[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Aug. 24



IRAN----executions

2 Prisoners Executed in Southern Iran


A prisoner on death row for drug related charges was reportedly hanged at 
Sirjan Prison (Kerman province, southcentral Iran), and 1 prisoner was 
reportedly hanged at Bandar Abbas Prison (Hormozgan province, southern Iran) on 
unknown charges.

According to the unoffocial news source, Baloch Activists Campaign, a prisoner 
identified as Reza Naruee was hanged on the morning of Thursday August 18 on 
drug related charges. The group also reports on the execution of a prisoner, 
identified as Habib Jamalhezi (pictured below), at Bandar Abbas Prison on 
Sunday August 21 on unknown charges.

Iranian official sources, including the media and Judiciary, have been silent 
on these 2 executions.

Earlier, Iran Human Rights had reported on the public execution of 2 prisoners 
at Saheli Boulevard in Bandar Abbas on rape charges.The executions were 
reportedly carried out on the morning of Wednesday August 17 in front of a 
crowd of people.

(source: NCR-Iran)






BANGLADESH:

Annul death sentence for Mir Quasem Ali----A group of UN human rights experts 
urges Bangladesh


A group of United Nations human rights experts yesterday urged the Bangladesh 
government to annul the death sentence of Jamaat-e-Islami central executive 
council member Mir Quasem Ali and to retry him in compliance with international 
standards.

Quasem was sentenced to death in 2014 by the International Crimes Tribunal for 
crimes against humanity committed during the Liberation War in 1971. The 
decision was upheld by the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court in March 
this year.

The experts' request has come as the SC prepares to hear the review appeal of 
Quasem today, according to a UN press release issued in Geneva yesterday.

"Ali's trial and appeal processes were reportedly marred with irregularities 
and failed to meet international standards on fair trial and due process for 
the imposition of the death penalty," noted the UN experts on extrajudicial 
executions, independence of the judiciary, torture, arbitrary detention and 
enforced disappearances.

"International law, accepted as binding by Bangladesh, provides that capital 
punishment may only be imposed following trials that comply with the most 
stringent requirements of fair trial and due process, or could otherwise be 
considered an arbitrary execution," they cautioned.

The UN human rights experts also expressed alarm at reports that Quasem's son 
and part of his legal defence team, Mir Ahmed Bin Quasem, was abducted from his 
home on August 9 by Bangladeshi security forces, two weeks before his father's 
review hearing.

"We understand that no information has been given on where he is being held, by 
whom or under what suspicion or charge. We urge the authorities to immediately 
disclose the whereabouts of Mir Quasem [Mir Ahmed Bin Quasem]," they said.

The experts are: Agnes Callamard, new UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, 
summary or arbitrary executions; Monica Pinto, UN Special Rapporteur on the 
independence of judges and lawyers; Juan E Mendez, UN Special Rapporteur on 
torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; Setondji 
Roland Adjovi, current chairperson of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary 
Detention; and the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances.

(source: The Daily Star)






ETHIOPIA:

Reprieve writes to Boris Johnson over British citizen's Ethiopian detention


Human rights group Reprieve has written to Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson in 
support of a British citizen on death row in Ethiopia, who they say continues 
to be refused access to a lawyer.

Andargachew Tsege, a prominent opposition political activist, was abducted by 
Ethiopian security forces from an international airport in 2014 and has been 
detained under an in absentia death sentence since then.

In June, then-Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond announced that he "received a 
commitment from the Prime Minister that Mr Tsege will be allowed access to 
independent legal advice".

However, Reprieve, which is assisting Mr Tsege, says that he has not received 
legal access and has even been denied even the writing materials he would need 
to request a lawyer.

Reprieve wrote to Mr Johnson on 11 August to alert him to the latest 
developments, but has yet to receive a reply.

Maya Foa, director of the death penalty team at Reprieve, said: "Andy was 
illegally sentenced to death while living in London, illegally kidnapped and 
rendered to Ethiopia where he has been held in unlawful detention for over 2 
years.

"Not only are the Ethiopian authorities refusing him a lawyer - they won't even 
provide pen and paper so he can request one.

"The British Government must now recognise that Ethiopia is not serious about 
the rule of law, and demand that Andy is released immediately from his unlawful 
detention and returned to his family in London."

(source: irishlegal.com)






PAKISTAN:

Christian Mother of 5 Asia Bibi's Death Sentence Appeal Date Finally Set by 
Pakistan's Supreme Court


Imprisoned Christian mother of of 5, Asia Bibi, is facing the death penalty 
after being accused of blasphemy in 2009 by angry Muslim women, who were upset 
that she drank from the same drinking water as them.

