[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide----EGY., TAI., INDON., BELAR., CHINA, IRAN

[Rick Halperin]

May 13




EGYPT:

Free Ibrahim Halawa, facing a death sentence for attending a political protest


1,000 days. That's how long Ibrahim has now been held in an Egyptian prison 
after being arrested in the wake of protest. He now faces the death penalty in 
a mass trial of 493 people, despite being just 17 years old at the time of 
arrest. He is now 20.

Ibrahim has now suffered 1,000 days of appalling mistreatment in violation of 
both international and Egyptian law. He was denied medical treatment after 
arrest and has been beaten and abused by prison guards. He has since been 
subjected to periods of solitary confinement in cells with no light or toilet.

Call on President Sisi to free Ibrahim and end to mass trials.

see: https://reprieve.bsd.net/page/speakout/ibrahim-hlawa-1000-days

(source: reprieve.bsd.net)






TAIWAN:

EU offices in Taiwan denounce death penalty after execution


The European Union's office in Taiwan, as well as those representing individual 
EU member states on the East Asian island, issued a joint statement Friday 
against the death penalty after a convict was executed there earlier this week.

While acknowledging the seriousness of the crimes of the executed inmate and 
expressing sympathy with all who had suffered at his hands, the European Union 
in its statement reiterated "that the death penalty can never be justified" and 
called for "its universal abolition."

The statement was issued by the Taipei-based European Economic and Trade Office 
in agreement with all local offices of EU member states.

"The EU calls on the authorities in Taiwan to introduce an immediate moratorium 
on executions as recommended by international experts in March 2013 following 
Taiwan's first human rights report, and as observed in Taiwan from 2006 to 
April 2010," the statement read.

It was issued after Tuesday's execution of 23-year-old Zheng Jie, who killed 4 
people and wounded 22 others aboard a metro train in Taipei in 2014 in a random 
knife attack.

A total of 42 people are currently on death row in Taiwan, where capital 
punishment is legal and supported by a majority of the population.

(source: Fox News)



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



EU reiterates opposition to Taiwan's death penalty


The European Economic and Trade Office in Taipei and all European Union member 
state offices in Taiwan issued a joint statement on Thursday, opposing the use 
of capital punishment following Taiwan's execution of a metro killer on 
Tuesday.

"We recognize the serious nature of the crimes committed on May 21, 2014 in 
Taipei, and the suffering of the victims and their families. We express our 
sincere sympathy to all those who suffered because of the committed crimes," 
according to the statement.

"However, the EU reiterates that the death penalty can never be justified as it 
has no deterrent effect, and calls for its universal abolition," the statement 
said.

(source: China Post)






INDONESIA:

Executions near as officials visit prison for final check


The execution of death row inmates looks to be near as officials from the Law 
and Human Rights Ministry visited the Nusakambangan prison Island in Central 
Java's Cilacap regency on Tuesday.

The visit was aimed at checking the location to ensure everything was set for 
the executions to go ahead, said Molyanto, the ministry's head for the 
penitentiary division in Central Java.

However, no details have been released on the impending executions.

"We also have not yet obtained the list of the names of the convicts who will 
be executed. We do not know their number either," Molyanto told 
thejakartapost.com on Thursday.

Previously, Central Java Police spokesman Sr. Comr. A. Liliek Darmanto said at 
least 15 convicts, including 10 foreigners, would face the firing squad in the 
3rd round of executions of drug convicts.

The police had received the data, however they could not disclose the names of 
the convicts, as the authority to do so rested with the Attorney General's 
Office, Liliek said.

Central Java Police have prepared 180 Mobile Brigade (Brimob) personnel to 
carry out the executions.

Attorney General M. Prasetyo said the 3rd round of executions was only a matter 
of choosing the day, as all the preparations had been completed.

Prior to the execution, authorities have tightened security on Indonesia's 
notorious Nusakambangan prison island. Prison authorities have installed CCTV 
around the prison complex, including at Wijayapura harbor, the only access port 
from Cilacap.

