[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

May 31




BANGLADESH:

Death penalty for killing Barguna minor Rabiul


A Barguna court on Tuesday awarded death penalty to the lone accused in the 
minor Rabiul murder case.

The additional district and sessions judge, Mohammad Abu Taher, handed down the 
verdict in presence of Miraz Hossain, who confessed that he killed Rabiul.

Rabiul, 11, was tortured to death for 'stealing fish' in Taltali upazila in 
Barguna in August 2015. The murder created hue and cry at home and abroad.

The court also ordered Miraz's family to give Tk 20,10,000 to the family of 
Rabiul.

(source: prothom-alo.com)

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

6 Bangladesh militants get death sentence in bank robbery


6 militants were on Tuesday awarded death sentence by a Dhaka court for 
organising a bank robbery last year in which 8 people were killed.

The court found 9 militants, affiliated with the banned outfits Jama'atul 
Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and Ansarullah Bangla Team, guilty of murder and 
robbery aimed at raising funds for their operations, Xinhua news agency 
reported.

The court ordered the death penalty for 6, life in prison for 1 and 3-year jail 
terms for 2 others, it said.

At least 10 members of the outfits on April 21 last year robbed a branch of the 
state-run Bangladesh Commerce Bank in Ashulia.

They killed the manager of the bank to get the key to the vault before an alarm 
was raised over the loudspeaker from a nearby mosque.

The gang detonated a bomb as they fled, chased by customers and onlookers.

An angry mob later beat to death 1 of the robbers while they were fleeing.

On December 1 last year, Ashulia police submitted 2 chargesheets -- 1 for the 
killings and robbery, and the other for possessing explosives.

(source: Business Standard)






INDIA:

3 more prisons in state to have hanging area----Move comes as number of 
convicts facing death penalty now exceeds 50



With number of convicts facing death penalty in Maharashtra exceeding 50, the 
home department has decided to equip 3 more central prisons with the hanging 
area and a special ward for the "death penalty convicts". Till date, only 2 
Maharashtra prisons -Yerawada and Nagpur - were designated to have convicts 
facing death sentence. However, now Taloja, Nashik and Kohlapur prisons will 
also have special wards designated for such convicts. Pakistani terrorist Ajmal 
Kasab was the only exception who was kept in Arthur Road prison due to security 
concerns but was transferred to Yerawada prison a night before the execution.

As per sources, one of the key reasons for increase in the number of such 
convicts is the prolonged legal battles that defer hanging. All of these 50 odd 
cases are pending with some or the other court for appeal or have procured stay 
orders.

Waking up to the need of pushing things forward, jail officials in the last few 
months have written to the courts to hasten up decision in matters to reduce 
pendency.

"As per the Prison Act anyone facing death penalty has to be kept in isolation. 
His security has to be enhanced and has to be taken for medical check ups more 
often. All this add up to our expenses and work load but we have little choice 
than wait for the date of execution which is given by the courts," said a 
senior prison officer.

The last 2 executions in the state were that of Yakoob Memon and Ajmal Kasab. 
The classic example of delaying gallows by engaging the state in the legal 
hassle is that of the Gavit sisters.

It was in 2001, a Kolhapur sessions court had awarded death penalty to the 
Gavit sisters - Seema Gavit and Renuka Shinde - for abducting and killing a 
dozen odd children aged between 1 to 4 years. In next 14 years, their appeals 
were turned down and death penalty was upheld by all subsequent authorities 
including the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court. In April 2014 came the 
final blow for the sister duo when their mercy petition was rejected by the 
President of India.

Despite all of this, the sisters are still hopeful of respite and to stretch 
the legal discourse further the duo in August 2014 filed a fresh petition 
before the Bombay High Court citing "delay in execution" as the latest ground. 
Since then there is a stay on their execution and the case as expected is 
moving at a snail's pace.