Pakistan's Supreme Court has finally set a court date for the final appeal 
hearing for Asia Bibi, a Christian mother of 5 who was sentenced to death in 
2010 on accusations of blasphemy.

According to the Christian persecution watchdog agency International Christian 
Concern, Bibi, also known as Aasiya Noreen, will have her final appeal heard 
before the country's highest court during the second week in October.

"The Chief Justice [of] Pakistan has ordered that Asia Bibi's appeal be fixed 
in the second week of October for final hearing," Bibi's Supreme Court lawyer 
Saif-Ul-Malook told ICC. "I will appear before the Supreme Court of Pakistan 
and argue her case while she will remain in prison. I hope [the] result will be 
an acquittal."

Bibi's blasphemy allegation stems from an altercation in June 2009 that she had 
with a group of Muslim women in the town of Sheikhupura in the Punjab province. 
As the women were picking berries, a Muslim women became enraged when Bibi 
drank from the same water bowl that the Muslim women drank out of.

Since Bibi was a Christian, the women considered her unclean. After an argument 
between the women ensued, the Muslim women went to the police and accused Bibi 
of saying something along the lines of "My Christ died for me, what did 
Muhammad do for you?"

As Bibi has been sitting in prison for over 6 years, reports have indicated 
that the health of the 51-year-old mother has been deteriorating. A report from 
last June indicated that Bibi has had trouble walking and has also vomited up 
blood inside of her jail cell.

As the blasphemy law in Pakistan is often abused by Muslims to settle personal 
scores with Christians and other religious minorities, international religious 
freedom advocates have asserted that the charge against Bibi is trumped up and 
have called for the Pakistani government to immediately release her. The 
daughters of Asia Bibi with an image of their mother, standing outside their 
residence in Sheikhupura on November 13, 2010. Bibi originally appealed her 
death sentence to the Lahore High Court. After her appeal was delayed a total 
of seven times, the High Court finally held her hearing in October 2014. The 
death sentence was upheld.

After appealing to the Supreme Court, the court agreed last July to hear Bibi's 
case and suspended her death sentence.

"The case against Asia Bibi is one of the best examples of how Christians are 
abused in Pakistan by radicals wielding Pakistan's controversial blasphemy 
laws," ICC's Regional Manager for South Asia William Stark said in a statement. 
"Threats from Islamic radical groups and general discrimination against 
Christians in Pakistan have transformed courts into little more than rubber 
stamps for blasphemy accusations brought against Christians, regardless of the 
evidence brought to bear in the case."

Should the Supreme Court uphold Bibi's death sentence, the only thing that can 
legally spare her from execution is a pardon from Pakistan's President Mamnoon 
Hussain.

"As a devout Christian she continues to believe God will free her from her 
ignominious incarceration. She prays daily and has placed her life and her 
family before God," Wilson Chowdhry, president of the London-based charity 
British Pakistani Christian Association, told The Christian Post.

"I have spoken to Pakistani government officials and the judiciary," he added. 
"All I have spoken to are shocked at the ongoing abuse of her liberty. Yet, her 
tragedy continues and I have come to the conclusion that all I have been 
receiving is diplomatic lip service, devoid of passion for justice."

BPCA has an online petition set up in support of Bibi, calling on the British 
government to use its influences to to pressure the Pakistani government to 
dismiss the case against Bibi and set her free. The petition has been signed by 
over 12,000 people.

"Freedom for Asia Bibi would be a watershed moment in the campaign for justice 
and freedom for minorities. Previous governments have failed miserably, but I 
believe the incumbent government is genuinely attempting to return the 
balance," Chowdhry continued. "I hope that effective protection is provided to 
Asia and her family, the judiciary and all persons that could make this latest 
appeal a success. Any half-hearted approach will undermine Asia's trial and 
create a blight on Pakistan's reputation."

According to Open Doors USA's World Watch List, Pakistan is ranked as the 6th 
worst country in the world when it comes to the persecution of Christians.

(source: Christian Post)



THAILAND:

Spaniard Artur Segarra Prepares Defense after Demanding Change of Lawyer


Spanish national Artur Segarra, sole accused in the murder of fellow national 
David Bernat in the Thai capital, on Tuesday went to the courts to examine the 
evidence against him in the case, following his demand for a change of his 
court-appointed lawyer.

