[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

June 3



IRAN----executions

Iran hangs man and woman in prison


Iran's fundamentalist regime has hanged a man and a woman in a prison in 
Qazvin, north-west of Tehran.

The woman was not named, but the office of the regime's prosecutor-general in 
Qazvin Province said that she had been imprisoned since 2014.

The regime's local deputy prosecutor was present to oversee the execution, the 
state-run Borna news agency reported on Thursday.

The man was identified only as Amir Q., the official state broadcaster IRIB 
said in its website for Qazvin Province. He was arrested on May 30, 2011.

The latest hangings bring to at least 120 the number of people executed in Iran 
since April 10. Three of those executed were women and 2 are believed to have 
been juvenile offenders.

Ms. Farideh Karimi, a member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran 
(NCRI) and a human rights activist, last month called for an urgent response by 
the United Nations and foreign governments to the recent spate of executions 
and the appalling state of human rights in Iran.

Iran's fundamentalist regime last month amputated the fingers of a man in his 
30s in Mashhad, the latest in a line of draconian punishments handed down and 
carried out in recent weeks.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) said in a statement on April 
13 that the increasing trend of executions "aimed at intensifying the climate 
of terror to rein in expanding protests by various strata of the society, 
especially at a time of visits by high-ranking European officials, demonstrates 
that the claim of moderation is nothing but an illusion for this medieval 
regime."

Amnesty International in its April 6 annual Death Penalty report covering the 
2015 period wrote: "Iran put at least 977 people to death in 2015, compared to 
at least 743 the year before."

"Iran alone accounted for 82% of all executions recorded" in the Middle East 
and North Africa, the human rights group said.

There have been more than 2,400 executions during Hassan Rouhani's tenure as 
President. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation 
in Iran in March announced that the number of executions in Iran in 2015 was 
greater than any year in the last 25 years. Rouhani has explicitly endorsed the 
executions as examples of "God's commandments" and "laws of the parliament that 
belong to the people.

(source: NCR-Iran)






SAUDI ARABIA:

Saudi Arabia hands 14 convicts death sentence as total executions near 100


Even as human rights activists and organisations have been criticising Saudi 
Arabia for handing capital punishment to criminals, in the first five months of 
2016, around 95 people were executed in the conservative Arab kingdom.

The number could soon cross 100 as, 14 others were sentenced to death on 1 June 
after being convicted of attacking police officers in the Shia Muslim minority 
area of Qatif located in the Eastern Province.

"Sentencing of 14 young people to death is simply unacceptable even by their 
own allies and I hope this time the United States and their allies in the West 
will tell them that, 'Look, this is not acceptable. You must stop this nonsense 
and this outrageous behavior with your own people'," Saeed Shehabi, a political 
analyst and Middle East expert in London said in an interview.

According to reports, the number of executions will only increase in 2016 as 
compared to last year, which saw 158 people being executed. This figure was up 
from 2014, when as many as 90 people were executed.

(source: ibtimes.co.uk)






EGYPT:

Irish teenager jailed and tortured in Egypt faces death sentence in 
days----Ibrahim Halawa writes from jail that he has been beaten, abused and 
seen men 'crucified' in his 3 years in jail

An Irish student who was arrested while on holiday in Egypt has been told he 
could be sentenced to death by the end of the month over a protest he attended 
in 2013.

Ibrahim Halawa, from Dublin, was 17 at the time of his arrest, and has detailed 
his horrific treatment at the hands of the Egyptian authorities in a letter 
handed to The Independent by the human rights charity Reprieve.

Mr Halawa is being tried as an adult alongside 493 other defendants and faces 
death by hanging if found guilty. He says that because of the shambolic nature 
of the mass trial, no one has been permitted to speak on his behalf in court 
and his lawyers have been showed no evidence against him.

Now 20 years old, Mr Halawa wrote in his letter that he has been beaten, abused 
and mentally tortured during his 3 years in jail.

Though he has yet to be found guilty of any crime, Mr Halawa has been housed 
alongside convicted criminals in a small cell that holds up to 40 people at a 
time. He describes how prisoners are punished by being made to watch fellow 
inmates being tortured, while the others have been "crucified" by guards.

Mr Halawa's trial has been postponed repeatedly since the day he attended a 
pro-democracy protest in Cairo with his 3 older sisters.

But according to Reprieve, at a recent hearing the judge announced that both 
verdicts and sentences will be handed down on the 29 June, and that will be the 
end of proceedings.

The mass trial is one of several held in Egypt since 2013. Some trials have 
seen death sentences handed down in the hundreds, Reprieve said, and the policy 
of putting juvenile offenders on death row contravenes international law.

"Ibrahim Halawa has been subjected to nearly three years of horrific abuse," 
said Maya Foa, director of the death penalty team at Reprieve.

