[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Sept. 8


INDONESIA:

Date for 3rd Round of Executions Yet to Be Determined


The Indonesian government is reportedly "still evaluating and observing the 
situation" before it decides on a date for the 3rd round of executions of 
death-row inmates this year, Attorney General H.M. Prasetyo said on Tuesday.

In April, Tony Spontana, a spokesman for the Attorney Genera's Office, revealed 
plans for the next round of executions to be conducted after the controversial 
and universally denounced killings of 8 drug convicts, 7 of them foreigners. 
The 1st round of executions, in January, saw 6 people, 5 of them foreigners, 
face the firing squad.

When questioned on Tuesday about when the 3rd round of killings would take 
place, Prasetyo gave the rather vague response of "We're currently focusing on 
the law violation development."

Tony had previously said the 3rd batch of condemned inmates would all be 
convicted murderers, after the 14 drug offenders put to death so far this year.

(source: Jakarta Globe)






CHAD:

UN Rights Expert Questions Execution Of Boko Haram Militants After Swift Trial


The UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions has 
condemned the recent executions of ten people in Chad following a swift 
process, which he says may have not respected the international human rights 
standards.

Christof Heyns called on the Chadian authorities to reinstate the moratorium on 
the use of the capital punishment.

On 29 August, Chad executed ten suspected members of Boko Haram after a t3-day 
hearing. There is no reliable information on whether the persons executed were 
able to use their right to appeal and clemency as the hearings were moved to a 
secret place on the last day.

"While I express my deepest rejection of the terrorist attacks in June and 
July, I encourage the Government to react to such events within the limits of 
its obligations under international law," said the UN Special Rapporteur on 
extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Christof.

Heyns emphasized that the death penalty is an extreme form of punishment and, 
if used at all, should only be imposed after a fair trial that respects the 
most stringent due process guarantees as stipulated in international human 
rights law.

The Chadian authorities reintroduced the death penalty following terrorist 
attacks carried out by Boko Haram in the capital N'Djamena between June and 
July.

"Prior to these events, the last official execution in the country took place 
in 2003," Heyns noted, recalling that Chad had accepted last year's 
recommendation on the abolition of the death penalty made by other States 
during the review of the country's human rights record.

In September 2014, Chad announced that it would abolish the death penalty in 
its legislation. However, on 30 July 2015, the National Parliament adopted a 
new law on terrorism and introduced the death penalty.

Heyns further called upon Chad's authorities to amend the antiterrorist law of 
30 July.

The expert's statement has been endorsed by the UN Special Rapporteurs on 
torture, Juan E. Mendez; and on human rights and counter terrorism, Ben 
Emmerson.

(source: RTT news)






EGYPT:

Rights Group Condemns Death Sentences Against Clearly Innocent Anti-Coup 
Mansoura Youths----Rights groups and activists say the latest wave of death 
sentences against coup opponents kills Egypt's future.


The #StopEgyEx (Stop Egypt Executions) rights campaign condemns a junta court's 
decision Monday to confirm death sentences against nine young-men from Dakahlia 
(north east of Cairo) in case No. 781 of 2014 South Mansoura Supreme State 
Security.

These sentences are unjust and the whole process lacked all fair trial 
standards and failed to achieve justice or apply the law. Like all previous 
"death penalty" cases in Egypt in recent months, the accused are allowed no 
defense or testimony. They are not even allowed to explain how they were 
tortured and how they suffered extreme and brutal abuse and unspeakable 
violations by their interrogators.

According to accounts of the defendants' families, all those have been 
subjected to enforced disappearance for several days during which they suffered 
the most extreme forms of torture, until the interior ministry extracted 
'confessions' from some of them in videos posted on the ministry's webpage, and 
in which they confess crimes they never committed, like killing a Dakahlia 
Directorate of Security sergeant.

Absurdly, the court deliberately ignored all exculpatory evidence that clearly 
exonerates the defendants. For example, Ahmed Waleed, the main defendant in the 
case, could not possibly have aimed a gun at any-one due to a surgical 
operation he had in his head. Moreover, the victim was killed standing, as 
stated in the report of the forensic doctor, which is contrary to statements in 
the police record which claim Waleed was a passenger in a vehicle at the time. 
Also, the weapons that appeared in front of the defendants in video evidence 
later disappeared completely, with only an old sewage pipe and an ancient gun 
shown in court, the gun had never been used before and had no bullets in it. 
All these and many other absurd facts confirm the case was fabricated and the 
verdict unjust against those innocent young men.

We urge for social pressure to revive the law and justice in Egypt, and to stop 
the practice of systematic killings disguised in legal procedures and death 
sentence.

It is not acceptable that we stand by and witness as more innocent young people 
are executed unjustly, just as before. This blood will remain a curse on all 
those who abuse the legal system or ignore principles of law and justice in 
this country.

(source: ikhwanweb.com)