[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

March 31



PAKISTAN----executions

2 convicted by military courts hanged in Kohat


2 'terrorists' convicted by military courts for involvement in attacks on 
security officials and civilians were executed at a jail in Kohat on Wednesday, 
a military sourced confirmed.

Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif had signed the death warrants for 
Mehmood and Rab Nawaz last year.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in September last year issued the 
names of 9 'hardcore terrorists' whose death sentences had been approved by the 
army chief. The convicts executed today were among them.

The ISPR had shared the following details at the time about conviction of the 
militants hanged on Wednesday:

Mehmood s/o Khawaza Khan, an active member of the TTP, was found involved in 
attacking security personnel in KP, killing 2 soldiers and injuring 13 others. 
He admitted his offences before the magistrate and trial court and was awarded 
death sentence.

Rab Nawaz s/o Shahi Room, an active member of the TTP, was involved in killing 
of 2 civilians, processing firearms and abetting attack on military in Peshawar 
which resulted in death of 2 soldiers and caused severe injuries to another.

In the wake of the APS carnage, military courts were set up for trying 
terrorists under amendments made to the Constitution and the Army Act.

Political parties had unanimously agreed to setting up military courts to 
tackle terrorism cases in the country following the gruesome attack on the Army 
Public School in Peshawar in December 2014, following which the Parliament 
passed the 21st constitutional amendment in Jan 2015 to set up the said courts.

President Mamnoon Hussain had also promulgated an ordinance further revising 
the recently amended Army Act to ostensibly aid the functioning of military 
courts by allowing for trials in camera, i.e. without the presence of the 
public or the media, and over video link if necessary.

The Supreme Court in a majority ruling upheld the establishment of military 
courts in Pakistan.

Petitions challenging the 21st amendment were dismissed in August this year in 
a majority 11-6 vote of the 17-member SC bench. Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk and 
Justice Dost Muhammad announced the verdict.

(source: Daily Times)






MALAYSIA:

Who decides who's next to hang? Opposition MPs ask after Taiping executions


Opposition lawmakers today questioned the execution selection process of 
inmates on death row following three controversial hangings at the Taiping 
prison last week.

DAP MPs M Kulasegaran and Kasthuri Patto, along with Amanah's Kota Raja MP Siti 
Mariah Mahmud, pointed out that the families of the 3 inmates at the Taiping 
prison were only given one day to visit the inmates and that their execution 
will carried out in the "soonest time".

"Who selects who will be up next (for execution)? No one really knows for 
sure," Kashturi said during a press conference at the Parliament lobby.

The MPs also called for the government to hold off conducting further 
executions until the mandatory death penalty is reviewed.

The 3 men executed in the Taiping prison were sentenced to death over a 2005 
murder in Sungai Petani.

Kashturi alleged that the nature of the executions were "shady, secretive and 
hasty."

"It is apparent that the prison was bent on executing them come hell or high 
water," she said.

Kulasegaran said the call by the MPs was to merely give judges the option on 
whether to hand out death penalty, rather than making the sentence mandatory.

"The judge is also a human being. All we are saying is give the judge 
discretion," he said.

Putrajaya last year announced that it was considering dropping the death 
penalty, but only for drug-related offences.

Under Malaysia's current laws, convictions for firearms, drugs, treason and 
murder-related offences must result in the death sentence.

(source: themalaymailonline.com)






INDIA:

Internship opportunity at Centre on the Death Penalty, NLU Delhi


The Centre on the Death Penalty is keen to develop a robust and rewarding 
internship programme that will provide meaningful exposure to the complexities 
and nuances, in particular, of the administration of the death penalty and the 
criminal justice system in India more generally, therefore the centre 
introduces internship program where they accept interns on rolling basis.

Eligibility: The internship is open to students in India and other countries, 
enrolled in a recognized undergraduate or post-graduate programme in the law, 
humanities, social sciences, management or media and communications.

Duration: Internships are full-time and for a period of a minimum 4 weeks to a 
maximum of 12 weeks. Candidates must indicate the exact dates in their 
application. Interns shall be based out of our offices on the NLU Delhi campus 
in Sector 14. Dwarka, New Delhi 100078.

Remuneration: Interns will be paid a stipend of Rs 10,000 (Rupees Ten Thousand 
Only) for every 4 week period of internship undergone.

How to Apply The interested candidates must send their applications addressed 
to the Director, Centre on the Death Penalty and sent by email to 
nidhi.thakur at nludelhi.ac.in and deathpenalty at nludelhi.ac.in . The subject of 
the email should be "Application for Internship".

The application must accompany the following information: Curriculum Vitae 
Cover Letter indicating the programme enrolled in, current year of study, name 
of the university and the exact dates of the internship Statement of Purpose of 
not more than 500 words explaining their interest in interning with the Centre.

(source: livelaw.in)