The sisters are not alone, in last 3 years, President Pranab Mukherjee has 
rejected 24 mercy pleas (till July 2015) of which only three convicts - Yakub 
Memon, Mohd Ajmal Kasab and Afzal Guru - have been hanged till date. The 
remaining convicts have managed to procure stay on their hanging by moving 
fresh petitions before the respective high courts, primarily on the grounds of 
prolonged procedural delays in execution.

(source: Daily News & Analysis)



SOUTHEAST ASIA:

ASEAN setback: Forward march on death penalty


Last Wednesday President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo announced a controversial 
regulation in lieu of law, citing the many recent reports involving the rape 
and murder of children. The controversy stems from the addition of heavier 
penalties for the aforementioned crimes which include, among others, a life 
sentence, chemical castration and even the death penalty in particular cases. 
The death penalty has been outlined for cases where the crime has led to severe 
damage or death, or if the perpetrators were family members and or guardians of 
the victims.

The regulation is criticized for lacking a comprehensive perspective regarding 
sexual violence targeting children and also for strengthening the death penalty 
regime.

This is a setback from the government's commitment to human rights protection - 
compared to the moratorium on the death penalty in 2009-2013. The high number 
of executions carried out under the President Jokowi administration is 
inconsistent with a commitment made among ASEAN leaders to protect the right to 
life as stated in the ASEAN Charter on Human Rights, adopted in 2012.

Executions and leaders' statements elsewhere also indicate questionable 
commitment from ASEAN countries in regard to moving forward with a death 
penalty moratorium in the region.

Singapore executed Kho Jabing, a Malaysian citizen, on May 20, hours after the 
highest court rejected his appeal for clemency. In April, Malaysia also 
executed its citizens, Gunasegar Pitchaymuthu, Ramesh and Sasivarnam Jayakumar 
for murder. Indonesia may proceed to the next round of executions with a list 
of 14 death row convicts, reportedly after Idul Fitri in early July.

In April this year, Indonesia was criticized again by rights groups for 
claiming pro-capital punishment countries as like-minded groups in the UN 
General Assembly meeting, responding to outcry from a number of European 
countries over the assembly document, which omitted the commitment to promote 
the abolition of the death penalty.

The silence of ASEAN governments on this issue, before and following the Kho 
Jabing execution - presumably rooted in ASEAN's principle of non-interference - 
will continue to be the biggest challenge for the future of death penalty 
abolition in Southeast Asia.

Unfortunately Jabing belonged to a country that does not seem to care about 
losing a life of its citizen. Let us not forget what happened to Filipino 
convict Mary Jane Veloso, whose country's leaders had actively lobbied the 
Indonesian government, although the possibility of preventing her from 
execution is very unlikely.

At least their attempts have succeeded to delay the execution, providing more 
time for possible steps toward clemency. Similarly, regarding Indonesian 
migrant workers facing the death penalty in Malaysia, our government has 
actively provided legal assistance as well as bilateral diplomacy to prevent 
its citizens from executions.

Therefore, it is ironic that our government is planning a third round of 
executions. Moreover, the plan of the newly elected president of the 
Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, to revive the use of the death penalty, has a 
severe impact on the movement to abolish the death penalty in the region, as 
the country previously was among the few nations supporting its abolition.

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights records that in 
Southeast Asia only 3 out of 11 UN members have abolished capital punishment - 
Timor Leste, Cambodia and the Philippines. Cambodia's and Timor Leste's 
commitment to eliminate capital punishment is part of their post-conflict 
reconstruction under the aegis of the UN. Meanwhile, the abolition found its 
momentum in the Philippines as part of the commitment to cut off the Ferdinand 
Marcos' legacy, also sending a letter, reflecing active diplomatic roles in 
defending their migrant workers facing the death penalty abroad.

We still recall the migrant workers Sarah Balabagan and Flor Contemplacion 
sentenced to death for murder, cases that demonstrate the totality of the 
Philippines to defend its citizens from executions. This attempt has set the 
new benchmark and best practice for other ASEAN countries on how a country 
should protect its citizens facing the death penalty abroad.

