[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Jan. 19



THAILAND:

David Miller's father opposes Koh Tao death sentence


The father of slain British backpacker David Miller has said he does not want 
the men convicted of his murder to get the death penalty.

Ian Miller told the Jersey Evening Post that although he was sure Myanmar 
migrant workers Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun were guilty of killing his son, he did 
not endorse the death penalty for them.

"The message we want to get across is that there has been enough death," he 
told the newspaper, adding that his family had been vilified by internet users 
for supporting the conviction.

Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun were convicted of the murder of Miller and of the rape 
and murder of fellow Brit Hannah Witheridge on Koh Tao in September 2014.

They received death sentences from a Koh Samui court last month.

The investigation into the case and court verdict have been widely criticised, 
with many claiming the 2 Myanmar nationals had been used as scapegoats by the 
Thai justice system.

Hundreds of people protested outside the Thai embassy in Yangon while hackers 
attacked Thai police and court websites.

David Miller's brother Michael read a statement after the verdict, saying 
"justice... has been delivered" and that the family believed "the correct 
verdict has been reached".

However Hannah Witheridge's family were more circumspect immediately 
afterwards, saying they needed time "to digest the outcome of the trial" and 
"figure out the most appropriate way to tell our story".

Hannah's sister Laura last week posted a note on her Facebook slamming Thai 
authorities over the "bungled" investigation into the murders. The note has 
since been removed.

(source: coconuts.co)






SRI LANKA:

Death penalty to suspects of Mirasuvil murder


3 suspects responsible for the murder of an individual in the Jaffna, Mirisuvil 
area has been sentenced to death by the Jaffna High court judge, Eelancheliyan 
yesterday.

The murder was committed in 2006 December 13th where the victim was attacked 
and killed after being hit with a mortar.

The 1st suspect was arrested when he was riding a motorcycle.

The other suspects were arrested later on.

The murder weapon - a mortar was found disposed in a paddy field near the 
Kudameeyan Army camp.

(source: hirunews.lk)






BAHAMAS:

Bran: 'How Many Must Die Before We Carry Out Capital Punishment?'


Democratic National Alliance Leader Branville McCartney yesterday asked "how 
many more must die" to violence before lawmakers do what is necessary to 
protect the public and carry out capital punishment.

The question was in direct response to the recent home invasion and attack on 
Pastor Rex Major. The pastor, 80, was gun-butted last Thursday after armed 
intruders broke into his home and attempted to sexually assault his daughter 
before fleeing the scene with electronics.

A day before the attack, Chief Justice Sir Hartman Longley suggested that 
without changes to existing laws, it would take a massacre similar to the 
Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris for the death penalty to be imposed in the 
Bahamas.

Mr McCartney said the incident and the distressing statement of the top judge 
were a glaring reminder of successive governments' "lack of political will" in 
dealing with the country's existing crime woes.

So far this year, 3 people have been murdered and the country saw a record 
breaking 149 homicides in 2015.

"Days into the start of a new year and already more families have had to deal 
with the pain of losing a loved one," the former Bamboo Town MP said. "But the 
question is: How many more must die? Have we not had enough? Has crime in this 
country not already reached catastrophic proportions? Do the lives of those 
already lost to us not warrant real, decisive and strong action on the part of 
our lawmakers? The answer is unquestionably 'yes'."

"The comments of the chief justice, while distressing on their own, speak to an 
even more important issue: a lack of political will. For years now, the 
government has stood idly by and watched as the criminal element has grown 
stronger and more insidious," Mr McCartney said. "This and previous 
administrations have neglected to address shortfalls in the judicial system and 
have interfered consistently in the work of the Royal Bahamas Police Force and 
now, we are all paying the price."

Last Wednesday, opening of the new legal year, Sir Hartman suggested that 
"having regard to the prevailing jurisprudence, that the death penalty is 
virtually dead."

"I share the view expressed by the president of the Court of Appeal. Unless we 
have the experience of a Charlie Hebdo, or San Bernardino, the chances of ever 
imposing the death penalty under the present regime are virtually nil."

"The question we have to ask ourselves is do we wish to retain the death 
penalty, and so if this is to become a reality, my view is that a 
constitutional amendment would be necessary, and not by some omnibus clause," 
Sir Hartman added.

