[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 5



TRINIDAD & TOBAGO:

Death penalty can be carried out in T&T


The death penalty can be carried out in T&T, but the Government has to take the 
appropriate action and demonstrate the political will to have it done, Senior 
Counsel Peter Pursglove has said.

Pursglove was the legal consultant to former attorney general Ramesh Lawrence 
Maharaj charged with responsibility for implementing the death penalty in this 
country.

He is currently a legal consultant for the Commonwealth Fund for Technical 
Co-operation.

In 1999, when Maharaj was this country's attorney general crime boss Dole 
Chadee and his gang, as well as convicted killer Anthony Briggs, were hanged.

Briggs, who was executed on July 28, 1999, was the last person to be hanged in 
this country.

"As the former head of the Case Management Unit responsible for ensuring that 
the lawful penalty for murder was implemented, I feel it is my duty to inform 
members of the public and the Government of the facts concerning the 
implementation of the death penalty so that decisions about the death penalty 
may be made in the public interest," Pursglove stated.

With more than 60 people being killed for the year already, there have been 
renewed calls for the reimplementation of the death penalty as a punishment for 
murder.

"There is no merit to the excuse that since 2001, after former Attorney General 
Mr Maharaj demitted office, the failure of governments to implement the death 
penalty is all the fault of the Privy Council and the International Human 
Rights Bodies," Pursglove said.

Pursglove said it is wrong for the Inter-American Commission and the 
Inter-American Court of Human Rights to be singled out for "particular blame".

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights no longer has any jurisdiction over 
cases from T&T, Pursglove said.

"In the circumstances, it is important for the country to be informed as to 
what successive governments have done since 2001 to carry out the death penalty 
because it is not true to represent to the public that the appeal processes 
before the Privy Council and the Human Rights Bodies frustrated the carrying 
out of the death penalty. The facts show that the death penalty was carried out 
before 2001 and that the death penalty could be carried out today," Pursglove 
said.

"The Privy Council in Pratt v Morgan and the Caribbean Court of Justice in 
later rulings simply laid down the general rule that the death penalty should 
be implemented within 5 years of conviction. Bearing that rule in mind, 
attorney general Maharaj established a Case Management Unit headed by me to put 
systems in place to carry out the death penalty. That Case Management Unit 
monitored all murder cases before the Magistrates' Court, the High Court, the 
Court of Appeal, the Privy Council, and the International Human Rights Bodies. 
The facts show that Dole Chadee, his 8 co-accused, and Anthony Briggs all used 
the appeal processes in an attempt to frustrate the carrying out of the death 
penalty. The work done by the Case Management Unit ensured that they were not 
permitted to do so," he said.

(source: Trinidad Guardian)






MALAYSIA/SINGAPORE:

Mother of Malaysian on death row in Singapore, claims her son did not have a 
fair trial


The family of a Malaysian man convicted of trafficking and sentenced to hang in 
Singapore has appealed for a judicial review at the KL High Court, claiming 
that the Malaysian citizen was deprived of a fair trial.

Datchinamurthy Kataiah (32) was sentenced to death in April 2015. He was 
convicted in Singapore on trafficking 44g of heroine across the Causeway from 
Johor to Singapore in January 2011.

By the judicial review, Kataiah and his mother Letchumi Arumugam are asking the 
Malaysian Government to refer the case to the International Court.

The Star reported that both are also seeking the Malaysian Government and 
Foreign Ministry to declare that they are legally obliged to protect and give 
Kataiah a right to a fair trial and/or right to life and liberty.

"We are alleging that he was denied a fair trial in Singapore," Kataiah's 
lawyer N. Surendran told reporters at the lobby of the KL Court Complex on 
Friday (3 Feb).

"All appeals have been exhausted and it is urgent that the application is heard 
and that the Government takes the necessary steps," he said.

Mr Surendran said that there was a co-accused, a Singaporean woman, involved in 
Kataiah's case.

Mr Surendran said that the Singapore Attorney General (AG) gave the Singaporean 
woman a certificate of cooperation, that gave her a life sentence. However, the 
certificate was not given to Kataiah.

"That itself raises issues relating to (a fair trial). The whole system is 
unfair; it's not up to AG to decide who lives or dies." said Surendran.

"The (Malaysian) Government should be doing everything necessary to protect 
Malaysians overseas facing serious trouble. A human life is at stake here," Mr 
Surendran added.

Kataiah's mother Arumugam said that she could not accept her son's death 
penalty.

Mr Surendran translating what Mrs Arumugam have said in Tamil, "The trial was 
not fair ... the process was never done properly. It is something that he can't 
accept and I can't accept."

"I hope my country Malaysia would do something to help me. I am not just asking 
for myself, there are also other Malaysians on death row," she pleaded.

Mrs Arumugam urged the Malaysian Government to fight for her citizens, as lives 
hang in the balance.

"My son was unfairly punished. I beg and plead to everyone, please fight for my 
son; please stop this. Save my son, save my son from the noose. He is not a 
terrorist," she cried.

Mr M Ravi, the representative of Singapore anti-death penalty campaign said the 
issue is about the fairness in the process, not the death penalty per se. "The 
(Singapore) law gives the AG the power to decide who lives and who dies," Mr 
Ravi said.

He confirmed the AG can give a certificate of cooperation so that an accused 
can be re-sentenced. "If you don't get the certificate, you don't get to be 
heard in court. That is a violation of international law and it affects a fair 
trial," he said.

Leong Sze Hian, president of Maruah, Singapore Non-Government Organisation for 
Human Rights, said that according to the latest statistics, there are 24 people 
on death row in Singapore, of which 9 are Malaysians.

"I believe 2 have already been executed," Mr Leong said.

(source: theonlinecitizen.com)



ZAMBIA:

Effect death penalty-Law don


A ZAMBIA Open University Law lecturer Mulenga Besa has called for the effecting 
of the death penalty sentences following recent spates of spousal murders in 
the country.

Mr Besa said effecting the death penalty sentences will instil fear and respect 
of the law in the would-be offenders.

"We are not saying the effecting of death penalty sentences can end the murders 
or related crimes but it will to a great degree reduce these cases," Mr Besa 
said.

He cited an example of the United States of America (USA) where murder-related 
cases were less in States that have enforced the death penalty comparerd to 
those that haven't.

Mr Besa said the constitution was already in place and once enforced by the 
sitting President, it would act as a restraint to murder-related cases and 
other crimes that attract death penalty.

And Zambia Correctional Service Commissioner General Percy Chato said the 
country still has the department of the Public Executor responsible for 
executions of death convicts as the law on death sentence has not been revised.

He said even the constitution has the provision but that several years have 
passed without it being enforced.

But Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) executive director Leonard 
Chiti says it was time the death penalty was abolished in Zambia.

Fr Chiti said as a church-based organisation, death penalty was not the 
ultimate answer to stop murder-related crimes in the country.

He said many years have passed without Presidents signing for executions.

"We are a Christian Nation and we should believe in forgiveness and love, and 
we should even put more emphasis on reconciliation because executing a person 
would not stop the vice," Fr Chiti said.

There have been no executions in Zambia for those sentenced to death since 
1997.

The calls to effect the death penalty sentences comes in the wake of the rising 
cases of brutal spousal murders and suspected ritual killings that have in the 
recent past made headlines in the media.

(source: ukzambians.co.uk)






BANGLADESH:

7-murder death row convict arrested in Magura


Police this morning arrested a death row convict of Narayanganj 7-murder case.

Enamul Kabir, 40, a sacked official of Rapid Action Battalion, was arrested at 
Bhainar intersection of Magura town around 11:30am, Azmol Huda, 
officer-in-charge (OC) of Sadar Police Station, told The Daily Star.

Enamul is 1 of the 26 people who were sentenced to death over the killing of 7 
people, including the then Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC) panel mayor 
Nazrul Islam and senior lawyer Chandan Sarker.

Enamul was a fugitive in the case when the court delivered the verdict.

Among the condemned convicts, 16 are former Rab members who include the then 
commanding officer of Rab-11 in Narayanganj Lt Col Tareque Sayeed Mohammad, the 
then company commanders of Rab-11 Maj Arif Hossain and Lt Commander Masud Rana.

The arrest was made based on a tip-off, the OC said adding that steps are being 
taken to hand him over to the judicial magistrate's court in the district.

A court in Narayanganj on January 16 handed down death penalty to 26 people and 
jailed 9 other accused for various terms, from 7 to 17 years.

On April 27, 2014, the 7 people were abducted from Dhaka-Narayanganj link road. 
Later, their bodies were found floating in the Shitalakkhya river.