Thus, Duterte's plan to revive the death penalty in the Philippines is 
counterproductive, and would affect the government's commitment to save the 
lives of its migrant workers abroad.

Meanwhile, Indonesia's representative for the ASEAN Intergovernmental 
Commission on Human Rights ( AICHR ), Dinna Wisnu, called for the abolition of 
the death penalty in ASEAN.

A similar call has come from the Malaysian AICHR representative Muhammad S. 
Abdullah for his active role in defending Wilfrida Soik, an Indonesian migrant 
worker, from execution.

However, their efforts promoting the abolition of capital punishment must be 
supported by comprehensive measures so as to push ASEAN countries to move away 
from their conservatism and look at the opportunity to end the death penalty.

In 2012 the road map toward abolishing capital punishment recorded a brighter 
picture when a few ASEAN countries no longer rejected the moratorium of the 
death penalty as shown in the table above.

The stance for abstention has given new hope for ASEAN to be a region in which 
the right to life would finally be respected as a non-derogable right.

Thus Indonesia's rights defenders continue to mobilize support and 
international solidarity to promote the abolition of the death penalty, 
including in the current penal code amendment discussed by lawmakers.

Activists in the Philippines will surely continue to fight Duterte's plan to 
revive the death penalty. It is precisely in this alarming situation that the 
momentum is here to urge leaders of ASEAN countries to walk their talk in 
protecting human rights as enshrined in the ASEAN Charter, by developing a road 
map for the abolition of death penalty in the region.

(source: Wahyu Susilo is a policy analyst for Migrant CARE, an NGO. Indriaswati 
Dyah Saptaningrum is a researcher for the Institute for Policy Research and 
Advocacy ( ELSAM ) and a PhD candidate at the University of New South Wales Law 
School in Sydney----Jakarta Post)






INDONESIA/MALAYSIA:

Govt to help RI convict avoid death penalty


After 21 court hearings, the trial court of Pulau Penang in Malaysia on Monday 
sentenced to death Indonesian migrant worker Rita Krisdianti who was caught at 
a Malaysian airport carrying 4 kilograms of illicit drugs in 2013.

Rita, a native of Ponorogo, East Java, worked as a housemaid in Hong Kong from 
January to April in 2013. She was on her way home in July when she was 
apprehended by Malaysian airport authorities after they found 4 kilograms of 
methamphetamine in her bag.

Rita claims she was unaware the drugs were in her bag and that the bag belonged 
to another Indonesian housemaid who had arranged her journey from Hong Kong to 
Penang through Bangkok and New Delhi.

In response to the verdict, the Foreign Ministry, which has assisted Rita 
throughout the court hearings, said Rita's case was not over and it had ordered 
a team of lawyers to file an appeal.

"Throughout this process we have supplied Rita with legal assistance, including 
appointing a team of lawyers for her," Foreign Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha 
Nasir said in Jakarta on Monday.

The ministry has also helped Rita's family, as well as members of several civil 
society organizations in Indonesia, attend the court hearings.

"We have coordinated with the Indonesian consulate in Hong Kong and the 
Ponorogo administration to obtain more information to lighten her sentence," 
Arrmanatha said.

The Indonesian Consulate General in Penang, meanwhile, has paid for the Goi & 
Azzura law firm to assist Rita since her detention began.

Ministry data shows that 154 other Indonesian workers are facing the death 
penalty in Malaysia. From that number, 102 of them, or 66 %, are implicated in 
drug cases.

In an effort to help its citizens, the ministry has been coordinating with the 
National Narcotics Agency ( BNN ) to assist the Indonesian workers in their 
court proceedings, especially those who, according to the agency's 
intelligence, were victims of a larger network of drug traffickers.

