[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Sept. 8




IRAN:

Christian executed in Iran spoke of meeting Jesus before his death


The moving last words of a man executed in prison in Iran a few days ago were 
of his profound faith in Jesus Christ.

The brother of Alireza Asadi, 1 of 12 people executed near Tehran at the end of 
August, has posted his last words on Facebook.

Asadi said the "best experience" he had was of meeting Jesus.

The post was circulated widely by Pastor Saeed Abedini, a naturalised US 
citizen who converted from Islam to Christianity in 2000 and became prominent 
in Iran's house church movement. He was sentenced to 8 years in prison in 2013 
in Iran and released in January this year.

Alireza Asadi, speaking to his brother Mohsen, 1 day before his execution, said 
all was going well.

He made clear his faith in life after death. He said: "And Mohsen, I truly 
believe that there is a new season starting for me. And this new season is 
much, much more pleasant that the worldly life. This is what I truly believe.

"Even when I didn't repent I knew there is something. But now I believe surely 
about this new season and its existence. I can finally be in peace. I don't 
have any stress or bad feelings and everything goes well with me."

He said he was still not completely sure he would be executed.

He was with a group of about 10 people including 4 of his friends.

"We were crying from laughing a lot."

He said he had been talking to them of God and would continue to do so.

"For many of you it was a question if I am a Christian or not. But now I say 
that I am a Christian. And now I have one or two days til I will die. And I 
hope it will never happen to you guys. During these moments you forgive all the 
bad that has happen to you. But the most I want tell you is the best experience 
that I had. And that was meeting Jesus. And I don't want to force you guys, But 
please start to get to know Him. If you just read two sentences from the Bible, 
you will never leave it again."

His brother asked him how his faith had developed.

Asadi said: "When I ended up here in prison I realized that God is the true 
God. I wanted God to show himself to me."

He said Jesus was there when he needed Him.

"I needed peace, He was there. I lost many friends, but I know that I could 
find my comfort in Him. And when I commanded the devil to leave, I saw that the 
evil didn't dare to come near me anymore. I felt and saw that the name of 
Christ is the name above all names. And that the enemy doesn't have any 
authority over me anymore."

He said the majority of those facing the death penalty were using drugs.

"But only because of Him (Jesus Christ) I stayed on the right track. Instead of 
drugs I am exercising every day."

NCRI reported that the 12 individuals were executed in Gohardasht Prison in 
Karaj, north-west of Tehran on 27 August. UN expert and special rapporteur on 
Iran human rights, Ahmed Shaheed, had called repeatedly for the executions to 
be halted. He had said: "It is regrettable that the government continues to 
proceed with executions for crimes that do not meet the threshold of the 'most 
serious crimes' as required by international law, especially the International 
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is State party. It is 
also troubling that courts continue to issue death sentences in trials that not 
only breach international fair trial standards but even domestic due process 
guarantees."

He renewed a call for Iran to institute a moratorium on executions and to 
restrict use of the death penalty for the "most serious crimes", or murder. 
Nine of the 12 executed were named as Alireza Madadpour, Bahman Rezai, Arman 
Bahrami, Alireza Asadi, Mohsen Eslami, Hosein Bayrami, Mehdi Rostami, Amir and 
Alireza Sarkhah.

(source: christiantoday.com)






BANGLADESH:

Full High Court verdict in Ahsanullah Master murder published


The 182-page full verdict was published on Supreme Court's website on 
Wednesday.

The summery verdict upholding death sentence of six, including BNP leader Nurul 
Islam Sarkar, was pronounced on June 15.

The High Court also acquitted 11 accused, who had been convicted to death or 
life in prison by a Speedy Trial Tribunal.

The State could manage a stay order on the verdict initially but the regular 
bench lifted it. The legal bar on the release of the acquitted persons was 
lifted by an Appellate Division decision of July 17.

Now after the publication of the full verdict, any aggrieved party can petition 
for appeal against the verdict.

The family and supporters of Ahsanullah in Gazipur expressed dissatisfaction 
over the acquittal of the 11 convicts.

Ahsanullah, a freedom fighter, had served as the Gazipur Upazila council 
chairman before being elected to the parliament in 1996 and 2001.

He was a member of the party's national council and the executive president of 
the Awami League's labour affiliate.

His son Zahid Ahsan Russel, who is now the MP from the constituency, said they 
were not happy with the High Court's verdict, and would appeal against the 
commuted sentences and acquittals.

