[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

May 14




SINGAPORE:

JOINT STATEMENT ON IMMINENT EXECUTION OF KHO JABING


We, the undersigned, are troubled by the imminent execution of Jabing Kho in 
Singapore, despite strong concerns over the development of his case. We believe 
there are strong grounds for President Tony Tan of the Republic of Singapore to 
grant clemency in this case.

The family of Sarawakian Jabing Kho, 31, received a letter from the Singapore 
Prison Service on 12 May 2016 informing them that his execution had been 
scheduled for 20 May 2016. Jabing was convicted of murder in 2011.

The announcement came as a shock to the family and all involved in campaigning 
for Jabing. We had been under the impression that the authorities would allow 
his lawyer to submit a fresh clemency appeal on his behalf after the criminal 
motion filed in late 2015 was dismissed in April this year. His lawyer had sent 
President Tony Tan a holding letter informing them of his intention to file a 
new clemency petition, and had been in the process of drafting it when the 
execution was scheduled.

On 13 May 2016, Jabing's lawyer received a letter from the President saying 
that he would be willing to consider a clemency petition if it is filed, but 
will not be postponing the scheduled execution. Considering that past practice 
shows that the President usually takes 3 months before any decision regarding 
clemency is announced, we are concerned that this current state of affairs will 
leave the Cabinet and the President with insufficient time to properly consider 
a fresh plea from Jabing.

We do not condone Jabing's crime, nor do we seek to erase the hurt he has 
caused to the victim's family. Yet the course of Jabing's case has been 
tumultuous and traumatic. Due to amendments made to Singapore's mandatory death 
penalty regime and appeals lodged by the prosecution, Jabing had, over the 
years, been sentenced to death, then life imprisonment (with caning), then 
death again. This back-and-forth has taken a horrific toll not just on Jabing 
as the inmate, but his family.

Furthermore, 1 High Court judge and 2 Judges of Appeal had not believed that 
the death penalty was an appropriate punishment for Jabing Kho, as they felt 
that there was insufficient evidence to demonstrate that he had exhibited a 
"blatant disregard for human life". (See Annex A, attached at the end of this 
statement, for relevant excerpts of the judges' ruling.)

The death penalty does not simply exact an irreversible punishment, but also 
imposes emotional and psychological tolls on both the inmate and the family and 
we oppose it unconditionally. Having been re-sentenced twice, from death to 
life and back again, Jabing and his family have already been put through a 
deeply painful process. The knowledge that 3 respected and honourable judges 
hold the belief that the current punishment does not fit the crime simply makes 
the situation doubly hard to bear.

We believe that Jabing Kho's case presents very strong and persuasive grounds 
for clemency, and that his death sentence should be immediately be set aside 
and commuted to life imprisonment as allowed by Singapore's Constitution.

We therefore urge the Cabinet of Singapore to advise President Tony Tan to 
grant clemency to Jabing Kho without delay and re-establish a moratorium on 
executions as a 1st step towards the abolition of the death penalty.

Signed:

Local Organisations

Community Action Network

Function8

Maruah

Sayoni

Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Campaign (SADPC)

Think Centre

We Believe in Second Chances

Regional/International Organisations

Advocates Association of Sarawak

Amnesty International

Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN)

Center for Orang Asli Concerns

Civil Rights Committee KLSCAH

Damn the Dams

Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture (MADPET)

People's Green Coalition

Reprieve Australia

Sembang-sembang Forum

Suara Rakyat Malaysia

Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty (TAEDP)

The Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence

Victims' Family Organisations

Center for Prisoner's Rights Japan

Journey of Hope

Ocean

Individuals

Abdul Rashid bin Bakar, relative of inmate on death row in Singapore

Atiqah bte Zaimi, relative of inmate on death row in Singapore

Haminah bte Abu Bakar, relative of inmate on death row in Singapore

Idros Ismail, brother of inmate on death row in Singapore

Jolene Tan, writer and activist

Kokila Annamalai, activist and community organiser

Letchumy Arumugam, mother of inmate on death row in Singapore

Marilyn Siew, activist

M Ravi, anti-death penalty activist

Osman bin Bakar, relative of inmate on death row in Singapore

Priya Ratha Krishnan, fiancee of inmate on death row in Singapore

Sangeetha Thanapal, activist

Saraswathy Kataiah, sister of inmate on death row in Singapore

Sean Francis Han, activist

Sharmila Rockey, sister of inmate on death row in Singapore

Syida Ismail, sister of inmate on death row in Singapore

Tan Tee Seng, activist

Vanessa Ho, activist

Zaimi Bin Abdul Rahman, relative of inmate on death row in Singapore

Zarah bte Abu Bakar, relative of inmate on death row in Singapore

(source: wordpress.com)

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

Group appeals to President Tony Tan over Malaysian's impending execution


A coalition of NGOs and individuals have urged Singapore president Tony Tan to 
grant clemency to Malaysian Kho Jabing who is due to be executed next week for 
a murder he committed 8 years ago.

