[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

May 1



SOUTH KOREA:

Hong says will execute criminals on death row


South Korean presidential candidate Hong Joon-pyo of the conservative Liberty 
Korea Party said he would revive capital punishment if elected, saying 
criminals are "going on the rampage."

"Because we no longer carry out death penalty, high-profile murder cases 
continue, such as the ones involving (serial killers) Yoo Young-chul and Kang 
Ho-soon," Hong said on campaign trail in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on Sunday.

Although death sentence continues to be handed down by court, South Korea has 
not executed criminals since 1997. It is categorized by global rights watchdog 
Amnesty International as a country that has "virtually abolished" capital 
punishment.

Nicknamed "Hong Trump" for his controversial remarks and ultra-conservative 
vision, the candidate is enjoying growing popularity, with polls putting him at 
3rd place with support of around 15 %.

The former state prosecutor and conservative party leader demanded the 
authorities send jailed former president Park Geun-hye to the hospital, saying 
she is "said to be in very poor condition" in a detention center.

The former conservative president has been taken into custody since March 31 
over a corruption scandal that brought an abrupt end to her 5-year presidential 
term.

Hong's party was formerly known as the Saenuri Party, founded and named by 
Park, but rebranded as the Liberty Korea Party since Park's impeachment.

(source: The Korea Herald)






PAKISTAN:

Pakistan SC declines early hearing of Asia Bibi case----Supporters of Asia Bibi 
protest against the blasphemy laws.


The Supreme Court of Pakistan has turned down the request for an early hearing 
of the case of a Catholic mother sentenced to death for blasphemy, that her 
supporters and rights activists hold hard-line Islamic lobbyists responsible 
for. Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar on April 26, declined a request 
for the hearing of the case of Asia Bibi in the 1st week of June made by her 
Muslim lawyer Saiful Malook. "Today I have been informed that the plea was 
declined by the CJP," Malook is reported to have told The Express Tribune.

Bibi, a 51-year old fruit picker from Sheikhupura, was convicted of blasphemy 
and sentenced to death in 2010 after an argument with a Muslim woman over a 
glass of water. Her supporters and rights activists maintain her innocence and 
insist she was falsely accused due to a personal dispute with the accuser. 
Successive appeals have been rejected, and if the Supreme Court bench upholds 
Bibi's conviction, her only recourse will be a direct appeal to the president 
for clemency.

"This is very unfortunate. Her husband became quiet when he heard the latest 
developments. We shall again apply for the hearing and keep struggling for 
justice," Joseph Nadeem, executive director of the Renaissance Education 
Foundation told UCANEWS. "There are many factors at work behind the slow pace 
of judiciary. Her case has been in the doldrums due to huge pressure. There 
will be a strong reaction if Bibi is freed. Opposing groups have made it a 
matter of honor and ego," Nadeem said.

The Renaissance Education Foundation has been supporting Bibi's family in 
Lahore since she was imprisoned for allegedly defaming Prophet Mohammed in 
2009. If Bibi's death sentence is upheld, she would be 1st woman in Pakistan to 
be put to death for blasphemy.

The last time her case was taken up by the Supreme Court, was on October 13, by 
a three-judge bench. However, one of the judges, Iqbal Hameed-ur-Rehman retired 
from the case because he said he was also a part of the bench in the case of 
the murder of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, who was assassinated by his 
bodyguard in 2011 for his support of Bibi. Judge Pervez Ali Shah fled to Saudi 
Arabia along with his family in 2011 after getting death threats for convicting 
Malik Mumtaz Hussein Qadri who confessed to murdering Taseer. Shahbaz Bhatti, a 
Catholic and federal minister for minorities, was also assassinated that year 
for supporting Bibi's released and recommending reform of the blasphemy law.

