[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

May 29




EGYPT:

Military court upholds death sentences for 8 civilians----12 others sentenced 
to life in prison, 6 others to 15 years and 2 were acquitted


The West Cairo Military Court upheld on Sunday death sentences for 8 civilians 
and sentenced 12 others to life in prison in the case publicly known as the 
"specialised intelligence committee" case.

6 defendants were sentenced to 15 years in prison and 2 others were acquitted. 
2 of those given the death penalty were sentenced in absentia.

The Sunday verdict came after it had previously been postponed three times 
since the court initially referred the files of 8 of the defendants to the 
grand mufti, a procedural step prior to approving final death sentences, on 7 
February.

For 2 sessions the reason for postponement was that the mufti did not send back 
his judgment on the case, which is used for consulting and not binding to the 
court.

Some of the defendants in the case were considered by rights groups and 
activists as having been "forcibly disappeared" before being shown in a video, 
released by the Ministry of Defence in July 2015, confessing to being members 
of a terrorist network and claiming responsibility for attacks on state 
facilities and personnel.

(source: Daily News Egypt)






GAZA:

UN, rights group concerned over Hamas death penalty


The United Nations and Human Rights Watch are alarmed about the statements made 
by Hamas, the ruling Islamic militant group in Gaza, of an imminent public 
execution of 13 Palestinians charged of collaboration with Israel for murder.

Spokesperson of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OCHR), 
Rupert Colville, issued an official statement on Wednesday, May 25, the same 
day the announcement was made in Gaza.

Colville said that the UN 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."

According to Colville, Hamas' decision to carry out the death sentence was a 
response to the demands made by the families of the victims killed. He stressed 
that the penalty should only be carried out in "extremely limited 
circumstances" and expressed his "serious doubts" that Gaza's capital trials 
had met fair trial standards. Colville also mentioned the "disturbing media 
reports" that the execution will be done in public. He noted that to do so is 
prohibited under international law.

The Human Rights Watch are just as concerned that the sentence was made without 
a due process.

Sari Bashi, Spokeswoman for Human Rights Watch, told New York Times, "It's 
terrible. The court system in Gaza is rife with coercion, torture and 
compromised procedures, and so to execute people in Gaza is particularly 
egregious."

Hamas legislators have finally decided to reinstate the death penalty after 
days of arguing about it and even without needing the approval of Palestinian 
Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

"We found it was important to implement the death penalty rule to maintain 
civil peace in society and to prevent cases of murder," Yehia Mousa, a Hamas 
legislator said.

As reported by New York Times, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights has 
recorded at least 67 executions since 2007 when the militant group took over 
Gaza. The executions were mostly halted in 2014 when Abbas' national unity 
government was in place but the government quickly fell apart after a year, 
bringing back power to the militant Hamas.

(source: The Christian Times)






SAUDI ARABIA----execution

Saudi Arabia kills Nigerian man in 95th execution of the year ---- Fahd 
Houssawi was put to death for murder of police officer as human rights groups 
raise concern over surge in executions


Saudi authorities have executed a Nigerian man after convicting him of 
murdering a police officer.

It was the 95th execution of the year in the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom, 
which imposes the death penalty for offences including murder, drug 
trafficking, armed robbery, rape and apostasy. The surge in executions has 
drawn concern from human rights groups.

Fahd Houssawi was executed on Sunday in the western city of Taif, the interior 
ministry said in a statement carried by the official SPA news agency. He had 
been found guilty of strangling a policeman and beating him to death, the 
ministry said.

Amnesty International has warned that at the current rate Saudi Arabia could 
see more than 100 executions in the 1st half of 2016.

The London-based watchdog said the kingdom carried out at least 158 death 
sentences last year, making it the third most prolific executioner after Iran 
and Pakistan. Its figures do not include secretive China.

The executions this year are higher than at the same point last year, Amnesty 
said.

Murder and drug trafficking cases account for the majority of Saudi executions, 
although 47 people were put to death for "terrorism" offences on a single day 
in January.

They included prominent Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr whose execution prompted 
Iranian protesters to torch Saudi diplomatic missions, triggering a severing of 
relations.

(source: The Guardian)