The last person executed in the Bahamas was David Mitchell in January 2000.

He was convicted of stabbing 2 German tourists to death.

Mitchell's execution was controversial because it was carried out while he had 
an appeal pending before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

International criticism of the move was followed by a moratorium on capital 
punishment, which lasted until the Privy Council's 2006 decision in the case of 
Maxo Tido.

In 2011, after a ruling from the London-based Privy Council, the Ingraham 
administration amended the death penalty law to specify the "worst of the 
worst" murders that would warrant execution.

Under the amended law, a person who kills a police or defence force officer, 
member of the Departments of Customs or Immigration, judiciary or prison 
services would be eligible for a death sentence. A person would also be 
eligible for death once convicted of murdering someone during a rape, robbery, 
kidnapping or act of terrorism.

Mr McCartney yesterday said that Bahamians "should not be bound by senior men 
in England who wish to assert their beliefs against capital punishment on a 
country they have no knowledge about."

The DNA leader stressed that the chief justice's statement was "clearly a 
challenge to the legislative and executive arms of government; an exhortation 
and a call to action."

"For far too long, the criminal element has had the upper hand, while honest, 
hardworking Bahamians have been forced to live in fear," he added. "If we are 
to reverse this trend then we cannot and must not wait for a Paris-like attack 
before we are compelled to protect our people."

(source: Bahamas Tribune)




ZIMBABWE:

Bring finality to constitutionality of death penalty


The matter regarding the constitutionality of the death penalty and life 
sentences has been raging for some time now with cases of death row inmates 
rolling before the highest court on constitutional matters in the land.The 
coming into effect of the current Constitution brings to the fore contentious 
legal questions vis-a-vis the constitutionality of the death penalty.

Sometime in mid-October last year 2 matters initiated by legal think- tank 
Veritas were brought before the court. 2 applicants, convicted in separate 
cases of murder and sentenced to death in July 2002 and May 2012 respectively, 
were challenging the legality of the death penalty in light of the new 
Constitution.

There was the matter of Ndhlovu versus the Minister of Justice (case CCZ50/15) 
and the case of Makoni versus Commissioner-General of Prisons and Correctional 
Services and Another (CCZ48/2015) which involved a prisoner convicted of 
murdering his girlfriend in 1995. The two were convicted before the new 
Constitution came into operation. Veritas, therefore, cited that although the 2 
were lawfully sentenced to death, the sentence now had to be set aside because 
of the provisions of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act (CPEA) under which 
the condemned were sentenced which has since become inconsistent with Section 
48 of the new Constitution.

court-gavel

According to Section 48(2) of the new Constitution: "A law may permit the death 
penalty to be imposed only on a person convicted of murder committed in 
aggravating circumstances." It is in this regard that the CPEA is not in 
conformity with the Constitution of Zimbabwe on the imposition of the death 
penalty. In other words, this law, contemplated in Section 48, is not yet in 
existence and therefore the death sentence cannot be passed. If this law is 
passed, then the death penalty can be passed under it. Otherwise, as things 
stand, this country cannot pass the death sentence and it thus remains 
important that finality is reached on the matter.

The recent death penalty case challenge by Chawira and 14 others versus 
Minister of Justice has the prisoners seeking an order that their death 
sentences be commuted to life imprisonment as Section 53 of the Constitution 
protects everyone including convicted prisoners against torture or cruel, 
degrading treatment.

They want the Constitutional Court to define their fundamental rights as 
enshrined in sections 51 and 53 of the national charter. They want the 
Constitutional Court to commute their sentences to life imprisonment and their 
plea is being facilitated by Veritas again. Convicted murderer Cuthbert 
Tapuwanashe Chawira (45) and 14 other murder convicts have been languishing in 
prison for periods of between four and 20 years.Chawira has been on death row 
since September 2000 over a 1999 armed robbery which led to a murder in Gweru. 
In their affidavit they state: "That being so because of the torture we have 
been subjected to while waiting for a long time on death row, it will be 
unconstitutional to execute us and therefore the sentence should now be 
committed to that of life imprisonment. The anguish of being not told the day 
of execution is unbearable. There is nothing as challenging to a human being as 
living a life without hope. Most of us have no hope that we will live and we 
are just sitting in dark waiting to be executed."

