[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Jan. 29



TURKEY:

Reinstituting death penalty but for whom?


Turkey's "high society" of beauty parlor blondes was shocked over reports in 
social media that a 19-year-old female university student was raped in the 
backyard of a Bagdad Caddesi apartment by a "married man with 2 kids." Would it 
make any difference if the despicable crime was committed somewhere else and 
not at Bagdad Caddesi of Istanbul? Would it make much difference if the dastard 
who committed that crime was nor married or did not have any kids?

Unfortunately, while this country has been boasting about "equality of all in 
front of the law" as George Orwell wrote in his famous "Animal Farm," some 
animals have always been more equal than others, particularly if they are 
clever enough to appear in the court room with a shaved face, behave well and 
tell the presiding judge how sorry he was of undertaking such a horrible crime. 
And, irrespective how many times he might have stabbed his wife with the 
intention to kill or raped a young woman and condemned her to a life-long 
psychological problem if nothing else, the judge rules for reduced penalty on 
grounds of "good behavior."

If the woman raped was wearing a mini skirt (worse if she was earning her 
living through selling her body), rape becomes all the more excusable. If 
society could turn a blind eye, judges would probably let the culprits free 
because of the "provocative actions" of the raped women... Sheer insanity. 
Don't the judges who make such verdicts have mothers, sisters or a bit of 
respect for the other half of man?

Now a campaign is underway for the reintroduction of the death penalty so that 
such a horrible man could face the gallows. Sorry to say but that's total 
nonsense. As if anyone was ever executed because of such crimes those 
artificial blondes of the country's artificial high society are crying about 
and for which they are demanding the reintroduction of the death penalty. Do 
they know what the death penalty is? Do they have any idea what a great 
struggle was waged in this country to lift the death penalty at a time when its 
number one public enemy, a notorious chieftain of the separatist gang, was on 
death row?

It is as if should the country reintroduce the death penalty, rapists would be 
sentenced to death and such sentences would be carried out. Come on, be 
serious! In this country, people still remember the executions of the 1980 
military era. How many of these people demanding the reinstitution of the death 
penalty remember the name of 17-year-old Erdal Eren who was hanged by a 
ruthless regime to establish a balance of executed leftists and rightists?

Turkey is becoming a ghastly totalitarian autocracy. The constitution is not 
yet there but de facto, the country has moved to a presidential system with the 
tenant of the exuberant palace dictating everything about the government, 
civilian and military bureaucracy. The situation of the Turkish media and the 
climate of freedoms in the country are awful. Many cities and towns have been 
under curfew and there has been constant confrontation between the military and 
separatist terrorists since the November 2015 elections. Citizens are leaving 
their homes and seeking refugee elsewhere while images of towns and cities 
resemble those of war-ravaged Syria. It's as if the government and the 
president are living in another country with no such problems; they appear to 
be bothered with writing a new constitution and giving all powers to the 
presidency in a system without checks and balances.

Irrespective of what penalties this country might have in its penal code, 
rather than reintroducing the death sentence or introducing tougher penalties 
in hopes of providing domestic security, the mentality must change. The Turkish 
justice system must be reformed and become independent from politics. Would it 
mean much if under all that reform touting of the past decade, a prosecutor can 
still demand 2 aggravated lifetime jail terms plus 30 years of imprisonment 
(odd and incomprehensible, I know, but that was the demand of the prosecutor) 
against Editor-In-Chief Can Dundar and Ankara Bureau Chief Erdem Gul of daily 
Cumhuriyet just because they wrote 2 stories on National Intelligence Agency 
(MIT) TIRs carrying some nasty material to some people in Syria?

Reading the indictment against these 2 colleagues, I could not stop myself from 
saying, "Thank God, the death penalty was lifted." Why? Because in this country 
people stealing, raping, siphoning public funds, constructing buildings without 
any permits, occupying public land... (You continue the list with all the petty 
crimes that culprits can get away with but talking about these crimes now means 
years in prison or worse.)...Remember, this week Turkish intellectuals are 
commemorating the anniversary of the Jan. 24, 1993, murder of Ugur Mumcu in 
Ankara. Mumcu, an investigative journalist, was last writing about the arms 
trafficking and finances of the separatist gang.

