[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

March 30



PAKISTAN:

Muslim mob demands death penalty for blasphemy


This report from Al-Jazeera is clear as a bell as to what millions of Muslims 
in Pakistan want: Death to blasphemers of Islam.

Note what the Islamic religious leader interviewed made clear.

No one who will not support killing those who criticize Islam or its iconic 
figures can live without fear of being killed, even by their own guards or 
state security.

That they want the man who murdered the state governor who acted on behalf of a 
Christian woman to at least commute her death sentence for blasphemy, be 
declared a national hero. The killer of the Governor was hanged by Pakistan on 
February 29th this year.

They want the woman to be re-arrested and executed. Not retried, but executed 
after arrest.

(No due process for those accused of blasphemy of Islam, and certainly not for 
Christians.)

All people currently in jail for blasphemy of Islam charges to be executed.

"People from within your ranks will kill you. Your bodyguard will kill you.Your 
servants will kill you..."

And this is how sharia works. Not by legislation, but by terror, intimidation, 
murder and subversion of the process of law and order.

(source: therebel.media)






INDIA:

Mumbai blast verdict: Muzammil, Nachan plead for leniency


A day after a special court convicted 10 out of 13 on trial but only 1 Muzammil 
Ansari for an active role in the conspiracy for causing 3 blasts between 
December 2002 and March 2003 at Mumbai Central, Vile Parle and Mulund, he and 
all the others on Wednesday pleaded for leniency on the quantum of sentence, 
which the court has to now decide.

The court had held four others guilty for abetting the blasts conspiracy and 
acts of terror, three only for terrorist act by virtue of possessing 
unauthorised weapons in prohibited areas under Prevention of Terrorism Act 
(Pota) and also under Arms Act while holding 3 others guilty only for arms 
possession as a lesser offence under the Arms Act and completely acquitted 3 
others of all charges. Between all 13, the court had framed 166 charges, most 
against Muzzammil. He had 43 charges framed against him for offences under 
various for having caused all the three blasts, as a planter. There were 29 
charges common to almost all for having conspired in May 2001, prepared and 
committed terrorist acts "with an intention to threaten the unity, integrity 
and sovereignity of Indi and strike terror'' among people, by eventually 
executing the blasts, that killed 12 persons and left over 130 injured, most 
with hearing losses.

Saquib Nachan, a 56 year old resident of Borivli Village, Padgah in Thane 
district near Mumbai, was the first to start and most articulate. He along with 
Ateef Mulla and Haseeb Mulla was held guilty of possession of arms under Pota 
and Arms Act, attracting maximum life sentence. But he deftly pointed out to an 
attentive special judge P R Deshmukh that the law allows the court a "power to 
impose even a sentence of a few hours or a day, or even just fine and no 
imprisonment, as it sets no minimum term''. The reason he said was because the 
earlier, repealed anti terror act of Terrorist and Disruptive Activities 
(Prevention) Act (Tada) had a similar but a draconian provision that laid down 
a minimum 5 year sentence, which was misused by authorities. He started at 
12.30 pm and said "I had myself surrendered on April 10, 2003 pursuant to 
moving the Bombay high court. I also sought a CBI probe. Which foolish accused 
would seek a CBI probe against himself?'' "I have completed 7 years 9 months in 
jail in this case before getting bail in 2011. My father, a well regarded man 
had asked me to surrender after asking me if I had done anything wrong. I said 
I Hadnt. He had immense faith in the judiciary. He died last month. My sons 
were called sons of a terrorist. My daughter was one year old when I was 
arrested, my sons in school. Now I am a grandfather.''

"My father was a prominent leader not only among Muslims but for all the 
communities in Padgah. He ran institutions for uplifting the people. But the 
terror tag caused his prominence to suffer too." Nachan also said that his 
sons' education took a hit. "The emotional loss is irreversible."

Nachan said, "I have not been found guilty of any other charge including the 
charge of causing terror, for which I am grateful to this court. I advised 
other accused to view this judgment in positive angle.'' Ateef Mulla, a fair 40 
year old MBA from Padgah spoke next. He spoke softly of how he has "no criminal 
antecedants'' and never once violated any of the strict bail conditions in the 
last ten years after being released in 2005, the first to be given bail in this 
case. But even the judge's voice softened later when Ateef spoke of how his 
"youngest, 2 year old son is suffering from a Beta Thallesemia syndrome and 
underwent a bone marrow transplant in a Pune hospital which has cautioned 
extreme care for years as his life could be at risk.'' "I have to take my son 
to hospital every 15 days. My father too is a cancer survivor who the doctors 
had given up on.'' His father, Nasir Mulla who has been attending almost every 
hearing, sat in court, listening, his brows furrowed.