Now, the matter has stood for long and it is overwhelmingly urgent that 
finality is reached. There have been 2 strong schools of thought with one group 
rooting for the abolition of the death penalty while others contend that those 
who don't value the lives of others ought not to be spared themselves. Without 
wading into the contentious debate, it is in the nation's best interest that 
this matter is conclusively dealt with as to settle the confusion surrounding 
the matter. Undeniably, in view of the new Constitution, Zimbabwe cannot pass 
the death sentence unless Parliament enacts a law which provides for it. The 
new order leaves the decision to the legislature. In the absence of the 
specific law providing for the death sentence, it cannot be passed.

Also, it is a valid argument that the death penalty, to a huge extent, violates 
Section 51 of the current Constitution which unequivocally states: "Every 
person has inherent dignity in their private and public life, and the right to 
have that dignity respected and protected." Section 53 as well protects against 
cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment. The 15 death row inmates being 
represented by Tendai Biti would be right to seek the court to define their 
fundamental rights as espoused in both sections 51 and 53.

It is crucial that conclusiveness is reached on the matter because, honestly, 
the anguish of prisoners not being told when they would be hanged is agonising.

Finality, either way, it brings a sense of certainty as well as relieving 
prisoners of the psychological torture. Let's bring finality to the death 
penalty issue.

(source: Learnmore Zuze is a legal researcher, author and media analyst. He 
writes here in his own capacity----Newsday)






SAUDI ARABIA:

UK's soft diplomacy approach to Saudi Arabia is not enough, say families of 
juveniles still on death row----Exclusive: Families of three juveniles on Saudi 
death row say nothing has changed and they still have 'the sword over their 
necks', despite apparent UK intervention


Britain's soft approach to diplomacy with Saudi Arabia is not working - 
according to the families of 3 juvenile offenders held up by the UK as examples 
of its success.

Ali al-Nimr, Abdullah al-Zaher and Dawoud al-Marhoon were all children when 
they were arrested by the Saudi authorities for attending protests, and yet 
they were sentenced to death after a secretive court process.

When he defended the Government's meek response to the mass execution of 47 
people in the kingdom on 2 January, Philip Hammond said the 3 juveniles showed 
Britain could get results in Saudi Arabia when it intervened in specific cases.

But The Independent can reveal that almost exactly three months after the 
Foreign Secretary told Parliament "private" UK diplomacy had secured clemency 
for the child offenders, nothing has really changed.

This newspaper understands Mr al-Zaher, the youngest of the boys who was just 
15 when he was arrested, has been transferred to a prison in Riyadh where a 
number of the 47 executions were carried out at the start of the month.

Mr al-Nimr and Mr al-Marhoon have also been moved since the mass executions 
from Riyadh to the infamous Dammam prison in the Eastern Province, a facility 
known for housing death row inmates in the past.

According to Reprieve, a human rights organisation which is campaigning on 
behalf of the juveniles, sudden prison transfers are often a precursor to 
sentences being carried out, and the families say all three could be executed 
any day.

Speaking exclusively to The Independent, the family of Mr al-Zaher was hesitant 
to accuse any one government of failure to intervene on his behalf.

"Our son - who was just 15 when he was arrested and tortured - is awaiting 
execution in solitary confinement and being held miles away from his home," 
they said in a statement.

"We are in agony wondering what will happen to him. Other governments keep 
saying they 'do not expect' him and the other juveniles to be executed, but 
where is the proof?

"We sincerely hope that the international community will demand the release of 
Abdullah and the other juveniles arrested at protests."

Mohammed al-Nimr, Ali's father and the brother of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, said his 
son and Mr al-Marhoon had been moved but no reason was given to explain it. He 
said the pair were "on death row with the sword over their necks".

Maya Foa, head of Reprieve's death penalty team, said: "It is shocking that the 
Saudi authorities are still threatening to execute 3 juveniles who were 
arrested at protests, tortured into dubious 'confessions', and sentenced to 
death in flagrantly unfair trials.

"The British government and others have spoken of Saudi assurances that Ali, 
Dawoud and Abdullah won't be killed - but this is cold comfort to the families 
who are terrified of what might happen, amid a surge in Saudi executions."