"Arrested for attending a protest when he was a juvenile, he's been tortured 
and put through a sham trial with hundreds of others.

"It's deeply worrying that the court is now suggesting that death sentences 
could soon be handed down. The international community must urgently call on 
the Egyptian authorities to release Ibrahim, and the other innocent protesters 
held alongside him."

In his letter, Mr Halawa wrote: "I never imagined I would go to prison being 
innocent. I never thought it was possible, even in 3rd world countries. It 
feels devastating. I could never see my family again. I could never have kids 
and see them grow up.

"While being arrested, they said, 'We only need you for 5 minutes.' It's been 3 
years. I thought I'd be home the same day."

(source: The Independent)






UNITED KINGDOM/ETHIOPIA:

Hammond failed to ask Ethiopia for death row Brit to be released during visit


UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has refused to ask the Ethiopian government 
to release a kidnapped Brit who is on death row and may be being tortured in 
detention, a human rights organization says.

Political activist Andargachew "Andy" Tsege disappeared while catching a 
connecting flight through Yemen in 2014 and was forcibly taken to Ethiopia.

Since then, he has been held in solitary confinement under a death sentence 
imposed in absentia in 2009, having had little contact with his family.

Hammond, who visited Ethiopia this week, says he used his trip to "raise the 
case" and secure "legal access" for the father of 3 from London.

"[I] received a commitment from the prime minister that Mr Tsege will be 
allowed access to independent legal advice to allow him to discuss options 
under the Ethiopian legal system," Hammond said.

He added he was "satisfied that [Tsege] is not being ill-treated" following a 
consular visit from a senior Foreign Office official.

But the human rights organisation Reprieve says Hammond needs to do more for 
the 60-year-old by urging the Ethiopian government to free Tsege and allow him 
to return home to Britain.

"The foreign secretary appears to have missed a crucial opportunity today to 
end the appalling ordeal of a British father, Andy Tsege. Instead, he has 
chosen to parrot the Ethiopian government???s propaganda, in a move that will 
do nothing to help Andy," said Maya Foa, director of the death penalty team at 
Reprieve.

"Philip Hammond has said Andy will have 'legal access' - but this is 
meaningless rhetoric, as he must himself well know.

"Andy has been subjected to a series of unlawful acts - from an in absentia 
death sentence to kidnap, rendition and continued detention without charge."

Reprieve says torture is common in Ethiopia and is concerned for Tsege's 
wellbeing. In 2015 the UN's Special Rapporteur on Torture said Ethiopian 
officials may have violated the Convention Against Torture in their treatment 
of him.

The UN's Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and the European Parliament have 
also called for Tsege's release.

Last week, Tsege's daughter, Menabe Andargachew, 9, launched legal action 
against the British government in a bid to bring her father home.

She says the foreign secretary has failed to help secure her father's release 
from prison.

Britain is the 2nd-largest donor to Ethiopia, giving it 350 million pounds 
(US$505 million) a year. Hammond warned last year the case could jeopardize 
relations between the 2 countries, the Telegraph reports.

Tsege was a secretary-general of a political group, Ginbot 7, which is opposed 
to the current Ethiopian administration. He was granted asylum in Britain on 
political grounds in 1983 and became a citizen in 2006.

(source: rt.com)


BAHAMAS:

Killers Of Couple In Andros Face Wait For Sentencing


2 men must continue to wait before they are sentenced concerning their roles in 
the disappearances and murders of an Immigration Department officer and his 
girlfriend in Andros.

Zintworn Duncombe, 28, and James Johnson, 22, reappeared in the Supreme Court 
for the penalty phase of their trial, having been unanimously convicted in 
March by a jury of murdering Shane Gardiner and his girlfriend, Tishka Braynen.

However, reports from the Department of Rehabilitative Welfare Services - which 
were requested by the court - were still outstanding when Justice Indra Charles 
called the matter on Tuesday.

A new sentencing hearing date has been set for June 17.

Gardiner and Braynen were allegedly killed after a failed plot to take $8,000 
in gambling winnings from the immigration officer. Braynen, of Cargill Creek, 
and Gardiner, who lived in Love Hill, both in Central Andros, were reported 
missing around 1.45pm on November 24, 2013. Gardiner had recently been assigned 
to the island.

On December 21, 2013, police in Andros discovered the remains of a man with 
"items related to a female".

While the jury returned not guilty verdicts for alleged murder accomplices 
Daniel Coakley, 28, and Cordero Saunders, 26, all four men were unanimously 
convicted of double kidnapping, conspiracy to commit armed robbery and 
attempted armed robbery.

The Crown is seeking the death penalty for Duncombe and Johnson, which resulted 
in the requests for the production of a psychiatric report and social inquiry 
report with respect to the 2 convicts.

