[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Oct. 10




IRAN:

International call to save the life of a 22-year-old woman from execution


The Women's Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran urges all 
international human rights and women's rights organizations and agencies to 
take urgent action to save the life of Zeinab Sekanvan, a 22-year-old woman 
imprisoned in the Central Prison of Orumiyeh, who is in the danger of imminent 
execution.

Zeinab Sekanvand comes from a village near Makou (Western Azerbaijan Province, 
northwestern Iran). She was forced into marriage when she was 15 due to her 
family's poverty. After 2 years of painful life, she was arrested at age 17 on 
the charge of killing her husband.

After her 5 years imprisonment, on October 3, Zainab was notified of the dead 
penalty and since then she is on the death row.

(source: The Women's Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran)

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

Iranian child bride spared execution for killing abusive husband because she 
was pregnant now faces being hanged after giving birth to a stillborn


An Iranian child bride could be hanged within weeks after she was sentenced to 
death for allegedly murdering her abusive husband.

Zeinab Sokian was sentenced to death for the 2012 murder of her husband, when 
she was just 17.

However, Zeinab married another prisoner while in jail and fell pregnant, and 
as Iranian law prevents pregnant women from being executed her death sentence 
was delayed.

However, on September 30 she gave birth to a stillborn child in Euromieh 
central prison in northern Iran, meaning she could now be put to death within 
weeks.

Zeinab, who hails from a small village in northern Iran, was just 15 when she 
married her 1st husband.

Under Iranian law girls can marry at 13-years-old and boys at 15, although 
international human rights organisations say both parties in a marriage should 
be aged 18 or over.

During her trial, Zeinab claimed that her husband frequently beat and abused 
her, a source told Human Rights Watch. However, her claims were dismissed by 
the court.

The human rights organisation says that Zeinab was informed by authorities this 
week her execution could take place in the coming weeks.

Iran passed legal reforms in 2013, which give judges the discretion to spare 
children the death penalty if they do not understand the nature of their crime.

The law also entitles those sentenced to death prior to 2013 to a new trial - 
but only if they request it.

Human Right Watch is calling for all pre-2013 defendents to face a new trial.

'The 2013 reforms aimed to prevent wrongful conviction of children for capital 
offenses. If the Iranian government is serious about this goal, it should at a 
minimum grant everyone facing the death penalty for alleged offenses committed 
as children a new trial that conforms to international human rights standards,' 
the organisation said.

'This includes Zeinab, an alleged victim of domestic violence, who may 
otherwise imminently face the gallows.'

(source: Daily Mail)

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

Mother of an executed woman pledges to for abolishment of death penalty


Mother of Rayhaneh Jabbari who hanged in October 2014 for defending herself 
against assault by a member of the Iranian regime's intelligence has pledged to 
fight for abolishment of death sentence in Iran.

In a letter published in news networks, Mrs Sholeh Pakravan, wrote: "It's now 2 
years full of ups and downs since Rayhaneh was executed. Today, I hate the 
death penalty even more."

"2 years ago, I was totally focusing on preventing Rayhaneh from being 
executed. Today, however, I'm living with the hope for an Iran without the 
death sentence. I'm not afraid of anything for taking this path. I'm looking 
the demon 'death sentence' (Iranian regime) right in the eye, waiting for the 
right time to deliver it the final blow, so that all the gallows be relegated 
to the museums."

In a reference to children killed in Iran while playing by hanging themselves 
following watching public hangings in streets, she added: "instead of 
'execution game', let our children play 'life game'.

"I understand every second the survivors of an execution go through. I 
understand the meaning of responsibility and I knowingly accept it."

She continues: "I can't stand to see the youth, like my own children, mourning 
the loss of their executed sisters or brothers. I can't stand to witness the 
tears shed by fathers and mothers for their executed children."

She concludes: "I can't stand to see a human struggling in mid-air .. and then 
the dead body be wrapped in a cover and sent to the cemetery. I shout with all 
my heart NO TO EXECUTION."

(source: NCR-Iran)






BANGLADESH:

EU wants Bangladesh to abolish death penalty


The ambassadors of the European countries in Dhaka hope that Bangladesh will 
implement the UN resolutions to abolish death penalty.

On the European Day against the Death Penalty and the World Day against the 
Death Penalty, the ambassadors wrote a letter to the editors on Oct 10.

In the letter, they cited different UN resolutions that called upon States to 
abolish death penalty completely or to enforce a moratorium on executions until 
that happens.