On Aug. 10 the accused asked the Rachadapisek Criminal Court to change his 
lawyer owing to discrepancies at the time of preparing his defense strategy and 
canceled a 2nd meeting scheduled for the next day with his current legal 
representative, Kasem Pahungmahaka.

The judge will decide Tuesday during a meeting whether he will accept or deny 
the request of Segarra.

Segarra has pleaded not guilty and denied the 13 charges against him on 2 
occasions. If found guilty of premeditated murder, he may be awarded the death 
penalty.

On Oct. 17, Segarra will appear in court for a preparatory hearing of the 
trial, which will begin on Dec. 1 and is expected to continue until February.

The Prosecutor's office has 23 days to record the statements of the 95 
witnesses and present the evidence that proves the crime while Segarra's 
lawyers will get 1 day - Feb. 24 - for Segarra's testimony and defense.

Segarra is facing charges of kidnapping, robbery, extortion, falsification of 
documents, destruction of evidence, murder and the subsequent dismembering of 
Bernat's body.

According to police, investigators found traces of Bernat's blood in a plumbing 
pipe in the flat Segarra had rented in Bangkok and where the murder is believed 
to have taken place.

The police also found numerous images of Segarra and Bernat together before the 
latter disappeared, as well as video footage of him stealing cash from the 
victim and buying material with which he is believed to have committed the 
alleged crime.

The first parts of Bernat's corpse were found floating in the Chao Phraya 
River, which runs through Bangkok, around 10 days after he arrived in Thailand 
on Jan. 19 from Iran, where he often went on business trips. It is believed he 
was kidnapped by Segarra a day later.

Segarra was arrested on Feb. 7 in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, where he had fled 2 
days earlier and was handed over to Thai authorities a day later.

(source: Latin American Herald Tribuine)






MALAYSIA:

Extend moratorium on executions to all offences, urges Madpet


Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture (Madpet) is happy that Malaysia 
has in place a moratorium on executions, especially for those languishing on 
death row for drug trafficking.

Edmund Bon Tai Soon, Malaysia's current Asean Intergovernmental Commission on 
Human Rights representative, was recently reported saying, "Malaysia's 
moratorium, I understand, is only for drug trafficking cases" (The Star, 10 
July 2016).

It must be noted that the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) also 
reiterated on 29 March 2016 their recommendation that a moratorium on the use 
of the death penalty be put in place in Malaysia.

Madpet is of the opinion that this positive development should not be kept 
secret but should have long been proudly announced by the Malaysian government. 
In fact, Nancy Shukri, the de facto law minister, should have proudly announced 
Malaysia's moratorium on executions when she took the stage at the 6th World 
Congress Against Death Penalty in Malaysia.

At the said Congress in Oslo, Norway on 21 June 2016, the minister in the prime 
minister's department, did state that Malaysia would soon be amending laws to 
do away with the mandatory death penalty.

Although no time frame was mentioned, Madpet and others have called that these 
long overdue amendments be tabled at the upcoming sitting of Parliament in 
October 2016. In November 2015, the same minister had said that the amendments 
would be tabled in the March 2016 sitting of Parliament.

Madpet urges Malaysia to extend the moratorium on executions to all persons on 
death row, not just those convicted for drug trafficking. This only makes 
sense, since Malaysia is now in the process of abolishing the death penalty, 
beginning with the mandatory death penalty.

In May 2016, Malaysia disclosed that there were 1,041 persons on death row. 
Based on the statistics revealed in 2011, when the number on death row was 696 
(as at 22 February 2011), 479 (69 %) were for drug trafficking, 204 (29 %) were 
for murder and 13 (2 %) for illegal processions of arms. It looks like almost 
all those who may be on death row are there for mandatory death penalty 
offences.

There are at least 10 offences in Malaysian laws that carry the mandatory death 
penalty; only three are for offences that result in the death of the victim - 
murder [sec 302, Penal Code], terrorist acts where the act results in death 
[sec 130C (1)(a), Penal Code]; and hostage-taking where the act results in 
death [sec. 374(a) Penal Code].

For all the other mandatory death penalty offences, death does not result, 
namely drug trafficking (sec 39B, Dangerous Drugs Act 1952) and 6 types of 
offences listed in the schedule of the Firearms (Increased Penalties) Act 1971, 
which include robbery, kidnapping, extortion and house trespass.

The existence of the mandatory death penalty for offences that do not result in 
death, such as in the Firearms (Increased Penalties) Act 1971, only 
unnecessarily increases the risk of victims and/or witnesses to these crimes 
being killed by perpetrators to avoid the mandatory death penalty.