Moreover, authorities had assigned additional police personnel to guard more 
intensely each prison located in the Nusakambangan complex, Molyanto said on 
Monday.

"So we can carry out the planned execution smoothly," he told 
thejakartapost.com.

The installation of CCTV was to support the monitoring of inmates amid a lack 
of security personnel.

Around 8 security personnel were guarding each of the 7 prisons on the island, 
Molyanto said, adding that the ideal number would be at least 15 guards to 
maintain security at each of the prisons that held up to 200 inmates each.

Nusakambangan has 7 prisons standing 3 kilometers apart from each other. Around 
1,250 inmates are detained in the complex, including 70 convicts of terrorism 
offenses and 62 death row convicts.

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

Spiritual leaders prepared ahead of executions


Cilacap Police and Nusakambangan prison authorities have prepared spiritual 
leaders to be assigned to accompany death row inmates before and during their 
executions.

Cilacap Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Ulung Sampurna Jaya said some 15 death row 
inmates would be executed on the Nusakambangan prison island in Cilacap, 
Central Java, in the near future and that police had appointed religious 
leaders to accompany the inmates.

"In principle, we have prepared everything needed for the execution of their 
death sentences at Nusakambangan, including the spiritual leaders," Ulung told 
thejakartapost.com on Wednesday. He refused to mention the number of spiritual 
leaders readied, saying only that it corresponded to the number of inmates to 
be executed.

"Up untill now, the Cilacap Police have not yet received any official order on 
the implementation of the execution, including information on how many people 
will be executed. We are all still waiting for [the official order]," said 
Ulung.

Central Java Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Liliek Darmanto said 10 foreigners 
were on the list of convicts for the forthcoming round of executions at 
Nusakambangan, all convicted of drug crimes. 4 of the inmates were from China, 
while the other 6 were from Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal and Zimbabwe.

"5 death row inmates are from Indonesia," said Liliek.

Meanwhile, an Islamic teacher from the Cilacap chapter of the Indonesian Ulema 
Council ( MUI ), Hasan Makarim, said the MUI had not received any government 
notification on the executions.

"Usually, an official religious assistance request comes after the death row 
inmates are put in isolation cells. That is the time we will start to prepare 
their mental readiness to embrace their execution, along with their faith and 
religion," Hasan told thejakartapost.com.

Usually, he added, 1 spiritual leader would be prepared to accompany 1 inmate. 
"We are intensely coordinating with the police and prison authorities, so that 
once it is needed, we are ready," Hasan said.

The Attorney General's Office ( AGO ) has announced that the 3rd round of 
executions under President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's administration would be held 
in the near future.

The AGO conducted 2 rounds of executions in 2015. 6 people were executed in 
January 2015 and another 8 in late April 2015.

(source for both: The Jakarta Post)

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

Halting executions will be a show of strength in Indonesia


President Joko Widodo should seize the opportunity to show that his government 
has the resolve to stand up for human rights by halting the imminent executions 
of up to 15 people, Amnesty International said today.

The death row prisoners believed to at risk have been convicted of alleged drug 
offences and some did not receive a fair trial. Their cases are, like many 
others that Amnesty International monitored, emblematic of systemic flaws 
within the Indonesia justice system.

"President Widodo has the chance to show true resolve by halting these 
executions and ordering a full independent review of all death penalty cases," 
said Rafendi Djamin, Director of Amnesty International's South East Asia and 
Pacific Regional Office.

"It is unacceptable for a government to execute people, especially when they 
did not receive a fair trial and have been convicted of offences that are not 
among the 'most serious crimes' in clear violation of international law and 
standards."

Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception, 
regardless of the nature or circumstances of the crime; guilt, innocence or 
other characteristics of the individual; or the method used by the state to 
carry out the execution. The death penalty violates the right to life and is 
the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.

The imminent executions, which it is feared may take place in the coming weeks, 
will be the 1st this year. In 2015, Indonesia executed 14 people.