Duncombe, Saunders, Johnson and Coakley, who all denied the allegations, were 
respectively represented by lawyers Ian Cargill, Moses Bain, Donna Major and 
Terrel Butler.

Darnell Dorsett and Patrick Sweeting prosecuted the case.

(source: tribune242.com)






INDIA:

24 Hindu chauvinists found guilty over Gujarat massacre


2 dozen Hindu chauvinists were convicted yesterday of involvement in the 2002 
sectarian attacks in the Indian state of Gujarat that left more than 1,000 
dead.

Of the 24 convicted by the Ahmadabad Special Court, 11 were found guilty of 
murder in connection with the riot in a Muslim district of the city called 
Gulbarg Society, although 36 others were acquitted.

The rioters torched 35 homes and killed 69 people, most of whom were burnt 
alive, including Congress party MP Ehsan Jafri.

His widow Zakia Jafri said she was disappointed that so many had been 
acquitted. "This verdict is half justice to me," she said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was Gujarat's chief minister at the time, and his 
Hindu chauvinist BJP party was accused of inaction and even fanning the flames 
of sectarian hated against Muslims.

Judge PB Desai said the sentences would be announced on Monday. Those convicted 
of murder could face the death penalty.

(source: The Morning Star)






BANGLADESH:

4 to die for killing trader in Kushtia town


A court here yesterday sentenced 4 people to death for killing trader Alamgir 
Hossain in the town in 2013.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Reza Mohammad Alamgir Hasan pronounced 
the verdict.

The death penalty awardees are Hasan Ali, 30, Salman Hossain, 33, Nishikanta, 
40 and Rahatuzzaman. They all are from Amlapara in the town. Nishikanta was 
tried in absentia.

According to the prosecution, there had been a longstanding dispute between 
Alamgir and the 4 over the ownership of a shoe store at NS Road in the town.

As a sequel to the dispute, the 4 strangled Alamgir at his house in Amlapara 
area in January 19, 20113.

Alamgir's younger brother Jahagir Hossain filed a murder case with Kushtia 
Model Police Station the following day, naming none as accused.

Police investigated the murder case and found the involvement of the 4. Later, 
they arrested Hasan, Salman and Rahatuzzaman. Nishikanta went into hiding soon 
after the incident.

Police pressed charges against the 4 on November 22, 2013.

Away in Rangpur, a man was stabbed to dead by his elder brother over a land 
dispute in Badarganj upazila of Rangpur district on Tuesday, reports our 
Dinajpur correspondent.

The deceased was identified a Md Mukul Mia, 29, son of Mohir Uddin of 
Sheikhpara village in the upazila.

Locals said there was a dispute between Mukul and his brother Motin over the 
ownership of a land. They locked in an altercation over the issue at around 
10.00am. At one stage, Motin stabbed Mukul, leaving him critically injured.

Locals took him to Badarganj Upazila Health Complex where the doctors declared 
him dead. Police recovered the body and sent it to Rangpur Medical College 
Hospital for autopsy.

(source: The Daily Star)






INDONESIA:

VP Kalla Asks for Sympathy from Amnesty Int'l over Death Penalty


Vice President Jusuf Kalla has asked Amnesty International to have more 
sympathy for Indonesia over death penalty particularly in relation to drug 
abuse.

"Look at the impact of drug [abuse] that has killed more [people] than the 15 
people sentenced to death," he said on Thursday after a meeting with the 
Secretary General of Amnesty International Salil Shetty in Kuala Lumpur, 
Malaysia.

On the sidelines of the World Economic Forum on ASEAN, Salil questioned 
Indonesia's firm stance who will carry out the 3rd round of executions of drug 
dealers.

"The law has different characteristics in different countries. Death penalty 
[is part of the law] in Indonesia, especially for drug and terrorism 
[offenses]," he said.

Thus, the government will adhere to the law for as long it is applicable, the 
Vice President said.

Earlier, in a meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Mohamad Najib Tun Abdul 
Razak, Kalla asked about the death sentence imposed by Malaysian court against 
Rita Risdiyanti, Indonesian citizen, for an alleged possession of 4 grams of 
crystal meth in Penang.

"I knew that he would responded that Indonesia also imposes the same for drug 
[offenses]," the Vice President said.

However, Kalla said that the Indonesian government will continue to take legal 
action as far as the highest level of courts.

(source: tempo.co)

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

Australian student charged with murdering her friend with cyanide-laced coffee 
in Indonesia WON'T face the death penalty if found guilty


A woman accused of slipping cyanide in her friend's iced coffee will not face 
the death penalty if she is found guilty of murder in Indonesia.

Australian resident Jessica Kumala Wongso is due to face trial over the death 
of her friend Mirna Salihin who police allege was poisoned with cyanide in a 
Jakarta cafe on January 6.