The move may seem ironic to some as Indonesia itself is preparing to execute at 
least 15 drug convicts in the near future, most of whom are foreign nationals. 
It will be the 3rd round of executions under President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, 
coming after 14 drug convicts were sent to their deaths amid international 
outcry. Jokowi's policy has been criticized as there are many Indonesians on 
death row in foreign countries and no guarantee the government can help them 
escape their fate.

When asked recently about whether Indonesia's use of the death penalty would 
affect negotiations to help Indonesians sentenced to death abroad, Arrmanatha 
said Indonesia did not seek to interfere with the law in other countries and 
thus opted to pursue its goals through legal avenues - such as by submitting 
appeals - to protects its citizens.

Regarding Rita's case, the Indonesian consul general in Penang, Taufiq Rodhi, 
said, "We fully respect the verdict given to Rita. However, we have ordered the 
lawyers to file an appeal."

"Because this is still the trial court, there is still a chance for us to 
appeal Rita's verdict. Through the Foreign Ministry, we will continue to 
coordinate with all relevant parties that can provide us with mitigating 
evidence," he added.

(source: Jakarta Post)

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

3 Taiwanese nabbed in Indonesia for possession of drugs


3 Taiwanese were arrested by Indonesian police for possession of illegal drugs, 
Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday.

As other suspects are still at large, Indonesian police declined to divulge the 
names of the suspects, the ministry said.

Media reports said Monday that Indonesian police arrested two Taiwanese at Bali 
International Airport, suspecting that they were the masterminds behind the 
attempt to smuggle 70 kilograms of methamphetamines into Indonesia that were 
seized at Jakarta International Airport.

The ministry said it has checked with the Indonesian government and confirmed 
that three Taiwanese had been arrested, but the amount of drugs seized was 
different than that stated in the reports.

Taiwan's representative office is keeping in touch with Indonesian police to 
stay on top of the case.

The ministry also urged Taiwanese nationals to abide by the law when traveling 
to other countries, noting that possession of drugs is subject to the death 
penalty in many countries.

3 Taiwanese have previously been sentenced to death by courts in Indonesia, it 
said.

(soruce: focustaiwan.tw)






PHILIPPINES:

Global group of jurists asks Duterte to rethink push for death penalty revival


The International Commission of Jurists has written President-elect Rodrigo 
Duterte to express concern about his strong support for reinstating the death 
penalty. The ICJ said it constitutes cruel and unusual punishment, has not been 
proven to deter heinous crime, and would run against repeated calls by the UN 
General Assembly for all states "to establish a moratorium on executions with a 
view to abolishing the death penalty."

The ICJ, a 60-year-old global organization of judges and lawyers fighting for 
legal protection of human rights throughout the world, said it "considers the 
imposition of the death penalty to be a violation of the right to life and the 
absolute prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment 
or punishment."

Reinstating the death penalty, said the letter signed by Sam Zarifi, ICJ's 
Regional Director for Asia & the Pacific, "would contravene international 
commitments that the Philippines has voluntarily entered into," and "place the 
Philippines at odds" with repeated UN calls to freeze all execution orders "and 
for those States which have abolished the death penalty, not to reintroduce 
it."

ICJ urged the incoming administration to "focus more on effective, 
evidence-based approaches to crime prevention," adding that, "policies and 
legislation that address the underlying social and economic causes of criminal 
activity are also vital to ensuring stability and the rule of law."

Scientific research, said the ICJ, has "failed to establish any significant 
impact of the death penalty on the incidence of crime." Instead, studies show 
"improving crime detection and investigation, increasing the effectiveness and 
efficiency of the justice system, and addressing underlying causes, is far more 
likely to reduce serious crime."

Obligations under international law

The ICJ described the Philippines as "an example of global best practice on the 
abolition of the death penalty." Besides scuttling the death penalty in 2006, 
it is the only ASEAN Member State that has ratified the 2ndOptional Protocol to 
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which obliges 
the Philippines not to execute any person within its jurisdiction.