"EU also hopes that Bangladesh, as a Member of the United Nations Human Rights 
Council, will take all necessary actions to implement the UN Resolutions, and 
thereby fully contribute to the enhancement of fundamental rights and human 
dignity in the world," read the letter.

The European Union, which is the largest trading partner of Bangladesh, 
reaffirms its principled opposition to the use of the death penalty and 
reiterates that capital punishment is "inhumane and unnecessary".

? "No legal system is flawless; any miscarriage of justice could lead to the 
tragic loss of an innocent life," they wrote.

"The State, with its particular responsibility as the ultimate guarantor of 
human rights for all , should not deprive anyone of his or her fundamental, 
inherent and inalienable right to life."

Ambassador of EU delegation to Bangladesh Pierre Mayaudon, British High 
Commissioner Alison Blake, Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of Denmark Jakob 
Haugaard, Swedish Ambassador Johan Frisell, French Ambassador Sophie Aubert, 
Italian Ambassador Mario Palma, German Ambassador Thomas Heinrich Prinz, 
Spanish Ambassador Eduardo de Laiglesia y del Rosal, and Ambassador for 
Netherlands Leoni Cuelenaere signed the letter.

The 28-country bloc, EU, never supports death penalty in any circumstances and 
campaigns globally against the practice.

Despite a marked trend towards abolition and restriction of the use of capital 
punishment, it says, the number of States maintaining death penalty in their 
legal systems remains "high".

"Actively supported by countries from all regions, the EU uses all available 
means in working towards the goal of abolishing the death penalty throughout 
the world."

(source: bdnews24.com)






INDIA:

Death penalty vs reform: Supreme Court questions death row convict's claim for 
reform


The Supreme Court rejected the argument of a death row convict that the state 
should have given him an opportunity to reform in the rape-murder of a 4 
year-old girl. "Even a terrorist or a Rakshas (demon) can be reformed. If a 
terrorist who has killed 20 people in a blast and who does not have a criminal 
record can be reformed, can't the court give him any relief for reformation?," 
a bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra, at the Apex Court, asked. "Can any 
convict be granted relief because the state has failed to reform or failed to 
prove that he can't be reformed?" the bench also asked while listening to the 
review plea of Vasanta Sampat ?Dupare against the confirmation of his death 
penalty.

Countering Dupare's argument, the Maharashtra government's counsel Nishant 
Khatneswarkar argued that the state can't anticipate whether he will reform as 
the offence is brutal in nature. The counsel pressed for dismissal of his 
review plea. The hearing that went on for more than 45 minutes in open court 
ended with the bench reserving its order.

In November, 2014, the bench handed down death penalty to Dupare,52, describing 
rape of a child as "an anathema to the social balance" and the offender as a 
"menace to the society".

Dupare in April 2008 had raped and killed the minor girl after luring her to 
have chocolates in Nagpur, Maharashtra. He had crushed her head with heavy 
stones and hid her body. Testimonies of various witnesses along with other 
scientific and circumstantial evidence had brought home the guilt of the 
accused.

(source: Daily News & Analysis)






SOUTHEAST ASIA:

Going backwards: The death penalty in Southeast Asia


Over the past year, Southeast Asia has witnessed significant setbacks with 
regard to the abolition of the death penalty, FIDH said in a new report 
published today, on the occasion of the 14th World Day Against the Death 
Penalty.

The report, titled "Going backwards: The death penalty in Southeast Asia," 
provides an update on the status of the death penalty in the region since last 
year's World Day. It also provides important recommendations to governments in 
the region with a view to make genuine and tangible progress towards the 
abolition of the death penalty for all crimes.

"Too many governments in Southeast Asia lack the vision and political will to 
eliminate the death penalty - a barbaric practice that has no place in today's 
world. It is imperative that all retentionist countries in Southeast Asia 
immediately declare official moratoria on all executions as an initial step 
towards the complete abolition of capital punishment."----Dimitris 
Christopoulos, FIDH President.

Since October 2015, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore have all carried out 
executions. It is unknown whether any executions were carried out in Vietnam, 
where statistics on the death penalty continue to be classified as 'state 
secrets.'

In the name of combating drug trafficking, Indonesian President Joko Widodo is 
rapidly becoming Southeast Asia's top executioner. The Philippines, which 
effectively abolished the death penalty for all crimes in 2006, is considering 
reinstating capital punishment as part of President Rodrigo Duterte's 
ill-conceived and disastrous 'war on drugs.'

