 
says Queensland MP Christian Rowan's call for capital punishment debate is 
nothing more than a political stunt as it doesn't deter offenders.

"The reality is that there will always be politicians who take an extreme 
stance not because they believe in it but because they think it will benefit 
their political profile," Mr O'Gorman told AAP.

"(Reintroducing the) death penalty will just run the risk of radicalising even 
greater numbers because they will be pushed more towards the fascist Islam 
philosophy that we see exemplified in ISIL and its activities."

The Brisbane lawyer said long jail sentences already handed to terrorists were 
adequate and that introducing the death penalty ran the risk of turning these 
"thugs" into martyrs.

Even conservative Republican governors in the US were changing their stance on 
the issue because it wasn't a deterrent and can lead to innocent people being 
killed, he added.

Dr Rowan made the extraordinary comments while debating Queensland's 
Counter-Terrorism and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2015 in parliament on 
Wednesday night.

The Liberal National Party MP said the reintroduction of the death penalty for 
"certain or specified terrorist acts" should be considered among other 
penalties.

When questioned further on Thursday he said he stood by the remarks, saying 
there needed to be a debate on the issue across Australia.

Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg said he understood people had passionate 
views on the subject but he didn't agree with his colleague's stance.

"It is not the view that is shared by the LNP, but we have no problem if people 
advocate their view, but it doesn't mean that they're able to have their view 
get majority support," he said.

Queensland abolished the death penalty in 1922, becoming the 1st state in 
Australia to do so.

It was a fact not lost on Health Minister Cameron Dick, who rubbished Dr 
Rowan's comments.

"Almost a century after the Labor government abolished the death penalty in 
Queensland, we will not be following down the frolic path, the disgraceful path 
the Member for Moggill has now suggested that it be reintroduced," Mr Dick told 
parliament on Thursday.

(source: 9news.com.au)