[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Sept. 2



THAILAND:

Thai murders - defendants say confessions were 'forced'


1 of the suspects accused of the murder of British backpacker Hannah Witheridge 
from Norfolk and her friend on a resort island in Thailand last year testified 
in court for the 1st time today.

23-year-old Hannah and 24 year old David Miller, were murdered last year on Koh 
Tao, or Turtle Island, a popular tourist destination in southern Thailand.

Thai police said in October that Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun, 2 22-year-old 
migrant workers from Myanmar, had initially confessed to the killings. The 
confessions followed weeks of speculation and pressure on police to solve the 
murders.

The pair now deny charges of murder, rape and robbery, and could face the death 
penalty if found guilty.

Police said DNA found on the victims matched the suspects but the 2 men later 
retracted their confessions, saying they had made them while being tortured.

Defense lawyers said there appeared to be discrepancies between DNA evidence 
held by Thai police and DNA tested by British police.

We are trying to show that the suspects' confessions were made under pressure 
and (that they) was forced to confess. ??? Zaw Lin's lawyer Nakhon Chomphuchart

A verdict is expected in October.

(source: itv.com)






IRAN:

5 Prisoners in Rajai Shahr Prison Sent to Solitary Confinement in Preparation 
for Executions / 4 Prisoners Executed in East Azerbaijan and Kurdistan 
Provinces


According to informed sources, 5 prisoners charged with murder have been 
transferred from their wards in Rajai Shahr Prison to solitary confinement in 
preparation for their executions. 2 of the prisoners' names are Davoud 
Alambeigi and Ghorban Mohammadi. The names of the 3 other prisoners are not 
known at this time.

A source who wishes to be annonymous tells Iran Human Rights: "The prisoners 
are currently being held in solitary confinement, they are scheduled to be 
executed on the morning of Wednesday [September 2]."

In the past week at least 4 prisoners charged with murder were hanged to death 
in Sanandaj Central and Tabriz Central prisons, accordng to the Kurdistan Human 
Rights Network. After conducting additional research, Iran Human Rights 
confirms these executions. On Wednesday August 26 one prisoner, identified as 
Davoud Amazadeh, was hanged to death at Tabriz Central Prison. On Thursday 
August 27 1 prisoner, identified as Jamal Jafari, was executed at Sanandaj 
Central Prison. On Monday August 31 1 prisoner, identified as Mostajab 
Pourmohammad, was hanged to death at Tabriz Central Prison. Pourmohammad was 
reportedly imprisoned for 8 years prior to his execution. On Tuesday September 
1, a prisoner, identified as Seyed Zahed Hedayati, was hanged to death at 
Sanandaj Central Prison. Hedayati was reportedly imprisoned for 3 years prior 
to his execution.

Iranian official sources, including state media and the Judiciary, have not 
reported on these executions.

(source: Iran Human Rights)

INDIA:

December 16 gangrape convicts sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for robbery


The 4 death row convicts in the December 16 gangrape and murder case were on 
Thursday held guilty of kidnapping and dacoity. Additional Sessions Judge 
Reetesh Singh convicted Akshay Kumar Singh, Mukesh, Pawan Gupta and Vinay 
Sharma for the offences under various sections of the IPC, including sections 
395 (dacoity) and 365 (kidnapping or abducting with intent secretly and 
wrongfully to confine a person). "Vide separate order pronounced today, the 
accused persons are convicted in all the sections for which charges were framed 
against them. Put up the matter for arguments on sentence on September 2," the 
judge said.

All the 4 convicts were present in the court at the time of pronouncement of 
judgement. 6 persons, including a juvenile, had beaten up and robbed a 
carpenter before raping and brutally assaulting a 23-year-old girl in a moving 
bus in south Delhi on December 16, 2012. The victim had died in a Singapore 
hospital on December 29, 2012.

Mukesh, Vinay, Pawan and Akshay were awarded death penalty by trial court in 
the gangrape and murder case which was later confirmed by Delhi High Court. 
Their appeals are pending before the Supreme Court. Accused Ram Singh had 
allegedly committed suicide in Tihar Jail on March 11, 2013. The juvenile was 
facing proceedings in the gangrape and murder case before Juvenile Justice 
Board which sentenced him to 3 years detention in reformation home. Proceedings 
against Ram Singh were abated following his death.

The court had on July 15, 2013 framed charges against the 4 accused after they 
pleaded not guilty and claimed trial. Apart from dacoity and kidnapping, the 
court had also framed charges against them for the offences punishable under 
sections 342 (wrongfully confining any person), 394(person voluntarily causing 
hurt in committing or attempting to commit robbery), 412 (dishonestly receiving 
stolen property knowing that it was obtained by dacoity) and 34 (common 
intention) of the IPC.

