[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Sept. 29


SAUDIA ARABIA:

Saudi Arabian protester facing 'crucifixion' sparks international outrage


An international campaign is underway to stop the execution of a young Saudi 
Arabian man sentenced to death for his role in the 2012 Arab Spring 
pro-democracy protests.

Ali al-Nimr, who was arrested at the age of 17, is the nephew of a high-profile 
dissident in Saudi Arabia, which has one of the highest execution rates in the 
world.

Authorities have accused him of attacking their security forces, but his lawyer 
said Nimr's confession was made after he was tortured.

Nimr now faces "crucifixion", which human rights groups say means that he will 
be beheaded and then placed on public display.

Former attorney-general Philip Ruddock, who leads a group of Australian 
politicians against the death penalty, has been lobbying Saudi officials to 
spare Nimr.

"Chris Hayes and myself have written directly to Saudi Arabia, to the crown 
prince and to the diplomatic representatives here in Australia, because we view 
it as very significant," he said.

An international social media campaign calling for Nimr to be freed has been 
gaining momentum, but Mr Ruddock said he was yet to receive a response from 
Saudi officials about the case.

"These are allegations that he admitted these offences. But the argument that 
is put by his representatives is that [the confession] occurred under torture," 
he said.

"Now, when you've got issues of doubt like this about a person who is a minor 
when it occurs, then I think it's fundamentally wrong and I can't see any way 
that it can be justified."

Saudi Arabia chosen to lead UN's Human Rights Council

So far this year, Saudi Arabia has executed 134 people, many by public 
beheading.

According to Amnesty International, last year China had the highest execution 
rate in the world, followed by Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the United States.

Last week Saudi Arabia was chosen to lead a United Nations Human Right's 
Council.

The decision was questioned by human rights groups, but the US State Department 
welcomed the news that one of its key allies had been chosen for the job.

"I mean, we've talked about our concerns about some of the capital punishment 
cases in Saudi Arabia in our human rights report, but I don't have any more to 
add to it," deputy spokesman Mark Toner said.

Mr Toner said he welcomed Saudi Arabia heading the council.

"Again, I don't have any comment, don't have any reaction to it. I mean, 
frankly, it's ... we would welcome it. We're close allies," he said.

He said he could not say "off the top of my head" whether Saudi Arabia got into 
the human rights report annually.

(source: ABC news)






PAKISTAN----juvenile execution

Pakistan Hangs Man Who Was 15 When Arrested ---- Ansar Iqbal, who was convicted 
of killing a neighbour, is put to death despite Pakistan not allowing the 
execution of juveniles.


A Pakistani man has been executed for murder after nearly 20 years on death 
row, despite claims he was just 15 year old at the time of the killing.

Ansar Iqbal - who always insisted he did not commit the crime - was hanged at a 
prison in Sargodha in the eastern Punjab province at dawn on Tuesday.

His death came a day after international human rights group Reprieve appealed 
to the authorities to spare Iqbal because he was a juvenile at the time of his 
arrest in 1994.

Pakistani law does not allow the execution of someone who is underage at the 
time of their arrest.

"All the documentary evidence provided to the courts during his trial or appeal 
indicates that he was a child at the time of the alleged offence; however, the 
courts have chosen to believe the estimate of police officers that he was in 
his 20s," Reprieve said in a statement.

The court refused to look at the man's school records and birth certificate, 
which give his age at 14 and 15 respectively, saying the documents were 
submitted too late.

Iqbal and a friend were arrested for the murder of a neighbour - the victim's 
family said Iqbal committed the crime over an argument at a cricket match but 
Iqbal said police had framed him by planting 2 guns at his home.

He was sentenced to death in 1996.

Pakistan has executed 239 people since it lifted a 2008 moratorium on the death 
penalty following last December's Taliban attack on a school in Peshawar in 
which 150, most children, were killed.

However, human rights groups say most of those killed were "routine" criminals 
rather than terrorists.

The country's criminal justice system is widely criticised, with police being 
accused of demanding bribes and gaining confessions through torture of 
manipulated spoken statements.

Defence lawyers are sometimes unskilled, either failing to examine witnesses 
properly or not appearing in court for hearings.

According to Reprieve, 73% of Pakistanis are not registered at birth which 
means it is "almost impossible to prove the age of most of the 8,000 prisoners 
on Pakistan's death row".

Last week, the execution of a paraplegic man convicted of killing somone over a 
financial dispute was postponed.

Abdul Basit, 43, has been on death row since 2009 and became paralysed from the 
waist down after contracting meningitis in prison in 2010.

(source: Sky News)

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

Juvenile Justice


Since Pakistan resumed executions on 19th December 2014, it has emerged that a 
significant proportion of the individuals currently facing execution were 
sentenced to death while still children. The execution of juvenile offenders is 
prohibited by international law, and Pakistan's own law also prohibits the 
execution of child offenders. Yet, unfortunately for those who now face the 
gallows, this law remains largely unimplemented.