"The 2nd Optional Protocol to the ICCPR contains no provision on renunciation, 
and States may not unilaterally withdraw from their obligations under the 
Protocol," said ICJ, adding that "the resumption of executions in the 
Philippines would therefore constitute a violation of international law and 
represent an alarming disregard for the international human rights system."

No deterrence vs. crime

The incoming administration's desire to reinstate the death penalty, noted ICJ, 
is "largely driven by the desire to reduce the occurrence of crime in the 
Philippines," and yet, it added, "empirical evidence does not prove that the 
death penalty deters crime."

Research also indicates, said ICJ, "that increasing the chances of actually 
being caught and punished can be effective in deterring criminal conduct. 
Individuals are less likely to commit crimes when there is a high probability 
of actually being subjected to criminal sanctions."

Investing in improved detection and investigation techniques and capacity, and 
improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the justice system, is more 
likely to achieve real results in reducing crime, added ICJ.

HERE'S FULL TEXT OF THE ICJ LETTER:

AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT-ELECT RODRIGO DUTERTE

Rodrigo R. Duterte

President-Elect of the Republic of the Philippines

31 May 2016

Dear President-elect Duterte,

We are writing to you today to express our concern regarding your recent 
statements in support of reinstating the death penalty.

The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) is a global organization of 
judges and lawyers. For the past 60 years, it has devoted itself to promoting 
the understanding and observance of the rule of law and the legal protection of 
human rights throughout the world.

The ICJ considers the imposition of the death penalty to be a violation of the 
right to life and the absolute prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman 
or degrading treatment or punishment. Reinstating the death penalty would 
contravene international commitments that the Philippines has voluntarily 
entered into. It would also place the Philippines at odds with the repeated 
calls by the UN General Assembly for all states "to establish a moratorium on 
executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty" and for those States 
which have abolished the death penalty, "not to reintroduce it."

Scientific research has failed to establish any significant impact of the death 
penalty on the incidence of crime. On the other hand, research indicates that 
improving crime detection and investigation, increasing the effectiveness and 
efficiency of the justice system, and addressing underlying causes, is far more 
likely to reduce serious crime.

Obligations of the Philippines under international law

The Philippines is currently an example of global best practice on the 
abolition of the death penalty. It abolished the death penalty in 2006 and is 
the only ASEAN Member State that has ratified the 2ndOptional Protocol to the 
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

Under Article 1 of the 2nd Optional Protocol to the ICCPR, the Philippines is 
obliged not to execute any person within its jurisdiction.

The 2nd Optional Protocol to the ICCPR contains no provision on renunciation, 
and States may not unilaterally withdraw from their obligations under the 
Protocol. The resumption of executions in the Philippines would therefore 
constitute a violation of international law and represent an alarming disregard 
for the international human rights system.

No evidence that death penalty deters crime

Your statements suggest that the intention to reinstate the death penalty is 
largely driven by the desire to reduce the occurrence of crime in the 
Philippines. We emphasize, however, that empirical evidence does not prove that 
the death penalty deters crime.

For instance, there is no proof that the death penalty deters crime at a 
greater rate than alternative forms of punishment, and the overwhelming 
majority of criminologists believe that the death penalty does not provide an 
effective deterrent.

Research also indicates that increasing the chances of actually being caught 
and punished can be effective in deterring criminal conduct. Individuals are 
less likely to commit crimes when there is a high probability of actually being 
subjected to criminal sanctions. Thus, heightened enforcement efforts that are 
highly visible send a clearer message to potential criminals. Indeed, multiple 
studies demonstrate that an increased likelihood of punishment is directly 
associated with a decrease in crime.

Based on the scientific research, then, reinstituting the death penalty in the 
Philippines is unproven and unlikely to have any real impact on the incidence 
of serious crime in the country. On the other hand, investing in improved 
detection and investigation techniques and capacity, and improving the 
effectiveness and efficiency of the justice system, is more likely to achieve 
real results in reducing crime.