Slow or no progress towards the complete abolition of the death penalty for all 
crimes has been observed in Brunei Darussalam, Burma, Laos, and Thailand - 
countries that have attained, or are close to attaining, the status of de facto 
abolitionist.

Across retentionist countries in Southeast Asia, a disproportionate number of 
death sentences continues to be imposed for drug-related offenses. Countries 
that have ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 
(ICCPR) and that continue to impose capital punishment for drug-related 
offenses are in contravention of their own international legal obligations. 
Article 6 of the ICCPR reserves the death penalty solely for the "most serious 
crimes," a threshold that international jurisprudence has repeatedly stated 
drug-related offenses do not meet.

In many Southeast Asian countries, governments maintain a high degree of 
secrecy over information concerning the use of the death penalty. This practice 
is contrary to international standards on the use of the death penalty. UN 
jurisprudence has found that the lack of transparency in the application and 
imposition of the death penalty can result in inhuman or degrading treatment or 
punishment under Article 7 of the ICCPR and Article 1 of the Convention against 
Torture (CAT). Such secrecy also contravenes the public's right to information 
under Articles 14 and 19 of the ICCPR.

The denial of fair trial rights and due process also remain a major concern in 
connection with the prosecution of cases involving the death penalty. In July 
2016, several inmates facing the firing squad in the latest round of executions 
in Indonesia alleged that they had been convicted based on confessions obtained 
through torture.

The 14th World Day Against the Death Penalty is raising awareness about the 
application of the death penalty for terrorism-related offenses. All Southeast 
Asian countries retain the death penalty for terrorism. However, the 
application of such laws is subject to abuse and arbitrary application because 
governments define this crime in very broad and vague terms. In addition, many 
alleged violent acts of terrorism do not meet the threshold of the "most 
serious crimes."

(source: fidh.org)






JAPAN:

Bar federation's call to end death penalty reflects global trend


The prospect of facing criticism, angry reactions and resistance did not 
discourage the Japan Federation of Bar Associations from taking a bold and 
major step.

The group of lawyers adopted Oct. 7 a declaration calling for an end to 
Japan???s death penalty system by 2020, a decision reached by majority support 
at the Convention on the Protection of Human Rights it organized in Fukui.

The JFBA has consistently taken a cautious stance toward the ultimate form of 
punishment. During a convention of the same series held five years ago, the 
federation pronounced that "a society without the death penalty is desirable" 
and called for opening broad-based discussions on abolishing it.

On the latest occasion, the JFBA presented, for the first time, a 
straightforward call for ending capital punishment.

A U.N. congress of experts on criminal justice will be held in Japan in 2020. 
The target date in the JFBA's declaration was set with an eye toward that 
congress.

We should solidify that pathway by sharing the results of the JFBA discussions 
in our society.

Once carried out, executions are irreversible. But judges are only human, and 
mistakes do occur.

A decision made 2 years ago to redo the trial for Iwao Hakamada, a death-row 
inmate, is still fresh in our memory. 4 other death-row inmates had earlier 
been found innocent after they were granted retrials.

Meanwhile, studies conducted in Japan and abroad have yet to verify the 
hypothesis that the death penalty deters crimes.

The established trend in the international community is to abolish capital 
punishment, with 140 countries having ended executions either institutionally 
or practically. Capital punishment is maintained only in Japan and certain U.S. 
states among the 35 member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation 
and Development.

Japan is coming under increasingly exacting eyes, with U.N. committees having 
recommended corrective action to Japan on repeated occasions.

Concerning this matter, thought should be given, before anything else, to 
family members who have lost loved ones to crimes. Lawyers helping crime 
victims are protesting the JFBA's latest move.

The declaration does not bind the thoughts and actions of individual lawyers. 
There may, of course, be campaigns for maintaining the death penalty system.

We do hope the campaigners will not limit themselves to criticizing the 
declaration but will also draw on their experiences in helping crime victims to 
present their views about what is lacking in the currently available assistance 
measures. They should also suggest what remedies would be necessary if Japan 
pursues an end to capital punishment. Through these efforts, we hope they will 
help deepen discussions.

The declaration also includes calls for reforming the system of imprisonment 
involving compulsory labor in prison, as well as the suspended sentence system.

These proposals, which call for broadening the option of available punishments 
to provide the most suitable treatment for those sentenced, were also discussed 
previously within the government.

The shape of punishment should be reviewed in accordance with the 
circumstances. We run the risk of lagging behind changing times and global 
trends if we remain fixated on the current state of things and abandon further 
thinking.

