[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

June 19




PHILIPPINES:

Alternative to death penalty proposed


A bill defining a new mode of life imprisonment for serious offenders will be 
filed by Buhay party-list Rep. Jose "Lito" Atienza when the 17th Congress 
opens.

Atienza said his proposal is an alternative to death by hanging pushed by 
President-elect Rodrigo Duterte.

The lawmaker earlier expressed support for Duterte's strong anti-crime stance 
but cautioned the incoming Congress against a "reckless" revival of the death 
penalty, saying executions will only breed a culture of violence and more 
brutal crimes.

"The problem with the death penalty is that it leaves no room for 
rectification. We cannot bring a dead convict back to life, even if another 
party later on confesses to having committed the crime for which the convict 
had been wrongfully condemned," Atienza, a former 3-term Manila mayor, said in 
a statement issued on Sunday.

His bill proposes a "qualified reclusion perpetua" for those found guilty of 
grave crime instead of the death penalty which, he pointed out, has been 
abolished by 140 countries including the Philippines as a punishment that 
violates the sanctity of human life.

Atienza explained that the maximum penalty in the country's penal code is 
'reclusion perpetua' or a simple life term which means up to 40 years in 
prison, with the convict becoming eligible for conditional early release after 
serving just half of the term.

But in qualified reclusion perpetua, he said, a convict would stay in prison 
for a minimum of 40 years or until he or she reaches 70 years old, whichever 
comes 1st, before becoming eligible for parole.

"Our alternative is tantamount to locking up a convict and throwing away the 
key," Atienza noted.

Under existing laws, he said, convicts serving life terms are entitled to good 
conduct or loyalty allowances as well as reduction of sentence for time spent 
in detention before conviction.

"But under our proposal, all these allowances and the benefit of reduced 
sentence for preventive detention would not apply to convicts sentenced to 
qualified reclusion perpetua," Atienza added.

The lawmaker also wants those convicted of heinous crimes to perform productive 
labor while in prison, with the earnings derived from their work serving to 
indemnify victims.

For this purpose, Atienza urged the establishment of a new Victim's 
Indemnification Fund to be administered by the Department of Justice.

Duterte earlier said in a news conference that he would ask Congress to approve 
capital punishment, carried out through hanging, for heinous crimes such as 
drug-related offenses and rape.

But Atienza maintained that raising the certainty of punishment is the 
strongest deterrent to crime, as opposed to increasing the severity of penalty, 
and called for a total war against corruption to ensure arrest and punishment.

"If there was 100 % assurance of being apprehended and imprisoned for 
committing a crime, fewer people would do so," he said.

(source: Manila Times)






SOMALIA:

Somali court sentences 43 Al-Shabaab militants to death


A court in northern Somalia town of Garowe on Saturday sentenced 43 Al-Shabaab 
militants to death, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Prosecutor of the court, Abdullahi Hersi Elmi said the militants who were 
arrested during the heavy clashes in Puntland early this year have been in 
prison for the past 5 months.

"The court carried out the death penalty to 43 Al-Shabaab militants in Garowe 
town today, 54 other Al-Shabaab militants remain in prison because they are 
young. These militants were arrested during the fighting in Nugaal and Mudug 
regions in March and April," Elmi said.

Elmi said the Puntland State forces arrested 97 Al-Shabaab militants during the 
2 months of fighting, noting that the latest sentence is the biggest number of 
insurgents who have been convicted in a single day.

(source: apa.az)






SINGAPORE:

More than S$100,000 worth of drugs seized in CNB bust----In total, CNB officers 
seized about 1.1kg of heroin, 150g of 'Ice' and a slab of Erimin-5 tablets.


Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) officers seized about 1.1kg of heroin, and 150g 
of 'Ice' in an operation on Friday (Jun 17). The drugs are estimated to be 
worth more than S$100,000, CNB said in a media release on Saturday.

Officers were deployed to the area around Anchorvale Road on Friday to look out 
for a suspected drug trafficker, a 38-year-old Singaporean female. According to 
CNB, she was suspected to be receiving a consignment of drugs from her 
accomplice, a 39-year-old foreigner.