However, former BNP MP Hasan Uddin Sarkar claimed his brother Nurul Islam 
Sarkar was 'innocent'. He said he would also decide soon whether they would 
challenge Nurul Islam's death penalty.

Ahsanullah Master, a popular Gazipur politician and then Awami League MP, was 
gunned down along with another person on May 7, 2004, while addressing a local 
conference held on a school ground at Tongi.

His younger brother, Matiur Rahman, filed the murder case with Tongi police the 
next day.

Police submitted the chargesheet against 30 people on Jul 10 that year and they 
were indicted on Sep 28.

A Speedy Trial Tribunal on Apr 16, 2005, handed down the death penalty to 22 
and life in prison to 6 others. 2 others were acquitted.

The death references of 22 death-row convicts were later sent to the High Court 
to be heard. 14 of them then challenged the trial court's verdict.

Who got what

Death penalty upheld

Nurul Islam Sarkar, Nurul Islam Dipu (fugitive), Mahbubur Rahman Mahbub, 
Shahidul Islam Shipu (fugitive), Hafiz alias Kana Hafiz (fugitive), 'Sohag' 
alias 'Saru'.

Sentence reduced to life in prison

Md Ali, Syed Ahmed Hossain Mojnu (fugitive), Anwar Hossain alias Anu 
(fugitive), Ratan Mia alias Borho Mia (fugitive), 'Jahangir' (fugitive), 
Mashiur Rahman alias Mashu (fugitive), Abu Salam (fugitive).

Life in jail upheld

High Court rejected Nurul Amin's appeal. The sentence on Ohidul Islam Tipu 
(fugitive) remained, as he did not appeal.

Dismissed

The court dismissed the case against Chhoto Ratan and Al Amin, who were given 
the death penalty, since they have died in the meantime.

Acquitted

Amir Hossain, 'Jahangir' alias Borho Jahangir, 'Faysal' (fugitive), Lokman 
Hossain alias Bulu (fugitive), Rony Mia (fugitive), 'Khokon' (fugitive), Dulal 
Mia (fugitive), Rakib Uddin Sarkar alias Pappu, Ayub Ali, 'Jahangir' and 
'Monir'.

(source: bdnews24.com)






INDIA:

Stalker who killed Preeti Rathi in Mumbai acid attack gets death penalty


A special Mumbai court sentenced on Thursday a 25-year-old man to death for 
hurling acid at a woman, which resulted in her death 3 years ago.

Delhi resident Ankur Panwar followed his neighbour from the Capital, 
23-year-old Preeti Rathi, to Mumbai and attacked her outside the Bandra 
Terminus on May 2, 2013.

It was her 1st day in the western Indian city, where she was supposed to join 
work as a nurse. Panwar attacked Rathi for declining his marriage proposal. She 
died of multiple organ failure a month later.

Rathi's brother, Hitesh, attacked Panwar soon after the verdict was announced.

Special women's court judge AS Shende on Tuesday had found Panwar guilty of 
Rathi's murder for throwing sulphuric acid on Rathi.

The prosecution had demanded capital punishment for the convict, describing the 
act as gruesome, merciless and pre-planned.

(source: Hindustan Times)

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

'Reformed' convict impresses judges----His is a textbook case of what convicts 
should do and not do, says the Bench


Engineer P. Veera Bharathi, 45, convicted for raping and murdering a 
16-year-old girl in Virudhunagar district in 1999 and imposed with death 
penalty which was commuted to life imprisonment a year later, impressed two 
judges of the Madras High Court Bench here on Wednesday with his persuasive 
arguing skills, legal knowledge, educational qualifications, and good conduct.

Justices S. Nagamuthu and M.V. Muralidharan appreciated the convict who had 
come to the court with armed escorts to challenge State Government's refusal to 
release him from prison even after completing 14 years of incarceration, for 
having acquired several postgraduate degrees, including a Master in Business 
Administration (MBA) degree from the prison besides serving as a teacher to 
other inmates.

The judges learnt from the convict that his wife was a professor in a private 
college and she was taking care of their only son born just months before his 
imprisonment 16 years ago.

"Yours could be a textbook case on reformation of prisoners who should be 
brought to the mainstream fully. We are very happy that you are aware of many 
judgments which most of the junior lawyers of this court may not know. Your 
life should be a lesson for people on what they should not do and what they 
should do after being punished for what they should not have done," the senior 
judge, Mr. Justice Nagamuthu said.

