[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 28



AUSTRALIA:

17 Australians on or facing death row a year after Bali 9 deaths ---- Figures 
show Australian federal police provided information for 'potential death 
penalty situations' 74 times in past year


In the year since Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran faced an Indonesian firing 
squad, their wishes appear to have been posthumously granted, at least in part 
- no more Australians have been added to the list of those potentially facing 
the death penalty.

But of at least 17 Australians still thought to be at risk of execution 
overseas, life on death row has become a grim reality for at least 1 man and 
the fate of another could be known within days.

On the anniversary of the execution of Chan and Sukumaran over a thwarted plan 
to smuggle heroin out of Bali, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade did 
not respond when asked how many Australians in jail could face capital 
punishment.

It is understood there has been no change to the number Dfat confirmed last 
year, with groups including the New South Wales Council for Civil Liberties not 
aware of any new cases.

But, in the past year, the prospect of execution drew closer for a former 
Adelaide jockey given a suspended death sentence in China for smuggling ice.

And a verdict on another ice smuggling case in China, which will decide the 
fate of a young dual Australian and New Zealand citizen, could be just days 
away.

The 2 men are among as many as 11 Australians thought to be held over drug 
prosecutions in a single southern Chinese city, Guangzhou. The possibility of 
execution by lethal injection or firing squad looms for all of them.

In Malaysia, an Australian woman could be hanged if found guilty of drug 
smuggling. In Vietnam, a Sydney man faces the prospect of secret execution by 
lethal injection of locally manufactured chemicals of "unknown efficacy", 
according to Amnesty International.

While the number of Australians on or facing death row held steady, the level 
of involvement by the Australian federal police in transnational investigations 
that could result in death penalties declined - but was still significant.

Figures provided to Guardian Australia show the AFP provided information for 
investigations known as "potential death penalty situations" 74 times in the 
past year.

This was down from 100 times in 2014 and 89 times in 2012 but more than the 50 
times in 2013.

Of those 74 information exchanges in 2015, 11 of them were with the approval of 
Michael Keenan, the minister for justice, as required in cases where suspects 
are already charged or convicted.

It is not known how many of these related to Australian citizens.

Guardian Australia was told that information provided by the AFP could include 
criminal history or lack thereof in Australia, which may be used by the accused 
to bolster their defences. The AFP has faced prolonged criticism for its role 
in tipping off Indonesian authorities about the plot of the "Bali 9", which led 
to Chan and Sukumaran's executions.

A Guangzhou customs official in 2014 cited growing cooperation with the AFP in 
recent years after a surge in drug arrests in the city involving Australians. 
In China, possession of more than 100g of an illicit drug automatically results 
in a trafficking charge and a possible death sentence.

Andrew Chan's brother Michael recently told Reprieve Australia that while the 
anniversary of his death was "a rollercoaster ride for the family to come to 
terms with the loss", it was important to maintain public discussion of capital 
punishment.

"Countries need to look at ways to rehabilitate prisoners instead of executing 
them," he said. "We need to keep talking about this issue so we can abolish the 
death penalty for good.

"I know this was what Andrew wanted and also need to speak up for the rest of 
the people that are on death row so they can be heard."

Chan's widow, Febyanti Herewila, said his legacy was a renewed push for the 
death penalty to be abolished and the principle of "a 2nd chance".

"Also Andrew wants the young people from around the world to learn from his 
life," she said. "Whatever decisions you make today it will determine your 
future."

Countries that apply the death penalty on those convicted of using, dealing or 
trafficking drugs include Indonesia, Thailand, China, Singapore, Malaysia, 
Vietnam, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates.

Anthony Roger Bannister, 43 (China)

Australian jockey Bannister was handed a suspended death sentence last June 
after his March 2014 arrest for drug smuggling in Guangzhou. More than 3kg of 
crystal methamphetamine was found in envelopes stuffed into 8 handbags in his 
luggage. Bannister claimed to have been set up after being promised a lucrative 
divorce settlement. Bannister, whose death sentence could be commuted to life 
in prison after 2 years of good behaviour, vowed to appeal the ruling, Fairfax 
Media reported.

Peter Gardner, 25 (China)

A dual New Zealand/Australian citizen, Gardner was arrested at Guangzhou 
airport, China, on 8 November 2014 after customs officials allegedly found 30kg 
of methamphetamine in his bags.