Malaysia's moratorium on execution will be most welcome by everyone including 
the international community, as it will be seen to be in compliance with the 
now 5 existing United Nations General Assembly resolutions, the 1st in 2007 and 
the last being in 2014, which called for "a moratorium on executions with a 
view to abolishing the death penalty".

Every time, these resolutions have been tabled, the number of countries that 
have voted in favour has been increasing, demonstrating that the global trend 
is towards abolition.

Malaysia has every reason to be proud of the fact that it has been considering 
abolition and has in fact carried out serious studies, which have now been 
concluded, and will be soon be taking the 1st step by abolishing the mandatory 
death penalty.

Attorney General Apandi Ali, also the public prosecutor, is also for the 
scraping of the mandatory death penalty, and he was reported as saying in 2015, 
that the "mandatory death sentences were a 'paradox', as it robbed judges of 
their discretion to impose sentences on convicted criminals".

Madpet also urges Edmund Bon to emulate his predecessor, Muhammad Shafee 
Abdullah, in publicly declaring his personal position for the abolition of the 
death penalty. The AICHR representatives should also at the very least take a 
stand for the abolition of the death penalty in Asean, as had been done by the 
Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam).

Madpet urges Malaysia to immediately extend the moratorium on executions to 
all, not just only for those convicted for drug trafficking.

Madpet urges that Malaysia tables in the upcoming sitting of the Malaysian 
Parliament in October 2016, amendments and/or legislation that will see the 
abolition of the mandatory death penalty; and MADPET urges Malaysia to abolish 
the death penalty.

(source: aliran.com)




VIETNAM:

Man who killed, cut up brother's wife gets death sentence


A court in Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday sentenced a man to death for killing 
his sister-in-law and dismembered her body in 2014.

Dang Van Tuan, 42, was charged with strangling Bui My Hanh, 43, to death in 
September 2014. He then mutilated her body with a knife in their house in 
District 1, HCMC, and dumped the parts in different streets.

Tuan had moved into the home of his brother Dang Van Thanh and his common-law 
wife Hanh in March 2014, after serving a 7-year prison term for pushing drug.

Tuan and Hanh, who were both methamphetamine addicts, soon were engaged in an 
illicit affair.

In August 2014, however, they had conflict after Hanh found out Tuan had an 
intimate relationship with another woman. They were often involved in heated 
quarrels.

Tuan said at the trial that on Sep. 28, 2014, when they were alone using drug 
at home, Hanh continued to insult him and threatened to have thugs attack him 
and his relatives.

Tuan said he went mad and hit her in the head with a kitchen pestle. Hanh fell 
on her back but was still alive. Tuan strangled her to death.

He then slashed his wrists in a suicide attempt but failed.

Tuan said he "covered Hanh's body with a blanket and continued to stay and used 
meth in the house for 2 more days."

On Sep. 30, Tuan dismembered Hanh's corpse and placed the parts in several 
plastic sacks. Early the next day, he dumped them at the mouth of a nearby 
alley on Vo Van Kiet St., and buried Hanh's head under a bridge in District 6, 
before returning home.

Residents in the alley discovered the dismembered corpse in the same morning 
and reported to local police. As the news spread, Tuan's neighbors also 
reported to the police about the suspicious stench emanating from his house.

When they arrived at Tuan's house, he again attempted to commit suicide by 
slashing his wrists, but were saved by the police.

In his last words at the trial, Tuan said he knew he was guilty, and so it was 
fair that "a life for a life." He appologized to Hanh's mother and insisted 
that the court hand him the death penalty.

(source: Thanh Nien News)

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

2 Vietnamese drug traffickers get death sentence


A Vietnamese court on Tuesday handed down 2 death sentences and 6 life 
imprisonment sentences on local drug traffickers.

The Ho Chi Minh City People's Court gave the death sentences to 29-year-old 
Tran Tuan An and 30-year-old Le Nguyen Hoang Anh. The court also handed down 
life imprisonment sentences to 6 local people, and jail terms of 3 to 20 years 
to 6 other defendants.

According to the indictment, from March to June 2013, the 14 defendants bought 
and sold 213 cakes of heroin weighing over 70 kg in some provinces and cities.

According to Vietnamese law, those convicted of smuggling over 600 grams of 
heroin or more than 2.5 kilograms of methamphetamine are punishable by death. 
Making or trading 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal drugs also 
faces death penalty.

(source: Xinhua News)