The accomplice was arrested in the vicinity of the suspected drug trafficker's 
hideout, and had more than S$15,000 of cash seized from him, according to CNB.

Officers then raided the hideout, and arrested the suspected drug trafficker. 
The heroin and ice, as well as a slab of Erimin-5 tablets, as well as over 
S$20,000 in cash were recovered.

Investigations into the drug activities of all suspects are ongoing, CNB said. 
Those convicted of trafficking in more than 15g of heroin could face the death 
penalty.

(source: channelnewsasia.com)






PAKISTAN:

Death penalty for murder convict


Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Raja Perveez Akhtar on Friday awarded capital 
punishment on two counts to a man he convicted of murder.

Prosecution said on April 16, Nasir Hussain, a resident of Ahmadpur Sial, had 
beaten his wife after an argument, doused her with petrol and set her alight. 
They said the woman was taken to a hospital where she died. Hussain was 
arrested and confessed to killing his wife during the trial. After hearing the 
witnesses and examining the evidence, the judge awarded death penalty on 2 
counts to Hussain. The court awarded death penalty under Section 302 of the 
Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and imposed a fine of Rs500,000 on the convict. The 
court also awarded capital punishment under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 
and fined the convict Rs500,000. The judge also awarded him life imprisonment 
under Section 336 of the PPC.

(source: The Express Tribune)



BANGLADESH:

BCL in Tongi disappointed at HC verdict


BCL activists in Tongi yesterday formed a human chain expressing 
disappointement at the High Court partillay revising a lower court verdict that 
gave death sentences to 22 people and life terms to six others for 
assassinating Awami League lawmaker Ahsanullah Master on May 7, 2004.

They formed the human chain in Tongi College Gate area around 11:30am, 
organised by Tongi Thana and Tongi Government College unit BCL.

At one stage, the activists lay down on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway to press 
home their demand, halting the traffic movement, said police.

BCL activists left the area in the afternoon and the traffic became normal soon 
afterwards, said Firoz Talukdar, officer-in-charge of Tongi Police Station.

The High Court on Wednesday upheld death penalty of six persons, convicted 
earlier by a trial court, and sentenced nine convicts to life term imprisonment 
and acquitted 11 others in the case.

(source: The Daily Star)






VIETNAM:

2 Lao men arrested for carrying drugs en route to Vietnam


Border guards in Quang Tri Province in central Vietnam and Laos police on 
Saturday arrested 2 Lao men who tried to traffic 12,000 pills of drugs across 
the border.

Both men came from Savanakhet Province which borders Vietnam.

They were found carrying the tablets labeled WY, which is the logo for a kind 
of drug mixed from methamphetamine and caffeine.

Vietnam has some of the world's toughest drug laws. Those convicted of 
possessing or smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 
kilograms of methamphetamine face the death penalty.

The production or sale of 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal 
narcotics is also punishable by death.

Yet drug trafficking activities across the Laos border remains regular.

The Saturday bust came just 3 days after 2 Lao men were arrested for 
trafficking 35 kilograms of opium into Vietnam.

(source: Thanh Nien News)






MALAYSIA:

Govt open to replacing death with life


While the study on whether to keep the death penalty is ongoing, the Government 
is open to proposals on the matter.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nancy Shukri says the Government is 
considering suggestions to improve the current justice system including whether 
to replace the death penalty with life imprisonment, as mooted by several 
parties including the Malaysian Bar.

"I really want to see the amendment to the mandatory death penalty be passed 
and implemented prior to the 14th general election," she tells Sunday Star.

Nancy, who is the minister in charge of law, points out that the study requires 
a long time as a very comprehensive review needs to be carried out.

The Government needs to balance the interest of the accused, victim and public 
at large before making a decision.

"Whatever decision made will be done in the best interest of the rakyat," she 
says.

Presently, the Attorney-General's Chambers is conducting an in-depth study on 
the death penalty in Malaysia, studying the legal issues, policies and 
effectiveness of the punishment.

Concurring with Amnesty International's call to abolish the death sentence, the 
Malaysian Bar hopes that it can be replaced - with life imprisonment instead.