Amnesty International's research has revealed that the death penalty in 
Indonesia has been implemented in cases that involve torture or other 
ill-treatment, denial of effective legal counsel, manifestly flawed 
proceedings, and even the use the death penalty on juvenile offenders or have a 
mental or intellectual disability.

"In the cases we examined, the police tortured or otherwise ill-treated some of 
the detainees, including to extract 'confessions.' Many weren't given access to 
a lawyer at the time of their arrest and at other stages of the process," said 
Djamin.

Amnesty International also recorded the cases of 5 death row prisoners who were 
executed despite the fact that Indonesia courts agreed to hear their appeals.

In the case of 2 prisoners, there was no adequate investigation to check 
whether they were juvenile offenders or had a mental and intellectual 
disability. In such circumstances, an execution is unlawful.

Within weeks of coming to power, President Widodo rebuffed calls that death row 
prisoners convicted of drug-related offences should receive clemency, and 
suggested that the death penalty should serve as a deterrent - a claim for 
which there is no evidence. However, when President Widodo came to power in 
2014, he had made encouraging promises on human rights.

"At a time when most of the world's countries have rid themselves of this 
unconscionable practice, the execution of these people would consign Indonesia 
to the status of an outlier," said Djamin.

"President Widodo still has time. If he halts the death penalty, commutes their 
sentences, and establishes a moratorium as a 1st step towards abolition, 
Indonesia can begin to re-establish its reputation on human rights in the 
region."

The Indonesian authorities have repeatedly claimed they apply the death penalty 
in line with international law and standards. In a 2015 report, Flawed Justice: 
Unfair Trials and the Death Penalty in Indonesia, Amnesty International 
highlighted the cases of 12 death row prisoners whose cases illustrate the 
manifestly flawed administration of justice in Indonesia that resulted with 
flagrant human rights violations. Some of these cases relate to some of the 
prisoners believed to be at risk of imminent executions.

Agus Hadi, Pujo Lestari and another man were arrested for attempting to smuggle 
12,490 benzodiazepine pills from Malaysia in 2006. They were detained at the 
narcotics directorate of the Riau Islands Police Headquarters on November 22 
that year, interrogated there for 20 days and then transferred to the Batam 
prosecution detention center. They were held in total for 9 weeks before they 
appeared before a judge at their 1st trial hearing in the Batam District Court 
at the end of January 2007. Court documents indicate that Hadi only received 
assistance from a lawyer on December 12, 20 days after his arrest. Lestari had 
legal counsel appointed by the Batam District Court on February 8, 78 days 
after his arrest and a week after the court had scheduled the 1st trial 
hearing.

Zulfiqar Ali, a Pakistani national, was arrested at his home in West Java 
province on November 21, 2004, and charged with possession of 300g of heroin. 
During his pre-trial detention, he was refused the right to contact his embassy 
and was not permitted any access to a lawyer until approximately one month 
after his arrest. According to court documents, the Chief of Tangerang District 
Court granted the prosecutor an extension of Ali's detention from March 4 to 
May 2, 2005. This means he was detained for at least 3 months before being 
brought to the 1st trial hearing, although there is no information as to when 
the first trial hearing started.

While he was being interrogated by the Soekarno-Hatta Airport district police, 
Ali was kept in a house for three days and punched, kicked and threatened with 
death unless he signed a self-incriminating statement, which he later did. 
After 3 days his health deteriorated to the extent that on November 24, 2004 he 
was sent to a police hospital, where he required stomach and kidney surgery due 
to damage caused by the beatings. He was in the hospital for 17 days. During 
his trial he described this torture, but the judges allowed the "confession" to 
be admitted as evidence. There has been no independent investigation into his 
allegations.

Ali did not speak Bahasa Indonesia. He received limited translation assistance 
throughout his detention and during the proceedings against him. At the trial, 
he was provided with translation only from Bahasa Indonesia to English only, 
but he understood only a little English. He was convicted and sentenced to 
death in 2005. His death sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2006.

