[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

August 1




MALDIVES:

Maldives' dark side: Death penalty threatens trouble in paradise



The Maldives, famed for its crystalline waters and long tongues of white sand, 
lies at the centre of the Indian Ocean.

Holiday firms offering trips to the Maldives have been urged by human rights 
activists to condemn the expected execution of 3 men that will bring a brutal 
end to the country's 60-year moratorium on the death penalty.

Sir Richard Branson last week described the reported decision by Abdulla 
Yameen, the Maldivian president, to revive executions as "an awful political 
move that will send the country back to the Dark Ages of human rights".

In a blog post, the creator of the Virgin brand threatened to remove his 
holiday business from the Maldives and urged other tour operators, governments 
and businesses to follow suit if the executions went ahead.

Richard Branson is asking other tourism operators to boycott the luxury 
location.

"It's been heart-breaking to watch what is happening on the beautiful island 
nation of the Maldives, a country for which I have long had such great 
affection and respect," he said,

Reprieve, the anti-death penalty campaign group, has issued a plea for Kuoni 
and Thomas Cook, travel companies who operate luxury holidays in the Maldives, 
to follow Branson's lead and urge President Yameen to halt the executions, 
believed to be imminent.

In a letter to the firms, Reprieve claimed that the sentenced men, Hussain 
Humaam Ahmed, Mohammed Nabeel and Ahmed Murrath, were convicted for murder 
after "seriously unfair" trials.

Their deaths would be an "irreparable miscarriage of justice" and would follow 
a pattern of human rights failings since President Yameen came to power in 
2013, they said.

Of 20 convicts on death row, 5 were juveniles at the time of their arrest. 
Reprieve believes that lethal injections have already been found for the first 
3 deaths, while a search is under way for an experienced executioner.

Maya Foa, Reprieve director, said the executions were "a naked attempt by 
President Yameen to suppress dissent and tighten his grip on power", calling on 
him to "start the democratic reforms needed to bring stability back".

Kuoni said: "We do not condone any abuse of human rights and are naturally 
concerned when news of this nature is brought to our attention. The people in 
the Maldives depend on a thriving tourism industry for their livelihood and we 
believe we bring positive change by supporting them."

Thomas Cook said: "We believe our influence is best exerted through responsible 
tourism."

Tourists see very little of the political turmoil or human rights abuses that 
have gripped the country in recent years. Last week the British Foreign Office 
updated its travel advice, urging tourists to avoid large gatherings in the 
capital, Male, which could turn violent.

Ibrahim Hussain Shahib, the president's international spokesman, said the 
government was implementing the law to protect its people.

"[They] have been charged and convicted of murder in the first degree, their 
cases were tried at all stages of appeal... due process was followed at all 
stages. There has been no doubt created in any of these cases as to whether the 
convicted had carried out the crimes," said Mr Shahib, adding that the 
constitution did not allow the head of state to grant clemency.

"This administration will not be deterred by a political opposition who seeks 
to exploit policies to score points back home and abroad while not even 
pretending to engage in positive political dialogue."

(source: stuff.co.nz)








BAHAMAS:

Miller Says 'Do It Now' Over Death Penalty Plans



Former Tall Pines MP Leslie Miller on Friday praised National Security Minister 
Marvin Dames for having the "guts" to announce the Minnis administration's 
plans to push for the enforcement of the death penalty, as he called on the 
government to "do it, and do it now."

Mr Miller, a longtime supporter of capital punishment, said he is totally 
behind Mr Dames' previous announcement, further congratulating Mr Dames and the 
Minnis administration for "having the tenacity and the wherewithal to do what 
is necessary on behalf of the Bahamian people".

The firebrand Progressive Liberal Party politician further encouraged the 
Minnis administration not to be "concerned" with the backlash its stance on 
capital punishment could have on the country, particularly that of the 
international community, as he asserted: "They don't face the carnage that we 
face."

"We face it therefore we got to deal with it," Mr Miller told The Tribune on 
Friday just hours after a man was found shot to death in Mason's Addition. 
"It's our problem. If it's a Bahamian problem it got to be a Bahamian solution. 
The solution is, you take a life yours gone, unless in special circumstances. 
But this is just gutless murdering and these people got to stop, man. And I'm 
with him 1,000 %.

"He could depend on my support. In and out, he could depend on me."

Last week, Mr Dames said the Minnis administration will use everything on the 
law books, including capital punishment, to make The Bahamas safe for 
"law-abiding citizens." At the time, Mr Dames said the Minnis administration 
cannot tolerate a "lawless society" and said it is the government's job to 
"introduce new policies and to enforce old ones to make sure everyone is safe."