(source: Editorial, The Asahi Shimbun)






MALAYSIA:

Madpet hopes death penalty abolished by this time next year


On the 14th World Day Against the Death Penalty, Oct 10, 2016, Malaysians 
Against Death Penalty and Torture (Madpet) urges Malaysia to expedite the 
abolition of the death penalty, and to impose a moratorium on all executions 
against the death penalty.

Nancy Shukri, the then-minister in the Prime Minister's Department, did say 
that she hoped to take her proposal to amend the Penal Code and abolish the 
mandatory death sentence to the Dewan Rakyat as early as March 2016. (The Malay 
Mail, Nov 17, 2015)

A few days before that, attorney-general Apandi Ali said he will propose to the 
cabinet that the mandatory death penalty be scrapped, so that judges are given 
the option to choose between sentencing a person to jail or the gallows. (The 
Malaysian Insider, Nov 13, 2016)

Malaysia was accorded a space of importance at the recent 6th World Congress 
Against the Death Penalty, organised in Oslo (Norway) from June 21 to 23, 2016, 
where the then-de facto law minister, Nancy Shukri, was expected make a 
positive announcement about Malaysia's intention to abolish the death penalty.

Sadly, the minister could only confirm that Malaysia was still moving in that 
direction, but she could not be more specific about exactly when these proposed 
amendments would be tabled in Parliament.

Nancy told the World Congress that a government-backed study on the death 
penalty had been completed and a paper is being readied by the 
Attorney-General's Chambers. The study was conducted by the International 
Centre For Law and Legal Studies (I-CeLLS). The consultant was then Professor 
Dr Roger Hood, Professor of Criminology and Emeritus Fellow of All Souls 
College Oxford. (The Star, June 22, 2016)

The minister also told Malaysiakini on the sidelines of the Sixth World 
Congress that the study had been completed about 2 months ago. (Malaysiakini, 
July 10, 2016)

Death penalty is no deterrent

Nancy Shukri had previously also said that empirical studies showed that the 
death penalty had not led to "the deterring effect that such a penalty was 
created". (The Star, June 22, 2016)

This was consistent with the facts the then-home minister, Hishammuddin 
Hussein, revealed to the Malaysian Parliament in March 2012, which showed that 
police statistics for the arrests of drug dealers under Section 39B of the 
Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which carries the mandatory death penalty, for the 
past 3 years (2009 to 2011) have shown an increase.

In 2009, there were 2,955 arrested under this section. In 2010, 3,700 people 
were arrested, whilst in 2011, there were 3,845 arrested. (Free Malaysia Today, 
March 19, 2012, 'Death penalty not deterring drug trade')

Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation vice-chairperson Lee Lam Thye also did 
note in July 2013 that the death sentence had not deterred the drug trade.

Cases like that of Malaysian Umi Azlim Mohamad Lazim, 24, a graduate from a 
poor Malay family of rice farmers, and young Malaysian Yong Vui Kong who were 
once facing death for drug trafficking overseas, who since then had their 
sentences commuted, have opened the eyes of most Malaysians to the fact that 
many of the persons facing the death penalty for drug trafficking are really 
'mules', many of whom are young people who have been tricked, or those who are 
financially disadvantaged.

They are certainly not the kingpins of drug trafficking, and certainly do not 
deserve to be hanged.

Mandatory death penalty

Currently in Malaysia, the death penalty is mandatory for about 12 offences, 
while about 20 other offences are punishable by a discretionary death penalty. 
Murder and Drug Trafficking carry the mandatory death penalty.

Likewise, the Firearms (Increased Penalties) Act 1971 provides for the 
mandatory death penalty if firearms are discharged with intent to cause death 
or hurt to any person, shall, notwithstanding that no hurt is caused for 
offences like extortion, robbery, kidnaping, house breaking or house trespass, 
and such mandatory death penalty would also increase the risk the death of 
victims and/or potential witnesses.

It is all the more important for the mandatory death penalty be abolished where 
no hurt/death results.

The mandatory death penalty must be totally abolished, and considering Malaysia 
is on the verge of abolishing the death penalty, especially the mandatory death 
penalty, it was most disturbing that Malaysia in 2016 have executed 4 persons, 
who were convicted for murder which carried the mandatory death penalty.

Gunasegar Pitchaymuthu, Ramesh Jayakumar and Sasivarnam Jayakumar were executed 
on March 25, 2016, whilst Ahmad Najib Aris was executed less than 3 weeks ago 
on Sept 23, 2016.