In a statement, the coalition said the announcement of Jabing's execution came 
as a shock to the family and all involved in campaigning for him as they were 
under the impression that the authorities would allow his lawyer to submit a 
fresh clemency appeal on his behalf. This was after a criminal motion filed in 
late 2015 was dismissed last month.

The coalition said that Jabing's lawyer had sent President Tony Tan a holding 
letter informing the former's intention to file a new clemency petition, and 
had been in the process of drafting it when the execution was scheduled.

Jabing's family received a letter from the Singapore Prison Service on Thursday 
about the execution that has been scheduled for May 20.

On May 13, Jabing's lawyer received a letter from the President saying that he 
would be willing to consider a clemency petition if it is filed, but will not 
be postponing the scheduled execution.

"Considering that past practice shows that the President usually takes 3 months 
before any decision regarding clemency is announced, we are concerned that this 
current state of affairs will leave the Cabinet and the President with 
insufficient time to properly consider a fresh plea from Jabing," the coalition 
said in a statement on Saturday.

The coalition is made up of groups such as We Believe in Second Chances, 
Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Campaign, Amnesty International and others.

It added that Jabing's case presented very strong and persuasive grounds for 
clemency, and that his death sentence should be immediately be set aside and 
commuted to life imprisonment as allowed by Singapore's Constitution.

"We therefore urge the Cabinet of Singapore to advise President Tony Tan to 
grant clemency to Jabing Kho without delay and re-establish a moratorium on 
executions as a first step towards the abolition of the death penalty," it 
said.

(source: asiaone.com)






INDONESIA:

Zimbabwean to be executed in Indonesia


An unnamed Zimbabwean is among the 15 inmates who will soon face the firing 
squad in Indonesia's next round of executions for various crimes, reports said 
this week.

According to the Time Magazine, the composition of execution line-up suggests 
an attempt to avoid the intense international attention and outcry that 
happened when Jakarta executed a total of 14 drug convicts last year - all but 
2 of them foreign citizens.

Then, there were rallies and social-media campaigns for the Australian Bali 9 
ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, Filipina migrant worker Mary Jane 
Veloso and Frenchman Serge Atlaoui, urging President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to 
pardon the condemned.

This time around there are 5 Indonesians while the rest, according to local 
media, are foreign - 4 Chinese, 1 Pakistani, 2 Nigerians, 2 Senegalese and 1 
Zimbabwean.

"There is unlikely to be the same kind of uproar when the prison authorities in 
the penal island of Nusakambangan conduct the next round of executions, 
however," said the report.

7 of the 10 foreigners set to be executed came from countries that implement 
the death penalty (China, Pakistan and Nigeria). The remaining 3 foreign 
citizens came from poor African countries: Zimbabwe, which is moving toward 
eliminating capital punishment, and Senegal, which abolished death penalty more 
than a decade ago.

According to the report, the 5 Indonesian inmates have been transferred to the 
Nusakambangan in the past month - 3 of them of them last Sunday - raising 
speculation that executions are imminent. The government hasn't announced the 
execution date and convicts' identities, however.

"The executions can take place any time, but there will not be a 'soap opera' 
about it this time," Chief Security Minister Luhut Pandjaitan told journalists 
recently.

In 2001, it was reported that a Zimbabwean by the name Ozias Sibanda was 
executed in Indonesia for drug trafficking. But officials at the Zimbabwean 
embassy in Malaysia, at the time, said they thought Sibanda was a national from 
any other African country who had either stolen or cloned a Zimbabwean 
passport.

(source: New Zimbabwe)

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

Police arrest man, seize over one kilo of Syabu


Police foiled an attempt to smuggle drugs into the state by arresting a local 
man and seizing over a kilogramme of Syabu worth an estimated RM163,000.

State deputy police commissioner Datuk Abdul Aziz Yusuf revealed that the 
arrest was made around 11am on Thursday when personnel from the state Narcotics 
Crime Investigation Department (NCID) detained the suspect in a parking lot at 
Jalan Tun Ahmad Zaidi Adruce.

"Acting on information received, state NCID officers searched the 27-year-old 
suspect's car and discovered drugs believed to be syabu weighing 1.325kg packed 
inside food packages and boxes of sugar to avoid detection.

"The suspect was immediately arrested while his car, a Perodua Viva, was seized 
along with RM2,100 cash found in his possession," he said during a press 
conference at state police headquarters here yesterday.

The suspect's urine tested positive for amphetamine.

