[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

May 20



SINGAPORE----execution

Singapore Executes Malaysian Convict Hours After Last Appeal


A Malaysian man convicted of murder in Singapore was executed Friday hours 
after the city-state's highest court rejected a last-minute appeal, police 
said.

The Court of Appeal found no merit in the appeal by a lawyer representing Kho 
Jabing that challenged the constitutionality of the death penalty in Singapore. 
The decision ended a brief stay of execution, but the court left the timing of 
the execution to prison authorities.

Rachel Zheng of the Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Campaign said it was the first 
time an execution in Singapore had proceeded on the same day that an appeal was 
dismissed.

"All of us are in deep shock," she said after being informed by Kho's family 
that he had been executed.

The Singapore Police Force's statement said the death sentence was carried out 
after Kho had been "accorded full due process under the law."

Kho, 31, was accused of using a tree branch to assault and rob a construction 
worker in 2008. The worker died from multiple skull fractures and Kho was 
convicted and sentenced to death in 2010.

What followed was 6 years of legal twists during which he was sentenced to 
death, won appeals, resentenced to life imprisonment and caning, and again 
sentenced to death.

The European Union and Amnesty International had called on Singapore to grant 
Kho clemency, but applications to the president were rejected.

Executions in Singapore are by hanging, and are usually carried out before dawn 
at Changi prison. According to the prison records, Singapore executed 4 people 
in 2015, 1 for murder and 3 for drug crimes.

In 2012, Singapore amended its laws on the death penalty, making it no longer 
mandatory for those convicted of drug trafficking or murder to receive death 
sentences.

(source: Associated Press)

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

Kho Jabing executed in Singapore


After a long battle that saw several last-minute stays of executions, 
Sarawakian Kho Jabing was hanged in Singapore on Friday.

He was executed at about 3.30pm at the Changi Prison after meeting his family 
for the last time, said Rachel Zeng of the Singapore Anti-Death Penalty 
Campaign.

The timing of his execution was considered highly irregular as executions 
usually take place at dawn on Friday.

His execution came after a 5-panel Court of Appeal dismissed an 11th-hour 
attempt to stay the execution.

Jabing, 31, was originally scheduled to be hanged in the morning for the brutal 
killing of a construction worker in 2008 but received a temporary stay of 
execution late Thursday night.

(source: The Star)






KYRGYZSTAN:

About 11,000 citizens of Kyrgyzstan initiate introduction of death penalty for 
pedophiles


More than 10,000 citizens in Kyrgyzstan have initiated the introduction of 
death penalty for pedophiles. Handing over of the document took place today at 
the session of the parliamentary faction Onuguu-Progress.

Signatures of nearly 11,000 citizens of Kyrgyzstan have been handed over to the 
faction leader Bakyt Torobaev by the chairman of the Committee for Protection 
of Children "Strong family - strong state" Zhenish Akmatov.

The activist said that there are much more people standing for introduction of 
the death penalty for the perpetrators of crimes against sexual inviolability 
of minors. "Many of them live in remote inaccessible areas, so the collection 
of signatures is still ongoing," he explained.

Presenting the analysis of the crimes against the juveniles, Zhenish Akmatov 
noted that this figure is growing from year to year, and sexual offenses 
increase most of all. Explaining the need for the introduction of capital 
punishment, the activist reminded that, as of today, many developed countries 
use the death penalty. It is Belarus, China, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, and more 
than 12 US states. And the countries such as Russia, Kazakhstan, South Korea, 
Algeria, Niger, Mali, Guyana and other have the rule, permitting the use of the 
death penalty, in the fundamental laws but it is not executed in practice.

(source: eng.24.kg)






EGYPT:

Journalist decries Egypt handing him death sentence----Sentence sought for Al 
Jazeera news director on alleged espionage charges to be confirmed next month


A former Al Jazeera news director facing the death penalty following an 
Egyptian court's ruling has denounced the decision as politically motivated.

Ibrahim Helal, who was director of news for Al Jazeera's Arabic TV network 
between 2011 and 2015, was sentenced in absentia earlier this month along with 
2 other journalists on charges of endangering national security.

The journalists are among a group of 6 men accused of endangering Egyptian 
national security by spying for Qatar.

But Helal told Anadolu Agency that the accusations of espionage were baseless.

"I have never been anything but a journalist. I have never participated in 
political actions at any moment in my life and there is no evidence otherwise," 
he said in written remarks.

He said the main accusation against him in the trial was that he mediated in 
the leaking to Qatar of sensitive documents, some of which exposed where the 
Egyptian army held its weapons.

Helal is said to have provided money to sources within the Egyptian 
presidential palace to leak the top secret documents to Qatari intelligence.

But court documents do not name the alleged Qatari intelligence officer who is 
said to have received the documents.

"The alleged part I am accused of is the cornerstone in entire case, as if 
there is no link between the defendants and the Qatari authorities, there will 
be no espionage," he said.

"Here is the big hole in the case. If the Egyptian prosecutors couldn't 
identify the Qatari officer, the entire case should fall apart. There is no 
espionage without a 2nd part to spy for!"

He added: "I have never seized any document and there is no evidence that I 
have obtained or seized any of the mentioned documents.

"Also there is no evidence of any kind of any connection between me and the 
alleged Qatari intelligence officer, who is not identified so far."

Helal is an experienced broadcast journalist, having worked for Egyptian 
television and the BBC before joining Al Jazeera at its launch in 1996. He 
became the Qatari network's Arabic language channel's director of news for 3 
years starting in 2001, joining just months before the Sept. 11 attacks in the 
U.S.

He returned to the role in 2011 as a wave of protests and demonstrations were 
sweeping Arab countries across the Middle East.

The death penalty sought by the court has been referred to the grand mufti, the 
country's top religious authority, for an opinion.

Helal is being tried in absentia and has no right to appeal, but co-defendants 
in the trial residing in Egypt do have that option, meaning the case is likely 
to be reviewed once again.

Egypt's ousted President Mohamed Morsi is also charged in the same case, 
although at a May 7 hearing a verdict on his involvement was postponed to June 
18, when the final ruling will be made.

Egypt's 1st democratically elected president Morsi was deposed by the Egyptian 
military in the summer of 2013 after a year in power, following mass protests 
against his rule.

Since then, Egyptian authorities have cracked down on dissent through 
operations that have mainly targeted the ousted president's supporters and 
members of his Muslim Brotherhood group.

Last week, 3 UN human rights experts urged the Egyptian government to end 
"disproportionate reactions" against worsening rights to assembly and 
expression.

"The worsening crackdown on peaceful protest and dissent in Egypt represents a 
further setback for an open political environment and a vibrant civil society," 
the UN special rapporteurs - David Kaye, Maina Kiai and Michel Forst - said in 
a statement.

They added: "The use of force against civil society and against the expression 
of dissenting views on political issues contribute to a deteriorating climate 
for the promotion and protection of fundamental rights that form the essential 
components of a democratic society."

(source: aa.com.tr)






PHILIPPINES:

'IT WOULD BE A SHAME'----PHL abandoning 'serious' commitment if it revives 
death penalty - Amnesty Int'l


Human right group Amnesty International on Friday said the Philippines would be 
abandoning international commitments if it pushes through with the plan to 
bring back the death penalty as favored by incoming president Rodrigo Duterte.

"It would be a shame on the Philippines," said AI vice chairperson Romeo 
Cabarde at a press briefing.

He said the Philippines is one of the countries at the forefront of the 
campaign against death penalty, having signed the Second Optional Protocol to 
the United Nations' International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 
(ICCPR). The protocol mandates state members to push efforts in abolishing the 
death penalty.

"We are appreciated globally because we are the 1st country in Asia to outlaw 
death penalty," Cabarde said. "Reviving it means there are serious commitments 
that we are abandoning internationally."

The death penalty in the Philippines was abolished under former President 
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 2006 with the signing of Republic Act 9346 or An Act 
Prohibiting the Imposition of Death Penalty in the Philippines.

The said law ultimately repealed Republic Act 7659 or the Death Penalty Law.

"What kind of face are we going to show to the rest of the world, having 
promised that we will commit to the eradication of death penalty and here comes 
a new leader who would impose it just because he wanted to curb criminality?" 
Cabarde asked.

"Hindi naman natin bababa ang krimen just because there is a presence of death 
penalty. It is not a deterrent factor to the commission of crime," he added.

Not a deterrent to crime

Cabarde also said some studies have already been conducted which disprove the 
belief that imposing death penalty would result in lower crime rates. He noted 
that when the Philippines still had the Death Penalty Law, the crime rate was 
higher.

"There is no logical connection, between imposing death penalty and reducing 
crime rates in the country," he said

Cabarde instead proposed that to solve the crime problem, the government must 
strengthen law enforcement, and improve its judicial system and the provision 
of basic social ecomonic needs.

"Kung ito naa-address natin, then we would not need death penalty," he said.

He added that the more Duterte pushes for the death penalty, "the more there is 
an implied admission that law enforcement, the judiciary is not working in the 
Philippines."

"Kung 'yun ang root cause kung bakit mayroong criminality, then I think we have 
to hit the target at its very root and not propose something that is proven to 
be ineffective," he said.

Amnesty International-Philippines board member Veronica Cabe echoed the 
sentiment, saying their group expects the incoming president to instead 
implement programs on economic, social and cultural rights.

Proposed plan of action

During the press conference, the group outlined their programs of action on 
human rights which the group plans to submit as proposal to Duterte.

The document outlines 4 major concerns of the group, all of which boil down to 
the protection of human rights.

Cabe said one key point they would want to raise is the strenghtening of the 
independence and mandate of constitutional bodies that ensure government 
accountability in safeguarding the rights of its constituents.

"In societies stricken with high levels of inequality, a leader who does not 
adhere to human rights principles can be a threat to justice and freedom," Cabe 
said.

The group also wants human rights be embedded in peace process and prevent the 
use of counter-insurgency measures to justify human rights violations.

"Change is coming"

Meanwhile, Amnesty International country chairperson Ritzlee Santos said 
Duterte should stand for his slogan "Change is coming" and truly deliver 
changes when it comes to human rights.

"We want that change to happen," Santos said.

"The human rights situationin the Philippines is in dire need of uplifting... 
We would like to ask the President to make human rights the top of his 
administration's [priority]," Santos added.

(source: gmanetwork.com)

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

If death penalty returns, bishop says he'll volunteer to die


In what may be a precursor to a showdown between church and state in perhaps 
the most pervasively Catholic nation on earth, a Filipino bishop has said he'll 
take the place of condemned criminals if the country's new president 
reintroduces the death penalty.

Earlier this month, the Philippines elected the tough-talking, crime-busting 
former mayor of Davao City, Rodrigo Duterte, who's said he wants to see the 
country bring back capital punishment, which was abolished in 2006.

Duterte has said he hopes to apply it to a variety of "heinous" crimes, 
including drug offenses, rape, robbery, car theft and corruption.

Although Duterte was raised as a Catholic and educated by the Benedictines, 
that stance puts him on a collision course with the country's bishops, who have 
vowed to resist any effort to bring back the death penalty.

Archbishop Ramon Cabrera Arguelles of Lipa, located on the Filipino island of 
Luzon, has been especially outspoken in his criticism of the idea, even 
suggesting he???d volunteer to be killed in place of the condemned.

"The archbishop of Lipa will volunteer to be executed in the place of all those 
the government will hang," Arguelles said, speaking of himself in the 3rd 
person.

"Didn't Christ do that?" he asked aloud.

Arguelles promised a full-court press by the Church in opposition to any effort 
to restore capital punishment.

"In the Year of Mercy, Catholics in the Philippines will be merciless," he 
said.

Notably, Arguelles, 71, is not generally known as among the more progressive 
bishops in the Philippines. Earlier this year, he urged local Catholics to 
boycott a Madonna concert because of what he described as her "suggestive" 
lifestyle and "vulgar" style of dressing.

4 years ago, Arguelles issued a similar protest over a concert by Lady Gaga.

Archbishop Oscar Valero Cruz, now retired from the Archdiocese of 
Lingayen-Dagupan, also threw down a gauntlet over the new president's death 
penalty push.

"We will certainly oppose his plan, especially the Catholic Bishops Conference 
of the Philippines," he said. "The Church will not take it sitting down, but 
will stand against the death penalty."

Bishop Ruperto Santos of Balanga likewise disagreed with Duterte's plan, which 
he described as akin to playing God.

"Only God has power over life," Santos said. "God gives life, and God takes 
life. No one should play God." Duterte should use his influence and power to 
push reforms in the justice system in the country, the bishop argued, to ensure 
the guilty are prosecuted and punished and victims get their due.

"Life is sacred. Life is promoted, respected and protected. It is the prisons 
they have to reform and the justice system they have to review," Santos said.

Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan, the current president of the 
national bishops conference, has said he intends to seek a meeting with Duterte 
to try to persuade the president to back down from attempting to reintroduce 
capital punishment.

A spokesman for the bishops indicated the opposition to Duterte's plan will be 
fairly unanimous from the Church.

"As people of faith, we do not adhere to capital punishment because we do not 
have the right to judge who should live and who should die," said Father Lito 
Jopson, head of the bishops' communications office.

"It is not based on popularity ... but rather on complete moral principles of 
the Catholic faith and faith demands we respect all persons' human dignity," 
Jopson said.

Human rights groups and the government's own Commission on Human Rights have 
also announced opposition to the move.

Some Catholic social justice activists believe Duterte's crime-fighting record 
in Davao City should be subject to critical examination, charging him with 
having at least condoned, and perhaps actively encouraged, vigilante-style 
summary executions of suspected criminals.

"I felt sad and depressed," said Father Amado Picardal of Duterte's rise to 
power.

A Duterte presidency is "very frightening," he said, adding that human rights 
groups will need to keep a close watch and document any violations in the next 
6 years.

Almost 90 % of the Philippines' population of 100 million is Catholic, making 
it the 3rd largest Catholic nation behind Brazil and Mexico, and levels of 
faith and practice are exceptionally high by global standards.

(source: cruxnow.com)




IRAN----executions

8 Prisoners Hanged in Northern Iran


The latest execution reports say Iranian authorities have hanged 5 prisoners at 
Tabriz Central Prison (East Azerbaijan province, northwestern Iran), 2 
prisoners at Urmia Central Prison (West Azerbaijan province, northwestern 
Iran), and 1 prisoner at Sari Prison (Mazandaran province, northern Iran).

The press department of the Judiciary in Mazandaran reports on the execution of 
the prisoner at Sari Prison, identified as "S.R.", 31 years old, hanged on 
murder charges on the morning of Wednesday May 18.

The human rights news agency HRANA and the Kurdistan Human Rights Network 
report on the execution of 2 prisoners, identified as "Dariush Farajzadeh" and 
"Ghafour Ghaderzadeh", who were hanged at Urmia Central Prison on Wednesday May 
18 on murder charges. Another prisoner, identified as Khaled Zika, was 
reportedly taken to the gallows as well, but his life was spared last minute 
and he was returned to his cell after receiving consent for a postponement on 
his execution. There has been an increase in executions carried out at Urmia 
Central Prison. On Tuesday May 17, 6 prisoners were hanged at this prison on 
drug charges.

The Kurdistan Human Rights Network reports on the execution of 5 prisoners at 
Tabriz Central Prison. Three prisoners, identified as "Rahim Khodayari", "Ramin 
Imani" and "Sohrab Sharbatiyeh", were hanged on murder charges on Tuesday May 
17. The next day, 5 prisoners, identified as "Yaghoub Jahed" and "Seyed Jalal 
Abedi", were hanged on drug related charges.

It is important to note that Iranian authorities have increased the number of 
executions before the start of the holy month of Ramadan, when they typically 
do not carry out executions.

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

2 Prisoners Hanged in Southwestern Iran


2 unidentified prisoners were reportedly hanged at Yasouj Central Prison on 
rape charges.

According to a state-run news agency, Young Journalists Club, these 2 prisoners 
were 26 and 34 years old at the time of their execution on Wednesday May 18. 
Yasouj Prison is located in the Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, 
southwestern Iran.

(source for both: Iran Human Rights)

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

Will Iran stop executions for drug offenses?


Nearly a year and a half after announcing that Iran would reconsider its 
frequent execution of drug offenders, Mohammad Javad Larijani, the secretary of 
Iran's Human Rights Council, is still calling for Iran to lower its execution 
rate for drug-related crimes.

Speaking to reporters at a May 16 conference titled "Finding the court's role 
in protecting the accused," Larijani couched his concerns in diplomatic terms, 
saying, 'We need to have a [better] method to fight against drugs. It's 
possible that execution is not the only path, or that high execution rates do 
not have a desirable result. We recommend that the legislation ... be 
reconsidered."