Immediate moratorium on all executions needed now

We recall that Edmund Bon Tai Soon, Malaysia's current Asean Intergovernmental 
Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) representative, was reported saying 
'...Malaysia's moratorium, I understand, is only for drug trafficking cases...' 
(The Star, July 10, 2015). It must be noted that Human Rights Commission of 
Malaysia (Suhakam), also did reiterate on March 29, 2016 their recommendation 
that a moratorium on the use of the death penalty be put in place in Malaysia.

Madpet believes that there must a moratorium on executions of everyone, not 
just those convicted for drug trafficking.

Why the delay in the tabling of these amendments?

Madpet notes that Malaysia informed us that the study was completed in early 
April or May 2016, and all that is needed if for the Attorney-General's 
Chambers to draft and thereafter submit the proposed amendments to be tabled by 
the government in Parliament, which we hope will happen soon in the upcoming 
Parliamentary session this October 2016.

Therefore,

Madpet urges Azalina Othman Said, who replaced Nancy Shukri in mid-July as the 
new de facto Law Minister, will expedite the tabling of the much needed 
amendments that will abolish the death penalty.

Madpet also urges that Malaysia to announce a moratorium on all executions, not 
just for drug trafficking, pending the tabling of amendments, that would see 
the abolition of mandatory death penalty, and hopefully also the abolition of 
the death penalty. As of May 16, 2016, there are 1,041 persons on death row.

Madpet also urges Malaysia to vote in favour of the upcoming United Nations 
General Assembly Resolution calling for a moratorium of executions pending 
abolition of the death penalty, or at the very least record a vote of 
abstention.

Madpet reiterates its urging for Malaysia to abolish the death penalty, and 
hopes that by the next World Day Against the Death Penalty, Malaysia will 
proudly stand amongst countries that have abolished the death penalty.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(source: CHARLES HECTOR is coordinator, Malaysians Against Death Penalty and 
Torture (Madpet)----malaysiakini.com)






INDONESIA:

Death penalty becoming more popular in Indonesia


Indonesia, 1 of only 25 countries in the world that still impose capital 
punishment, has seen 35 people sentenced to death by the courts since the start 
of the year, according to the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of 
Violence (Kontras). That number could grow in the coming years, as the country 
is mulling whether to widen the application of the ultimate penalty.

Marking the 14th World Day Against the Death Penalty, Kontras issued a report 
that shows legal flaws in the application of capital punishment and in the 
execution of 4 death row inmates this year. One bright spot is that some death 
sentences have been overturned on appeal by the Supreme Court.

"This trend is likely to continue and may even get worse, given the 
government's legal policies and plans to amend some laws," Kontras warned in 
the report presented at a news conference on Saturday.

Puri Kencana Putri, Kontras coordinator for strategy and mobilization, called 
the 4 executions in July "illegal" over flaws in the way they had been carried 
out. All 4 legal cases had still been pending, Puri said, and none of the 
convicts' relatives had been properly notified about the executions, as 
required by the law.

"We even have credible reports to suggest that their isolation cells were 
flooded knee-deep the night they were executed," Puri said, recalling strong 
rain that morning at the high-security prison island of Nusakambangan, Central 
Java, where the executions took place.

A separate recent report looks at how five leading newspapers in the country 
reported on the execution of death row inmates this year. The Alliance of 
Independent Journalists (AJI) Jakarta in its report criticized the media for 
not being critical enough in reporting these executions.

The 35 new death sentences this year add to the already long list of people on 
death row in Indonesia. In December 2014, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo 
ordered that all 64 people on death row should be executed. 18 of them have 
since met their death in 3 separate rounds of executions, including the latest 
one in July.

In 2015, 26 people were sentenced to death at courts of first instance, 
according to the Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (ICJR).

Kontras said that 25 of the new death sentences this year were meted to drug 
traffickers. They include 24 non-Indonesians, from China ( 10 ), Malaysia (6), 
Nigeria (4), Taiwan (2), and 1 each from the US and Pakistan.

The execution of convicts has become something of a hallmark of the presidency 
of Jokowi, who has declared war on drug trafficking, an offense that carries 
the ultimate punishment. 14 drugtraffickers were executed in 2015, but an 
earlier plan to execute14 more in July was aborted at the last minute; instead 
only 4 were sent to the firing squad.

Until today, the government has not explained the reason for the literally 
11th-hour reprieve for the 10. Attorney General Muhammad Prasetyo insisted 
their executions were simply being delayed.