We strongly urge that, in lieu of reinstating the death penalty, the Government 
of the Philippines should focus more on effective, evidence-based approaches to 
crime prevention. Policies and legislation that address the underlying social 
and economic causes of criminal activity are also vital to ensuring stability 
and the rule of law.

We note that there have already been initiatives in the past that, if given 
strong support and adequate resources, may be effective in deterring crime. For 
instance, the Philippine National Police has, in the past, established 
constructive law enforcement policies through initiatives such as the 
Community-Oriented Policing System, which emphasized comprehensive policing, 
data-driven solutions and community engagement.

Reinstating capital punishment in the Philippines would constitute a huge 
setback not only for the promotion and protection of human rights in the 
country, but also for the Philippines internationally.

As mentioned above, the Philippines has in recent years shown how strong 
leadership and political will can be instrumental in abolishing the death 
penalty. The Philippines can today rightfully claim and be presented 
internationally and regionally as an example of global best practice in the 
abolition of the death penalty.

Needlessly reversing course and losing this leading role is unlikely to have 
any significant impact on reducing crime in the Philippines, but it will 
adversely affect the Philippines' standing in the world.

We therefore hope that, under your presidency, the same strength of leadership 
can be applied in maintaining the current prohibition of the death penalty, and 
instead preventing crime in a manner that conforms to international human 
rights law and standards.

Very truly yours,

Sam Zarifi

Regional Director for Asia & the Pacific

International Commission of Jurists

(source: interakyson.com)



GAZA----executions

Hamas executes 3 as death penalty resumes


3 people convicted of murder have been executed in the Gaza Strip, in a move 
condemned by the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.

The men were shot or hanged on Tuesday after appeals were exhausted, officials 
from Gaza's de facto rulers, the Islamist Hamas movement, said.

Hamas did not seek the approval of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, as 
required under Palestinian law.

It underscores the continuing divisions between the main Palestinian factions.

Hamas and President Abbas' Fatah party signed a unity deal in 2014 designed to 
end a seven-year split which saw the West Bank and the Gaza Strip governed by 
rival administrations.

However, the agreement has never been properly implemented, leaving Hamas still 
effectively in charge of the coastal territory.

'Flagrant violation'

The 3 men, 1 of whom was a reportedly a policeman employed by the West 
Bank-based Palestinian Authority, were executed at dawn.

The general prosecutor's office in Gaza said the men had been put to death "to 
achieve public deterrence and block crime".

A Gaza security source told the BBC the execution had been attended by the 
families of the murder victims, the attorney general and representatives of 
Palestinian factions.

Human rights groups and the UN had called on Hamas not to carry out the 
sentences.

The step marks a resumption of judicial executions for the 1st time since the 
2014 reconciliation pact.

Palestinian Authority attorney general Ahmed Brak told Reuters news agency that 
"carrying out the executions represents a flagrant violation of the Palestinian 
basic law", according to which the president must ratify death sentences.

Those who were involved in Tuesday's executions were complicit in murder and 
would be held accountable, he said.

According to Human Rights Watch, more than 40 people have been put to death in 
Gaza since 2007, including 23 suspected collaborators during the 2014 war with 
Israel.

Most of those executed were convicted in military courts or executed summarily, 
without a judicial ruling, it said.

(source: BBC news)






PAPUA NEW GUINEA:

PNG opposition MP against the death penalty


The deputy leader of the opposition in Papua New Guinea Sam Basil will not 
support the death penalty being applied.

Last week Nauru abolished the death penalty, leaving Papua New Guinea as one of 
the few Pacific states retaining the legislation.

2 years ago PNG announced it would reactivate the penalty to combat soaring 
levels of violent crime, but that move has been condemned internationally and 
last year the government indicated it could change its position.