Analysts consider Qadri's 2016 execution a litmus test for processing 
blasphemy-related killings. Now, in the view of Bibi's former attorney, the 
current environment in the country is not conducive for the dispensation of 
justice in her case. "Our plight is that the socio-political atmosphere of the 
country has no space for discussion on blasphemy laws. The judges know what is 
happening outside as non-state actors show their strength on the roads 
demanding death for Bibi," said Naeem Shakir, a Christian lawyer. The 
sensitivity surrounding blasphemy laws has made it a political tool to threaten 
and put down others. The state has a weak narrative regarding this law and its 
functionaries usually try to evade questions regarding its misuse," he said.

Meanwhile, several Islamic clerics have renewed calls for the execution of 
Bibi, saying incidents such as the recent lynching of a Muslim university 
student in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, was because of the frustration over 
delay in Bibi's execution. Pakistan's National Assembly adopted a resolution 
condemning the lynching and resolved to insert safeguards into the blasphemy 
law but religious parties opposed the idea.

The dreadful blasphemy laws in Pakistan's Penal Code stipulates life 
imprisonment for blasphemy against the Qur'an and death penalty for blasphemy 
against Prophet Mohammed. Rights groups say the laws are increasingly exploited 
by religious extremists as well as ordinary Pakistanis to settle personal 
scores, not just against members of minority communities but also against 
Muslims. The law do not clearly define blasphemy and evidence might not be 
reproduced in court for fear of committing a fresh offence. There are no 
penalties for false accusations. Those accused are sometimes lynched on the 
spot. If they are arrested, police and the courts often allow trials to drag on 
for years, afraid of being attacked if they release anyone accused of 
blasphemy.

Since the passage of blasphemy laws in the early 1980s, religious minorities 
including Shia, Ahmadi, Hindu and Christians have often been attacked and 
persecuted for their faith. Asia Bibi has been rotting in prison since 2009. 
"Such atrocities have become routine. The plight of Bibi has had a dampening 
effect on minorities. Their grief cannot be addressed because of religious 
retrogressive and extremist groups. Islamists consider her freedom a defeat for 
their movement," added Shakir.

(source: radiovaticana.va)

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

Pakistan may finalise Kulbhushan Jadhav's execution in 6 months


A final decision on whether former Indian naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav will 
face the gallows or not is expected to be taken by Pakistan in about 6 to 7 
months, sources have said.

But the intensifying civilian-military tussle in that country over the Dawn 
news leaks issue may well have "complicated" matters, since Jadhav was 
sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and 
sabotage.

New Delhi is hoping that the death sentence will be at least commuted to life 
imprisonment. Sources also said a decision by Pakistan on the visa application 
of Jadhav's parents is expected soon.

Pakistan PM's advisor on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz had said earlier, "As per 
law, Kulbushan Jadhav has following available options. He has the right to 
appeal within 40 days to an Appellate Court. He may lodge a mercy petition to 
the COAS within 60 days of the decision by the appellate court. He may also 
lodge a mercy petition to the President of Pakistan within 90 days after the 
decision of COAS on the mercy petition."

According to foreign policy watchers, Pakistan's Army chief Gen. Qamar Javed 
Bajwa is expected to reject any mercy petition filed, since he had "confirmed" 
the death penalty verdict by the military court in the first place.

With the Pakistan Army adopting a hardline stand on the matter and being in the 
forefront of the move to deny Jadhav consular access, there seems little 
possibility of the Pakistan Army chief granting mercy to Jadhav.

Therefore, it seems fairly obvious that ultimately the Pakistan President will 
have to take the final call on whether Jadhav will be hanged or not. The 
alternative is to commute the sentence to life imprisonment.

But going by the fact that the Pakistan Army is calling the shots, it seems 
most likely that any decision by the Pakistan President will also be taken 
after the Army there is on board.

(source: Deccan Chronicle)

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

To the gallows: Murder accused gets death penalty


A man was awarded death sentence in a murder case in Dera Ghazi Khan on Sunday. 
The judgment was announced by the Additional District and Sessions Judge Khizar 
Hayat.

