[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

IOct. 6



SAUDI ARABIA:

2nd Saudi juvenile faces beheading for anti-government protests


A 2nd juvenile is now facing imminent beheading after a Saudi court upheld a 
conviction for his role in anti-government protests in the kingdom's Eastern 
Province.

Dawoud al-Marhoon was just 17 years old when he was arrested in May 2012 at the 
height of protests influenced by the Arab Spring. He was allegedly tortured and 
made to sign a confession that was later relied on to convict him, resulting in 
a death sentence by beheading.

British legal aid group Reprieve said on Tuesday that the Specialized Criminal 
Court had decided to uphold Dawoud's conviction and death sentence. With all 
legal avenues now exhausted, Dawoud could be executed by beheading at any time 
without prior notification to his family. Reprieve said Dawoud is being held in 
solitary confinement and has been barred from speaking with his lawyer, who was 
not allowed to attend secret hearings and was blocked from receiving 
information about appeal hearings.

The ruling by the Specialized Criminal Court means that at least 2 Saudi 
juveniles now face imminent execution for a role in anti-government protests. 
The same court decided last week to uphold a sentence of 'crucifixion' for Ali 
Mohammed al-Nimr, who was arrested during anti-government protests in February 
2012 and tortured into a confession, which he later recanted. A sentence of 
crucifixion involves a prisoner being beheaded and his body being displayed in 
public.

The case of Ali al-Nimr led to international condemnation and calls to halt the 
execution.

"Ali al-Nimr's case has rightly prompted revulsion among the international 
community - it is therefore horrifying that the Saudi government is pushing 
ahead with plans to exact a similarly brutal sentence on another juvenile, 
Dawoud al-Marhoon," said Maya Foa, director of the death penalty team at 
Reprieve. "It's also deeply disappointing to see the US and the UK - who are 
among the Saudis' closest allies - failing to intervene strongly to stop these 
executions from going ahead."

(source: BNO News)






INDONESIA:

Couple face death penalty for drug trafficking


A drug-trafficking couple are facing the death penalty after they were caught 
with RM15,000 worth of cannabis shortly after checking into a hotel with their 
2 children.

District police chief ACP Roslan Bek Ahmad said police conducted a raid at a 
hotel in Jalan Simpang Tiga around 2pm on Monday following a tip-off about 
possible drug trafficking activities taking place in a room there.

Personnel from the district Narcotics Crime Investigation Department were 
greeted at the hotel room door by a male, who was immediately detained along 
with a female and two children in the room with him.

Following an inspection of the room, police found roughly 6.24 grams of 
suspected cannabis hidden inside a cigarette packet, and a further 746.8 grams 
of suspected cannabis wrapped in a package that was hidden inside a bag.

Police also seized a scale from the room along with a modified bottle believed 
to be used to smoke the cannabis.

"Initial investigation revealed that the 31-year-old male from Kampung Tabuan 
Tengah is married to the 32-year-old female suspect.

"The 9-year-old girl in the room was found to be the couple's daughter, while 
the 12-year-old boy with them was found to be the woman's child with her 
previous husband," Roslan said in a statement to the media yesterday.

The arrest and subsequent interrogation of the couple led police to a house at 
Merryland Estate in Matang later the same afternoon where they arrested a 
33-year-old finance company clerk after he was found with roughly 272.45 grams 
of suspected cannabis hidden in his bedroom.

Roslan went on to reveal that the 3 adult suspects have already been remanded 
for 7 days for trafficking drugs under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 
1952, which carries the mandatory death penalty upon conviction.

The 2 children, meanwhile, have been placed in the care of the girl's paternal 
grandfather.

(source: theborneopost.com)