[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 5



INDONESIA:

2 charged with trafficking in dangerous drugs


A woman and a man were jointly charged in a magistrates' court here yesterday 
for trafficking in dangerous drugs last month.

No plea was taken from the Cynthia Chin, 26, and Taing Haw Kwong, 47, who 
appeared before Magistrate Zubaidah Sharkawi.

Zubaidah ordered both accused to be further remanded in jail as the offence is 
non-bailable.

They face 2 charges under Section 39B (1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, 
which provides for a mandatory death penalty.

Under the 1st charge, the duo are accused of trafficking 5.784kg (gross weight) 
of ecstasy, while under the 2nd charge they are accused of trafficking 1.028kg 
of syabu.

The offences were allegedly committed at an apartment along Jalan Lapangan 
Terbang here around noon on March 23.

Counsel Lim Lian Kee represented both accused.

(source: Borneo Post)






BELARUS:

see: 
http://www.amnestyusa.org/get-involved/take-action-now/belarus-halt-execution-of-ivan-kulesh-ua-26615

(source: Amnesty International USA)






IRAN:

Over 1000 executions in Iran in 2015


Richard Ashworth, a Member of the European Parliament from the United Kingdom, 
has reiterated that the Iranian regime's president Hassan Rouhani is not a 
'moderate' as he claims to be.

Mr. Ashworth, who is a strong supporter of freedom and democracy in Iran, 
pointed to over 1000 executions carried out in Iran in 2015 under Rouhani's 
watch.

Text of remarks by Richard Ashworth MEP:

"We were very happy to host Mrs. Maryam Rajavi in the European Parliament last 
week. She received great support from many members of the parliament, who came 
from all of the different political groups. And we were all there to 
demonstrate our support for her vision for a free and democratic Iran, an Iran 
that is free from nuclear ambitions, an Iran which is free from the death 
penalty and an Iran that can once again be a valued partner in a peaceful 
world; not a threat.

We have to remind our governments that Iranian President Rouhani is not a 
moderate. Over 1000 people were hanged last year in Iran which has made it the 
number one executioner state in the world. And with a human rights record like 
that, no state could ever claim to be moderate.

The recent elections in Iran were not real. How can they be when the opposition 
candidates are not allowed to run? That's not an election, that's a selection 
within the ruling power itself. And therefore we in the European Parliament 
will continue our efforts and continue to support the democratic opposition 
until the day we get a truly free democratic election being held in Iran. Thank 
you."

Members of the European Parliament have spoken out in support of human rights 
and democracy in Iran through support for the democratic opposition led by Mrs. 
Maryam Rajavi.

(source: NCR-Iran)






SAUDI ARABIA:

Pressure Saudi Arabia to halt executions of protesters, Keith Ellison asks John 
Kerry, as 2016 beheadings break records ---- Congressman voices concerns about 
Saudi death sentences in letter, after monarchy has executed 82 people this 
year


Rep. Keith Ellison is calling on the federal government to pressure its close 
ally Saudi Arabia to pardon 3 young activists who were sentenced to death for 
attending protests.

Rep. Ellison (D-Minnesota) wrote a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry on 
April 1. In the letter, which was obtained by Salon, Ellison requested Kerry's 
"direct intervention to ensure the protection of 3 juveniles sentenced to death 
for protesting in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."

Ali al-Nimr, Dawood al-Marhoon and Abdullah al-Zaher were arrested for 
attending peaceful political protests while they were aged 17, 17 and 15, 
respectively.

The Saudi youths were subsequently tortured, and forced to sign confessions, a 
common practice in the Saudi criminal justice system. Eventually, all 3 were 
sentenced to death. Al-Nimr was sentenced to not just beheading, but also to 
crucifixion.

The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, along with numerous 
human rights organizations, has criticized the Saudi regime for the death 
sentences. Saudi is also party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, 
which bans the use of the death penalty for people who committed crimes when 
younger than age 18.

News reports indicate that Saudi Arabia may execute the young men at any time. 
Their families are not able to stay in contact with them, and only hear updates 
on their cases through media reports.

"Many of the individuals sentenced to death alongside Ali, Dawood and Abdullah 
have already been executed, including a number of juveniles aged between 13 and 
17 at the time of their arrest," Rep. Ellison noted in his letter.

"This includes one of the boys" co-defendants, Mi al-Ribh, who was just 17 at 
the time of his arrest," he continued. "His family was only notified of their 
son's execution when the Saudi Ministry of the Interior published the mass 
execution. To date, they have not been informed where their son is buried, nor 
have they been permitted to retrieve his body."

A State Department official told Salon, "We can confirm that the State 
Department received this letter and will provide an appropriate response," but 
did not comment any further.

Ellison's office did not offer any further remarks, as the congressman is 
traveling.

Saudi Arabia kicked off the new year with mass beheadings. On Jan. 2, the Saudi 
regime executed 47 people, including prominent cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a 
leader in the kingdom's minority Shia religious community.

Salon spoke with Mohammed al-Nimr, the son of the executed dissident, who 
criticized the close U.S. relationship with the Saudi dictatorship.

Saudi Arabia frequently executes people for nonviolent offenses. Beheadings are 
the most common form of execution.

In 2015, Saudi Arabia broke previous records, executing 158 people. Roughly 
half of people executed in Saudi Arabia are killed for drug-related offenses, 
according to Amnesty International.

>From August 2014 to August 2015, Amnesty documented 175 Saudi executions, an 
average of 2 every 2 days. Every 4 days, on average, the Saudi government 
killed someone for drug-related offenses - while its own princes are caught in 
airports with tons of drugs.

This year is again slated to break past records. As of April 4, the Saudi 
regime has executed 82 people in 2016, according to human rights organization 
Reprieve. If the current rate is maintained, Saudi Arabia will execute 320 
prisoners this year.

(source: salon.com)