Authorities are set to hang Ansar Iqbal on the 29th of September, a man who 
says he was 15 when he was arrested for a murder he claims he did not commit. 
According to his lawyers, says he and a friend were arrested 16 years ago for 
the murder of neighbour, which the victim's family said was over an argument at 
a cricket match. Iqbal says police framed him because he was poor by planting 2 
guns at his house. The country's courts have refused to examine Iqbal's school 
records and birth certificate, the latter for them being dubious as it was only 
issued in 2015- an argument that seems quite senseless. This latest case only 
shines a spotlight on Pakistan's crumbling criminal justice system.

In 2008, Pakistan ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political 
Rights (ICCPR), which also prohibits the imposition of the death penalty on 
anyone who was under 18 at the time of the alleged offence. Again, this has 
been honoured more in breach, than in compliance.

In the face of a public campaign to save the life of Shafqat Hussain, the first 
of many child offenders to be told that he would be sent to the gallows (he was 
just 14 years old when he was arrested and he has always maintained his 
innocence), his lawyers have claimed that "It is widely recognised and 
acknowledged that torture by the police in Pakistan is systemic and indeed 
endemic. The fact that there is credible evidence relating to Shafqat's 
confession being obtained though torture is a surprise to no one". His case 
only reaffirms the fact that the criminal justice system has never been kind to 
the poor or helpless.

Under the guise of terrorism, Pakistan has gladly forgotten about any domestic 
commandments or international implications of its decisions. 8,000 prisoners on 
death row are now awaiting execution, with petitions for pardon pouring in. 
Abdul Basit, a paraplegic man, has been recently sentenced to death, while many 
others are hanging by a thread, waiting to confront their gruesome destiny. It 
is then no surprise that juveniles are condemned to the same fate. In most 
cases, justice is often lost before it is fought, and those without means are 
on the receiving end of harsh, often undeserved sentences.

(source: Editorial, The Nation)

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

SC upholds death penalty awarded by military court


The Supreme Court of Pakistan has rejected the review petition filed by sepoy 
Muhammad Saeed and upheld the capital punishment awarded by military court to 
him for killing 5 soldiers.

Court martial was conducted of Sepoy Muhammad Saeed and a military court had 
awarded death penalty to him for killing 5 soldiers during duty hours.

A 3-member bench of SC presided over by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Anwar 
Zaheer Jamali took up the case for hearing Tuesday.

Col (Retd) Muhammad Akram, the counsel for the petitioner, told the court 
during the hearing of the case that military court announced death sentence 
without fully hearing the stance of his client. Therefore, the review petition 
was being filed so that their stance could be heard in details, he added.

However, the apex court upheld the military court decision and rejected the 
review petition after hearing detailed stance of the petitioner.

(source: Daily Pakistan)






MALAYSIA:

Former College Student Gets Death Penalty For Double Murder


The 4th murder suspect, Muhamad Safwan Muhamad, 23, who was involved in the 
double murder of a disabled lecturer Zara Eleena Omar Abdullah and her father, 
Omar Peter Abdullah, three years ago, have been sentenced to death by the High 
Court, here today.

Judge Datuk Abdul Halim Aman, who read out the sentence, said the 4th accused 
Safwan had failed to produce a reasonable doubt of the prosecution's case.

He said the accused defence were mere denial throughout the trial and he did 
not succeed to raise any reasonable doubts.

"I find that the evidence presented by the prosecution's witnesses were more 
reliable and rational.

"Therefore, there is only 1 sentence in this murder and you are sentenced to be 
hanged until death," he said.

Last year, the Federal Court had acquitted the accused of both murder charges 
when the prosecution had failed to prove a prima-facie case against him.

Therefore court, allowed the appeal by the prosecution against Safwan for 
Zara's murder and ordered his defence to be called but his acquittal over 
Zara's father was dismissed.

The incident took place at No. 28, Jalan TK 1/11, Taman Kinrara, Puchong on 
March 8, 2012, where the victim's father was murdered between 11.30pm and 
1.30am, while Zara was killed between 1.30am and 2.30am.

After the court announced the decision, Safwan's mother was seen crying while 
hugging him. Muhammad Safuan was represented by counsel Shah Rizal Abdul Manan.

The 3 other accused, Mohamad Zul Shahril, 23, Mohamad Sharafe, 22, and Azizi 
Aizat, 23, were also sentenced to death after they were found charged of 
committing both murders, killing Zara and her father.

All 4 accused were former students of Cybernetics International College of 
Technology.

(source: Malaysian Digest)






NIGERIA:

Death Penalty: Policeman To Die By Hanging For Murder


A Port Harcourt High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, presided over by Justice 
Adolphus Enebeli, yesterday sentenced a police officer, Inspector Samuel 
Timothy, to death by hanging.

Timothy was convicted for shooting and killing one Onyekachi Nwasouba, a 
graduate of Industrial Chemistry at about 5am on November 10, 2010, along Old 
Aba Road, Port Harcourt. However, his colleague, Corporal Obediah Moses, was 
discharged and acquitted.