Bar Council Human Rights Committee co-chairman Andrew Khoo says the Bar has 
passed several resolutions over the years, calling for capital punishment to be 
done away with.

"We also call upon the Government to repeal all mandatory death sentences, 
because judges should be given the discretion in sentencing," he urges.

He explains that mandatory sentencing robs judges of the opportunity to 
exercise their discretion to hand down other forms of punishment apart from the 
death penalty.

"It is an executive interference in the independence of the judiciary," Khoo 
adds.

He also says the Government should release the findings of the study conducted 
on the death penalty once it is completed.

There are some who believe the death sentence should remain.

Former Court of Appeal judge Datuk Seri Shaik Daud Md Ismail stresses that 
Malaysia still needs the current mandatory death penalty for serious offences 
like drug trafficking and murder.

"Things should remain as per status quo. If we abolish the death sentence, 
there will be more crimes like drug trafficking.

"Although the death penalty has not reduced such cases in the past, removing it 
will only cause the number of cases to spike drastically," he opines.

Shaik Daud, once a prosecutor with the Attorney-General's Chambers, believes 
the death sentence is a deterrent and doing away with it will only embolden 
more criminals.

He also says that the death penalty should continue to be made mandatory for 
serious crimes such as terrorism and drug trafficking.

"In the past, before the death sentence was made mandatory for drug 
trafficking, judges had the option of handing down life sentences as an 
alternative.

"When I was prosecuting in such cases last time, most judges went for the 
alternative but it wasn't a strong deterrent," he says, adding that the 
Government later decided to do away with the alternative punishment and imposed 
the mandatory death sentence.

It is also more practical for the Government to keep the death sentence, he 
says.

"If we change all death sentences to life imprisonment, the Government would 
have to bear the costs of housing and feeding them (the convicted) to look 
after them for the rest of their lives.

"Why should tax payers be burdened by this when the criminals have done heinous 
crimes?"

Shaik Daud notes that such prisoners would have time to reflect on their deeds 
before their execution.

Senior lawyer Tan Sri Khalid Ahmad Sulaiman says the death penalty should be 
used based on circumstances and only if the intent to commit serious crimes 
especially murder, is proven.

"Otherwise, it should be replaced with life imprisonment," says the former 
Advocates and Solicitors Disciplinary Board chairman.

(source: The Star)






IRAN:

Ongoing executions, torture and floggings in holy month of Ramadan


The inhumane mullahs' regime is continuing its use of mass executions, barbaric 
punishments, floggings and widespread arrests during the holy month of Ramadan, 
which is considered amongst Muslims in Iran and all other Islamic countries as 
a period of friendship, kindness and benevolence.

Iranian authorities on June 15 sent 5 prisoners to the gallows in the central 
prisons of Bandar Abbas (southern Iran) and Yasouj (southwestern Iran). In the 
early days of Ramadan (2nd week of June) a deprived worker was horrifically 
flogged in public in the town of Ghir and Karzin in Fars Province (central 
Iran) under the pretext of eating during fasting hours. A number of other 
people in various cities including Hamedan, Isfahan and Islam Shahr have been 
arrested for similar reasons.

In another development, Mr. Iman Rashidi Yeganeh lost his life on June 10 after 
enduring 4 months of detention in appalling conditions in Parsiloun Prison of 
Khoram-Abad (western Iran) and being deprived of any medical care. He was 
mistakenly arrested back in March due to a name similarity. However, the 
criminal judge of the mullahs' so-called court refused to release this prisoner 
despite learning of his innocence and in the light of warnings issued by 
physicians.

The mullahs' inability and incapacity to temporarily put a lid on oppression, 
torture and executions, even in the sacred month of Ramadan, makes it crystal 
clear that the criminals ruling Iran cannot safeguard their rule for even 1 day 
without nooses and the use of torture against the people.

The Iranian Resistance calls on international human rights organizations to 
condemn the crimes of this regime and focus their efforts to entirely banish 
and expel the mullahs from the global community. The senior leaders of this 
regime, being a disgrace for modern humanity, must be placed before justice for 
their crimes against humanity.

(source: Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran)