[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

may 26



IRAN----executions

2 Prisoners Hanged in Southern Iran


2 prisoners were reportedly hanged in Shiraz (Fars province, southern Iran) on 
Tuesday May 24.

According to the human rights news agency, HRANA, one of the prisoners, 
identified as "Hadi Shekasteh", was hanged at Adel Abad Prisoner on drug 
charges. According to the Baloch Activists Campaign, the other prisoner's name 
is "Moslem Mahmoud Zehi Khash". It is not known at this time what charge Mr. 
Zehi Khash was sentenced to death for and whether he was executed in a prison 
or in public. Iranian official sources, including Iranian state run media and 
the Judiciary, have been silent on these 2 executions.

Iranian authorities have ramped up the number of executions in the lead up to 
Ramadan.

(source: Iran Human Rights)






PAKISTAN:

Verdict: PHC stays execution of militant


A division bench of the Peshawar High Court suspended the execution of a 
militant who was awarded death sentence by a military court and sought record 
of his trial. The bench, comprising PHC Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel 
and Justice Ikramullah Khan, heard a writ petition on Wednesday. The petition 
was filed by Alam Khan through his counsel Barrister Amirullah Chamkani. 
Chamkani said the petitioner's brother Muhammad Umar, a resident of Battagram, 
was arrested by intelligence agencies on August 10, 2014 from Mansehra. The 
counsel said little was known about his whereabouts since then. However, his 
family came to know on May 3, 2016 that he was awarded the death penalty by a 
military court and his execution was approved by chief of army staff. He said 
the convict was sentenced to death on charges of having affiliation with 
militant organisations, carrying out attacks on security forces and keeping 
explosives.

(source: The Express Tribune)






VIETNAM:

Australian woman caught with 3 kilos of heroin at Vietnam airport


Police and customs officers at Tan Son Nhat Airport on Thursday arrested an 
Australian national for attempting to smuggle around three kilograms of heroin 
to Australia.

The 76-year-old woman hid the drug in 5 jars of fermented fish paste among 
other items in her luggage.

She said she owed gambling money to some people in Australia and they forced 
her to smuggle the drug over to clear the debt. The heroin is estimated to have 
a street value of around US$720,000.

Vietnam has some of the world's toughest drug laws. The production or sale of 
100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal narcotics is punishable by 
death.

Those convicted of possessing or smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or 
more than 2.5 kilograms of methamphetamine also face the death penalty.

(source: Thanh Nien News)



SINGAPORE:

MHA: Sole purpose of the applications by Kho's counsels was to try and delay 
his execution


Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued a media statement on 26 May 2016 stating 
that there had been several inaccurate points made in relation to the legal 
process in the case of Kho Jabing, a Malaysian national who has been executed 
on 20 May 2016. It went on to state that sole purpose of the applications by 
Kho's counsels was to try and delay his execution.

MHA noted that Kho had been represented by counsel throughout the whole process 
and was given every opportunity to file appeals and apply for re-sentencing and 
petition the President for clemency.

After amendments were made in 2012 on the laws on the death penalty in 
Singapore, Kho was re-sentenced to life imprisonment and 24 strokes of the cane 
after an appeal to the High Court.

The prosecution, however, appealed the re-sentencing and the case was brought 
to the Court of Appeal. The Court of Appeal then proceeded to overturn the 
previous ruling and reversed the sentence back to death sentence in 2013.

In 2015, the court rejected his application for clemency.

On 23 November 2015, Kho was granted a temporary reprieve pending the outcome 
of a petition filed by his lawyers, which raised questions of fact and law.

MHA said that the above process by Kho's counsels was a pattern which was to be 
repeated more than once subsequently.

On 6 April this year, the Court of Appeal lifted the temporary reprieve after 
dismissing the appeal and upheld its decision to impose the death penalty on 
Kho Jabing, saying that it observed that there were in reality no new 
arguments.

On 19 May, Lawyer, Gino Hardial Singh filed a criminal motion citing grounds of 
apparent bias on the part of Judge of Appeal Andrew Phang, who had sat on both 
Jabing's appeals. He argued Justice Andrew Phang's involvement in the 2013 
appeal essentially involved the judge deliberating over an appeal against his 
own decision - the one made in 2010.

However, this criminal motion was dismissed by the Court of Appeal.

On that same day, an originating summons was filed by lawyer, Ms Jeannette 
Chong-Aruldoss. She challenged the constitutionality of certain aspects of the 
amendments to the mandatory death penalty in Singapore.

Mrs Chong-Aruldoss had sought a stay of execution pending the scheduling of a 
hearing date for her application to be heard and was given 9am, the next day 
for the application to be heard.

MHA's view is that while lawyers' reasons were ostensibly that they were going 
to make new arguments. But in fact, there were no new arguments and said that 
it appeared that the sole purpose of the applications was to try and delay the 
execution which had been set for 20 May 2016.

The 5 judges in the Court of Appeal which JA Phang again sat in, dismissed all 
the applications on 20 May.

Tthe Court of Appeal said that Kho's multiple court applications after the 
conclusion of his appeal were an abuse of court process. MHA noted that it had 
said in its judgment in April this year that the case was to come to an end.

The government decided to hang Kho in the afternoon of Friday after the 
temporary stay of execution was lifted in the morning. Hangings in Singapore 
always take place at dawn on Friday until Kho's execution on 20 May 2016.

The full media statement of MHA as follow below.

Several inaccurate points have been made in relation to the legal process in 
the case of Malaysian national Jabing Kho ("Jabing").

Jabing brutally killed a person in 2008. Jabing continued to strike the victim 
multiple times even though the victim stopped retaliating after the 1st blow. 
The victim suffered 14 fractures to the skull with severe haemorrhage in 3 
areas. Jabing was convicted of murder and sentenced to death in 2010.

Jabing was represented by counsel throughout. He was given every opportunity to 
file appeals, apply for re-sentencing consequent to amendments to the mandatory 
death penalty regime under the Penal Code, and petition the President for 
clemency.

Following the conclusion of the legal and clemency process in 2015, Jabing was 
initially scheduled to have his sentence carried out in November 2015. However, 
he instructed his lawyers at the last minute, after the date for the execution 
was set, to rush to Court to try and get a stay, based on 'new' arguments which 
he wanted to raise. This was a pattern which was to be repeated more than once 
subsequently. The Court of Appeal ordered a stay of execution, and agreed to 
hear the arguments. The Court of Appeal, after hearing the arguments, dismissed 
them, in April this year. It also observed that there were in reality no new 
arguments.

The date for execution was then set for 20 May 2016, and Jabing and his family 
were informed. New lawyers were then instructed to file a last-minute criminal 
motion to the Court of Appeal on Wednesday, 18 May 2016. Their applications 
were dismissed by the Court of Appeal. Then another 2 sets of new lawyers were 
instructed, to file yet another set of 2 applications at the last minute. The 
lawyers' reasons were ostensibly that they were going to make new arguments. In 
fact there were no new arguments. It appeared that the sole purpose of the 
applications was to try and delay the execution which had been set for 20 May 
2016.

The Court of Appeal dismissed all the applications. The Court of Appeal said 
that Jabing's multiple court applications after the conclusion of his appeal 
were an abuse of court process. The Court of Appeal also noted that it had said 
in its judgment in April this year that the case was to come to an end.

After the Court of Appeal dismissed the applications, the sentence was carried 
out, on the date which had been fixed, 20 May 2016.

(source: theonlinecitizen.com)






UNITED KINGDOM:

Malmesbury woman fights to save pen-pal prisoner from Nevada death row


A mother from Malmesbury who is campaigning to get a man released from death 
row in Nevada after 13 years of imprisonment says poor publicity in national 
newspapers is a small price to pay in her fight for justice.

Katie Menham, 25, of Newnton Grove, began writing to prisoner Julius Bradford 6 
months ago and believes he does not deserve to die.

Unknown to Mr Bradford, the Blue Cross volunteer has started a petition 
lobbying Governor Brian Sandoval, the Governor of Nevada, to release him from 
death row.

Miss Menham said: "I am one of those goons that wants to try and change the 
world. I saw this website advertising writing to prisoners, and I was intrigued 
so I had a look. I didn't want to write to someone who was a murderer or 
anything like that and then I found Julius.

"If you read his letters, he is so eloquent and not what you would expect."

The 25-year-old, who is also doing a degree in advanced counselling and 
advanced psychology, said those around her have been quite supportive after 
reading his letters, but she has received criticism too, especially after her 
story was published in national papers this week.

Miss Menham said: "I read it and I didn't say most of that. They have made me 
sound like a nutter. I am taking it on the chin - at the end of the day it is 
raising awareness and if that comes at the expense of my reputation that is 
fine. I have my freedom but Julius doesn't.???

The campaigner also hit back at the suggestions that she would introduce her 
four-year-old son Alfie to the prisoner if he was released.

"I am not suddenly going to introduce him to a stranger that I have never met 
that is in prison, let alone any stranger," she said indignantly. "Alfie 
doesn't know I write the letters, I write when he is in bed or in school - he's 
four and he doesn't even know about my university course."

"In our letters, we talk about our lives and not once have we ever talked about 
his conviction but I have to do something.

"He deserves to serve his sentence, but he doesn't deserve to die for something 
he didn't do. There is probably not a great deal I can do from Malmesbury to be 
honest but I want to raise awareness of his case.

"For people who are not sure about this, read up on the case and you will see 
it is quite a shocking miscarriage of justice. Everyone makes mistakes and 
although this is a big mistake, he should serve his punishment but he doesn't 
deserve to die."

Mr Bradford and 2 others were charged in March 2004 with murder with use of a 
deadly weapon and armed robbery with use of a deadly weapon, which resulted in 
the death of Benito Zambrano-Lopez on June 8, 2003. One of the group, 
16-year-old Tyrone Williams was identified as pulling the trigger but all three 
men were charged with murder.

This month, pharmaceutical company Pfizer announced new controls that would 
prevent its drugs being used to make lethal injections, preventing executions 
in a number of states including Nevada.

Miss Menham added: "I don't agree with the death penalty anyway and if this 
helps Julius' case, I'm not going to complain."

For more information about the campaign, visit 
https://www.change.org/p/brian-sandoval-get-julius-bradford-off-of-death-row-before-it-s-too-late.

(source: gazetteandherald.co.uk)






UNITED NATIONS:

UN rights office 'deeply concerned' about possible imminent executions in Gaza


Expressing concern about possible imminent executions in Gaza, the United 
Nations human rights office today urged the authorities in Gaza to uphold their 
obligations to respect the rights to life and to a fair trial and not carry out 
death penalty.

"We also urge the Palestinian President to establish a moratorium on executions 
in line with the strong international trend towards ending the use of the death 
penalty," said spokesperson Rupert Colville of the Office of the High 
Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

He said that the office is "deeply concerned about recent statements made by 
the authorities in Gaza, including the Attorney General, of their intention to 
implement a number of death sentences, and fear that the first executions may 
be imminent."

The Gaza authorities' statements follow the demands of several families for the 
death penalty to be carried out against individuals accused of killing their 
relatives.

Death sentences may only be carried out in extremely limited circumstances, and 
pursuant to a trial and appeals that scrupulously follow fair trial standards, 
he said, adding that the office has serious doubts as to whether capital trials 
in Gaza meet these standards, and is concerned about reports indicating that 
these executions will be implemented without the approval of the Palestinian 
President Mahmoud Abbas, which is required under Palestinian law.

Media reports indicating that the sentences could be carried out in public also 
raise alarm, as this is a practice prohibited under international human rights 
law, the spokesperson said.

(source: UN News Centre)






UGANDA:

Shabaab bombing suspects to know fate


A Ugandan court is due on Thursday to give its verdict on 13 men tried for 
masterminding a 2010 bombing by the al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab that killed 76 
people.

The July 2010 suicide bombings claimed by Somalia's Shabaab targeted football 
fans watching the World Cup final between the Netherlands and Spain at a 
restaurant and a rugby club in Kampala, and were the region's worst attacks in 
more than a decade.

"There are 13 suspects and the judgement is expected to be delivered today," 
judiciary spokesman Solomon Muyita told AFP Thursday.

All have pleaded not guilty.

Judge Alfonse Owiny-Dollo is expected to deliver his verdict at the High Court 
in Kampala, and could apply the death sentence if the men are found guilty.

"It has been a long trial, but all will come to end today when the judgement 
will be delivered," Muyita said.

The suspects have been tried on a range of charges including terrorism, murder 
and membership of a terrorist organisation.

2 men were already found in guilty in 2011 for their role in the attacks.

Edris Nsubuga, who admitted terrorism charges, was spared the death penalty 
because he expressed contrition over the carnage and was jailed for 25 years. 
Co-accused Muhamoud Mugisha received 5 years for conspiracy to commit 
terrorism.

The Kampala trial was delayed after the lead prosecutor was murdered in March 
2015. Joan Kagezi, acting assistant director of public prosecution, was shot 
dead by men on a motorbike as she drove home with 3 of her children.

Al-Shabaab continues to target countries in the region, carrying out the 2013 
assault on the Westgate Mall in Nairobi that killed at least 67 people, and the 
attack on Kenya's Garissa university in April 2015, killing at least 148 
people.

Thousands of Ugandan troops form the backbone of the African Union Mission in 
Somalia (AMISOM), the UN-backed force established to fight the Shabaab 
Islamists and protect the internationally recognised government.

(source: Agence France-Presse)






INDONESIA:

Indonesia introduces death penalty and chemical castration for 
paedophiles----President Joko Widodo introduces new measures after the brutal 
gang-rape and murder of a schoolgirl


"This regulation is intended to overcome the crisis caused by sexual violence 
against children," President Joko Widodo said late Wednesday at the 
presidential palace in Jakarta.

"Sexual crimes against children are extraordinary crimes, because they threaten 
the lives of children."

The presidential decree brings the new punishments into immediate effect, 
although parliament could later overturn it.

Widodo was spurred into action after the murder and gang-rape in April of a 
14-year-old girl, who was set upon by a gang of drunken men and boys as she 
walked home from school on the western island of Sumatra.

Her battered body was found 3 days later in woods, tied up and naked. 7 
teenagers, aged 16 and 17, were jailed earlier this month over the assault.

The attack sparked a national debate on sexual violence, led to calls for 
harsher punishments for child sex offenders and prompted protests in the 
capital Jakarta.

The case has drawn comparisons with the fatal gang-rape of a student on a bus 
in Delhi in 2012, which sparked mass protests and led to an overhaul of India's 
rape laws.

Indonesia is likely to draw fire for expanding its use of the death penalty. 
Jakarta has faced criticism for use its use of capital punishment against drug 
traffickers, and sparked international outrage last year when it put 7 foreign 
drug convicts to death by firing squad.

Under previous laws, the maximum sentence for rape - including of a minor - was 
14 years in jail.

By introducing chemical castration, Indonesia joins a small group who use the 
punishment worldwide, including Poland and some states in the US. In 2011, 
South Korea became the 1st Asian country to legalise the punishment.

Widodo did not give further details about tagging suspects with monitoring 
devices. Local media previously reported that a microchip could be implanted in 
child sex offenders' legs on their release from jail.

(source: The Guardian)