[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 27



PERU:

Peruvian bishops: death penalty 'unacceptable'


The Catholic bishops of Peru have released a statement in opposition to the 
death penalty, urging all Christians to work for its abolition.

"Today the death penalty is unacceptable," the bishops argue. They go on to 
state that "all Christians and people of good will are obliged not only to 
fight for the abolition of the death penalty-- legal or not-- but to try to 
improve prison conditions, in respect for the human dignity of prisoners."

(source: catholicculture.org)






EGYPT:

Ibrahim Halawa: UN intervenes in case of Irish man imprisoned in Egypt


The Egyptian government has rejected UN allegations about the treatment of an 
Irish man imprisoned without trial for more than 2 1/2 years.

Ibrahim Halawa was 17 when he was arrested during a siege on the Al-Fath mosque 
in Cairo in 2013. The 20-year-old could face the death penalty.

3 of his sisters were also arrested at the Al-Fath mosque, but were later 
released on bail.

The family say they were on holiday at the time and had sought refuge in the 
mosque to escape the violence outside.

They deny claims that Ibrahim is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is 
Egypt's oldest and largest Islamist organisation.

The current Egyptian government has declared it a terrorist group, a claim it 
rejects.

Ibrahim Halawa and 492 others have been charged with murder and a range of 
other serious offences.

Their trial has been adjourned 13 times.

1 of his sisters travelled from Dublin to Belfast on Wednesday to meet the 
family's lawyer.

Somaia Halawa said she is deeply concerned about the way her brother has been 
treated.

"He was electrocuted, he was beaten, he was tortured. He never attended a 
trial, he has no access to a lawyer," she said.

Those concerns are shared by the United Nations.

It has emerged that officials from the Office of the High Commissioner for 
Human Rights wrote to the Egyptian government last year.

They described Ibrahim Halawa's case as "a matter warranting immediate 
attention".

The letter said he had been shot in the hand during his arrest and did not 
receive proper medical treatment.

It said he was being held in "deplorable conditions", and that prison officers 
had subjected him to physical and psychological abuse.

The UN team also said it was "in contravention of basic guarantees of fair 
trial and due process of law" that he had not had adequate access to a lawyer.

In response, the Egyptian government denied that Ibrahim Halawa was shot in the 
hand during his arrest, or had been beaten while in prison.

It said a medical examination had found "traces of old wounds" but no recent 
injuries, and described his general health as "sound and stable".

The response did not directly address the concerns raised about lack of 
adequate access to a lawyer.

The Halawa family has welcomed the UN intervention.

"It is very, very important to our campaign because this just proves what we 
have been saying for almost 2 1/2 years, and people have been denying that this 
is actually happening to Ibrahim," said Somaia Halawa.

But the family and their legal team said the Irish government should do more.

'Gloves off'

"It's got to a stage now where the family believe that it's time for the gloves 
to come off," said solicitor Darragh Mackin.

"It's time to put pressure on the Egyptian government directly and that 
diplomacy may not work in circumstances whereby it's a grave breach of 
international law and a grave breach of Ibrahim's human rights as an Irish 
citizen."

The Halawa family saidy they are alarmed by reports from Egypt in recent days 
that all of those charged may have been declared guilty without a trial taking 
place.

Their legal team said it will be asking the Irish government to seek 
clarification of the situation.

(source: BBC news)