[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 3



NIGERIA:

Hate speech and its death penalty palava!----One local champion representing 
one local area of Niger State has opened wide his mouth and talked of opening 
up another barbaric chapter in the story of our nationhood. Adolph Hitler did 
it. Idi Amin did it. Sadam Hussein did it



The Nigerian senate has once again shot itself on the foot. This time with a 
dangerous AK-47 assault rifle. This time, there is no whodunit. We know who 
fired the shot. He is a fully paid up and pampered member of the so-called 
hallowed chamber. He is a member of the most cantankerous, selfish, 
unpatriotic, arrogant, crotch-grabbing, navel gazing, money-minded and 
power-drunk set of humanity we mistakingly call senators in Nigeria. That 
theatre of gnomish clowns has once again floated a dangerous, reckless and 
demented idea that will fit the dustbin nicely. The ongoing acts of classic 
hubristic overreach of our senators is becoming symptomatic of a deep political 
imbecility.

One local champion representing one local area of Niger State has opened wide 
his mouth and talked of opening up another barbaric chapter in the story of our 
nationhood. Adolph Hitler did it. Idi Amin did it. Sadam Hussein did it. Rather 
than enact laws and contribute meaningfully to the life of the powerless poor 
in our country, this senator is unashamedly asking for a death penalty for the 
chattering classes who daily legitimize their internal anger through open 
freedom of yabis, critical articles, righteous rebuke, name calling, expose, 
naming and shaming, passionate grandstanding and hard talk.

Senator Sabi Abdullahi, a card carrying member of the All Progressives 
Congress, is the dark conjurer who wants to hang a person like me for abusing 
wayward politicians. Olorun oni fun e she. Senator Sabi, who sabi nothing, is 
here reinforcing the widely held belief of most Nigerians that our senators are 
zombies and money-guzzling snakes, who, at the drop of a hat, will always and 
helplessly fall victims of political infamy. His groundless, vexatious and 
scandalous bill proposes that it is an offence when: "A person who uses, 
publishes, presents, produces, plays, provides, distributes and visual, which 
is threatening, abusive or insulting or involves the use of threatening, 
abusive or insulting words or behaviour."

Of course anybody can tell that Senator Sabi, who is possessed by uncivil zeal 
in his desire to sponsor a bill for the creation of an Independent National 
Commission for Hate Speeches, is projecting a part of his ghoulish desire to a 
larger Nigerian screen. With almost comical stridency, this man wants death by 
hanging for anybody who, through hate speech, causes the death of another 
person. Help me!!! Politics must bring its brain back in Nigeria!!!

It is not hard to see through Sabi???'s brain wave that the twin evil of 
fantastic allowances and humungous salary thrills the soul of this senator than 
putting his energies into making laws that will alleviate the abject penury and 
dark despair of millions of Nigeria. What's going on here? In our search for 
the light, our senators have consistently return us to darkness. In our search 
for sanity, our senators have consistently return us to stupendous insanity. In 
our search for solutions to the hydra-headed challenges buffeting Nigeria, our 
senators have been compounding our problems with deadly hubris of arrogance and 
lawlessness. The daily insecurity, panic and emptiness of our hope as Nigerians 
do not challenge his faculties. What thrills him is the mass beheading of 
Nigerians who, in casual yabis, call South Westerners ngbati..ngbati or the 
South Easterners ajokuta mamumi or the Northerners mala.

Sabi must be told today that Nigerians are hugely accommodating people. We have 
been living happily with centuries of judgmental bigotry, clannish intolerance 
and tribal grandstanding without any disastrous destruction to our 
co-existence. Without any call for the strong man to commence head chopping on 
a genocidal scale as desired by Senator Abdullahi.

Here we have to remind Senator Too Know that the Nigerian constitution 
guarantees the right of every Nigerian to freedom of speech and expression. 
Section 39(1) of the 1999 Constitution states: "Every person shall be entitled 
to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and 
impart information without interference." Also we have global provisions for 
freedom of expression and human right charters of all kinds to which Nigeria is 
a signatory. Article XIX of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human 
Rights provides: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; 
this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, 
receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of 
frontiers."

Further, Article IX of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights 
provides: "Every individual shall have the right to receive information and the 
right to express and disseminate his opinions within the law." The subtext in 
all these sacred laws of freedom of expression is the affirmation of our right 
to speak truth to power, injustice, oppression, abuse, impunity and political 
excesses of our politicians. More than ever before, Nigeria has slipped into 
aberrations so much that we have to call a spade a spade through critical 
articles, satires, name calling, rebuke, polemical attacks, public 
denunciations and political incorrectness if only to bring lawless, arrogant, 
wayward and corrupt politicians to public court and moral shame. Any public 
servant who is feeding fat on our collective patrimony and fears chastisement 
is a coward and unfit to lead. Rebuke, correction, criticism and chastisement 
are the furnaces through which the gold of true leadership must be tested, 
purified and engaged. That balance must be maintained no matter how 
cantankerous it is. Eternal vigilance, so the saying goes, is the price of 
liberty.