Pointing out that his plea for premature release had now become a complicated 
question of law in view of a recent decision of the Supreme Court that life 
sentence should mean a punishment for life and not just 14 years, the judges 
said they would prefer the State Public Prosecutor R. Rajarathinam to argue 
against him to help them take a right decision on the issue. "Tomorrow, we 
shall fix a date for final hearing after ascertaining the availability of the 
State PP. You come and argue your case on that day," the judges told the 
convict after dispensing with his appearance on Thursday.

Bharathi's conviction was confirmed by the High Court as well as the Supreme 
Court in 2000 and the latter also dismissed a review application preferred by 
him in 2002. His subsequent efforts to prove his "innocence" by filing petition 
after petition in the court to subject him to narco analysis, brain mapping, 
and lie-detector tests also turned futile.

He gave up attempts to prove his "innocence" and sought to release him along 
with 1,405 convicts released prematurely in view of the former Chief Minister 
C.N. Annadurai's birth centenary in 2008. That plea was also turned down by the 
State Government by stating that those who had been imposed with death penalty 
by trial courts were not eligible for such early release.

A series of cases filed by him against the government's decision ended up being 
dismissed.

(source: The Hindu)






SRI LANKA:

Duminda Silva sentenced to death in Bharatha murder case


A former Sri Lankan MP and 4 others were today sentenced to death by the High 
Courthere after being found guilty in the Murderof an ex-MP and former 
president Mahinda Rajapaksa's advisor.

7 others were acquitted during the trial which began in 2012. The accused were 
charged of murdering Bharatha Laxman Premachandra in October 2011 ahead of the 
elections.

Duminda Silva and Premachandra had exchanged blows and Premachandra was 
subsequently gunned down.

Rajapaksa government was accused of covering up and protecting Silva who was 
closed to him and his brother Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, a top civil servant in the 
defence ministry at that time.

The Murdersoon became a political issue in the presidential Election of January 
2015 when Rajapaksa was defeated.

Premachandra's daughter Hirunika seeking justice for her father's Murder

backed the current President Sirisena against Rajapaksa. She is now a 
parliamentarian in the current unity government.

A 3 member bench was divided 2-1 on the ruling. The death penalty is commuted 
to a life term imprisonment in Sri Lanka where none of the condemned were 
hanged since May of 1976.

(source: Business Standard)






PAKISTAN:

Asia Bibi's extreme penalty: President of Pakistan invoked in pursuit of pardon 
or remission of blasphemy conviction


Prominent Christian lawyer and rights activist Advocate Sooba Bhatti invokes 
President of Pakistan to pardon Asia Bibi's capital punishment. Asia Bibi a 
Pakistan Christian woman was awarded a death sentence after being convicted of 
blasphemy by a Pakistani court. In his message to the President the Christian 
lawyer referred to Article 42 of the Constitution of Pakistan and mentioned 
that the President of Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain had taken an oath in line with 
Article 42.

Pakistani Christian woman convicted of blasphemy

In his appeal to the President of Pakistan, Advocate Sooba Bhatti had 
maintained: "Honorable sir Mamnoon Hussain - President of Pakistan, I beseech 
you to pardon Asia Bibi wife of Ashiq Masih, and mother of 5. She was resident 
of Ittanwali a village in District Sheikhupura, Punjab and worked at a local 
farm, where she once had a quarrel with her fellow Muslim women over a cup of 
water. He quarrel ensued blasphemy accusations and eventually death sentence."

Asia BiBi - a Pakistan Christian woman who was accused of committing blasphemy 
was arrested by the police in June 2009, and was charged under 295-C of 
Pakistan Penal Code. In 2010, a local judge Muhammad Naveed Iqbal handed down 
death penalty to her along with a penalty of net amount equivalent of $1100.

Advocate Sooba Bhatti emphasized that Asia Bibi has been embroiled as blasphemy 
allegations brought against her are clearly baseless. She was kept behind the 
bars in Sheikhupura, later was shifted to Multan Jail. Later on, her death 
sentence was challenged in Lahore High Court, where her penalty was upheld.

Asia Bibi's defense counsel Advocate Saif-ul-Malook filed a petition against 
her death sentence in Supreme Court's Lahore registry. "Asia Bibi anxiously 
awaits release from captivity, as she had certainly been guilty of what she has 
been convicted of."

"I urge you to exercise your right to pardon the prisoners on death sentence - 
and bestow pardon upon down trodden Asia Bibi, and order for her immediate 
release and acquittal." Advocate Sooba Bhatti further explained: I am hopeful 
that you will spare some of your valuable time and consider my appeal and take 
action in order to free an innocent woman.

(source: christiansinpakistan.com)