"I am totally and 100 % with him," Mr Miller said when questioned on the 
matter. "I want to congratulate him on having the guts to appreciate the fact 
that these fellas would take a life in an instant with no sorrow, no 
conscience, no nothing, because they know that when they take a life, they gone 
go to Fox Hill prison, might, and 70 % of them walk free.

"Therefore, they take the law into their own hands and do as they please. If 
this guy knows that his life is going to be taken, he ain't gone do it. You 
know nobody wants to die. But they don't mind taking your life and my life. I'm 
happy and I congratulate the minister for having the tenacity and the 
wherewithal to do what is necessary on behalf of the Bahamian people.

"It is long, long overdue," Mr Miller added. "And I trust that they will push 
this and get it done. It's on the books, you just got to have the guts to 
enforce it. It has to be done."

Reflecting on the recent spate of homicides in New Providence, Mr Miller asked: 
"Where we headed? This is a precipice and we headed down there at a thousand 
miles an hour."

In January, while his party was in power, Mr Miller blamed "gutless 
politicians" for the increases in murders and serious crimes in the country. At 
the time, Mr Miller said many of his parliamentary colleagues were "afraid to 
implement the laws on the books".

He urged Bahamians to vote for persons who will "carry out the death penalty" 
and "send everyone else packing".

The following month, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, then in opposition, said 
unless the then-government is willing to enforce the death penalty, "criminals 
will continue to ravage our country and keep citizens in fear." Dr Minnis said 
the country is losing the battle to the criminal element and "more serious 
measures" need to be taken.

And last year, Dr Minnis insisted that the necks of "murderous scumbags" in the 
country must be "popped" as he castigated the former Christie administration 
for failing "miserably" in its obligation to keep Bahamians safe.

Reflecting on this statement, Mr Miller said he is "happy to see the minister 
of national security has the guts to at least say the right thing".

"And the prime minister said he was with it," Mr Miller added, referring to his 
and Dr Minnis' previous calls for the death penalty to be enforced. "When I was 
in Parliament (Dr Minnis) and I were the 2 lone wolves in there saying we're 
with it. Now he has an opportunity to make it come to fruition and I trust that 
it happens. They got the numbers to do it, so the ball is in their court now. 
Let's just do the right thing.

"Do the right thing man. Do it, and do it now, and we'll see a total 
de-escalation of crimes and killings in our country."

A 2006 decision by the London-based Privy Council, the Bahamas' highest court 
of appeal, quashed the country's mandatory death penalty for murder convicts, 
which it said was unconstitutional.

In 2011, the Privy Council also said the death penalty should only be given in 
cases where the offence falls into the category of the "worst of the worst."

# That same year, the Ingraham administration made changes to the Penal Code to 
set out the criteria for the types of murders that would attract a 
discretionary death penalty after conviction.

The law changes made it so a person convicted of killing a member of the Royal 
Bahamas Police Force (RBPF), Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF), Department of 
Customs, Department of Immigration, the judiciary or correctional services 
would be eligible for the death penalty.

Someone convicted of killing someone during a robbery, rape, kidnapping or 
terrorist act would also fall into this category.

No one has been hanged since the amendments were passed into law.

(source: tribune242.com)

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

Bringing Back The Death Penalty



EDITOR, The Tribune

Re: Death penalty needed to stop murders. - The Tribune, 25 July, 2017.

Although it is counterintuitive, it has been shown in many countries that the 
Death Penalty seldom produces the desired result of deterrence.

Furthermore, it tends to divert attention from the more mundane underlying 
crimes that eventually culminate in murder.

Virtually the only hope for reducing our murders would be to mercilessly attack 
the widespread precursor crimes.

That would be much more difficult than a functioning death penalty, more 
costly, and not nearly as spectacular in a quick fix political sense.

Reintroduction of the death penalty certainly would be a marvelous idea - if 
only it would work as hoped!

KEN. W. KNOWLES, M.D.

Nassau

(source: Letter to the Editor, tribune242.com)








INDONESIA:

Indonesia's Death Penalty Debacle Exposed----Maladministration in Nigerian's 
July 2016 Execution



The official Ombudsman of Indonesia has accused both the Attorney General's 
Office (AGO) and the Supreme Court of "maladministration" in denying a Nigerian 
citizen, executed for drug trafficking in July 2016, his legal rights.

