[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

Wed Dec 7 10:29:38 CST 2016

Dec. 7

TURKEY/SAUDI ARABIA:

Efforts to save 18 Turks facing execution in Saudi Arabia ongoing

2 Turkish lawmakers have met with Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu as part of 
efforts to save 18 Turkish citizens facing execution in Saudi Arabia over drug 
possession.

Fevzi Sanverdi, a ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputy, and Serkan 
Topal, a deputy from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), met 
with Cavusoglu on Dec. 7.

In the meeting they spoke about the 18 Turkish citizens, originally from the 
southern Turkish province of Hatay, being held in jail pending trial and facing 
possible execution.

"We have told [Cavusoglu] that 3 of our citizens' situation is especially 
urgent, while the rest are victims of international drug cartels," Topal said.

"Our minister said he would contact his Saudi counterpart as soon as possible," 
he added.

Topal also noted that he was in touch with the Turkish ambassador in Riyadh, 
Yunus Demirer, every day, vowing to continue their efforts at the state level 
to save the jailed Turkish citizens.

(source: Hurriyet Daily News)

MOROCCO:

HCP: 50 % of Moroccans Support Abolition of Death Penalty

50 % of Moroccans favor the abolition of the death penalty, according to the 
results of a survey conducted by the High Commission of Planning (HCP) on the 
nation's take on the United Nations??? Sustainable Development Goals for 2030.

Urban areas (47.8) supported the lethal punishment's abolition less 
enthusiastically than rural areas, which garnered a 52.2 % anti-death penalty 
position, Ahmed Lahlimi Alami, the head of the HCP, told reporters on Tuesday.

The HCP randomly selected citizens from every region in Morocco to take the 
survey, which helped "the government understand citizens' evaluation of 
dimensions of human development in their daily lives," between the 1st of July 
and the 19th of August.

Morocco has not carried out the death penalty since 1993, however courts have 
sentenced 122 people, including 3 women, to the punishment.

The U.N. started a new push to implement its 17 development goals for the next 
14 years at the top of 2016. The goals include ensuring every human being has 
access to a good education, a healthy natural environment and a peaceful and 
just society.

The survey's results show that 80 % of Moroccans believe the kingdom can 
achieve all of the U.N.'s goals by 2030, while 50 % of respondents said they 
had taken steps to improve their interactions with the environment in the past 
5 years.

Morocco has led the charge in global anti-climate change efforts, as 
demonstrated in 22nd Convention of the Parties (COP) held in Marrakesh last 
month. The kingdom is on track to source 52 % of its energy needs from 
renewable energy sources by 2030.

(source: Morocco World News)

IRAN:

2 Prisoners with Drug Charges in Imminent Danger of Execution

2 prisoners in Karaj's Ghezel Hesar Prison (Alborz province, northern Iran), 
who are on death row on drug related charges, were reportedly transferred to 
Varamin's Khorin Prison (Tehran province, central Iran) on Sunday December 4 in 
preparation for their executions.

According to close sources, the prisoners, who have been identified as 
Esfandiar Geravand and Iman Dorimami, were setenced to death by the 
revolutionary court in Varamin, but because they were condemed to prison exile, 
they were taken to Ghezel Hesar Prison.

Mr. Geravand and Mr. Dorimami are in imminent danger of execution at a time 
when a bill proposing to abolish the death penalty for drug related offenses 
may be passed by the Iranian Parliament.

(source: Iran Human Rights)

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

Former Qeshm Airlines boss faces death penalty in Iran

The former owner of Iranian carrier Qeshm Airlines (QB, Tehran Mehrabad), Babak 
Zanjani, has lost an appeal in a Tehran court to reduce his sentence after 
being found guilty on charges of corruption. The Iranian businessman was given 
the death penalty in March 2016.

Zanjani was arrested in December 2013, following the election of President 
Hassan Rouhani, who vowed to tackle corruption. The billionaire was found 
guilty of misappropriation of public funds, fraud against Iran's Ministry of 
Petroleum and money laundering. The Iranian government claims that Zanjani owes 
more than EUR2 billion from transactions related to oil exports.

Zanjani's airline was confiscated by the Iranian government in January 2015 as 
part of reparations owed to Tehran. Qeshm Airlines is now jointly controlled by 
the Ministry of Petroleum and private companies.

(source: ch-aviation.com)

BANGLADESH:

Bangladesh Supreme Court upholds death for 3 Huji militants over 2004 grenade 
attack on UK envoy----Former UK envoy to Bangladesh Anwar Choudhury was 
attacked at the shrine of Hazrat Shahjalal in Sylhet in 2004.

The Supreme Court of Bangladesh on Wednesday (7 December) has upheld the death 
sentencing of 3 militants of Harkatul Jihad al Islami (Huji) over the 2004 
grenade attack on the then UK high commissioner to Bangladesh.

The 3 men of the Islamic fundamentalist organisation included Sharif Shahedul 
Alam Bipul and Delwar Hossain alias Ripon along with the group's chief Mufti 
Abdul Hannan. All of the 3 militants were guilty of attacking the former UK 
envoy to Bangladesh Anwar Choudhury at the shrine of Hazrat Shahjalal (RA) in 
Sylhet in 2004.

A 4-member team of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Surendra 
Kumar Sinha pronounced the verdict, rejecting the appeals moved on behalf of 
the convicts.

The development came after the country's High Court on 11 February backed death 
penalty of the 3 Huji associates, including Hannan. The HC had also given life 
imprisonment to 2 others over the fatal attack.