A verdict in Gardner's trial in Guangzhou's municipal intermediate court was 
expected before the end of April. But his lawyer, Craig Tuck, told Guardian 
Australia that no date had yet been set.

"It is difficult to say [when it will be]," Tuck said. "The warrant to detain 
is reviewed this month."

Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto, 52 (Malaysia)

Exposto, a grandmother from Sydney, faces death by hanging if convicted in the 
Malaysian high court of smuggling 1.1kg of ice.

She was arrested in December 2014 at Kuala Lumpur airport, en route from 
Shanghai to Australia.

Exposto has claimed she was the victim of a sophisticated online romance scam 
and was duped into being an unwitting drug mule.

Her lawyer, Tania Scivetti, told Guardian Australia her case was fixed for 
hearing from 20 June to 24 June.

Malaysian law carries a mandatory death penalty for drug trafficking. 3 
Australian nationals have been executed by the state: Michael McAuliffe in 
1993, and Kevin Barlow and Brian Chambers in 1986.

Bengali Sherrif and Ibrahim Jalloh (China)

Sherrif and Jalloh were arrested by Chinese authorities at Guangzhou airport in 
June 2014. Sherrif was sentenced last April to a suspended death penalty for 
attempting to smuggle methamphetamine to Australia. Like Bannister's, Sherrif's 
sentence could also be commuted to life in prison after 2 years of good 
behaviour.

Jalloh went on trial last July, his lawyers arguing he had an intellectual 
disability that allowed him to be duped into acting as a drug mule. Prosecutors 
argued he was fit to stand trial as a Chinese psychiatrist found he had only 
"slight mental development delay", Fairfax reported. The progress of his case 
is not known.

Pham Trung Dung, 37 (Vietnam)

Dung was sentenced to death in June 2014 after being discovered with more than 
4kg of heroin as he boarded a flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Australia in May 
2013. Dfat said at the time: "We understand that he has the right of appeal. 
Whether he decides to do so is a matter for the man and his lawyers." It is not 
known whether Dung appealed.

Amnesty International has raised concerns about the secrecy of Vietnam's 
executions and its use of domestically produced chemicals for lethal injection.

The 5 Australians who have received death penalties for heroin trafficking in 
Vietnam have had their sentences commuted to life in prison, according to the 
New South Wales Council for Civil Liberties.

Henry Chhin (China)

Chhin, convicted of attempting to mail 270g of ice to Australia, was given the 
death penalty with a 2-year suspension in March 2005.

It is still not clear whether Chhin remains on death row or not.

The then 35-year-old from Sydney was arrested in Shenzhen in May 2004 for 
attempting to mail 270g of methamphetamine to Australia, the Shenzhen Daily 
reported. The box, which allegedly contained the drugs and computer software, 
was intercepted by Shanghai police 2 days before. Local police said another 
700g of the same drug was found in kitchen cabinets and the sitting room of 
Chhin's residence.

(source: The Guardian)






IRAN:

17 executions in 4 days including at least 3 young prisoners


The antihuman mullahs' regime hanged 17 prisoners in the time span of April 23 
to 27. On Wednesday, April 27, 6 prisoners were collectively hanged in 
Gohardasht (Rajai Shahr) Prison. 1 of the prisoners by the name of Milad 
Mostakhdem had been taken to the hanging pole for the 7th time, a known method 
used by the regime's henchmen to psychologically torture prisoners.

On April 26, 3 young men - aged between 22 to 30 years - were executed in 
Zahedan's central prison while another prisoner was executed in Qazvin prison. 
2 other prisoners were hanged in a prison in the city of Sari on April 24. And 
5 prisoners were collectively hanged on April 23 in Zahedan's central prison.

As such, the number of executions in April reaches 52. The objective of these 
arbitrary and collective executions is to intensify the climate of horror and 
fear and prevent the explosion of popular discontent and loath, especially of 
the youth, against the Iranian regime.

These executions happening concurrent and after visits to Tehran by the Italian 
Prime Minister and the EU High Representative demonstrates that visits by 
European officials not only fail to result in any improvements in human rights, 
but embolden this regime in its brutal and systematic violation of human 
rights. Economic and political relations with this regime lack all legitimacy 
and need to be preconditioned to an improvement of human rights, particularly a 
halt in the executions.

The Iranian Resistance calls on the Iranian people, especially the courageous 
youths, to stand up against the crimes and collective and daily executions by 
this regime and to express their solidarity and sympathy with the families of 
those executed and the prisoners.

(source: Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran)