[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 26



PAKISTAN:

Grant Clemency to Abdul Basit (UA 96/16)


A Pakistani man convicted and sentenced to death for murder in 2009, Abdul 
Basit, is at risk of execution. His execution has been stayed 3 times, all at 
the last minute, in July, September and November 2015. He became paralysed in 
2010 due to the inhumane conditions in which he was kept in Central Jail 
Faisalabad.

see: 
http://www.amnestyusa.org/get-involved/take-action-now/pakistan-grant-clemency-to-abdul-basit-ua-9616

(source: Amnesty International USA)






SUDAN:

Darfur rebel group warns against executing one of its commanders


The rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) has warned the Sudanese 
government against the consequences of carrying out the death sentence issued 
against its leading figure El-Tom Hamid Tutu since 5 years ago.

Tutu was held captive by the Sudanese army during a joint attack launched by 
the JEM and the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) against 
army position in Al-Tayes area in South Kordofan.

On 28 August 2011, the Kadougli general court sentenced Tutu to death by 
hanging and the ruling was upheld by the Supreme Court in March 2012.

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Wednesday, JEM spokesperson Gibril 
Adam Bilal said the proceedings of the execution of the death penalty have 
already begun on Tuesday morning at the maximum-security Kober prison in 
Khartoum.

"The Kober prison administration transferred on Tuesday morning JEM's leading 
figure and prisoner of war El-Tom Hamid Tutu from the death cells to the death 
arena following the recitation of the death sentence in preparation for its 
implementation" read the statement.

Bilal called on the rights groups to urgently intervene to prevent the 
execution of the death sentence against Tutu and the rest of the movement's 
hostages and to seek to secure their release.

He denounced the government move and described it as an arbitrary ruling 
against a prisoner of war.

The statement further expressed JEM's full readiness to defend its prisoners by 
all possible and not possible means.

"JEM reminds the government that the execution of the prisoners of war wouldn't 
be tolerated as other kinds of crimes [committed by the government] and we 
won't respond at a later time [but immediately]" Bilal said.

Tutu was handed the death sentence after he was found guilty under articles 
(50), (51), (60) and (62) of the 1991 Criminal Code relating to waging war 
against the state, undermining the constitutional order and wearing military 
uniform.

(source: Sudan Tribune)






SAUDI ARABIA----execution

Saudi officials admit - executed prisoner was a juvenile


In interviews with Al Arabiya, unearthed and translated by Vice News, several 
Saudi security officials speak of arresting a group of people they knew to be 
juveniles. The group appears to include Mustafa Abkar, who was killed as part 
of a mass execution in January this year despite having been 13, it's thought, 
at the time of his arrest. In the interviews, the officials describe the young 
people they have arrested as 'vulnerable'; General Said al-Qahtani, Director of 
Police for Mecca, says 'one of them hadn't reached 14 years old', while Special 
Forces General Major Sultan al-Maliki says 'some we arrested thought the matter 
was over and they would return to their families.'

The comments have emerged amid concerns over the use of the death penalty 
against juveniles in Saudi Arabia. After January's mass execution of 47 people, 
it emerged that several juveniles were among those killed - including Mustafa, 
and Ali al-Ribh, who was in school when he was arrested in 2012, in relation to 
political protests.

There are also fears that 3 more juveniles could soon be executed for an 
alleged role in political protests. Ali al-Nimr, Abdullah al-Zaher and Dawood 
al-Marhoon were all children when they were arrested in 2012; all 3 were 
tortured into 'confessions' that were used to sentence them to death.

(source: publicnow.com)






MALAYSIA:

Lorry driver charged with murder of wife, daughter----Court fixes May 30 for 
mention of Rawang murder case


A lorry driver was charged at the Selayang Magistrate Court here today with the 
murder of his wife and baby daughter 2 weeks ago.

No plea was recorded from the accused who only nodded his head when the charge 
was read separately in front of Magistrate Iriane Isabelo.

Satvender Singh Pirthpar Singh, 30, was charged with the murder of his wife D 
Kamaljit, 34 and 7 month old Ishlyn Kaur Sandhu at No 31, Jalan RP 10/9, Taman 
Rawang Perdana 2, Rawang, at 3.55am and 4.15am last April 14.

The court fixed May 30 for mention following submission of the chemistry report 
and the post-mortem results.

Earlier, lawyer Y Sheelan, who appeared on behalf of Satvender Singh, requested 
for his client to be allowed access to treatment and to lodge a police report 
as he alleged he had been injured in police custody.

Magistrate Iriane said she would have to refer to the Prisons Department to 
ascertain the proper procedure before giving her decision.

Satvender Singh was charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder 
which carries the death penalty upon conviction.

(source: bernama)