[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

April 6



MALAWI:

Mutharika calls for dialogue on death penalty implementation: President urges 
Malawi police to go deeper in probing albino killers



President Peter Mutharika has called for a "honest national dialogue" if the 
country should resume capital punishment in response to murder rate so that 
people found guilty of killing especially persons with albinism be slapped with 
death penalty.

Mutharika says will not allow criminals to reverse the gains made in efforts to 
protect persons with albinims

Mutharika said this in a statement issued by Presidential Press Secretary Mgeme 
Kalilani and made available to Nyasa Times on Thursday.

There have been fevered calls for country to lift the moratorium on executions 
following the resurfacing of gruesome attacks on persons with albinism.

Kalilani said the Malawi leader is asking for an "honest national dialogue" on 
whether the country should start implementing the death penalty or not on 
individuals sentenced to death for murder.

"President Mutharika is aware that there are some stakeholders who feel 
passionately that implementing the death penalty on individuals sentenced to 
death could go a long way as a deterrent to would-be offenders from attacking 
persons with albinism," said Kalilani in a statement.

"On the other hand, the President is also aware of the international 
community's stand against the death penalty," he said.

He said: "These 2 view points are on opposite extreme end of each other; hence 
the need for dialogue and a national consensus."

Malawi's law allow the death penalty for people convicted of murder. However, 
despite the law providing for a death sentence, it has not been applicable 
since 2004 when Bakili Muluzi was in power after dictatorship of Malawi 
Congress Party (MCP). Other presidents after Muluzi including the incumbent has 
not assented to execution because of human rights concerns with the United 
Nations campaigning for removal of such laws from the books.

The hangman's job has been vacant in Malawi since 1994 but applications could 
be invited if death sentence could be rmeted to perpetrators of crimes against 
people with albinism or murderers.

Mutharika's call for dialogue on death penalty follows the recent killing of 
Macdonald Masambuka, a young man with albinism in Machinga District, whose body 
was found on April 1, 2018 weeks after he was reported missing in early March.

The abduction and killing of Masambuka brings to 4 the number of attacks 
against persons with albinism in 2018.

State House said Mutharika is assuring all Malawians that the abduction and 
murder of Masambuka and similar unresolved cases will be "thoroughly 
investigated" with the speed they deserve and that all those implicated will be 
prosecuted "vigorously."

The President has expressed "great shock" and "sadness' about the news of 
re-emergence of attacks on persons with albinism in some parts of the country.

"This depressing development is happening at a time government had made 
tremendous progress in efforts to stop such barbarous acts,: reads the 
statement from State House.

The body of Masambuka, 22, who came from Nakawa Village, Traditional Authority 
(T/A) Nkoola in Machinga, was found last Sunday buried within the district.

Police traced his body following confessions from suspects who had been 
arrested in connection with the crime.

7 suspects, reportedly including a police officer and six civilians, have been 
arrested for the killing.

The President has commended the professional Police officers that have this far 
worked day and night to establish what had befallen the late Masambuka since 
his disappearance.

Mutharika further encourages law enforcers to "dig deep" in investigating the 
killing of Masambuka and bring the alleged perpetrators to justice, saying no 
one implicated should be spared regardless of their social status.

"The President will not allow criminals in our communities to reverse the gains 
made in the efforts to protect persons with albinism. President Mutharika's 
Government remains seriously committed to protecting the human rights for all 
its citizens with special emphasis on vulnerable groups such as persons with 
albinism," reads the statement.

The President is calling for concerted effort from all stakeholders to 
understand what weaknesses in the earlier interventions have led to the 
re-emergence of the attacks on person with albinism, get to the root of the 
problem and collectively defeat it.

State House said Malawi government appreciates the support it has thus far been 
receiving from the international development partners, traditional leaders, the 
Judiciary and the clergy in protecting the lives and rights of people with 
albinism and holding rights' violators accountable.

(source: Nyasa Times)








IRAN:

Hundreds Put To Death In Iran Last Year



Hundreds of people were executed in Iran last year, including some who were 
minors at the time of their alleged crimes, and the grizzly practice of public 
executions continues, according to a report from the Iran Human Rights 
Documentation Center (IHRDC).