According to prosecution, accused Mazhar Hussain had gunned down his 
mother-in-law Ghulam Fatima and injured sister-in-law Jeevan Mai for demanding 
dowry in November 2011. After the incident, the accused fled the scene but was 
later arrested by the police.

After complete investigation, police submitted a challan in court. Following 
proceedings, the court sentenced Mazhar to death and imposed a fine of Rs0.2 
million.

Similarly, Additional District and Sessions Judge Majid Kareem Farooq sentenced 
2 accused to life term in a murder case. Accused Abdul Khaliq and Muhammad 
Saleem had killed Muhammad Rafiq after snatching a cheque of Rs70,000 on March 
8, 2013.

(source: The Express Tribune)






IRAN:

At least 90 people on death row in Iran aged under 18, say UN experts


At least 90 people on death row in Iran are under the age of 18, says a group 
of UN experts who are calling for authorities in the Middle Eastern nation to 
immediately put an end to the execution of those aged who were under 18 at the 
time of sentencing.

3 UN experts - Asma Jahangir, special rapporteur on the situation of human 
rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran; Agnes Callamard, special rapporteur on 
extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; and, Benyam Dawit Mezmur, 
chairperson of the Committee on the Rights of the Child - made the call late 
last week amid news that a man who was aged 15 at the time of his sentencing 
will be executed next week.

Peyman Barandah was just 15-years-old when he was sentenced to death in 2012 
for the fatal stabbing of a teenager. His execution will now be carried out on 
10th May.

The announcement of the date comes after another execution - that of Mehdi 
Bohlouli who was 17-years-old when sentenced to death in 2001, also for the 
fatal stabbing of a man - was halted just a few hours before it was due to take 
place on 19th April. It is not clear when Mr Bohloudi's execution will now be 
carried out.

"We are dismayed by the unprecedented rise in the number of cases of execution 
of juvenile offenders in Iran," the experts said in a statement. "The 
psychological suffering inflicted on adolescents kept languishing for years in 
prison under a death sentence is appalling, and amounts to torture and ill 
treatment."

Calling for both of the executions to be "halted immediately" and the death 
sentences quashed, the 3 experts also called on Iran to "commute without delay 
all such sentences imposed on children".

The experts said the 2 cases take to 6 the number of juvenile offenders 
scheduled for execution in Iran since January, including the cases of 2 whose 
sentences have been carried out. They added that while the Iranian Government 
had assured the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2016 that a 2013 
amendment to the country's penal code opening the possibility for juveniles 
sentenced to death to be allowed retrials would be systematically applies to 
all juveniles then on death row, "these promises have not been fulfilled".

They noted that by ratifying both the International Covenant on Civil and 
Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Iran had 
committed itself to protecting and respecting children's right to life as well 
as to outlaw the death penalty for all those under the age of 18.

"Any assumption that a girl over 9 years old or a boy older than 15 can be 
considered mature enough to be sentenced to death, infringes on the very basic 
principles of juvenile justice and violates both treaties," they said. 
"Furthermore, any death sentence undertaken in contravention of a government's 
international obligations, notably its duty to establish a juvenile justice 
system in line with international human rights standards, is unlawful and 
tantamount to an arbitrary execution."

(source: sightmagazine.com.au)

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

Public Executions Part of Life In Iran


Within the borders of Iran, executions are not just carried out behind the 
doors of the prisons, but something that is part of the public sphere. Public 
executions are common, meant in part to be a deterrent for crimes and drug use. 
But the reality is that they have become a level of entertainment and are not 
the real deterrent that the regime claims.

Children and families are often present at these executions, such as the one 
for a 21-year old inmate, who was publicly hanged in Babol, which is in 
northern Iran. The victim was only identified by his initials and had been 
found guilty of murder. His sentence was issued by the first criminal court of 
the province and was carried out on Saturday after being permitted the "Head of 
the Judiciary", according to the public prosecutor of Mazandaran.