Mr Basil says his personal view is to support the death penalty as a deterrent 
but he told Lucy Smith his constituents don't agree, and it is their views he 
represents.

SAM BASIL: I believe that from my district 30 % want it and 70 % don't want it 
So because I represent that 70 % and more that gave their views to me I will 
have to represent their views on the parliament floor.

LUCY SMITH: When you say you're going to represent their views so they're 
against death penalty?

SB: Yeah they're against death penalty. Pressure is mounting from outside to 
ask members of parliament not to support death penalty. But as I said if I had 
my way I would be supporting death penalty. I'm only one I don't know about 
other members of parliament.

LS: Do you think PNG will follow Nauru's lead?

SB: I'm not sure about it but if you carry out a survey about how many people 
die in PNG every week compared to Nauru people being killed by criminals and 
people being intentionally killed by people? have you carried out a survey 
comparing on that before you compare Papua New Guineas stats to Nauru?

LS: Do you think the death penalty is a deterrent from crime?

SB: I think it could be for a while but not forever maybe for the next 5 - 10 
years. I mean you look at Malaysia, you look at Singapore. I believe they have 
death penalty laws there, In Singapore it's the most safest place on earth you 
can freely walk around and all this so some people are comparing stats from 
those country to be favourable on the death penalty laws that we have here.

LS: Do you think there is pressure on PNG to get rid of the death penalty?

SB: Not if we're getting 5 people murdered everyday/every week we have to find 
a way to have police presence in the rural areas because that's where people 
are being killed every week. It's a bigger issue than stopping the death 
penalty it's more than that. At the back of my mind At the back of my mind if I 
can convince them in the future the subject will be a hot issue to still 
debate. We have to make sure that whatever government comes into play in the 
future we need to make sure we look after law and order issues to make sure we 
don't continue to have more than 5 people killed every week.

(source: The deputy leader of the opposition in Papua New Guinea Sam 
Basil----radionz.co.nz)






IRAN:

Iran regime planning to hang man for crime committed aged 15


Iran's fundamentalist regime may be planning to execute a man for a crime 
allegedly committed when he was only 15 as early as today, May 31.

Mohammad-Reza Haddadi, who was born on March 17, 1988 and is now 28 years old, 
has been imprisoned in Iran for the past 13 years. He is currently locked up in 
a prison in Shiraz, southern Iran.

The authorities in the office of implementation of court verdicts have informed 
his family that they plan to execute him on Tuesday, May 31.

His father told international media organizations that his son had also called 
his family to say that the regime plan to move him to the ward for implementing 
verdicts tonight.

Mohammad-Reza Haddadi allegedly told a court hearing on October 30, 2003 that 
he had killed an individual that he had tried to rob. However, in a letter to 
the court on November 7, 2003 he said that he had been offered money by another 
suspect to testify to the murder on the basis that he would not receive a harsh 
sentence given that he was a minor. He reiterated in his letter that he had 
been fooled by the other suspect and that he did not have a role in the murder.

At least 118 people have been executed in Iran since April 10. 3 of those 
executed were women and 2 are believed to have been juvenile offenders.

There have been more than 2,300 executions during Hassan Rouhani's tenure as 
President. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation 
in Iran in March announced that the number of executions in Iran in 2015 was 
greater than any year in the last 25 years. Rouhani has explicitly endorsed the 
executions as examples of "God's commandments" and "laws of the parliament that 
belong to the people."

Ahmed Shaheed, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, 
told a news briefing in Geneva on March 10 that Iran's regime is the lead 
executioner of children globally. This is "strictly and unequivocally 
prohibited under international law," he said.

"The number of juvenile offenders executed between 2014 and 2015 - which is 
reportedly 16 - was higher than at any time during the past 4 years," Shaheed 
said.