The rest of the 10, followed, each speaking in low tones, pleading for minimum 
possible sentence. Haseeb Mulla and most others said their family depend on 
them, many had no jobs and the trial had cost their business and had no crime 
record. Anwar Khan, held guilty only under Arms Act has already completed the 
maximum sentence permissible in law. But he said he be awarded the minimum 
sentence as he had lost his job at NDA, Pune as a Urdu teacher. He later said 
that he has authored a book "learn Urdu in 30 days' while in jail in 2009 which 
many educational institutions including the defence are now using, he said.

Farhaan Khot who face life sentence said, "I lost my father and now I have to 
take care of my mother. I have a wife and three kids to also look after. My 
financial condition is very weak. My family had suffered a lot. I seek the 
minimum sentence.''

Muzammil Ansari, who faces maximum death penalty, was the last to go, post 
lunch break. His voice, at a pitch where hearing was impossible two chairs 
away, said he was a mechanical engineer and the ''charges against me are 
false''. He expressed remorse and said "award me minimum sentence to what I 
have undergone.'' He has been inside prison for 13 years. He also sought 
"interim bail to spend time with family.'' He said his financial condition was 
bad and he could not afford a lawyer for bail earlier. "But I have been good 
inside jail, I helped other inmates write letters to the jail superintendent 
about their health issues.'' He himself has suffered a health issue while in 
custody after being "tortured by police while in custody.'' "It was my most 
difficult period. I am the only earning member as my father a heart patient 
cannot work now.''

(source: The Times of India)






BAHAMAS:

2 Guilty Of Killing Officer And Girlfriend


2 men who were unanimously convicted by a jury last night of their alleged 
roles in the disappearances and murders of a Department of Immigration officer 
and his girlfriend in Andros could be sentenced to death upon their return to 
the Supreme Court for sentencing.

After more than 6 hours of deliberation, which included the 12-member panel's 
return to Justice Indra Charles' courtroom for additional directions on a 
criminal joint enterprise, Zintworn Duncombe, 28, and James Johnson, 22, were 
found guilty of murdering Shane Gardiner and his girlfriend Tishka Braynen. The 
victims' decomposed bodies were found in Andros, some 266 feet apart, in 
December 2013.

While the jury returned not guilty verdicts for alleged murder accomplices 
Daniel Coakley, 28, and Cordero Saunders, 26, all 4 men were unanimously 
convicted of double kidnapping, conspiracy to commit armed robbery and 
attempted armed robbery.

Crown prosecutors Darnell Dorsett and Patrick Sweeting informed the judge that 
the prosecution was seeking to have the death penalty imposed on Duncombe and 
Johnson, which would require the production of a psychiatric report and social 
inquiry report prior to sentencing scheduled for May 29.

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".

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

(source: tribune242.com)






SAUDI ARABIA----executions

Saudi executes 2 citizens for murder


Saudi Arabia executed 2 citizens convicted of murder on Wednesday, raising to 
81 the number of death sentences carried out in the ultra-conservative kingdom 
this year.

Dhafer and Hussein al-Mutliq were found guilty of killing fellow Saudis Azeb 
and Mahdi al-Moamer in a dispute between the 2 families, the interior ministry 
said.

They were both executed in Najran, in the south, a ministry statement carried 
by the official SPA news agency said.

Most people put to death in Saudi Arabia are beheaded with a sword.

In 2015, Saudi Arabia executed 153 people, most of them for drug trafficking or 
murder, according to an AFP count.

Saudi Arabia says 47 executed on terror charges, including top Shia cleric

Human rights group Amnesty International says the number of executions in Saudi 
Arabia last year was the highest for 2 decades.

The kingdom is one of the world's top executioners, although its tally in 2015 
was far behind those of China and Iran.

Saudi Arabia has a strict Islamic legal code under which murder, drug 
trafficking, armed robbery, rape and apostasy are all punishable by death.

(source: Agence France-Presse)






BELARUS:

Statement by the Spokesperson on the confirmation of a death sentence in 
Belarus


"The Supreme Court of Belarus on 29 March confirmed the death sentence against 
Ivan Kulesh, which had already been handed down by the Hrodna Regional Court in 
November 2015.

Mr Kulesh is guilty of serious crimes and we reiterate our deepest sympathy to 
the family and friends of the victims of these crimes.

Despite the seriousness of the acts, the European Union opposes capital 
punishment in all cases. It has proved to fail as a deterrent and it represents 
an unacceptable denial of human dignity and integrity.

We urge Belarus, the only country in Europe which still applies capital 
punishment, to respect the right to life of each one of its citizens and to 
join a global moratorium on the death penalty as a first step towards its 
abolition."

(source: eeas.europa.eu)