(source: Daily News & Analysis)

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

Caveat stunts death penalty punishment's progressive nature


It is a positive and progressive move had it not been for the caveat. The Law 
Commission of India, headed by former Chief Justice of the Delhi high court, 
Justice Ajit Prakash Shah, on Monday submitted its report to the Union law 
minister, Sadananda Gowda, recommending that the death penalty be abolished for 
all crimes 'other than terrorism-related offences and waging war'.

The commission pointed out that although 'there is no valid penological 
justification for treating terrorism differently from other crimes, concern is 
often raised that abolition of death penalty for terrorism related offences 
will affect national security'.

The recommendations have been opposed from different quarters, including 3 
members of the commission who refused to sign the report. The report, titled 
'Death Penalty', rightly states that capital punishment is the extreme form of 
incapacitation and snuffs out the possibility of reform.

While terror-related cases are cited as an exception, the question arises: What 
about other perpetrators of heinous crimes, like in the December 16 gang-rape 
case?

For the system to work effectively after the abolition of the death penalty it 
is important that law and order and, more importantly, the criminal justice 
system work effectively. An overstretched police force and poor legal aid tilt 
the balance against the underprivileged and the commission's apprehensions 
about the misapplication of the death penalty should be seen from this 
perspective as well.

The case of undertrials languishing in jails across the country for years 
without proper legal recourse is just one of the many examples of this.

The commission has rightly taken into consideration the international landscape 
regarding the death penalty. A majority of countries in the world have 
abolished the death penalty and as of 2014, there were only 58 retentionists. 
Ironically, though it is only 58 nations, since they are populous, like China, 
India and the United States, a majority of the world's population potentially 
faces the gallows or lethal injection, as the case may be.

The law commission's report reflects the maturity of the Indian judiciary and 
it is now up to our leaders to translate its recommendations into action. 
Complete abolition should be the goal with no exceptions made for any type of 
crime.

As it stands, the commission has held back from going the whole hog and doing 
away with what is essentially an irreversible and inhumane form of punishment.

(source: Hindustan Times)






PAKISTAN:

Death row delay for Pakistan paraplegic


Abdul Basit file photoImage copyright Reprieve Image caption Abdul Basit's 
planned execution last month was postponed but he is still on death row 
Pakistani prison officials have missed Tuesday's court deadline to explain how 
they would hang a paraplegic man.

Abdul Basit is paralysed from the waist down and uses a wheelchair after an 
illness he contracted while in prison.

Abdul Basit was convicted 6 years ago of murder but maintains his innocence. He 
was to be hanged in Lahore last month but this was postponed. A petition for 
his pardon was dismissed.

Hanging him would constitute cruel and degrading treatment, his lawyers say.

They add that this is prohibited under Pakistani and international law.

Pakistan has executed more than 200 people since reintroducing the death 
penalty in December 2014.

At the time the government said it was a measure to combat terrorism after the 
Taliban massacred more than 150 people, most of them children, in a Peshawar 
school.

Pakistan's jail manual gives no instructions on how to execute disabled 
prisoners.

A high court judge had told prison officials they had until 1 September to come 
up with specific steps if they were to be allowed to proceed with the execution 
of Abdul Basit.

The BBC's Shaimaa Khalil says Mr Basit remains on death row but his sentence 
has effectively been stayed until the jail authorities come up with a clear 
plan for how they will execute him.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Executions around the world

Pakistan has executed more than 200 people since December 2014, almost all of 
them this year

Figures for executions in other countries in 2015 are as yet largely 
unavailable

In August Amnesty International said Saudi Arabia had executed 102 people in 
the first six months of 2015, compared with 90 in all of 2014

By the end of last year, the other countries with the highest number of 
reported executions were: Iran: 289, Iraq: 61, USA: 35, and Sudan: 23

In 2013 the numbers were: Iran: 369, Iraq: 169, Saudi Arabia: 79, Somalia: 68, 
USA: 39

China and North Korea refuse to divulge information on the number of executions 
that take place within their borders

(source: BBC news)






CHAD:

UN human rights office urges Chad to halt death penalty after execution of Boko 
Haram members


The U.N.'s main human rights office is criticizing Chad's execution of 10 Boko 
Haram members by firing squad.

Cecile Pouilly of the office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights called 
Tuesday on the African country's government to introduce a moratorium on the 
death penalty, which was restored in a counterterrorism law passed in July.

Pouilly said OHCHR officials were not granted access to Friday's trial, which 
was relocated for security reasons and reduced from 8 to 2 days. She said it 
wasn't clear if the defendants had access to lawyers.

The 10 men were executed Saturday for crimes including murder and the use of 
explosives following suicide attacks in the capital, N'Djamena, in June and 
July that killed dozens of people.

(source: Metro News)