She added: "Governments that are close to Saudi Arabia - the UK included - must 
firmly demand the release of the juveniles without delay."

Speaking on the BBC's Today programme on Monday, David Cameron stood by 
Britain's relationship with Saudi Arabia in spite of growing concerns over 
human rights abuses in the kingdom.

"First of all, our relationship with Saudi Arabia is important for our own 
security. They are opponents of Daesh [Isis] and the extremism [they spread]," 
the Prime Minister said.

Mr Cameron's praise for the autocracy comes days after Saudi Arabia's foreign 
minister Adel al-Jubeir urged Britain to "respect" his country's use of the 
death penalty.

He told Channel 4 News: "With regards to the perception of Saudi Arabia among 
the British public, this is a problem we need to work on."

(source: The Independent)

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

'He knew they'd kill him in the end': Son of prominent Shia cleric al-Nimr 
speaks to RT


Mohammed al-Nimr, the son of Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, executed in Saudi 
Arabia in the beginning of the year, has told RT how his father fought for the 
rights of "all the people" while having been allegedly tortured after his 
arrest by Riyadh.

"He spoke for all the people, he didn't speak only for the Shia [community]. He 
asked the [Saudi] government to release all political prisoners. They got mad 
because he defended everyone who was oppressed by this government," Mohammed 
al-Nimr said, adding that many people looked up to his father when he started 
talking about human rights.

"That is one of the main things that they [Riyadh] didn't like about him," the 
cleric's son said.

Nimr al-Nimr, described by his son as an "honest and a gentle man," was a 
staunch critic of the Saudi leadership. The cleric, who called for the 
self-rule of the Saudi Shia population, was among 47 people executed in Saudi 
Arabia at the start of the year on terrorism charges. The execution sparked not 
only a strong reaction in the Middle East, but also an international outcry.

Hundreds of activists took to the streets of New York on Sunday, gathering in 
Times Square for an anti-Saudi rally. Protesters called for peace among the 
different branches of Islam, while condemning what they say is Saudi oppression 
of the Shias.

"Most people who know about my father will act in a human way. They are 
sincere. They're seeing the truth, what is really going on," Mohammed al-Nimr 
told RT, adding that while "political activists and politicians... are aware of 
what is going on [in Saudi Arabia], the media here is not focusing on human 
rights very much."

Riyadh acts as if it is still living in the 20th century, the son of the Shia 
cleric said.

"Saudi Arabia still thinks it's 1980 and there is no internet, there is no 
international news. It's like they are living in a small box, but the whole 
world is watching what is going on there. They are the only ones not seeing 
what is going on outside that box," he said, adding that while Riyadh's leaders 
are "trying to prove themselves" to be a strong government by showing people "a 
strong fist," they have no right to do so "by killing their people."

The Saudi foreign minister, when warning other countries against intervening in 
the Kingdom's affairs, has said the death penalty is part of Saudi law.

Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr's son also told RT about how violently his father had been 
arrested and then treated while having been captured by the Saudis.

"He told us exactly how he was arrested. He was driving his car and they 
followed him, they bashed his car from behind, so the car hit a wall. Then they 
went to his car and pulled him out. His seatbelt was on. The policemen pulled 
him out of the car very roughly. Even the buckle of his seatbelt came out of 
the car. They shot him at close range 4 times, hitting his leg. He was not 
armed," Mohammed al-Nimr said.

Following the man's arrest, he wasn't given proper treatment for his injuries, 
his son said, adding that because his father had been deprived of sufficient 
pain medication, "he couldn???t sleep for basically 1 year" suffering from 
pain.

"He was tied with 6 chains to his bed, even though he couldn't walk. They left 
1 bullet in intentionally so it would stay in his thigh and bother him all the 
time," Mohammed al-Nimr said. After the man's execution, his family was not 
given the body for a proper burial, but it was instead hidden by the Saudis, 
his son said.

"He didn't back out. He didn't change his opinion. He kept asking for justice. 
My father knew that they would kill him in the end. And he said that many 
times: 'Our blood is a cheap price to pay for our beliefs'," Mohammed al-Nimr 
told RT.

