[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Jan. 9




SINGAPORE:

Putrajaya urged to save Malaysian on Singapore death row----The argument put 
forward by activist groups in Singapore, led by lawyer M Ravi, is that core 
elements involving prevention and protection of right of life were ignored.


Hindraf has come out in support of the call to have a Malaysian on death row in 
Singapore be given a reprieve.

Hindraf chairman P Waytha Moorthy also urged Putrajaya to intervene and "ensure 
that a Malaysian life is not short-lived or falls prey to antics of Singapore 
without having an opportunity to preserve their life".

"Singapore with its statutory presumption has failed to do what is necessary 
and in line with customary international law, where a notion of prevention is 
an important part of protection of the right to life.

"They have an obligation to provide and facilitate this right including the 
duties to take reasonable measures to prevent such capital punishment rather 
than relying on a slapstick statutory presumption," he said in a statement 
released today.

Waytha was referring to the case of Prabagaran Srivijayan, 29, who is on death 
row in the island republic and is set to be executed in a few weeks.

He was convicted in 2012 after drugs were found in the car he was driving to 
enter Singapore.

According to Waytha, Prabagaran had during the trial claimed that he did not 
know of the existence of the drugs in the car, which he said he had borrowed 
from a man called Nathan.

"During investigations, he had also positively identified Nathan and another 
man Balu from photographs shown to him by the Singapore police but for unknown 
reasons the Singapore authorities failed to seek their Malaysian counterpart's 
assistance to secure the arrest of Nathan and Balu," Waytha said.

He added that the Singapore Court of Appeal had rejected Prabagaran's appeal 
based on circumstantial evidence and after having failed to note that material 
witnesses were not produced in court by the prosecution in the original trial.

Meanwhile, it was reported yesterday that a prominent Singaporean lawyer and 2 
of his Malaysian counterparts are racing against the clock to save Prabagaran's 
life.

Singaporean M Ravi, who founded the Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Campaign, is 
working with human rights lawyers Latheefa Koya and N Surendran to stop 
Prabagaran's execution.

Both Latheefa and Surendran are members of PKR. Surendran is also the Padang 
Serai MP.

According to Singapore website The Independent, the Malaysian lawyers may file 
for a judicial review in the Kuala Lumpur High Court for an order to compel 
Putrajaya to file an immediate complaint at the International Court of Justice 
(ICJ).

"The argument put forward by activist groups in Singapore, led by lawyer Ravi, 
is that the core elements involving prevention and protection of right of life 
are ignored.

In contrast, statutory presumptions are prioritised without affording a prompt, 
thorough and effective investigation and securing all relevant evidence 
concerning the event to prevent a violation of the right of life for 
Prabagaran," Waytha, who is a former deputy minister in the prime minister's 
department, said.

Waytha added that Malaysia, like Singapore, are signatories to bilateral and 
multilateral agreements such as the International Drug Control Conventions of 
1961, 1971 & 1988 which allows the infringed party to raise the grievances for 
their own citizens.

"These treaties envisage reference of disputes to the ICJ that opens a door for 
the Malaysian government to bring forth a case against Singapore when it 
involves the Malaysian citizen as it is reflected in Article 36 in the statute 
of ICJ," he said.

Meanwhile, Waytha noted that almost 70% of the prisoners on death row in 
Singapore are Malaysians.

(source: The Independent)






BAHRAIN:

Cassation Court upholds death sentence for officers' killers


The Court of Cassation upheld the death sentence against 3 defendants in the 
case of murder of First-Lieutenant Tariq Mohammed Al Shehi and policemen 
Mohammed Raslan and Ammar Abdu Ali Mohammed, Advocate General at the Public 
Prosecution's Technical Office Haroon Al Zayani said.

The crime took place on March 3, 2014 when the defendants planted an explosive 
device, lured the policemen and detonated it, killing 3 policemen.

8 terror suspects, including five in custody, were referred to the Criminal 
Court.

They were charged with forming a terror group to undermine the provisions of 
the Constitution and to stall official institutions, and caused terror blasts 
to achieve their aims.

They recruited other suspects, made and detonated explosive devices and 
targeted public security men to kill them in order weaken the state, stir 
unrest and topple the regime.

6 suspects were charged with joining the terror group. They along with the 2nd 
suspect carried out terrorist activities, killed and attempted to kill 
policemen, damaged public properties, and possessed, stored, handled and used 
explosive substances. Their aim was to carry out acts of terror, fund their 
terror group and finance its activities.