Ombudsman official Ninik Rahayu outlined a checklist of procedural failures 
that could have prevented Humphrey Jefferson's execution, including the Supreme 
Court's refusal to conduct a second review of his case, and the AGO's decision 
to proceed with the execution despite the fact that Jefferson had filed a 
clemency request with President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

The denial of due process to Jefferson raises troubling questions about 
Jokowi's signature policy of executing convicted drug traffickers. Indonesia 
ended a 4-year unofficial moratorium on the death penalty in March 2013, and 
Jokowi has made the execution of convicted drug traffickers a prominent issue 
of his presidency. Jokowi has sought to justify the use of the death penalty on 
the basis that drug traffickers had "destroyed the future of the nation," 
despite international human rights obligations under which drug-related 
offenses are deemed as falling outside the scope of "most serious crimes," for 
which the death penalty can legitimately be retained. In December 2014, he told 
students that the death penalty for convicted drug traffickers was an 
"important shock therapy" for anyone who violates Indonesia's drug laws. Since 
Jokowi took office in 2014, his government has executed 18 convicted drug 
traffickers in 2015 and 2016 - the majority citizens of other countries. Jokowi 
has routinely rejected their government's calls for clemency, citing national 
sovereignty.

Even worse, on July 21 of this year, Jokowi indicated the police could skip due 
process entirely and summarily execute any foreign drug dealers who resist 
arrest. "Gun them down. Give no mercy," Jokowi urged police in a speech. 
National Police Chief General Tito Karnavian and Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso, the 
head of the National Narcotics Agency, have echoed similarly unlawful 
approaches to drug crimes modeled on Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's 
unlawful and abusive "war on drugs."

Jokowi and senior police officials should recognize that the cruel and unusual 
punishment of the death penalty and the barbarity of extrajudicial killings 
have no place in a rights-respecting country. Instead, Indonesia should restore 
the unofficial moratorium on the death penalty and ensure the rights of 
criminal suspects, including those implicated in drug crimes, are respected 
rather than steamrolled.

(source: Human Rights Watch)








IRAN:

Iran HRM monthly report -Alarming escalation of executions in Iran in July



July saw many violations of human rights in Iran, the most important being:

The number of executions reaching to a peak of 102 and the pending execution of 
120 inmates to be carried out soon

Foreign diplomats tour of Evin prison under the pressure of the increasing wave 
of international criticism at Iran's human rights violations, especially in its 
prisons.

At a time when the move towards the abolition of the death penalty is spreading 
around the world, Islamic Republic of Iran insists on executions which clearly 
are in contravention the international human rights law.

Iran alone accounted for 55% of all recorded executions in 2016; Amnesty 
International says.

239 executions were carried out in Iran in the 1st 6 months of 2017. Among them 
were 7 women and 3 individuals who were under the age of 18 at the time they 
allegedly committed the offence they were sentenced to death for. 12 executions 
were carried out in public.

Seeking to rein in increasing protests and the abhorrence of the younger 
generation in cities across the country, the Iranian regime has intensified the 
crackdown on society through increasing the wave of executions. The month of 
July alone saw 103 executions from which 7 were made public by media press. 
This shows how the state of human rights had been deteriorated during the past 
month.

Under the pressure of the rising tide of protests against the situation of 
human rights in Iran, the Iranian government took the ambassadors of 50 foreign 
countries for a tour of the notorious Evin prison in Tehran on July 5, 2017 to 
judge for themselves how the state treats prisoners. Ahead of the visit, some 
prisoners in building 4 were also transferred to create an illusion of humane 
living conditions. Walls were freshly repainted and the remaining prisoners 
warned against approaching the diplomats to voice any concerns they might have.

Unsurprisingly many areas of the prison remained off limits to the foreign 
delegates. They were only granted access to a handful of sections in buildings 
4 and 7, mostly housing wealthier prisoners convicted of financial crimes.

The PR show was preceded by an absurd claim made the day before, by Javad 
Larijani, an Iranian regime's human rights official, indicating that there were 
no political prisoners in Iran. After the foreign diplomats' visit to Evin, the 
Iranian state media outlets followed suit, pumping reports claiming that Iran's 
biggest jail had been upgraded to state-of-the-art conditions.

The orchestrate display however was quickly exposed to show its true face by 
prisoners- men and women who experience torture and hard prison conditions on a 
daily basis in this notorious prison.

A number of political prisoners and prisoners of conscience addressed open 
letters to the ambassadors who recently visited Evin Prison. They wrote about 
issues that had been concealed by the Iranian regime's authorities during their 
visit.

The sequel of events makes complete sense. The orchestrated tour of Evin by 
foreign diplomats, without any human rights organization or expert accompanying 
them, was an attempt on the part of the regime to debunk growing international 
criticism of Iran's human rights violations, especially in its prisons.

This report, attempts to shed light on the truth about the tragic situation of 
human rights in Iran.

(source: Human Rights Watch)








YEMEN----execution

Yemeni man executed for rape, murder of 3-year-old----Thousands of people 
gathered in the rebel-held Yemeni capital Monday to witness the public 
execution of a man convicted of raping and murdering a 3-year-old girl.



Mohammed al-Moghrabi, 41, was sentenced to death for the June 25 rape and 
murder by a court run by the Shiite Huthi rebels who control Sanaa. The 
gruesome crime coincided with the 1st day of Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim holiday 
that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, and sparked anger among the 
population. Moghrabi was first given 100 lashes and then made to lie flat, his 
face on the ground, and killed by multiple gunshots by security forces to 
cheers from the crowd.