During the Persian calendar year between March 2017 and March 2018, 520 people, 
including six individuals who were juveniles when they allegedly committed 
their crimes, were executed in the Islamic Republic, according to official 
figures, though the IHRDC notes that some state-sanctioned executions are 
carried out in secret, making the real number is difficult to know.

According to IHRDC findings, Kabir Dehqan Zai, Javad Mir, Alireza Tajiki, Amir 
Hossein Pourja'far, Ali Kazemi, and Mahboubeh Mofidi were under 18 when they 
allegedly committed their crimes, and were executed last year.

Most of those executed during the period in question were sentenced to death 
for smuggling, narcotics, and murder. However, human rights groups say capital 
punishment is not limited to violent crimes. Adultery, non-violent drug 
offenses, sodomy (consensual or otherwise), apostasy (conversion to another 
religion from Islam), insulting the Prophet Muhammad, and vague national 
security crimes like 'sowing corruption on Earth' are all punishable by death.

International human rights organizations have repeatedly condemned Iran for its 
high rate of executions.

"With an average of more than one execution every day and more than one 
execution per 167,000 inhabitants in 2017, Iran remained the country with the 
highest number of executions per capita," wrote the NGO Iran Human Rights in 
its tenth annual report.

Based on the United Nation's annual report, 213 people were hanged in the 
Islamic Republic for smuggling narcotics in 2017, 202 for murder, 24 for rape 
and sexual related crimes, 16 for burglary and armed robbery, and 2 for 
political offenses.

These reports show that the number of executions in Iran is down compared with 
previous years, mainly thanks to a new law that has replaced the death sentence 
with long prison terms or fines for many drug offenses. The new law is expected 
to change the fate of 5,300 people currently on death row.

Despite the reduction in capital punishment sentences for drug offenders, human 
rights groups still criticize Iran's judiciary for the continued execution of 
those who were minors at the time of their alleged crimes.

"Iran is a signatory to 2 international treaties that prohibit capital 
punishment for offenses committed by minors. But that has not stopped the 
country from being the worst international offender when it comes to executing 
such juveniles," the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human 
Rights said February 16 in a statement.

Furthermore, UN Human Rights spokesman Rupert Colville reaffirmed at a press 
conference, "The execution of juvenile offenders is unequivocally prohibited 
under international law."

According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), only Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and 
Yemen, have executed child offenders since 2013.

Civil society activists in Iran also denounce the continued practice of public 
hangings organized to attract as much attention as possible. According to HRW, 
Iranian authorities executed 31 people in public spaces in 15 provinces in 
2017. The majority of those executed in public were convicted of murder and 
were sentenced to qisas (retribution in kind), followed by rape or sexual 
assault and Moharebeh (waging war against God), IHR reported.

(source: radiofarda.com)

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

A Gonabadi Dervish Sentenced to Death for Killing 3 Police Officers



The Gonabadi dervish, Mohammad Salas, who was arrested for killing 3 policemen, 
was sentenced to death after less than 2 months in custody and just 3 court 
sessions.

According to ISNA and the head of the Criminal Prosecutor's office in Tehran, 
Yavar Mohammad Salas was sentenced to death and imprisonment on the charge of 
"murdering 3 police officers and disturbing public order."

Mohammad Salas was arrested on February 19, 2018, after the protests of the 
Gonabadi dervishes. He was charged with the murder of 3 police officers by 
running over them by a bus.

The 3rd trial for Mohammad Salas was held on Sunday, March 18 and he denied the 
allegations against him and claimed that he didn't kill the police officers 
deliberately and he just wanted to drive away without an intention to kill 
anyone.

Branch 9 of the Criminal Court of Tehran issued the verdict after less than 2 
months of Mohammad Salas's arrest while he wasn't in touch with his lawyer 
during the 1st trial, and during the 2nd trial, his lawyer couldn't defend him 
because he had not studied the case.

The clashes broke out on February 19 while a group of Gonabadi dervishes were 
protesting in front of a police station. Hundreds of them were arrested and at 
least 1 of them died during his detention. Furthermore, 3 police officers were 
killed after a bus ran over them. The Islamic Republic news sources identified 
the bus driver as Mohammad Salas, and a video was broadcast on TV showing him 
in a hospital when he confessed to his offense.

It should be noted that some of the Gonabadi dervishes who were present at the 
scene claimed that Mohammad Salas was arrested before the attack on the police 
officers. This claim has not been confirmed so far.