The deceased, Nwasouba, who was into production and distribution of sachet 
water, was said to have been branded a robber by the policemen on the fateful 
day after he had gone to distribute his products to customers.

LEADERSHIP gathered that the convict, who led the police patrol team, pursued 
him to the front of his house and shot him dead, after he had shouted that he 
was not a robber.

Delivering his judgement, the trial judge, Enebeli, in a three-hour verdict, 
said the convict who had been standing trial since 2010 alongside Moses 
demonstrated act of inhumanity.

He stated that going by the testimonies of witnesses (including members of the 
patrol team) in the matter, the convict was an "inhuman trigger-happy 
policeman, who engages in murder; a hater of humankind and merciless killer 
after hearing that the victim was an ordinary pure water seller."

Enebeli maintained that the killing was deliberate and pronounced death 
sentence on him, saying, "According to Section 319 of the Constitution of the 
Federal Republic of Nigeria, I do not have the power to reduce your sentence. 
That, you, Inspector Timothy Sampson be hanged on your neck until you are 
dead."

Moses was discharged and acquitted by the court on grounds that all the 
policemen on duty that day did not conspire to kill the victim; rather, they 
wanted to demonstrate esprit de corps.

(source: Leadership Nigeria)






SOMALILAND:

Hillingdon family fight to save man sentenced to death ---- Faisa Ali is urging 
the President of Somaliland to intervene and stop her brother - who is mentally 
ill - from being executed by firing squad


The sister of a mentally ill man sentenced to death in Somaliland is fighting 
to save his life.

Abdullahi Ali, 38, was sentenced to death in August for shooting and killing a 
man in the region of Las-Anod, in Somaliland, in April last year.

Father-of-nine, Abdullahi had been suffering from mental illness with psychotic 
symptoms for around five years prior, his family claims.

His mental illness leads him to being violent and angry.

On April 6 2014, after a stay at a mental health hospital, he was involved in 
the shooting and killing of his friend, following a dispute.

He was arrested by authorities and kept in prison for a year until he was 
charged with manslaughter and sentenced to death by firing squad in August this 
year.

His sister, Faisa Ali, from Hillingdon, has taken the case to the Supreme Court 
in Hergeisa and is urging for him to be released.

"We are appealing against the death penalty imposed on him in this crime 
against humanity.

"They are well aware of his mental condition but have refused to look at his 
medical documents and the death by firing squad is still going ahead."

According to Faisa, Abdullahi was in prison for over a year before he was 
charged and sentenced.

"He couldn't take any of his medication in the prison, so he has been awake all 
day and night fighting with prison guards," she said.

The 27-year-old is appealing to the President of Somaliland, Ahmed Mohamed 
Mohamoud Silanyo, to intervene and stop the death penalty from being enforced 
on her brother.

Abdullahi was sentenced to death at the regional courts in Las-Anod in August 
and Faisa said she appealed against the ruling at the start of September, 
showing medical files and records proving her brother's mental illness, but it 
was disregarded.

"They didn't even look at it and he is still sentenced to death, not even 
accepting his medical records," she told getwestlondon.

Her next step was to appeal to the supreme court in Hergeisa but said she 
received a similar response.

"This was the final step, I contacted the chief executive of the Supreme Court, 
who said they would agree with the regional court's ruling."

'This is a crime against humanity and is just unacceptable'

Faisa says she now has no other option but to turn to the media in hopes that 
her brother's case and plea will be brought to the attention of her country's 
president in an attempt to stop the death sentence.

"I'm absolutely devastated that a person who has been proven mentally ill and 
doesn't know what he's doing has been sentenced to death," she said.

"This is a crime against humanity and is just unacceptable, please save my 
brother."

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have both expressed concerns about 
the treatment of Abdullahi.

Faisa said that this case has brought to light how much discrimination there is 
facing mentally ill people in Somaliland.

"I want to advocate for people with mental illness in Somaliland after being 
forced to help my brother," she added.

"I feel that I should advocate for mentally ill people in Somaliland because 
they have no voice or anyone to speak to."

Somaliland resumed the death penalty after a 9-year hiatus this year, executing 
6 prisoners by firing squad.

In a statement in April, the Heads of Mission of the European Union and Member 
States said: "The EU Heads of Mission deplore this grave backlash after nine 
years of suspended executions and urge Somaliland authorities to rethink its 
decision to leave the progressive path followed so far.

"The EU Heads of Mission call upon the Somaliland authorities to immediately 
halt the execution of death sentences as a first step towards adopting 
appropriate legislation, which aims at the abolition of the death penalty."

An Amnesty spokesman said: "The use of the death penalty is always abhorrent as 
it is a cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.

"Amnesty opposes the death penalty at all times - regardless of who is accused, 
the crime, guilt or innocence or method of execution."

(source: getwestlondon.co.uk)