The High Criminal Court deliberated the case and sentenced 3 defendants to 
death and the remaining suspects to life in jail. Some of the defendants were 
stripped of their nationality.

The verdicts were later upheld by the Court of Appeals.

The case was referred to the Court of Cassation in compliance with the 
provisions of the Bahraini law which considers a death sentence automatically 
subject to referral to the Court of Cassation.

The Court of Cassation cancelled the sentence and referred the case back to the 
Court of Appeal to consider it anew.

The Court of Appeals deliberated the case a 2nd time and upheld the sentence 
"in view of the incontestable material and verbal evidence" and referred it to 
the Court of Cassation which kept the death and jail sentences.

(source: Bahrain News Agency)






THAILAND:

Thailand moves closer to death penalty for corrupt politicians


Thailand on Monday moved one step closer to approving the death penalty for 
politicians found guilty of corruption, Amnesty International in Thailand said 
on Monday.

It appointed National Reform Steering Assembly passed a proposal under which 
politicians found guilty of corruption involving more than 27.9 million dollars 
could face the death penalty.

Politicians involved in corruption to the tune of 2.8 to 27.9 million dollars 
could face a life sentence, and those involved in cases between 27,900 dollars 
could be imprisoned for 5 years.

The proposal would be submitted to the cabinet and then to parliament for 
further deliberations, the assembly said.

Thailand has been under military rule since a May 2014 coup.

Some coup leaders cited the need to rid the government of corruption as one of 
the reasons for staging it.

Critics blasted the proposal, saying it could be exploited by the country's 
military rulers to further stifle dissent.

"The death penalty is first of all, a human rights issue.

"It is never right and is never the solution; the death penalty can be used as 
a political tool.

"The authorities in some countries for example, Iran and Sudan use the death 
penalty to punish political opponents," the Amnesty International said.

Thailand last carried out the death penalty in August 2009.

(source: dailytrust.com.ng)






PAKISTAN:

Pakistani Christian faces the death penalty after being accused of ripping 
pages out of a Koran by a Muslim involved in a business dispute with the 
arrested man's family


A Pakistani Christian faces the death penalty after being accused of ripping 
pages out of a Koran, it has emerged.

Shahbaz Babu was accused of desecrating the holy book by writing his name on it 
and scattering torn-up pages in front of a mosque in Kamahan, near Lahore.

The 41-year-old was thrown in jail on blasphemy charges following a complaint 
by a man who is in a business dispute with the married father-of-three's 
family, it has been claimed.

Activists from the British Pakistani Christian Association (BPCA) say Badu, an 
evangelical Christian, is illiterate and cannot have written his name on the 
Koran.

The organisation reports that Badu was taken to Nishtar police station before 
being moved to Model Town station to avoid 'possible reprisals' arising from 
the charges against him.

There were no eyewitnesses to him writing his name on the book while his 
accuser, is said to be in dispute with Badu's brother who owns a 'thriving' 
grocery store, the BPCA said.

Others have pointed out inconsistencies in the accusations.

Badu was accused of desecrating the Koran in secret - but ripping up the pages 
would have left public clear evidence of his alleged activities.

According to Asia News, Babu was arrested on December 30 under Article 295B of 
the Pakistan Penal Code.

Wilson Chowdhry, Chairman of the BPCA. said: 'This latest blasphemy case 
highlights the little progress made by the Government of Pakistan towards 
improving the rights of minorities under their protection.

'Wholly biased laws such as the notorious blasphemy laws of Pakistan have no 
place in egalitarian modern democracies, suggesting that the nation has moved 
forward little from its feudal past.

'In every blasphemy case in Pakistan common-sense flies out of the window as a 
corrupt and incredibly inadequate police force goes about it's business with 
prejudice and avarice.'

(source: dailymail.co.uk)

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

Military courts awarded 161 death penalties----Constant attacks forced special 
constitutional arrangements to effectively check militants


The atmosphere of constant and devastating terrorism forced an amendment in the 
constitution that would establish the military courts.

The routine judicial system was under stress and the judges were also 
threatened, forcing unlawful verdicts.

Therefore, special constitutional arrangements were made to effectively check 
the militants and the terror they were spreading.

During the period of its validity, 274 cases were referred to military courts, 
161 cases among these, ended with death penalty (12 executed) and 113 were 
awarded imprisonment of various durations.

The cases were dealt through law's due process. The disposal through military 
courts yielded positive effects towards the reduction of terrorism. But the 
military courts have now expired, due to the 'sun-set clause' in the amendment.

(source: Daily Times)