The nation stood aghast at the extent of the brutality. The family members and 
relatives of the victims mobilised public support and waged a movement 
demanding justice.

(source: The Daily Star)






NIGERIA:

NAWOJ seeks death penalty for rapists


The National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) has advocated death 
sentence for rapists.

In a communique after the association's congress in Lagos, it said rapists do 
not deserve to be treated lightly at all.

NAWOJ said: "The Police and parents should be ready to report and follow cases 
of rape to the latter.

"Mothers should make sure their grown up children are well dressed and 
government should pass a death penalty for rape."

The congress also called on government to urgently do something about the 
economy, saying access to drug and medical care is becoming more difficult.

(source: thenationonlineng.net)


PHILIPPINES:

Alvarez upbeat on death penalty okay


SPEAKER Pantaleon Alvarez brushed aside the big number of interpellators who 
are against the death penalty.

Alvarez said despite the number of anti-death penalty solons, he is still 
confident that the measure will be approved during the term of President 
Rodrigo Duterte.

Earlier, a list of interpellators was already submitted to plenary. They 
include the initial 25 solons who will express their opposition to the 
restoration of capital punishment for heinous crimes.

According to one of the Minority leaders, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, about 50 
lawmakers - and still counting - will question the House Bill 4727. Most of 
those against are from the supermajority bloc.

But the Speaker said he is not bothered by the number as he is pretty sure that 
the bill will be approved.

He pointed out that, in terms of party stand, the PDP-Laban is fully supporting 
it.

When asked if he will impose a party vote instead of conscience vote, Alvarez 
said "everything is possible."

(source: journal.com.ph)

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

Palace calls for debates on death penalty bill


A Malacanang official has called for public debates on the proposed 
re-imposition of the death penalty as legislators begin tackling the issue in 
Congress.

In a radio interview, Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said 
the proposal would need extensive consultation, to determine public sentiment.

"For those who support death penalty, you just write your congressman, your 
senator or you join in the public discourse. That's part of the democratic 
process. There are senators who are against it and those who are not, it's part 
of it. They have their own opinions," he said.

Andanar however said the Duterte government believes the death penalty "will 
help discourage the criminals from doing all of these criminal activities, to 
deter them from doing it."

"If the people speak out, if they participate in the debates that are being 
sponsored by the churches, I think the congressional leadership will listen. Of 
course, we are a free society, we have a market of ideas and we know as a 
Catholic nation there is really opposition to it (death penalty)," he added.

House Bill 4727, the bill seeking to restore capital punishment, reached the 
House plenary for sponsorship on Wednesday, but it was not debated upon because 
the session was dedicated to privilege speeches. Also, the quorum was not 
maintained.

The bill is a priority in the House of Representatives. It seeks to impose the 
death penalty on more than 20 heinous offenses, such as rape with homicide, 
kidnapping for ransom and arson with death.

The revival of the death penalty was a campaign promise of President Rodrigo 
Duterte, and he has called for the swift passage of the measure despite strong 
opposition from the Catholic Church and human rights groups.

The death penalty in the Philippines was abolished after the ratification of 
the 1987 Constitution. In 1993, Congress passed Republic Act 7659, or the Death 
Penalty Law, which re-imposed capital punishment.

Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo abolished capital punishment in June 
2006 when she signed Republic Act 9346, also known as An Act Prohibiting the 
Imposition of the Death Penalty in the Philippines.

(source: Manila Times)






IRAN:

Iran sentences professor at Belgian university to death 'without trial' for 
alleged espionage----'This is an outrageous violation of universal human 
rights,' says head of institution


A scientist who worked for a Belgian university has been sentenced to death in 
Iran on suspicion of espionage.

Ahmadreza Djalali, an Iranian national and professor of disaster medicine at 
the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), was arrested in April 2016 while visiting 
family in the country.

He is due to be executed in 2 weeks, according to VUB.

Dr Djalali's family and colleagues kept news of the arrest quiet in an attempt 
to avoid worsening the situation but have spoken out following the issuance of 
the death penalty.

The VUB announced the news on their website, claiming Dr Djalali had not had a 
trial or seen a lawyer.

The university's rector, Caroline Pauwels, said: "A scientist performing 
important humanitarian work, gets sentenced without public trial and is looking 
at the death penalty.

"This is an outrageous violation of universal human rights, against which we 
should react decisively."

