[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Jan. 25



INDONESIA:

Labourer to be hanged after death penalty appeal dismissed


The Court of Appeal yesterday affirmed the death penalty of a former estate 
labourer for the murder of a man in a Sandakan oil palm estate squatter.

Hasyim Rahman, 42, will now be sent to the gallows following the unanimous 
decision of the Appellate Court judges, Justices Dato' Setia Mohd Zawawi 
Salleh, Datuk Dr Prasad Sandosham Abraham and Dato' Zaleha Yusof.

In affirming the lower court's conviction and sentence, the justices held that 
there was sufficient evidence to support the charge under Section 302 of the 
Penal Code for murder, hence dismissing Hasyim's appeal.

Earlier, counsel Sharatah Lincoln, for the appellant, submitted on the issue of 
whether or not her client had any intention to murder the deceased. In her 
submission, Sharatah implored the court to consider the fact that her client 
had acted in self-defence, as the deceased was the one who had trespassed into 
the appellant's premises with threats of slapping and killing him.

The appellant had only brandished a machete with the intention of deterring the 
deceased from approaching him because he felt threatened, said Sharatah. She 
also pointed out that the deceased had only sustained a slash wound across his 
cheek in addition to the fatal wound to the back of his neck.

If the appellant did really intend to murder the deceased, said Sharatah, there 
would not have been a 2nd injury as the appellant would have used full force 
instead of swinging the machete around with his eyes closed.

Sharatah also submitted on the fact that the prosecution did not establish a 
motive for her client's crime, therefore making it unsafe to convict him. There 
was also no history of hostility between the appellant and the deceased as the 
former had only arrived at the estate 10 days prior to the incident, said 
Sharatah.

In reply, deputy public prosecutor, Hamdan Hamzah, for the respondent, urged 
the court to dismiss the appeal as the appellant had failed to raise reasonable 
doubt. The appellant also did not say anything about motive in his defence 
during trial, therefore making it an invalid ingredient to be considered, said 
Hamdan.

Hasyim was convicted of murdering one Baharuddin Amir by hacking the back of 
the victim's neck with a machete on September 25, 2011 at around 9 pm. He had 
appealed unsuccessfully to the Sandakan High Court to have his sentence 
reduced.

(source: theborneopost.com)






BELARUS:

see: 
http://www.amnestyusa.org/get-involved/take-action-now/belarus-commute-gennadii-yakovitskii-s-death-sentence-ua-1816

(source: Amnesty International USA)






SAUDI ARABIA:

Juvenile Protester among Saudi Mass-Execution Victims, New Information Shows


A protester who was under 18 at the time of the alleged offenses for which he 
was convicted was among the 47 people executed in a single day in Saudi Arabia 
earlier this year, research by international human rights organization Repriev 
reported on Monday.

Ali al Ribh was arrested while at school on February 12th, 2012 due to his 
involvement in activities calling for reform between February and October 2011 
- when he was just 17 years old.

Ali - whose date of birth was December 2nd, 1993 - should therefore have been 
treated as a juvenile by the Saudi legal system. His execution on January 2nd 
this year was a breach of the absolute prohibition on the execution of juvenile 
offenders, and illegal under international law. The Saudi authorities did not 
inform his family of the execution and are keeping the location of his burial 
secret. Ali's execution will raise concerns about the position of other 
juveniles convicted for protest-related offences in the Kingdom. Dawoud al 
Mahroon, Ali al Nimr and Abdullah al Zaher remain under sentence of death for 
alleged offences which took place when they were aged 17, 17 and 15, 
respectively.

The British Government has said that it has raised their cases with the Saudi 
authorities and does not expect them to be executed.

However, Reprieve is calling for renewed action in light of the fact that the 
Saudi authorities have executed at least one juvenile protester already this 
year.

Maya Foa, director of the death penalty team at Reprieve said: "Ali al Ribh's 
tragic case shows that the Saudi authorities are quite happy to execute 
juvenile protesters if they think no one is looking. Ali was seized by police 
at his school and subsequently executed, even though he was a child when the 
alleged protest offences were committed.

"Abdullah al Zaher, Ali al Nimr and Dawoud al Marhoon - all of whom were 
sentenced to death as children - remain imprisoned and could be executed at any 
time, without warning.

"Until the Saudi Government officially commutes their sentences, the sword will 
continue to hang over their heads. Britain must redouble its efforts to 
convince the Saudi Government to commute Abdullah, Ali and Dawoud's sentences - 
and those of any other juveniles facing execution - before it is too late."

(source: Tasnim News Agency)






BANGLADESH:

Bill with death penalty provision for mutiny in Coast Guard placed


A bill, titled 'Bangladesh Coast Guard Bill, 2016', is placed in parliament 
having a provision of maximum punishment of death sentence for involvement in 
mutiny in the force. Photo grabbed from Coast Guard website A bill, titled 
'Bangladesh Coast Guard Bill, 2016', was placed in parliament having a 
provision of maximum punishment of death sentence for involvement in mutiny in 
the force.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan placed the Bill in the House which was sent to 
the respective parliamentary standing committee for further scrutiny. The 
committee was asked to submit its report within 20 days.

The proposed law aims to make the Coast Guard a disciplined, skilled and 
effective one through updating the existing 1994 act.

The proposed law defined various mutiny-related offences, trial procedure, 
capital punishment for mutiny apart from other offences.

There will be 21 posts in the Coast Guard, including 1 director general, while 
there will be 3 courts in the Coast Guard, these are Special Coast Guard Court, 
Special Summery Coast Guard Court and Summery Coast Guard Court.

(source: The Daily Star)