(source: Iran Human Rights)








BANGLADESH:

Dhaka seeks death penalty for drug traffickers



Bangladesh wants to punish methamphetamine traffickers with the death penalty, 
officials said yesterday, as authorities confront the growing popularity of the 
dangerous and addictive drug.

The proposal to crackdown on the spread of methamphetamine, known locally as 
"yaba", comes after Bangladesh seized more than 40mn pills of the narcotic in 
2017 -0 double the previous year.

Authorities want to elevate yaba to a Class A banned substance, meaning 
traffickers would face the death penalty instead of life behind bars.

"We'll raise the punishment for yaba trafficking. In the new law the maximum 
punishment will be (the) death sentence," Jamaluddin Ahmed, the head of 
Bangladesh's narcotics control department, told AFP in the capital.

Bangladesh law enforcement say the drugs are smuggled across the porous border 
from Myanmar.

Ahmed said traffickers had been more active since August, when Rohingya 
refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar began pouring into Bangladesh.

Gangs had been using the Rohingya as mules and hiding drugs in fishing boats 
used to ferry the persecuted Muslims to safety.

"Recently there has been such a huge inflow of yaba from Myanmar that it has 
become increasingly difficult for us to control it. As a result, its use has 
also increased," Ahmed said.

Raids of fishing boats have uncovered huge hauls of the drug.

Authorities said last week that 9 mn yaba tablets were seized in less than 3 
months as the refugee influx reached its peak.

Nearly 2 mn pills were discovered in a single haul.

Towfique Uddin Ahmed, a director at the narcotics control department, said 
authorities estimate $600mn worth of yaba could be sold on Bangladesh's streets 
this year.

One senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said "drastic action" 
like the violent crackdown on drug users and dealers in the Philippines could 
be needed to stamp out the drug.

"Some (traffickers) should be put in the crosshairs. We have come to that 
point," he said.

(source: Gulf News)



INDIA:

Local / SC seeks Assam reply on 'rights violation' of death row convicts----SC 
seeks Assam reply on 'rights violation' of death row convicts



The Supreme Court has sought response from (Prisons) of 10 states, including 
Assam, on the issue of alleged violation of human rights of prisoners awarded 
death sentence.

The DGPs (prisons) have also been asked to reply on the issue of solitary 
confinement, legal representation, visitation rights of prisoners' families and 
psychiatric consultation of death row convicts.

A bench of Justices MB Lokur and Deepak Gupta asked DGP (prisons) of the 10 
states - Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Punjab, 
Delhi, Goa, Madhya Pradesh and - to reply to the letter of amicus curiae 
advocate Gaurav, who has raised the issue of alleged violation of prison manual 
and human rights of death row prisoners.

"We would require the Director General (Prisons) to respond to the 
communication sent by amicus curiae since it concerns human rights of prisoners 
who are in custody and who have been awarded death sentence," the bench said. 
The bench has sought the replies by May 8.

Agarwal has written a letter to officials of the 10 states after Anup 
Surendranath, an assistant professor at in Delhi, moved the apex court with an 
interlocutory application seeking intervention on the alleged violation of 
rights of prisoners. He had raised various concerns about violation of certain 
provisions of state prison manuals and human rights of prisoners ,especially 
those have been awarded death penalty.

As a follow-up to Surendranath's application, Agarwal wrote to the concerned 
DGP (prisons) on March 13, seeking their responses to the issues concerned.

The apex court had earlier voiced concern on the issue of overcrowding of 
prisons across the country, saying prisoners have human rights and they can't 
be kept like animals. It had termed the situation as "extremely unfortunate" 
and said it is was "complete lack of commitment" on part of state government 
and union territories towards human rights of prisoners.

The top court is hearing a matter relating to inhuman conditions prevailing in 
1,382 prisons across the country.

The Supreme Court had on February 21 asked the National Legal Services 
Authority to look into the issue of overcrowding of prisons and furnish figures 
regarding the population in jails where occupancy was over 150% as on December 
31 last year before it. It had earlier expressed shock at the large number of 
people languishing in jails in "complete violation" of their rights despite 
recommendations for their release by the legal services authority and had 
termed the situation as unacceptable.

(source: kaplanherald.com)