(source: rt.com)






NIGERIA:

Reps Minority Whip canvasses death penalty, amputation for corrupt 
officials----Barde said: "We live in a funny country, where people steal N1,000 
and they are put in jail for years, while some other people will steal billions 
of naira and use that same billions to escape justice


The Minority Whip in the House of Representatives, Danjuma Barde, on Monday 
called for imposition of capital punishment on corrupt public officers in the 
country.

The legislator spoke at a media forum in Kaduna organised by the Kaduna State 
chapter of the Correspondent's Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists.

Barde said: "We live in a funny country, where people steal N1,000 and they are 
put in jail for years, while some other people will steal billions of naira and 
use that same billions to escape justice. "If somebody steal from N1 million to 
N100 million, they should cut his hand and those who steal from N1 billion 
above should be hanged."

The lawmaker said he was discussing with other members of the House to provide 
for the setting up of special courts to handle corruption cases and stiffer 
penalties for those convicted.

Barde, a 3-time member of the House representing Chikun Federal Constituency, 
said the special courts would speed up the prosecution of those charged with 
corruption.

He said: "I am a believer of the fact that people should be punished for their 
crimes, no matter how highly placed they are in the society.

"I also believe that punishment should be segregated such that it should be 
commensurable to the crime and be punished according to the amount of money 
they steal.

"I have started discussions with some of my colleague members of the National 
Assembly on the need to set up a special and dedicated court to try these kind 
of people so that justice will be dispensed off quickly."

According to Barde, stiffer punishment like cutting-off of the arm of a 
convicted person or death sentence will deter other public office holders and 
individuals.

He said: "If am a Judge and such case or person is brought before me, I will 
make sure I confiscate his property and sentence him to death."

He noted that some corrupt public officers were exploiting the loopholes in the 
nation's legal system to delay justice.

Barde said: "Some former governors have cases with the EFCC and the ICPC for 
the last 8 years without appearing in court even once.

"There are other corruption cases against some public office holders still 
pending in the conventional courts and justice is being delayed as some of them 
even die and leave such cases pending in courts.

"But if the Government establishes a special court to specifically prosecute 
those corruption cases, it would speed up justice and that would send a warning 
to people with tendencies of corrupt practices to change their minds."

Barde, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, commended President Muhammadu 
Buhari for the measures taken so far in the fight against corruption in the 
country.

The legislator, however, urged the administration to respect the rule of law 
and allow those on bail enjoy their freedom pending the determination of cases 
against them.

Barde said Nigerians must take bold steps to eradicate corruption by supporting 
ongoing efforts of government to eliminate the scourge.

He said: "Corruption, hunger or poverty does not know party, tribe or religion.

"We know how Nigerians are suffering, so there should be no sympathy for such 
persons who are involved in such acts."

(source: theeagleonline.com.ng)






IRAN:

52 executions in first 2 weeks of January ---- The religious fascism ruling 
Iran increases hangings concurrent with the implementation of the nuclear deal 
on the verge of sham elections


The antihuman Iranian regime that closed its infamous dossier for 2015 with 
over 1,000 executions has begun the New Year by ramping up executions 
throughout the country such that in just the first 2 weeks of this year 52 
executions have been registered. The forced retreat from the nuclear bomb and 
the implementation of the nuclear deal with the P5+1, the upcoming elections 
for the Assembly of Experts and the parliament, and the intensification of the 
power struggle within regime's factions have tightened the noose around the 
regime's neck.

To confront these crises, the Iranian regime is planning to increase its death 
sentences and climate of terror in the society to thwart the expansion of 
popular protests and the explosion of popular wrath. Since the beginning of 
January to this day, the clerical regime has executed 52 prisoners, including 1 
woman, in various cities. Four of the prisoners have been hanged in public and 
most prisoners were executed in groups.

On January 16, 4 prisoners were hanged in Rasht's central prison and on January 
14 1 prisoner was hanged in Yazd's central prison.

On the previous day, there was a group hanging of 6 prisoners in Urmia prison 
and 1 prisoner was executed in Shiraz prison.

On January 12, 4 prisoners were collectively hanged in Karaj's Central Prison 
and another prisoner was executed in Zanjan.