Reinstitution of death penalty... For what? To hang the journalists?

(source: Column, Yusuf Kanli, Hurriyet Daily News)






FRANCE/IRAN:

Almost naked Femen protester 'hangs' from Paris bridge during Iran president 
visit----Sarah Constantin, the Femen activist who hung from the bridge, said 
her protest was a call for attention to those executed for political reasons


A near-naked woman hung from a noose-like rope from a Paris bridge to 
demonstrate against Iran's record on executions during president Hassan 
Rouhani's visit.

"Welcome Rouhani, Executioner of Freedom" read a huge banner across the 
pedestrian bridge over the Seine River near the Eiffel Tower. The protest on 
Thursday by feminist group Femen was calling attention to the large number of 
executions in Iran.

Iran is one of the world's largest users of the death penalty, ranking 2nd 
behind China in 2014, according to Amnesty International. Most Iranian 
executions are linked to drug smuggling.

Sarah Constantin, the Femen activist who hung from the bridge, said they 
organised the "public hanging" to call attention to those executed for 
political reasons and put pressure on Fran???ois Hollande, French president, to 
bring up human rights in his meeting with Mr Rouhani.

Mr Rouhani is reaching out to European businesses on the 1st visit by an 
Iranian president to Europe since 1999.

(source: The Telegraph)






UNITED KINGDOM//TEXAS:

Corpus Christi case could influence death penalty in Britain----Daniel Lopez 
was executed in August 2015 for the killing of Lt. Stuart Alexander.Daniel 
Lopez was executed in August 2015 for the killing of Lt. Stuart Alexander.


A local capital murder case could play a role in bringing the death penalty 
back to Great Britain.


The British government is considering bringing back capital punishment. So, a 
news crew from the BBC was in Corpus Christi this past summer doing a report on 
the Daniel Lopez case. He was executed in August for the death of Lt. Stuart 
Alexander. The officer was run over by Lopez during a police chase in March 
2009.

During their visit here, a BBC crew interviewed all of the officers involved in 
the pursuit. They also interviewed Lt. Stuart Alexander's widow, Vicki.

The piece will air on BBC overseas on February 16th. There's no word on when it 
will be shown in the U.S.

(source: KRIS TV news)



PAKISTAN----execution

Death row convict sent to gallows in Mianwali


A death row convict was hanged in Mianwali Central Jail on Thursday.

According to details, Mumrez had been convicted in a double murder case. He had 
killed one Fateh Khan and his son Amir in 2005 over a marriage feud. His 
execution was carried out early in the morning.

Pakistan has carried out over 330 executions of criminals and militants since 
lifting a moratorium on the death penalty in 2014. The National Action Plan 
(NAP) was unveiled to curb militancy after Taliban assailants gunned down more 
than 150 people, most of them children, at Peshawar's Army Public School on 
December 16, 2014.

In accordance with the NAP, the 6-year moratorium on the country's death 
penalty was lifted and the constitution amended to allow military courts to try 
those accused of carrying out attacks.

The army has launched the Operation Zarb-e-Azb in a bid to wipe out militant 
bases in North Waziristan tribal area and bring an end to the bloody 
decade-long insurgency that has cost Pakistan thousands of lives.

(source: Pakistan Today)

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

LHC dismisses pleas against military courts' decisions


The Lahore High Court here yesterday dismissed 3 petitions filed against death 
sentence in terrorism cases by military courts, saying the high court had no 
jurisdiction to hear pleas against decisions of the military courts.

A division bench comprising Justice Abdul Sami Khan and Justice Shahid Mahmood 
dismissed the petitions without issuing notices to the respondents. The 
petitions were filed against death penalty of M Ghauri, Abdul Qayyum and Said 
Zaman. The bench while dismissing the petitions observed that the high court 
could not hear the pleas under article 199 (3) of the Constitution of Pakistan. 
Advocate Inam-ur-Rahim had filed the petitions against the death penalty, 
saying proper procedure had not been followed while trying and convicting 3 men 
by the military courts. Momina Bibi, mother of Said Zaman, had petitioned 
before the high court that her son had been given death sentence by a military 
court. She said that the military authorities did not inform her about the 
charges levelled against her son. She said that proper legal procedure was not 
followed before conviction of her son. In an identical petition, Javaid Iqbal 
Ghauri pleaded to the high court that his son Md Ghauri, a student, went 
missing from Islamabad in 2010.