(source: Amnesty International USA)






BELARUS:

Execution shows 'callous disdain' for international human rights law - UN 
experts


United Nations human rights experts today condemned Belarus' continued use of 
the death penalty following reports that a man whose complaint was before the 
UN Human Rights Committee (HRC) had been executed, despite a specific request 
from the Committee for a stay of execution.

"I am appalled by reports of the recent execution of Sergey Ivanov by the 
Belarusian authorities," said Miklos Haraszti, the UN Special Rapporteur on the 
situation of human rights in Belarus.

Reports indicate that Mr. Ivanov, who was found guilty of murder and sentenced 
to death in 2015, was executed on around 18 April this year.

Mr. Ivanov's brother had petitioned the Committee, arguing that Mr. Ivanov's 
trial had been unfair. During the trial, he remained handcuffed and was obliged 
to wear special clothes with the label "capital punishment" on them. It was 
also alleged that he was not brought promptly before a judge upon arrest and 
had limited access to a lawyer.

Mr. Ivanov's execution means Belarus, since 2010, has executed 8 people whose 
cases were registered for examination by the Committee under the Optional 
Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), 
to which Belarus is a State party.

Belarus remains the only country in Europe and Central Asia that applies the 
death penalty, despite repeated calls for its abolition from many in the 
international community, including the members of the European Union and the 
Council of Europe.

Mr. Haraszti once again urged the Belarusian authorities to adopt a moratorium 
on the death penalty, as an interim legal step towards it full abolition.

The human rights expert also voiced grave concern at news that another 
defendant, Sergei Khmelevsky, was sentenced to death by a court on 6 May. "The 
news testifies to the lack of progress on the human rights situation in 
Belarus," he said.

The Human Rights Committee had requested the Belarusian authorities not to 
carry out the sentence, pending the examination of Mr. Ivanov's case.

Non-compliance with the Committee's request for interim measures constitutes a 
violation, by Belarus, of its obligations under the Optional Protocol to ICCPR.

"The decision to proceed with the execution of the death penalty amounts to 
both a callous disdain for and a grave breach of Belarus' international human 
rights obligations," said Nigel Rodley, Special Rapporteur on new 
communications and interim measures.

Independent experts or special rapporteurs are appointed by the Geneva-based 
Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a country situation or a 
specific human rights theme. The positions are honorary and the experts are not 
UN staff, nor are they paid for their work.

(source: UN News Centre)

***********

UN rights experts criticize reported Belarus execution


U.N. human rights experts are criticizing a reported execution of a murder 
suspect in Belarus, saying the move violates the country's international 
commitments.

The experts cited reports that Sergey Ivanov was executed on around April 18, 
despite a specific request by a U.N. panel to allow a review of the case first. 
Ivanov was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death last year.

Nigel Rodley, a special rapporteur for the Human Rights Committee, said the 
execution "amounts to both a callous disdain for and a grave breach of Belarus' 
international human rights obligations."

A U.N. statement Friday said Ivanov's brother had appealed to the committee and 
argued that the trial was unfair. It said Belarus is the only country in Europe 
and Central Asia that applies the death penalty.

(source: Associated Press)



CHINA:

China Accuses Ex-Presidential Aide of Bribery, Secrets Theft


Chinese prosecutors formally charged a former top aide to retired President Hu 
Jintao, setting the stage for a trial of the last member of a Communist Party 
faction dubbed the "New Gang of 4."

Ling Jihua, 59, who had served as Hu's chief of staff, was accused of taking 
bribes, illegally obtaining state secrets and abusing power, the official 
Xinhua News Agency said, citing a statement by state prosecutors. He'll be 
prosecuted in Tianjin's No. 1 Intermediate People's Court, the same tribunal 
that oversaw last year's secret conviction of former security czar Zhou 
Yongkang, a retired member of the Politburo's supreme Standing Committee.