Writers, bloggers, opinion moulders, playwrights, polemicists, satirists, 
journalists, public analysts, Devil Advocates, critics and essayists no matter 
how jaundiced, are better for a healthy democracy than hypocrites, bottom 
lickers, ego massagers, errand boys, intellectual spunk and babel of praise 
singing and syrupy rubbish showered on Ministers, Senators and Governors who 
are nothing, but demi-gods in Nigeria. We must not allow any law to neuter, 
curtail or disable our inalienable right to project our anger and 
dissatisfaction through healthy disdain for what passes for revulsion, 
sacrilege and infamy.

But wait a minute. If I am allowed to peel back and recount all the muscular 
languages used by many of our foremost writers, then no writer is longer safe 
from the hangman. Femi Fani-Kayode once called the Vice President a dwarf. 
That's a starter. I have been unsparing in my reproach of Nigerian politicians 
in all my writings. Pastor Tunde Bakare, the fiery preacher of the Latter Rain 
Assembly, has called President Buhari unflattering names. This man of God 
should be ready, sooner than later, for the hangman according to the law of Mr. 
Too Know - Ogbeni Sabi.

Our rebuke, criticism, open reproach and righteous attacks on the perilous 
excesses of our politicians are the only remaining and sustaining power of 
moral superiority we have over our politicians. Mr. Too Know, no law, no 
institutions can take this away from us. Mr. Too Know, the court is there to 
arbitrate over public ridicule, slander, defamation and character assassination 
and not unearthly, impractical and barbaric recourse to head chopping for 
anybody who called me ngbati...ngbati.

(source: theeadleonline.com.ng)








JAPAN:

Joint Statement of Center for Prisoners' Rights and Japan Innocence & Death 
Penalty Information Center to call Japanese government for a sincere dialogue:



Condemning the government for refusing a dialogue with international community 
and not accepting capital punishment as a human rights issue

1

I Introduction

The United Nations Human Rights Council completed the third cycle of the 
Universal Periodic View of Japan on 19 March 2018. The stance of the Japanese 
government regarding the treatment of prisoners and capital punishment opposed 
our view. The government has promised efforts to improve prison conditions in 
principle, but it has not accepted any recommendations regarding capital 
punishment.

II Foreign views of Japan: Promises to improve the treatment of prisoners.

In regard to prisoner treatment within Japan, several foreign countries have 
made recommendations. Panama has called for the modification of regulations 
concerning solitary confinement. Sweden and Canada has called for the 
improvement of medical and dental care, as well as the implementation of 
heating and cooling at all institutions. France requested greater protection of 
the rights of those sentenced to death. Denmark urged stricter conformity with 
the Standard Minimum Rules on Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela 
Rules). Spain and Zambia issued similar recommendations. Many governments 
recommended that Japan accede to the Optional Protocol to the Convention 
against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

Although the Japanese government did not clearly accept these recommendations, 
it has reported progress in improving prison conditions. Among these are 
medical care and the installation of heating and cooling. It has also indicated 
that inmates sentenced to death have been treated appropriately.

Needless to say, Japanese penal facilities still face serious problems in 
regard to medical care, the lack of heat, and solitary confinement. We note 
that due to the introduction of Correctional Medical Staff Act, and, the 
establishment of the East Japan Correctional Medical Center, prisons??? medical 
staffing and medical services have been improved.

2

However, many inmates claim that it takes many days to see a doctor, and that 
access to adequate medical care is often denied. Few facilities have proper 
heating or cooling systems, except for those units in the extreme regions. Some 
inmates even suffer from frostbite.

Nonetheless, we appreciate that the government shares these concerns, and 
promises to make efforts for improvement in response to the international 
community's recommendations.

III Not accepting all recommendations regarding death penalty.

In this year's review, 37 countries called for the abolition of capital 
punishment, or, a moratorium on the use of capital punishment, as well as the 
ratification of the second optional protocol to ICCPR. These include the 
following specific and relatively easy-to-implement recommendations:

1) establishing a moratorium on the application of the death penalty, and the 
abolishment of capital punishment (Brazil).

2) a system of mandatory appeals in death penalty cases (Switzerland); ensuring 
the protection of the rights of those sentenced to death, by guaranteeing among 
other things the suspensive effect of any appeal request or claim to review the 
trial (France).

3) designation of an official body to promote informed debate on the reform of 
the death penalty (Austria).

4) consideration of a capital punishment moratorium, and public debate about 
the future use of the death penalty (Canada).

Nevertheless, the Japanese government did not accept any of these 
recommendations. It retorted, "Japan believes that each sovereign country 
should be allowed to make decisions on the issue of the death penalty 
independently. Domestic public opinion, the existence of extremely vicious 
crimes, and other factors make abolishment of the death penalty inappropriate. 
A temporary moratorium is also inappropriate, since the final judgement must be 
executed impartially and thoroughly under the rule of law."

It is clear that the Japanese government denies that capital punishment is a 
fundamental human rights issue based on article 6 of the ICCPR. Such a stubborn 
attitude raises serious concerns about Japan's commitment to promoting human 
rights.