In February, the life sentencing for 2 other members of the Huji group - 
Muhibullah alias Muhibur Rahman alias Ovi and Mufti Main Uddin alias Abu Zandal 
- were upheld by the HC.

According to reports, in 2004, UK diplomat Choudhury visited the shrine of 
Hazrat Shahjalal (RA) in Sylhet when the grenade attack happened. The blast had 
killed 3 and injured at least 70.

Choudhury, who was born in Bangladesh, suffered minor leg injuries in the 
grenade violence after Juma prayers. The UK envoy was just 18 days old into his 
new assignment during the time of attack.

(source: ibtimes.co.uk)

PHILIPPINES:

House death penalty bill: How they voted----The House justice committee votes 
in favor of reimposing the death penalty for heinous crimes in the Philippines. 
Who voted for and against the measure?

How did the House justice panel vote on the death penalty bill?

The House justice panel approved the measure seeking to reinstate the death 
penalty for heinous crimes in the Philippines on Wednesday, December 7.

House Bill (HB) Number 1 got the nod of the committee members with a vote of 
12-6-1.

Majority Leader Rodolfo Farinas said the measure may be brought back to the 
plenary session for 2nd reading on December 13.

If the bill is passed into law, the following heinous crimes would be 
punishable by death, either by hanging, firing squad, or lethal injection:

--Treason

--Qualified piracy

--Qualified bribery

--Parricide

--Murder

--Infanticide

--Rape

--Kidnapping and serious illegal detention

--Robbery with violence against or intimidation of persons

--Destructive arson

--Plunder

--Importation of dangerous drugs and/or controlled precursors and essential 
chemicals

--Sale, trading, administration, dispensation, delivery, distribution, and 
transportation of dangerous drugs and/or controlled precursors and essential 
chemicals

--Maintenance of a drug den, dive, or resort

--Manufacture of dangerous drugs and/or controlled precursors and essential 
chemicals

--Possession of dangerous drugs

--Cultivation or culture of plants classified as dangerous drugs or are sources 
thereof

--Unlawful prescription of dangerous drugs

--Criminal liability of a public officer or employee for misappropriation, 
misapplication, or failure to account for the confiscated, seized and/or 
surrendered dangerous drugs, plant sources of dangerous drugs, controlled 
precursors and essential chemicals, instruments/paraphernalia and/or laboratory 
equipment including the proceeds or properties obtained from the unlawful act 
committed

--Criminal liability for planting evidence concerning illegal drugs

--Carnapping

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, a bill co-author, is hoping that HB 1 would be 
passed on 3rd and final reading before Congress goes on Christmas break next 
week.

HB 1 is one of the priority bills of President Rodrigo Duterte, who counts more 
than 250 congressmen as his allies.

On Wednesday afternoon, the supermajority had a closed-door caucus to discuss 
which measures to prioritize before session ends for the year.

Farinas said he posed questions to both lawmakers who are in favor and not in 
favor of the return of the death penalty.

"I asked them who are in favor, those who are in favor, of notion of the 
reimposition of the death penalty, [but] on the finer points [like] anong 
crimes ba covered niyan (which crimes are covered by that)? But [we only 
tackled] the reimposition of the death penalty - mas marami 'yun (there are 
more). Those against and those who are undecided are lesser, but medyo pareho 
sila (they're kind of similar)," he said.

The Philippines was the 1st Asian country to abolish the death penalty under 
the 1987 Constitution. President Fidel Ramos, however, revived the death 
penalty to address the rising crime rate under his administration.

Capital punishment was eventually abolished in 2006, under former president and 
now Pampanga 2nd District Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

While she supports Duterte, Arroyo said she is still against the reimposition 
of the death penalty.

(source: rappler.com)

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

Farinas: No death penalty bill passage before Christmas break

If the House of Representatives would be passing the controversial measure 
reimposing the death penalty, it would definitely not happen this year.

This was after the chamber agreed to defer voting on the measure to next year 
to give way to extensive plenary debates next week on the substitute bill 
created for House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez's House Bill No. 1.

The development is a complete turnaround from the Speaker's repeated 
pronouncements that the chamber intends to have the measure passed before the 
Christmas break.

Earlier in the day, the House justice committee approved the committee report 
on the substitute bill on the death penalty.

House Majority Leader Rodolfo Farinas said the measure would be sent to the 
plenary Tuesday next week for sponsorship and second reading.

Farinas, however, said the deferment of the voting was not brought about by any 
"pressure" or opposition from the Church or other critics of the death penalty.

Farinas said 1/2 of the supermajority - made up of 267 of the 293 House 
legislators - has signified their support for the bill during a caucus on 
Wednesday.

Around 15 % of the members is against the measure, while a bigger 35 % remains 
undecided, the lawmaker added.

Farinas said the plenary debates would determine the final version of the bill 
that would be voted upon next year.

"We will allow everybody to interpellate and then... although the bill 
presently as crafted covers multiple offenses. Full debate," he said, adding 
that only "1 to 3 weeks" would be allotted for the debates.

Farinas also revealed having just talked to Sen. Manny Pacquiao, who was 
requesting the bill to cover drug cases for now "para mabilis [mapasa]." 
Farinas said other crimes could be included in future amendments.

Farinas also showed to media his text message to Alvarez about the caucus: 
"[There is] the common sentiment that we do not rush it before our Christmas 
break in order to have full debates. We'll even get more votes if we limit the 
coverage initially to drugs and plunder."

Alvarez responded to Farinas text mesage: "We won't vote on it before our break 
as such is the common sentiment."

(source: gmanetwork.com)