Abdul Aziz further disclosed that he had been remanded until May 19 to 
facilitate investigation under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, 
that carries the mandatory death penalty upon conviction.

"We thank the public for the tip-off that led to this arrest and urge members 
of the community to support our war against drugs by relaying to us any 
information on drug-related activities so we can eradicate this menace 
together."

Among those present were district police chief ACP Abang Ahmad Abang Julai and 
state NCID head Supt Lukas Aket.

\ (source: theborneopost.com)






MALAYSIA:

Nabbed for growing cannabis in house compound


Thinking that no one will make out what they are, a 28-year-old lorry driver 
planted 3 cannabis plants in the compound of his rented house in Pasir Putih 
here.

Unfortunately for him, the plants did not go unnoticed and they led police 
straight to his tiny drug farm.

Police raided the place on Wednesday following a tip-off by the public, said 
Perak deputy narcotics chief Supt Abdul Latiff Meha.

The 7.30pm raid also resulted in the discovery of 2.7kg of heroin and 59g of 
methamphetamine with a street value of RM171,000.

"This is one of the rare times when we actually find the plant itself.

"In fact, it is the 1st such case in Perak this year," Supt Abdul Latiff told 
reporters here yesterday, adding police also seized a Proton Iswara Aeroback 
worth RM15,000 and a motorcycle worth RM7,500 on the premises.

Supt Latiff said the drugs were enough to fuel the habits of some 2,400 
addicts. The substance is believed to be for distribution in Perak.

???Initial investigations show that the suspect is from Klang and does not have 
any previous convictions.

"He is being remanded for 7 days until May 18 to facilitate investigations," 
said Supt Latiff.

The case, he added, was being investigated as drug trafficking under Section 
39B of Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which carries the mandatory death penalty.

The suspect is also being investigated under Section 6B of the same Act for 
growing the illegal crop, in which he faces life imprisonment and whipping up 
to 6 times, if found guilty.

(source: The Star)






INDIA:

Govt plans to give more powers to NIA


Aiming to give more teeth to NIA, the government is contemplating to empower 
the anti-terror investigating agency by allowing it to probe in foreign 
countries if there is any attack on Indians and Indian assets.

Official sources said the Home Ministry is planning to amend the National 
Investigation Agency Act, enacted in 2008 after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, 
to give additional powers to the agency mandated to investigate all terror- 
related cases.

As per the proposal, NIA will be given powers to investigate in foreign soil, 
with the permission of the host government, since there have been instances of 
attacks on Indians and Indian assets like foreign missions in the past.

A note for the Union Cabinet is being prepared and once it is cleared, the 
amendments will be tabled before Parliament for its nod before it is included 
in NIA Act, sources said.

The conspiracy of Pathankot terror attack was also hatched in Pakistan.

NIA may also be given special power to keep eyes on activities of modules of 
Middle-East terror group ISIS and Pakistan-based terror groups to ensure any 
attempt to harm India will be detected in advance.

Also, NIA may be authorised, through the amendment of the Act, to commute the 
charge of death penalty to life imprisonment in plea bargaining cases.

There are several administrative gaps in NIA Act and through the amendment 
these loopholes would be plugged, sources said.

(source: PTI News)






UGANDA:

Ugandan opposition leader charged with treason over protests----A judiciary 
spokesman says Uganda's main opposition leader has been charged with treason 
and jailed


Uganda's main opposition leader has been charged with treason and jailed in a 
remote area in the country's northeast, a judiciary spokesman said Saturday.

Kizza Besigye was handed charges late Friday stemming from his public attacks 
on the legitimacy of President Yoweri Museveni, who won a disputed election in 
February, said Solomon Muyita.

Besigye, a qualified physician, was Museveni's personal doctor during the 
guerrilla war that launched Museveni into power in 1986. He held various 
government positions and rose to become a colonel in the army, but then broke 
ranks with Museveni in 1999.

Besigye ran for president in 2001, promising a more democratic government, and 
has challenged Museveni in elections since then. He claims he won the February 
vote and has repeatedly urged his supporters to wage a defiance campaign 
against the authorities.

There is a video online purportedly showing Besigye being sworn in as Uganda's 
president.

The Associated Press couldn't independently verify the authenticity of the 
video, but Besigye's party, the Forum for Democratic Change, reported on 
Twitter that Besigye had been sworn in on the eve of Museveni's inauguration 
for a 5th term.

Muyita cited the alleged inauguration of Besigye as one of the reasons for the 
treason charge, which carries a maximum penalty of death on conviction.

Besigye was charged in the district of Moroto, where he had been flown after 
being arrested on Wednesday in the capital Kampala.

His lawyer didn't answer calls seeking a comment Saturday.

(source: The Daily Astorian)