On January 11, 3 prisoners were hanged in Sari prison and 1 was hanged in 
Mashhad prison.

On January 9 and 10, 2 prisoners were hanged in Rasht's central prison, 3 were 
executed in Larestan (Fars Province), and 1 prisoner was hanged in Khorramabad 
prison.

On January 7, 2 young men were hanged in public in Shabestar and Khoy, 3 
prisoners were sent to the gallows in Ardabil's central prison, and 1 prisoner 
was executed in Hamadan's central prison.

On January 6 there were 13 executions; 5 prisoners in Gohardasht (Rajai Shahr) 
Prison, 3 in Karaj Central Prison, and 5 prisoners, including a woman, in 
Tabriz central prison.

>From January 2 to 5, 5 prisoners were executed in prisons in Noshahr, 
Khorramabad and Urmia and 1 prisoner was hanged in public in the town of Sourak 
Miandoroud in Mazandaran Province.

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

Waves of executions in Iran condemned in the Netherlands


Supporters of the Iranian Resistance staged 2 rallies on Saturday, January 16 
in downtown Amsterdam and outside the Dutch Parliament in The Hague condemning 
gross human rights violations in Iran, especially mass executions by the 
Iranian regime.

Participants in these rallies also called on the major world powers to set 
aside the appeasement policy vis-???-vis the "godfather of terrorism" in Iran. 
These protesters also called for practical measures by the international 
community in condemning the practice of executions and torture in Iran, and 
placing senior Iranian regime officials before international tribunals.

The placards raised by the protesters read in part that the mullahs' president 
Hassan Rouhani is the president of 2,000 executions and any rapprochement with 
the Iranian regime must be contingent upon on the termination of executions in 
Iran.

In the first 16 days of January, the mullahs' inhumane regime in Iran has sent 
53 prisoners, including 1 woman, to the gallows in various towns. 4 of these 
prisoners were hanged in public and most of the prisoners were executed in 
groups.

The human rights situation has been deteriorating rapidly in Iran. More than 
2,000 individuals have been executed during Hassan Rouhani's tenure as 
President of the regime. This is the highest rate of executions in the past 25 
years, and it reflects an increase over figures that had already secured Iran's 
place as the nation with the most executions per capita.

On December 17, 2015, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution strongly 
condemning the brutal and systematic violation of human rights in Iran, in 
particular the mass and arbitrary executions, increasing violence and 
discrimination against women and ethnic and religious minorities.

Following the adoption of the 62nd UN resolution censuring human rights abuses 
in Iran, the Iranian Resistance's President-elect Maryam Rajavi called on the 
UN Security Council to hold the leaders of the clerical regime accountable and 
prosecute them for crimes against humanity. She underlined that this is a 
necessary step towards respecting the international community's vote that 
condemned the systematic and flagrant violations of human rights in Iran.

(source for all: Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran

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

"No to Execution" and "No to Rouhani" rallies in Canada


Freedom-loving Iranian-Canadians and Iranian Resistance supporters in Ottawa 
and Toronto held rallies on Saturday, January 16 protesting the upcoming visit 
by the Iranian regime's president Hassan Rouhani to Europe. These protesters 
demonstrated in downtown Toronto and outside the Federal Parliament in Ottawa 
against gross human rights violations in Iran, especially horrific executions 
in Iran.

In the first 16 days of January, the mullahs' inhumane regime in Iran has sent 
53 prisoners, including 1 woman, to the gallows in various towns. 4 of these 
prisoners were hanged in public and most of the prisoners were executed in 
groups.

The inhumane mullahs' regime, unable to contain its domestic and international 
crises and finding itself incapable before the waves of popular protests by 
people in cities across Iran, especially those in poverty-stricken areas, sees 
the only solution to its in escalating crackdown measures.

The human rights situation has been deteriorating rapidly in Iran. More than 
2,000 individuals have been executed during Hassan Rouhani's tenure as 
President of the regime. This is the highest rate of executions in the past 25 
years, and it reflects an increase over figures that had already secured Iran's 
place as the nation with the most executions per capita.

On December 17, 2015, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution strongly 
condemning the brutal and systematic violation of human rights in Iran, in 
particular the mass and arbitrary executions, increasing violence and 
discrimination against women and ethnic and religious minorities.

