[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Jan. 5




IRAN----executions

7 Executions to Begin 2017

Unable to reign in its political and economic crises, and concerned over 
possible nationwide uprisings, the inhumane mullahs' regime in Iran has 
resorted to sending 7 prisoners to the gallows in the first days of 2017. These 
executions were carried out in the prisons of Karaj (west of Tehran) and 
Ghazvin (northwest Iran).

Karaj Central Prison was the scene of 4 inmates hanged on Tuesday, January 3.

3 prisoners aged 30, 34 and 36 were also hanged in Ghazvin Prison on January 2 
and 3.

Another inmate, aged 33, was transferred to Sepidar Prison in the city of Ahvaz 
in preparation for his execution.

Mohammad Javad Larijani, secretary of Iran's so-called "Human Rights 
Department," is known to theorize torture and executions in Iran through 
schemes such as "decreasing and replacing death sentences" meant to deceive 
Western countries.

However, Larijani has once again emphasized on "firm and heavy punishments for 
drug-related charges."

(source: NCR-Iran)






MALAYSIA:

Federal Court reinstates death penalty on religious teacher for murder of pupil


An Islamic religious teacher has to face the death penalty as the Federal Court 
reinstated his conviction for the murder of a 7-year-old pupil, more than 5 
years ago.

Hanif Mohamad Ali, 32, was sentenced to 20 years jail by the Court of Appeal in 
March last year after that court set aside his murder conviction and death 
sentence and instead convicted him on a reduced charge of committing culpable 
homicide not amounting to murder.

A 5-man bench of the Federal Court led by Federal Court judge Tan Sri Suriyadi 
Halim Omar today allowed the prosecution's appeal to reverse the appellate 
court's decision.

It (the court) restored the Perlis High Court decision which found Hanif, who 
was then a hostel warden at a religious primary school, guilty of murdering 
Saiful Syazani Saiful Sopfidee, a Year One student, at Asrama Putra, Sekolah 
Rendah Islam Al-Furqan, Arau, Perlis between 6pm and midnight on March 31, 
2011.

Meanwhile, the panel also dismissed Hanif's appeal against the jail term. The 
other judges on the panel were Justices Tan Sri Abu Samah Nordin, Tan Sri Ramly 
Ali, Tan Sri Zaharah Ibrahim and Tan Sri Jeffrey Tan Kok Wha.

Hanif, in green-coloured prison clothes, looked composed when the court 
announced the verdict. After the court stood down its proceedings, Hanif was 
seen embracing his family members including his mother, who was in tears.

According to the facts of the case, the boy had been made to stand with his 
hands bound upright to an iron bar and that he was hit on the head and slapped 
for allegedly stealing money.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin submitted that the 
pathologist's evidence revealed that the boy was strangled for 4 minutes and 
considering that he (the boy) was tied and beaten, it showed that Hanif had 
intention to cause injury to him which led to his death.

Hanif's lawyer Ariff Azami Hussein argued that was no misdirection by the Court 
of Appeal when it reduced the charge against his client.

The Perlis High Court had initially amended Hanif's charge from murder to 
committing culpable homicide not amounting to murder at the end of the 
prosecution's case. Hanif subsequently pleaded guilty to the amended charge and 
was sentenced to 18 years' jail.

The prosecution then appealed to the Court of Appeal which ordered Hanif to 
enter his defence on the murder charge at the High Court. At the end of the 
defence's case, Hanif was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death by the 
High Court.

(source: themalaymailonline.com)