Perhaps more than other officials, Larijani is aware of how Iran's executions 
for nonviolent crime reflect on the country. He said enemies of Iran, such as 
Western countries and Israel, use this issue to portray a negative image of 
Islam and the Islamic Republic and the problem needs to be "unveiled."

While China leads the world in state executions, Iran is the leader in per 
capita executions, with approximately 1,000 executions in 2015. According to UN 
Special Rapporteur Ahmed Shaheed, 65% were for drug offenses. In previous 
statements, Larijani had put the % of drug-related executions at 80%.

Officials from the Hassan Rouhani administration have also publicly addressed 
this issue in recent days. Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani-Fazli said May 
18, "The discussion of punishing smugglers and punishment's influence on the 
activities of drug smugglers is one of the main issues being discussed by the 
Iran Drug Control Headquarters." Rahmani-Fazli, who is also the secretary of 
that organization, added that there will be meetings with judiciary officials, 
including the head of the judiciary, to form a joint committee headed by the 
attorney general to review methods for punishing drug convictions.

The topic also made the May 19 front page of Iran newspaper, which operates 
under the administration. In an article headlined "The death penalty for drug 
smugglers, yes or no?" a half-dozen sociologists and legal experts were 
interviewed about the efficacy of executing drug smugglers. Unsurprisingly, the 
interviewees concurred that no studies show that executions have had a positive 
impact in decreasing drug use or drug smuggling. Rather, drug use and smuggling 
appears to be increasing.

Larijani and Rahmani-Fazli are not the only officials to address concerns about 
this issue. In May 2014, Iran's top prosecutor Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, a 
hard-line official not known for his consideration for Iran's international 
public image, surprised many by calling for a "review" of existing laws to 
address the high execution rate for drug offenses. He suggested punishing only 
the heads of drug-smuggling networks. In December 2015, 70 parliament members 
signed a bill to eliminate the death penalty for nonviolent drug smuggling. 
Larijani himself first addressed the problem with Iran's high execution rate in 
December 2014.

(source: al-monitor.com)






BANGLADESH:

Bounty announced for 6 militants


The Dhaka Metropolitan Police authorities have released photographs and 
identities of 6 members of outlawed militant group Ansarullah Bangla Team 
seeking public support to nab them.

Different amounts of prize money have also been announced for the informants, 
according to the DMP website. These militants were involved in the recent 
organised murders of secularist bloggers, writers and publishers, police say.

According to the DMP, CCTV footage shows that Ansarullah's military and IT 
trainer Sharif was present at the crime scene where US citizen Avijit and his 
wife were hacked.

Police say that he also masterminded the attacks on publisher Faisal Arefin 
Dipan; secular activists Oyasiqur Rahman Babu and Nazimuddin Samad; and LGBT 
rights activists Xulhaz Mannan and Tonoy.

The DMP also gave several phone numbers to contact with them on the matter: 
01713373194, 01713373198, 01713373206. 02-9362640.

The Detective Branch of police learnt about them after conducting raids at 4 
dens of Ansarullah in Badda Satarkul, Mohammadpur, Dakkhinkhan and Ashkona 
areas of Dhaka. These houses were used as training centre and to store 
bomb-making materials.

The DMP earlier announced a bounty of Tk5 lakh for top Ansarullah leader 
Redwanul Azad Rana following the murder of Mukto-Mona blog founder Avijit Roy 
in February last year. Rana, also a former leader of Islami Chhatra Shibir, was 
given death penalty for masterminding the murder of Ahmed Rajeeb Haider in 
February 2013. The DB police earlier said that Rana had fled the country.

(source: dhakatribune.com)






UNITED NATIONS:

UN Welcome Pfizer Decision on Lethal Injection


UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra''ad Al Hussein, praised today 
the US pharmaceutical company Pfizer''s decision to ensure that its products 
will not be used to carry out executions by lethal injection.

Businesses, across many industries, can help prevent human rights violations 
from occurring.

It is heartening to see companies playing an active role in furthering the 
trend towards ending the death penalty, Zeid said in a statement.

Pfizer announced last Friday that it would restrict the sale of seven products 
that have been part of lethal injection protocols,a predominant method used in 
the 31 US states which apply the death penalty.

According to the media, 1,436 people have been executed in the United States 
since 1976, and only 175 of them were killed using a different method.

Zeid called on all businesses to act in accordance with their human rights 
responsibilities.

(source: Prensa Latina)