Head of the VUB's Research Group on Emergency and Disaster Medicine, Ives 
Hubloue, told Science: "He's not interested in politics. We don't believe he 
would do anything at all (against the Iranian government).

"We don't believe he did anything wrong. Let him go. Let him do his work. We 
need him."

(source: independent.co.uk)

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

Iran Regime's Inhumane Punishment of Death by Stoning Continues


Criminal Court of the Western Lorestan province in Iran, condemned a man and a 
woman accused of so called 'unethical relation' to medieval capital punishment 
of death by stoning.

According to the verdict of the Criminal Court Branch 1, in Lorestan Province, 
the sentence of 'death by stoning' has been issued, for Mr. KH. A and Mrs. 
S-M.Th. The state run website called Kashkan reported on February 2, 2017.

The source said: "At the moment the sentence is issued by the lower court and 
the track is communicated to the attorneys of the defendants and added, in this 
case the role of the city administration chief, the Public Prosecutor Bureau, 
feta police intelligence and police has been outstanding in gathering evidence, 
arresting suspects and transferring the case to legal authorities.

The source also stated that the 2 accused are already in custody, awaiting 
final approval of the sentence by the court.

It is noteworthy that Amnesty International earlier this year in Jaunary, has 
called out the mullahs' dictatorship and asked other international human rights 
charities and governments to condemn these atrocities.

In a statement, Amnesty International wrote: "Iran's persistent use of cruel 
and inhuman punishments, including floggings, amputations and forced blinding 
over the past year, exposes the authorities' utterly brutal sense of justice."

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

Amnesty: Iran Regime Plans to Hang Man Arrested as a Teenager Amid Spike in 
Juvenile Executions


The Iranian regime must immediately stop the execution of a man arrested for a 
crime committed while he was 17 years old, Amnesty International has said, 
ahead of his scheduled execution on 11 February.

Hamid Ahmadi's execution was initially scheduled for 4 February but his family 
were informed on Thursday that it has been postponed by a week, Amnesty said.

Amnesty said in a February 2 report that Hamid Ahmadi was convicted, following 
an unfair trial marred by torture allegations, over the fatal stabbing of a 
young man during a fight between him and f4 others in Siahkal, Gilan Province 
in 2008. He was transferred to solitary confinement in Lakan prison in Rasht, 
northern Iran in preparation for his execution last Saturday, 28 January.

"Executing Hamid Ahmadi will consolidate a horrendous pattern that has seen 
Iran repeatedly flout international human rights law by sending people arrested 
as children to the gallows, often after deeply unfair trials," said Philip 
Luther, Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at 
Amnesty International.

Amnesty's report added: "Hamad Ahmadi's death sentence has been rife with 
mental anguish - this is the 3rd time he was transferred to solitary 
confinement to await his death."

"Hamid Ahmadi was first sentenced to death in 2009 after an unfair trial in 
Gilan Province which was based on 'confessions' he said were extracted through 
torture and other ill-treatment."

"He has said that police officers held him for 3 days in a filthy, 
urine-stained cell; tied his hands and feet together and pushed him face down 
on the cell floor; tied him to a pole in the yard; kicked his genitals; and 
denied him food and water. One officer told him that he should not fear 
execution and should just 'confess' to the stabbing so that the investigation 
would be concluded as soon as possible," Amnesty said.

"The pain inflicted on him was so severe that he said he was willing to confess 
to anything to end it. The authorities are not known to have investigated his 
torture allegations."

"Over the past month the Iranian authorities have executed 2 other young men 
arrested as children and scheduled a third which was halted at the last 
minute," the report added.

Philip Luther said: "Iran is one of very few countries that continue to execute 
juvenile offenders in flagrant violation of international human rights law, 
which prohibits the use of the death penalty against people who were under the 
age of 18 when the crime was committed."

"Carrying out the 3rd such execution in a month would be yet another stain on 
the conscience of Iran and an utter betrayal of its own commitments to uphold 
children's rights. Instead of displaying such appalling enthusiasm for use of 
the death penalty, the Iranian authorities should urgently halt Hamid Ahmadi's 
execution, commute his death sentence and order a fair retrial in line with 
international human rights standards."

Iran's regime is a party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child but its 
outdated laws continue to allow the death penalty to be applied to girls as 
young as nine and boys as young as 15.

(source for both: NCR-Iran)