Following the adoption of the 62nd UN resolution censuring human rights abuses 
in Iran, the Iranian Resistance's President-elect Maryam Rajavi called on the 
UN Security Council to hold the leaders of the clerical regime accountable and 
prosecute them for crimes against humanity. She underlined that this is a 
necessary step towards respecting the international community's vote that 
condemned the systematic and flagrant violations of human rights in Iran.

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

EU aid cash linked to death penalty in Iran----Campaigners call for suspension 
of EU funding to drug program operating in Iran as executions increase


British aid money may be indirectly facilitating Iran's use of the death 
penalty, campaigners have warned.

Reprieve, the anti-death penalty campaign, says it has established a paper 
trail that links British aid contributions via the EU to an Iranian police 
force responsible for hundreds of hangings last year.

The charity has called for a suspension of payments to the training program, 
amid a sharp rise in executions by Tehran.

The disclosure risks embarrassment for the European Union, given its public 
opposition to the death penalty, and comes amid a furious row between Saudi 
Arabia and Iran over the execution of a cleric by Riyadh.

It will also raise concerns about Britain's inability to control how the EU 
spends its aid budget, which is funded by UK taxpayers.

The concern centres on a programme run by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime in 
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and neighbouring countries.

The $10 million project has provided training in forensics, communications and 
intelligence to police forces in the region in order to tackle smuggling gangs.

An internal progress report on the scheme lists a series of arrests that the UN 
said were evidence that the scheme was bearing fruit.

They include the arrest of 10 people, in 2 separate raids, by the Iranian 
anti-narcotics police for suspected trafficking of opium and hashish. Based on 
the quantities said to have been recovered, they will "inevitably" have been 
sentenced to death under the Iranian penal code, Reprieve said.

The concern is compounded by widespread corruption in the Iranian justice 
system. According to the Foreign Office's own assessment, Iranian judges are 
accused of handing down convictions "almost exclusively" on the testimony of 
the police and "rarely considered evidence offered by the defence".

The project's funding has included $2.4m from the EU's foreign aid fund, while 
in total EU has $171m committed in total to the agency's funding.

Britain counts a share of spending by the EU - around 800 million pounds a year 
- towards its foreign aid target of spending 0.7 % of GDP on aid per year.

Executions in Iran markedly increased last year to more than 830 up to 
November, the highest per capita rate in the world, with the vast majority for 
drug offences. Blasphemy, adultery and homosexuality are also capital offences.

President Rouhani has justified the dramatic increase. "If we abolished the 
death penalty we would enhance their drug trafficking up to the European 
countries and that would be dangerous for you," he told an Italian newspaper.

Dan Dolan, of Reprieve, said the UN had shown a "complete disregard" for human 
rights by assisting the Iranians, and called for a full review of the EU's 
support for the programme.

"Iran's execution rate has skyrocketed, with hundreds sent to the gallows on 
drugs charges following trials that make a mockery of justice. The EU has no 
legitimate defence for supporting this, and it should reject the absurd claim 
by Iran's President Rouhani that these executions are somehow in Europe's 
interests.

"If the EU is to maintain any credibility in opposing the death penalty it 
should end this grievous misuse of taxpayers' money."

The UNODC did not comment on Reprieve's warnings, but said it "opposes the 
death penalty in all circumstances".

"Under international law, if the death penalty is to be used at all, it should 
only be imposed for the most serious crimes, namely those involving intentional 
killing, and only with appropriate safeguards. Drug-related offences generally 
are not considered to fall under the category of 'most serious crimes.'"

An EU spokesman said the focus of the programme was stopping drugs from 
Afghanistan reaching Europe. They denied there was a risk of aiding the Iranian 
regime carry out executions.

"The ultimate objective is to keep dangerous illegal drugs off our streets and 
it does so in a way that respects human rights, as any EU projects do. All EU 
projects are prepared against a risk assessment methodology ensuring that EU 
funding do not facilitate death sentences in countries where it is enforced. 
This has obviously been the case with this project.

"The EU is opposed to the death penalty the world over and consistently calls 
on all states which apply capital punishment to halt all pending executions and 
introduce a moratorium on the death penalty."

(source: The Telegraph)