The indictment comes almost 10 months after the party expelled Ling and accused 
him of corruption and discipline violations, including carrying on extramarital 
affairs. He was previously stripped of his post as vice chairman of the Chinese 
People's Political Consultative Conference.

The trial represents the closing chapter of a far-reaching corruption probe 
under President Xi Jinping that toppled Zhou and 2 of the country's top 
generals. Ling was considered a top candidate for the ruling Politburo before 
his ascent was cut short by claims that he tried to cover up details of the 
March 2012 death of his son in a Ferrari crash, the South China Morning Post 
reported in September that year.

"Ling's offense in illegally obtaining state secrets is serious; he also 
committed extremely serious offense in abusing his power and causing major 
losses to public property and the interests of the country and its people," 
Xinhua said, citing the indictment.

Ling may face a secret trial as similar charges over state secrets were cited 
by Xinhua in June as the reason for the closed-door trial for Zhou, who was 
sentenced to life in prison.

Ling is among the most high-profile party targets of an ongoing anti-corruption 
campaign that has ensnared more than 100,000 officials since Xi came to power. 
Party members have tied Ling to Zhou, former top General Xu Caihou and former 
Chongqing party secretary Bo Xilai as making up a "New Gang of 4," even though 
the links between them aren't clear. Xu and Bo were also charged with 
corruption.

U.S. Negotiations

In January, Xi warned top graft-busters that some officials were "forming 
cabals and cliques to covertly defy" the leadership and that such groups risked 
"compromising the political security of the party and the country," according 
to a transcript of the remarks 1st published on May 3.

Ling's prosecution could reverberate in the U.S., where his youngest brother, 
Ling Wancheng, has been living. In January, Chinese anti-graft authorities 
acknowledged for the first they were "investigating the case and negotiating 
with the U.S." about the younger Ling.

Li Xiaolin, a Beijing-based lawyer who has defended senior officials and their 
families, said the verdict in Ling Jihua's case would depend on the amount of 
money involved, as well as the particular secrets taken and who ended up with 
them.

"The state secrets Ling could have leaked could be more than any one else could 
possibly have, and it's also a serious problem that his brother is in the 
U.S.," Li said. "Based on the charges, he's likely to receive serious 
punishment and could face the death penalty if convicted."

(source: Bl;oomberg News)






IRAN:

27 Death Row Sunni Prisoners in Imminent Danger of Execution


The warden of ward 4 in Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj, has attended Hall 10 of 
this ward and has told the death row Sunni prisoners that their sentences had 
been referred to the executive office and the risk of their execution is very 
high, if they were seeking forgiveness, they should write their letters soon.

According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency in Iran (HRANA), 
the warden of ward four of the Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj, Mr. Shojaee, has 
gone to Hall 10 of this prison, where there are 27 Sunni prisoners, with 
confirmed death sentences, and announced that all their verdicts had been 
referred to the executive office and the risk of their execution was very high 
on Saturday 30th April. He has told them: "If you are seeking forgiveness, you 
should write the requests soon. I do not want to feel guilty, later."

The Sunni prisoners have been sentenced to death by the judiciary on charges 
including "acting against the national security", "propaganda against the 
regime", "membership in a Salafist group", "corruption on earth" and "waging 
war" and in term of the details of their activities, it has not been clarified 
by the authorities and judicial bodies.

Most of these prisoners have been arrested by the intelligence service agents 
in Kurdistan, between 2009 and 2011, and were held in solitary confinements for 
several months, without any trial and with no access to lawyers or having 
contact with their families. There is a concern that they have been tortured or 
were mistreated, during that period of time.

According to the information provided to HRANA, most defendants have denied 
involvement in armed conflict, and said that they have been arrested, only 
because of their belief and religious activities such as attending religious 
meetings and distributing religious literature.

It is worth mentioning that at least one prisoner in the list, Barzan 
Nasrallahzadeh, was younger than 18 years old at the time of arrest.