Ms. Farideh Karimi, a member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran 
(NCRI) and a human rights activist, last week called for an urgent response by 
the United Nations and foreign governments to the recent spate of executions 
and the appalling state of human rights in Iran.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) said in a statement on April 
13 that the increasing trend of executions "aimed at intensifying the climate 
of terror to rein in expanding protests by various strata of the society, 
especially at a time of visits by high-ranking European officials, demonstrates 
that the claim of moderation is nothing but an illusion for this medieval 
regime."

(source: NCR-Iran)

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

The Names of 32 Prisoners who Have Been Charged with Muharebeh


More than 70 political prisoners are kept in Rajaei Shahr and Evin prisons who 
have been charged with Muharebeh. Considering the recent changes in the penal 
code, they need to be re-tried. After a re-trial most of these prisoners are 
expected to be released. HRANA published the names of 32 prisoners of these 2 
prisons who have been charged with Muharebeh.

According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), 
considering the fact that article 186 has been superseded, political prisoners 
with the charge of Muharebeh need to be re-tried. Therefore the names of 32 
prisoners who are imprisoned in Evin and Rajaei Shahr prisons on this charge 
are being published by HRANA.

Article 186 of the Islamic penal code had implied, "If someone is following the 
goals of a party or armed group, under the condition that the leadership of the 
group still exists, and carry out effective actions in that regard (advocative 
or membership), he will be recognized as sacrilegious and will receive related 
punishments".

The article 288 that superseded article 186 implies, "A group that commits 
armed actions against the Islamic Republic of Iran's government is recognized 
as rebel and in case of using weapons, their members will be sentenced to 
death".

Previously a group of political prisoners published a letter, and discussed the 
changes of law and analyzed it from religious and legal perspectives. This 
letter was supported by 2 well-known lawyers, Abdulfattah Soltani and Mohammad 
Saif Zadeh.

Mohammad Moghimi, lawyer and human rights activist, told HRANA's reporter in 
this regard, "The pressure of public opinion and human rights organizations 
should provide the foundation of implementation of this new law, that would 
result in release of these defendants".

Previously HRANA had published the names of 27 death row Sunni prisoners.

The list includes the name, family name, year of arrest and verdict of each 
prisoners respectively:

Rajaei Shahr prison:

Mohammad Nazari, 1993, life time prison

Khaled Freydooni, 1998, life time prison

Omar Faghihpoor, 1998, life time prison

Khaled Hardani, 2000, life time prison

Farhang Poormansour, 2000, life time prison

Shahram Poormansour, 2000, life time prison

Saeid Masoori, 2000, life time prison

Afshin Baymani, 2000, life time prison

Hamzeh Savari, 2005, life time prison

Jafar Eghdami, 2007, 10 years in prison

Pirouz Mansouri, 2007, 18 years in prison

Saleh Kohandel, 2007, 10 years in prison

Hasan Sadeghi, 2015, 15 years in prison

Abulghasem Fooladvand, 2013, 15 years in prison

Hasan Ashtiani, 2013, 15 years in prison

Ramazan Ahmad Kamal, 2008, 10 years in prison

Mohammad Akramipoor, 2013, 15 years in prison

Paiman Arefi, 2009, 15 years in prison

Ahmad Karimi, 2009, 15 years in prison

Zanyar Moradi, 2008, death

Loghman Moradi, 2008, death

Hooshang Rezaei, 2010, death

Evin prison:

Ahmad Daneshpoor Moghadam, 2009, death

Mohsen Daneshpoor Moghadam, 2009, death

Ali Zahed, 2008, life time prison

Hadi Ghaemi, 2009, 15 years in prison

Raihaneh Haj Ibrahim Dabagh, 2009, 15 years in prison

Maryam Akbari Monfared, 2009, 15 years in prison

Fatemeh Mosanna, 2013, 15 years in prison

Sadigheh Moradi, 2013, 10 years in prison

Behnaz Zakeri Ansari, 2012, 10 years in prison

Zahra Zehtabchi, 2013, 12 years in prison

(source: HRA News Agency)