Another prisoner was hanged at dawn on Saturday, April 22. He was sentenced for 
drug related charges and Mehdi Mirzaei, the individual who was hanged, had been 
held in Parsilon Prison for the past three years. This is just another example 
of how these executions also are used to address the drug issues within their 
society.

Other realities of public executions are that the individuals being executed 
could be prisoners sentenced when they were juveniles. One man was publicly 
hanged on April 22, in the city of Babol, according to the state-run Iranian 
news agencies. The state controlled YJC news agency reported that the 21-year 
old was identified as HR, and he was sentenced to the Qisas death penalty, 
which is a retribution penalty.

Iran executes more individuals per capita than any other country in the world, 
according to Amnesty International's annual report. At least 197 individuals 
have been executed in Iran since the beginning of 2017.

The first deputy of Iran's Chief Justice, Mohseni Ejeie, cited criticism 
regarding a number of executions of criminals in a press conference. He cited 
several examples of individuals who were executed for moving narcotics. "Or in 
Kerman, two people identified as Abdulhamid Hossein Zehi and Faramarz Kohkan, 
who were active in a drug trafficking ring, were hanged...or in Karaj a person 
was sentenced to death for carrying drugs...what else can we do with these 
people except execute them? At any rate, we will act according to our 
laws...and will not show leniency," said Ejeie.

The result is that public executions will continue, despite the evidence that 
they are not a necessary deterrent and can have a significant impact on the 
mental and emotional well-being of society as a whole.

(source: The Media Express)






INDIA:

Ghaziabad: Maliwal demands death for rapist of 7-year-old girl----Delhi women's 
panel chief Swati Maliwal visited the Loni rape victim at the Delhi hospital 
she has been admitted to


The chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), Swati Maliwal, on 
Sunday met the 7-year-old who was raped and tortured in Loni. She also met her 
family at the Delhi hospital that the victim has been admitted to.

The girl had gone missing from a wedding on the evening of March 27 at Loni in 
Ghaziabad and was found semi-conscious in a nearby field the next morning.

The DCW chief said she will be writing to the chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh 
and Punjab for their intervention. The family hails from Punjab and had come to 
Loni to attend a wedding.

"The girl was found in a pool of blood. She was brutally raped and severely 
beaten. She underwent a long operation and is fighting for survival. The 
doctors said her situation is critical and she would need a long time to 
recover if she survives," Maliwal said.

"The culprit, who is absconding, deserves the death penalty. He must be traced 
immediately by the police," she added.

"I will appeal and write to the chief ministers of UP and Punjab to take 
cognizance of the incident and ensure strict punishment for the culprit. Since 
the family comes from a weak financial background, the victim should be given 
proper compensation so that her family can take care of her while she goes 
through the long recovery," she said.

The alleged incident took place at a residential colony under Loni Border 
police station area where the family had gone to a relatives' house to attend a 
wedding. The girl went missing around 7pm a day before the wedding when the 
hosts and guests were busy with rituals. She was found nearly 10 hours later at 
an adjacent field and was rushed to a hospital.

"It is a very bad city. Coming here was our biggest mistake and we saw such 
brutality with my daughter. She has been operated twice and the doctors said 
her condition is critical. She is in a state of shock and is hardly able to 
speak," said the girl's father.

He had lodged an FIR for rape and under Protection of Children from Sexual 
Offences Act at Loni Border police station on Friday. Police said medical 
reports are yet to be received, but doctors have told them what happened with 
the victim.

Srikant Prajapati, circle officer (Loni), said, "She told police that she was 
assaulted by 1 person, but she doesn't know his name. Once her condition 
improves, we will ask her to identify the man from pictures and videos shot at 
the wedding. Till then, we will have to wait. She also said that she was 
semi-conscious and was not able to shout for help when she was lying at the 
spot (where she was found) at night."

"She has suffered major internal injuries. The perpetrator of the crime is 
expected to be a relative or a wedding guest," he added.

(source: Hindustan Times)