The names of these 27 Sunni prisoners who have been sentenced to death, in 
Rajai Shar prison, in Karaj, are as following:

Kaweh Weisi

Behrooz Shahnazari

Taleb Malleki

Shahram Ahmadi

Kaweh Sharifi

Arash Sharifi

Veria Ghaderi Fard

Keivan Momeni Fard

Barzan Nasrullahzadeh

Alem Barmashti

Pouria Mohammadi

Ahmad Nasiri

Edris Nemati

Farzad Honarjoo

Seyed Shahoo Ebrahimi

Mohammad Yavar Rahimi

Bahman Rahimi

Mokhtar Rahimi

Mohammad Gharibi

Farshid Naseri

Mohammad Keivan Karimi

Amjad Salehi

Omid Peivand

Ali Mojahedi

Hekmat Sharifi

Omar Abdullahi

Omid Mahmoudi

(source: HRA News Agency)

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

Iran urged to call off teenager's execution ---- Alireza Tajiki was 15 at time 
of crime and Amnesty says his trial relied heavily on confessions obtained by 
torture


A 19-year-old in Iran is due to be executed this weekend following a trial that 
human rights groups say relied on forced confessions to a crime he is alleged 
to have committed when he was 15.

In a case that highlights Iran's continuing use of capital punishment against 
juvenile offenders, Alireza Tajiki, who was found guilty of raping and fatally 
stabbing a friend, is scheduled to be hanged on Sunday at Adel Abad prison in 
the southern city of Shiraz.

According to Amnesty International, Iran carried out 73 executions of juvenile 
offenders between 2005 and 2015, despite having ratified the international 
covenant on civil and political rights and the convention on the rights of the 
child, which strictly prohibit the imposition of the death penalty for crimes 
committed below the age of 18.

Tajiki was arrested in May 2012 alongside a number of teenagers. Following a 
trial and conviction, he was sentenced to death by a criminal court in the 
province of Fars in April 2013. A higher court quashed the ruling in early 
2014, but in November that year a 3rd court reimposed the death penalty after 
it ruled Tajiki had attained "mental maturity" at the time of crime.

Concerns have been raised over Tajiki's trial, including the reliance on 
confessions that activists say were obtained under duress.

Tajiki was held incommunicado in solitary confinement for 15 days after his 
arrest and was allegedly subjected to torture including beatings, floggings and 
suspension by the arms and feet, Amnesty said. He later retracted the 
confessions given during this period.

James Lynch, deputy director of the Middle East and North Africa programme at 
Amnesty International, called on Iran to immediately halt Tajiki's execution.

"Imposing the death penalty on someone who was a child at the time of the crime 
flies in the face of international human rights law, which absolutely prohibits 
the use of the death penalty for crimes committed under the age of 18," he 
said.

"It is particularly horrendous that the Iranian authorities are adamant to 
proceed with the execution when this case was marked by serious fair trial 
concerns and primarily relied on torture-tainted evidence.

"Iran's bloodstained record of sending juvenile offenders to the gallows, 
routinely after grossly unfair trials, makes an absolute mockery of juvenile 
justice and shamelessly betrays the commitments Iran has made to children's 
rights."

Iran remains a prolific executioner, second only to China. More than 970 people 
were put to death in Iran last year, including at least 4 juveniles, according 
to Amnesty. Most were executed for drug offences.

Despite improvements in Iran's penal code in 2013, loopholes remain, allowing 
judges to continue using the death penalty against juvenile offenders, said 
Mohammad Mostafaei, an Iranian lawyer based in Norway.

One loophole is "mental maturity", under which authorities can judge that a 
convict was mature enough at the time of crime even though he or she was not 
yet 18.

"A new amendment to the Iranian penal code was helpful in the sense that it 
leaves the door open for the judges to circumvent the sharia, which usually 
considers a lower age of criminal responsibility often between nine to 13 
according to various interpretations," Mostafaei said.

"But much rests in the hands of the judges, so you can have a judge who would 
misuse his power and hand a death penalty when there is little or no evidence."

(source: The Guardian)