Police said they escorted him to Tahrir square where he was executed amid fears 
the angry crowd could lynch him.

The public execution was widely aired on Huthi-run media in Yemen, framed as an 
example of the Shiite rebels' efforts to combat crime in their areas. The 
Iran-backed Huthis have been locked in war with the Saudi-backed 
internationally-recognised government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi for 2 
years.

More than 8,000 people have been killed and millions displaced in the conflict, 
while nearly 2,000 have died of cholera since April. The United Nations has 
described Yemen as "the largest humanitarian crisis in the world," with 10 
million civilians in acute need of life-saving aid as the country teeters on 
the edge of famine.

(source: al-monitor.com)



NIGERIA:

Ogun lifts moratorium on death penalty



Ogun State has approved the lifting of a moratorium on cases relating to 
capital punishment as part of measures to fast track dispensation of justice in 
the state.

This was revealed when the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, 
Olumide Ayeni, and his counterpart in the Ministry of Information and Strategy, 
Dayo Adeneye, briefed journalists after the 31st weekly Executive Council 
Meeting, presided by Governor Ibikunle Amosun in Abeokuta on Monday.

According to the attorney general, the pronouncement was in accordance with a 
recent directive of the Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, at the Council of 
States meeting 'in relation to death penalty.'

Mr. Ayeni, who said the moratorium is with immediate effect, explained that the 
step would be applicable to cases, where lives were lost as a result of 
committing a heinous crime.

While explaining the reason for the decision, the commissioner noted that it is 
part of the efforts by the state government to reduce cases of kidnapping, 
cultism and other societal ills, which he said is on the increase.

Mr. Ayeni stated that the step would go a long way to ensure that the rule of 
law prevails in the society.

Mr. Adeneye, on his part, said the initiative was to avoid a spill over of 
crimes and other violent acts from gaining entrance into the state.

Though constitutional in Nigeria, capital punishment has become an 
unconventional mode in the nation???s criminal justice system leading to 
congestion in the prison due to awaiting execution cases.

University lecturers recently expressed divergent opinions on the continued 
relevance of the death penalty in Nigeria's criminal justice system.

Human rights activists globally have kicked against the death penalty.

In a 2014 research made by Amnesty International, about 697 people were 
sentenced to death by firing squad or by hanging.

(source: Premium Times)








INDIA:

Court orders framing of charges against Bhatkal



A Delhi court today ordered framing of charges against Indian Mujahideen (IM) 
operative Yasin Bhatkal and 10 others in the 2010 Jama Masjid blast case.

Additional Sessions Judge Sidharth Sharma, however, discharged 3 alleged 
members of the outfit, saying there was not enough evidence against them.

The court discharged Syed Ismail Affaque, Abdus Saboor and Riyaz Ahmad Sayeedi, 
who were named in the charge sheet by the police.

The case pertains to an explosion near the historic Jama Masjid here on 
September 19, 2010 soon after 2 suspected IM operatives had fired at a bus from 
which foreign tourists were descending near a gate of the mosque. Today's order 
came on the blast incident.

The police had charge sheeted these suspected IM members, including its 
co-founder Yasin Bhatkal, in connection with the blast case and said these 
operatives had carried out the strike to dissuade foreign nations from 
participating in the the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games.

The police had also said IM operatives had planned that foreign tourists found 
near Jama Masjid would be randomly shot and a bomb blast would be executed 
there for maximum casualty.

It had claimed that Bhatkal had prepared a pressure cooker IED, which was 
planted in the car parked outside Jama Masjid, and an explosion had taken 
place.

The court had on July 18 reserved its order on whether to put Bhatkal on trial 
in 4 separate terror cases, including the Jama Masjid blast case, after 
concluding the hearing of arguments on charges in the cases.

Bhatkal was awarded the death penalty by a Special NIA Court in December last 
year in a case related to the 2013 Hyderabad bomb blasts, which had claimed 18 
lives.

(source: Press Trust of India)

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

Court hands death penalty to man for burning alive brother, nephew



A local court today awarded the death penalty to a man for burning alive his 
brothers and 2 nephews.

Additional District and Sessions Judge G Pushtam Rajnish Kumar found Imran 
guilty and announced the death sentence.

According to the prosecution counsel, Imran was upset over a "minor issue". A 
resident of Mugalshah area of the city, he burnt his brother Naushad and 2 
nephews Irshad and Islamuddin after pouring petrol on them when they were 
asleep.

He then locked the door from the outside and fled.

All 3 succumbed to their injuries later.

The incident occurred on the night of Aug 6, 2014.

(source: india.com)