IV The government's response to the foreign community is unforgivable.

The Japanese government has continued executions, even after the past 2 cycles 
of the UPR. The government executed 3 death row inmates on 17 June 2008, 
immediately after the outcome document of the 1st cycle was adopted on 12 June 
2008. It executed 2 death row inmates on April 26, 2014, 1 month after the 
outcome

3

document of the 2nd cycle was adopted on 14 March 2013. On 14 March 2018, when 
the UN Human Rights Council was about to adopt another outcome document, the 
Ministry of Justice transferred 7 of the 13 Aum Shinrikyo cult members on death 
row from the Tokyo Detention House to other facilities. The Ministry offered 
the lame explanation that the transfer was simply to detain the accomplices 
separately. We believe that the Ministry of Justice wants to house the 
defendants in different detention centers in order to carry out mass executions 
at the same time.

It is unusual to execute those who are seeking retrial. This changed in July of 
2017. Many of the 13 Aum members on death row are seeking retrial. We fear that 
they might be executed despite exercising legal claims for retrial.

Japan is a member of the UN Human Rights Council, and it will host the UN 
Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Kyoto in 2020. 
Furthermore, Japan will host the summer Olympics that year. If the government 
ignores calls from the international community, and chooses to carry out 
executions, whether they are Aum Shinrikyo cult members or other inmates on 
death row, Japan will be degraded.

We demand that the government reconsider its antiquated and cruel stance 
regarding the death penalty. If the government carries out a mass execution, 
Japan's international reputation will be irreparably damaged. We demand that 
the Minister of Justice, Ms Yoko KAMIKAWA, hold back mass executions, and under 
the power of reason, step forwards and enter into a dialogue.

March 30th, 2018

Center for Prisoners' Rights (CPR) Japan Innocence & Death Penalty Information 
Center (JIADEP)

(source: Center for Prisoners' Rights Japan)








PHILIPPINES/SAUDI ARABIA:

OFW in Saudi saved from death penalty: DFA



A female overseas Filipino worker was saved from the death penalty in Saudi 
Arabia and has returned to the Philippines, the Department of Foreign Affairs 
said yesterday.

The DFA did not identify the worker but described her as an "unwitting drug 
mule."

The DFA did not say how the OFW gained freedom. It only said she was saved 
through the efforts of the Philippine consulate in Jeddah and the law firm it 
engaged to assist the OFW.

Quoting reports from the consulate, the DFA said the OFW was imprisoned in 
Jeddah on Oct 9, 2013 after she was arrested for possession of illegal drugs. 
The drugs were found in the luggage she was carrying for a representative of 
her deployment agency in Manila, it said.

The DFA said the OFW was recommended by the Jeddah prosecution office to be put 
to death for drug smuggling and fined 100,000 Saudi riyals (about P1.4 million)

The OFW was repatriated to Manila on March 27 along with 4 other female OFWs 
after they completed their respective prison sentences in various detention 
facilities in the western region of Saudi Arabia.

The DFA also did not identify the 4 other OFWs.

Around 2.4 million Filipinos are living and working in the Middle East, with 
1.2 million of them found in Saudi Arabia working in oil fields and medicine, 
service industries and as household helpers.

(source: malaya.com.ph)








IRAQ:

Iraq condemns 6 Turkish women to death for IS membership: judiciary



A Baghdad court on Monday sentenced 6 Turkish women to death and a 7th to life 
in prison for membership of the Islamic State jihadist group, a judicial source 
said.

The source told AFP that the women, all accompanied by small children in the 
court, had surrendered to Kurdish peshmerga fighters after having fled Tal 
Afar, one of the last IS bastions to fall to Iraqi security forces last year.

The women told the court they had entered the country to join their husbands 
fighting for IS in the "caliphate" which the group declared in 2014 in 
territory straddling Iraq and Syria.

Iraq in February condemned another 15 Turkish women to death on the same 
charge.

Since January, a German woman and a woman from Turkey have also been handed the 
death penalty, in rulings which Human Rights Watch (HRW) has condemned as 
"unfair".

Experts estimate that a total of 20,000 people are being held in jail in Iraq 
for alleged membership of IS. There is no official figure.

Iraq has detained at least 560 women, as well as 600 children, identified as 
jihadist or relatives of suspected IS fighters.

Separately, authorities in Iraqi Kurdistan said in early February they had 
detained some 4,000 suspected IS members, including foreigners.

Iraq's anti-terrorism law empowers courts to convict people who are believed to 
have helped IS even if they are not accused of carrying out attacks.

It also allows for the death penalty to be issued against anyone -- including 
non-combatants -- found guilty of belonging to IS.

The New York-based HRW has urged Iraqi authorities to "develop a national 
strategy to prioritise the prosecution of those who committed the most serious 
crimes".

Women suspected only of IS membership rather than any combat role are "getting 
the harshest possible sentences for what appears to be marriage to an ISIS (IS) 
member or a coerced border crossing," it said.

Many foreign widows of IS fighters have said they had been fooled or threatened 
by their husbands to travel to Iraq.

(source: Agence France-Presse)