Jokowi has publicly rebuked any attempt at intervention by foreign leaders who 
asked for a stay of executions for their citizens, citing Indonesia's 
sovereignty. This did not stop European leaders from telling him to stop the 
executions when he visited Germany, Britain, the Netherlands and Belgium in 
April.

Indonesia's appetite for the blood of criminals has not stopped there. In the 
current debate to reform the penal code, politicians are advocating expanding 
the use of capital punishment to acts of treason, terrorism and 
terrorism-related activities, genocide, corruption, endangering flight safety, 
extortion and intimidation. With reports of sexual abuse against children, some 
politicians have also asked to add this to the list of crimes punishable by 
death.

The AJI Jakarta report studied 5 Jakarta-based newspapers - Kompas, Republika, 
Tempo, Media Indonesia and The Jakarta Post - on how they reported the 
executions this year. The report said all but Republika had taken an editorial 
position opposing the death penalty, but the study found this to be in 
contradiction to the tone of their reporting, which supported the death 
penalty.

(source: The Jakarta Post)

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

Watchdog Urges Govt to Cancel Death Executions


The People's Coalition for the Abolition of Death Penalty (Koalisi HATI) has 
urged the government to implement a moratorium on executions of drug convicts 
because it violates human rights and has no deterrent effect on drug offenders.

"Death penalty gives no solution for drug trafficking [issue]," said Bahrain, 
Director for Advocacy of Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (LBH), at his office on 
Sunday, October 9, 2016. The Joko Widodo administration has executed 14 drug 
inmates so far. However, data from the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) shows 
that drug trafficking continues to rise.

"Data from the BNN revealed that there were 1.7 million [drug] users in 2015. 
After the 2nd round of executions, it has gone up to 5.9 million people," 
Bahrain said. He has called on the government to change sentences given to 
death row inmates.

Aside from calling for a moratorium on death penalty, Koalisi HATI has also 
urged President Joko Widodo to establish an independent team to investigate 
into wrongful convictions, citing inconsistent approach and lack of 
transparency in implementing the death penalty.

Head of Indonesian Advocacy for Fellowship of Victims of Drugs Totok Yulianto 
argued that death penalty is often adopted by the government as the last 
resort. "In Soeharto era, [death penalty] was adopted on political crimes. In 
Jokowi era, it is adopted on drug crimes," he said.

According to Totok, the government will find another avenue if it is committed 
to evaluating the real problems. "Such evaluation has never been done," he 
said.

In 2014, the government pushed for the death penalty. President Joko Widodo 
also planned to rehabilitate 100,000 drug users. It turned out that only 21,000 
had been rehabilitated, Totok said. Consequently, the government has resorted 
to the death penalty in 2016. "President Jokowi tries to cover up his failure 
by [resorting to] death execution," he said.

(source: tempo.co)

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

Australian man could face death penalty after Bali drug arrest


An Australian man arrested in Bali on drugs charges could possibly face the 
death penalty after police allegedly found hashish at his home in Sanur.

The 48-year-old Australian, identified by police as Giuseppe Serafino, is 
believed to be from Perth.

Mr Serafino was arrested, along with a British journalist, at around 12.30pm on 
Saturday after officers found a small bag containing what they believed to be 
at least 7 grams of hash at the address, head of the drugs squad at Denpasar 
Police Station, Gede Ganefo, said.

The Australian consulate in Bali is now making arrangements to visit Giuseppe 
Serafino.

Police say the man has been living at the address in Bali for the past 5 years.

After questioning, Mr Ganefo said the Australian man told them he had obtained 
it from his 54-year-old British friend, referred to as 'DM'.

The 48-year-old was told to set up a meeting with DM, who he arranged to see at 
On On Bar in Sanur at 4.30pm.

Upon searching his body, police allege they found a small satchel wrapped in 
aluminium foil with what they suspected to be hash inside.

Officers then went to DM's house where they found another satchel inside a 
boxing glove.

In total, police allege they discovered at least 10 grams of hash in the Brit's 
possession, as well as a bong.

They said he told them he got it from a man but he didn't know his identity or 
address.

Police say Mr Serafino is a bar owner and "entrepreneur" and the British man is 
a journalist residing temporarily in Sanur.

Earlier on Sunday, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said they were 
trying to confirm reports of the arrest of an Australian man in Bali.

A spokesperson later said they had been made aware of his detention and that 
"our Consulate-General in Bali is making arrangements to visit the man and 
stands ready to provide consular assistance".

(source: Yahoo News)