He said that in 2012, he was informed that his son was in custody of 
intelligence agencies and was being kept in an internment centre. He noted that 
in 2012 he met his son who had become crippled at the time. He informed the 
court that on January 1, 2016, he was informed about death penalty handed down 
to his son. The petitioner said that he was not aware of whereabouts of his 
son.

In her petition Kalsoom Bibi, wife of Qayyum, said that her husband went 
missing in 2010. She said that in 2012, she learnt that her husband was in 
custody of the intelligence agencies. She said that a military court had handed 
down death sentence to her husband and she was not aware of the charges 
levelled against her husband. Advocate Rahim said that the petitioners on 
January 4, 2016 wrote letters to military authorities asking for copies of 
charge sheets against the death convicts. Commenting on the decision of the 
LHC, Advocate Rahim said that the court had observed that the petitioners had 
failed to point out legal or procedural shortcomings in the trials carried out 
by military courts. The lawyer said that the petitioners actually had no 
information about any kind of trial or charges against the 3 men. Advocate 
Rahim said that he would challenge the decision of the LHC in the Supreme 
Court.

(source: The Nation)

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

Execution: Death warrants issued


A district and sessions judge on Thursday issued death warrants for a prisoner 
on death row. The judge ordered the execution of Zulifqar on February 3 at Kot 
Lakhpat Jail. The court passed the order while accepting an application moved 
by the Kot Lakhpat Jail superintendent. The superintendent had requested the 
court to issue death warrants for Zulifqar as his appeals had been rejected by 
the president. A sessions court had awarded death penalty to Zulifqar for 
killing Pervaiz in 1995 in Vehari.

(source: Express Tribune)






BANGLADESH:

3 to die for killing man in Rangpur ---- Another gets life term


A Rangpur court yesterday sentenced 3 persons to death and another to life term 
imprisonment for killing a man at Chhoto Kalyani in the district's Pirgachha 
upazila over 2 decades ago.

The court delivered the verdict in the presence of the 4, court sources 
said.Farhad Hossain, 40, Nur Mohammad, 41, and Md Abdul, 40, of the village, 
got death penalty. Lifer Abdus Sattar, 70, was also fined Tk 10,000, in default 
to suffer 6 more months in prison.

According to the prosecution, 1 of the 4 used to stalk wife of the man, who was 
a vegetable vendor, and the trader protested against it. Following this, they 
killed him in October, 1993. The victim's body was found in a paddy field on 
October 3, 1993.His father filed a murder case with Pirgachha Police Station 
the same day.

(source: The Daily Star)






INDONESIA:

Couple held at motel for drug trafficking


A couple may face the death penalty after they were caught with 74.50 grams of 
Ketamin and 0.62 gram of Eramin 5 during a raid at a motel at Sadong Jaya 
Commercial Centre here on Wednesday.

Both suspects, who are locals and aged 21, were caught by police from the 
narcotic division around 4.30am on January 27.

City police chief ACP M. Chandra said the police had earlier stopped the man on 
suspicion of drug activities at a parking lot at Sadong Jaya Commercial Centre.

The suspect then led police to a motel room where they found the woman inside.

Investigation at the scene found a box containing 22 plastic packets with 
substance believed to be Ketamin weighing 74.50 grams, and 2 pills believed to 
be Eramin 5 weighing 0.62 gram, he said, adding that police also seized 10 
empty plastic bags and an electronic weighing scale.

The drugs, said Chandra, were believed to have a street price of RM5,000.

Further investigation also revealed that the man was jobless while the woman 
worked in a beauty salon, he said.

Preliminary urine tests on both suspects came back positive of drug abuse for 
the man while the woman was negative, said Chandra.

Both suspects have been detained for further investigation and the case will be 
investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 for drug 
trafficking which carries the death penalty, and Section 12 (2) of the same act 
for drug possession which carries a jail term of up to 5 years and a fine upon 
conviction.

(source: theborneopost.com)