Murder is a capital crime in Indonesia and it was speculated that Ms Wongso 
could have faced the death penalty if convicted.

However, an Indonesian official said a document was signed on Thursday to 
assure the Australian government that she will not be executed if found guilty.

'We have written the letter. We co-ordinated it with the Attorney-General and 
the Jakarta Police Chief,' Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly told the 
Sydney Morning Herald.

Australian Justice Minister Michael Keenan previously said he had been promised 
Ms Wongso would not be sentenced to death and had approved Australian Federal 
Police assistance in honour of that agreement.

But a Central Jakarta District Court said on Tuesday there was no binding 
agreement preventing the death sentence because the Indonesian justice system 
'does not recognise that kind of deal'.

'No such deal is possible in our system,' District Court Judge and court 
spokesman Jamaluddin Samosir told ABC.

'The judges can decide any penalty they want. We are independent, there can be 
no intervention.'

A spokesperson for Mr Keenan's office told ABC: 'The Indonesian government has 
given an assurance to the Australian government in writing that the death 
penalty will not be sought nor carried out in relation to the alleged 
offending.'

Ms Salihin began foaming at the mouth after one sip of Olivier Grant Cafe's 
'Vietnamese coffee' and died on her way to hospital on January 6.

Wongso ordered the drink for Ms Salihin after arriving at the restaurant an 
hour before her in January.

She was seen handling the beverage on CCTV footage before her friends arrived, 
according to local media.

The 27-year-old was arrested on January 30, some 3 weeks after meeting her 
friend at the cafe. She denies 1 count of pre-meditated murder.

Wongso, a permanent resident in Australia, studied with Ms Salihin at the Billy 
Blue College of Design in Sydney and at Swinburne University of Technology.

They graduated in 2008 but Wongso remained in Sydney to work. She returned to 
Indonesia sometime afterwards but the pair had grown distant, it was claimed by 
local police.

At the time of Ms Salihin's death she had recently married husband Arief 
Soemarko.

A consultant called in by local police in March to help unravel the case 
alleged that Wongso, who did not attend their wedding, had been driven to 
murder by 'revenge and jealousy'.

'A possible motive is some kind of jealousy and revenge,' Kirdi Putra told 
ABC's 7.30.

Wongso denies killing her friend and has vowed to clear her name.

She previously took part in a police reenactment of their meeting at the 
Olivier Grand Cafe, returning to the scene in an orange jumpsuit and police 
guard.

Her lawyer, who is also her uncle, has called in to question an autopsy 
apparently commissioned by police which found 15 grams of cyanide per litre in 
her system.

In March Wongso said she wanted to help her friend's family discover 'who was 
behind all of this'.

Business has boomed at the Jakarta cafe since Ms Salihin's death, with 
travellers waiting up to four hours for a table to sample the the drink 
themselves and take photos inside the 'dark tourism' destination.

Many took photographs of their visits to share on social media and joked about 
the looming case against Ms Wongso.

'Coffee without cyanide,' said one diner as she uploaded a photograph of the 
cafe's now infamous Vietnamese iced coffee.

Another said they had to book in advance for a table with the restaurant 
becoming 'far more crowded' as a result of the scandal.

'We had the infamous Vietnamese iced coffee which was alright. The place was 
pretty busy so I guess no bad effects from the 'murder case'' said another.

(source: Daily Mail)

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

No agreement with AFP on Jessica's sentencing: Police


Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Moechgiyarto has denied that the Jakarta City 
Police have made an agreement with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) about 
the sentence of murder suspect Jessica Kumala Wongso, who could potentially 
receive the death penalty.

"No there is no such agreement. We are professional, working based on facts," 
said Moechgiyarto as reported by kompas.com on Friday.

Australia is a country that has eliminated the death penalty, where Jessica 
holds permanent residency.

During the investigation, police investigators requested from the AFP Jessica's 
records while living in the country. The Sydney Morning Herald reported in late 
February that Jessica would not receive the death penalty as part of an 
agreement between the AFP and Jakarta Police.

Jessica was accused of murdering Wayan Mirna Salihin on Jan. 6. The case came 
to light when Jessica, Mirna and another friend shared a table at Olivier cafe 
in Central Jakarta. Mirna died soon after meeting, on her way to hospital, 
after drinking cyanide-laced coffee.

"Who said that? It is just hearsay [responding to the alleged agreement]. We 
work based on reality," Moechgiyarto.

The Jakarta Prosecutor's Office in late May accepted the case dossier against 
Jessica - 2 days before her detention period by police was set to expire. 
Currently, Jessica is being detained by the prosecutors' office while awaiting 
trial.

Jessica's lawyers claimed police had no strong evidence against her because 
CCTV footage failed to confirm that Jessica was the one who placed poison in 
Mirna's coffee.

(source: Jakarta Post)