[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

August 29



INDIA:

Man gets death penalty for murdering 4 of family


The CBI court here on Tuesday awarded death penalty to Khushwinder Singh (45), 
who had murdered four members of a Fatehgarh Sahib family 14 years ago.

Khushwinder, a resident of Suhavi village in Fatehgarh Sahib district, had 
pushed Kulwant Singh (45), latter's wife Harjit Kaur (40), daughter Ramandeep 
Kaur (17) and son Arvinder Singh (14) into the Sirhind canal on June 4, 2004. 
Only the bodies of Kulwant and Ramandeep were found.

The judge handed out the death sentence under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC 
and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on the convict. The court also awarded life 
imprisonment, along with a fine of Rs 5,000, under Section 364 (kidnapping or 
abduction in order to murder) of the IPC and 4-year rigorous imprisonment with 
a fine of Rs 5,000 under Section 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of 
offence).

Khushwinder had also murdered 6 members of another Fatehgarh Sahib family, who 
were close relatives of his wife Manjit Kaur, in the same manner in 2012. He is 
already on death row in that case. The Punjab and Haryana High Court had 
confirmed the death penalty. His appeal is pending in the Supreme Court.

The CBI's public prosecutor, Kumar Rajat, said Khushwinder's elder brother 
Kulwinder Singh worked as an accountant for Kulwant Singh, who owned a rice 
mill.

"Khushwinder came to know that Kulwant had sold his land and received around Rs 
21 lakh. He convinced Kulwant and his family that he could solve their problems 
by performing religious ceremonies with a godman's help. Later, he pushed them 
into the canal," the CBI public prosecutor said.

The case was handed over to the CBI in 2007 by the High Court following a 
petition filed by Kulwant's relative Kultar Singh.

Khushwinder, who worked as a typist and ran a photostat shop in Fatehgarh 
Sahib, was nabbed after the 2012 murders came to light. In this case, the 
victims were his wife's uncle and retired cop Gurmail Singh (70), Gurmail's 
wife Paramjit Kaur (60), son Gurinder Singh (30), son-in-law Rupinder Singh, 
grandson Jaskirat Singh and granddaughter Prabhsimran Singh. One member of the 
family, Jasmine, had survived. Her testimony helped the police solve the 2004 
and 2012 murder cases.

(source: tribuneindia.com)

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Hindalga may witness South India's 1st hanging since 1983----In all, 21 
prisoners including Reddy and Natekar who are facing capital punishment are 
languishing in Hindalga central prison of Belagavi for the last several years.

For the 1st time since 1983, Karnataka is getting ready to witness hanging of a 
death convict. The stay issued by the HC on the execution of rapist and 
murderer Umesh Reddy and another notorious criminal Saibanna Natekar will end 
on September 2. According to highly-placed prison sources, the court is 
unlikely to extend their stay further this time. This means the duo may become 
the first ones to be hanged after 35 years not only in the state, but also in 
South India.

In all, 21 prisoners including Reddy and Natekar who are facing capital 
punishment are languishing in Hindalga central prison of Belagavi for the last 
several years. After the SC sentenced both of them to death in 2005, the 2 
filed mercy petitions with the President of India. After sometime, their mercy 
petitions were rejected by the President in 2013. When the Prison Department 
was completing formalities for their hanging, the 2 were able to get the 
execution stayed through the state HC in 2016.

(source: The New Indian Express)






VIETNAM:

SA drug mule sentenced to death in Vietnam


A court in southern Vietnam has sentenced a South African man to death after 
finding him guilty of trafficking nearly 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds) of cocaine.

The Ho Chi Minh City Law newspaper said Tyron Lee Coetzee was convicted in a 
half-day trial Tuesday.

It said Lee was arrested in June 2016 upon arriving at Ho Chi Minh City's Tan 
Son Nhat international airport after officials found the drug in his bag.

The newspaper quoted Coetzee as telling investigators that he was hired by a 
Nigerian man to transport the drug for $3,500 which would be paid after his 
arrival in Vietnam.

Vietnam has some of the world's toughest drug laws. Trafficking 100 grams or 
more of heroin or cocaine is punishable by death.

South Africa's Department of International Relations and Co-operation he is yet 
to comment on the sentence.

(source: iol.co.za)






IRAN:

Kurdish Death Row Inmate Sews Lips Shut in Hunger Strike Against Denial of 
Rights


Ramin Hossein Panahi, a Kurdish man in danger of imminent execution in Iran, 
has sewn his lips shut to protest the denial of his rights by prison 
authorities.

"Unfortunately, our client has sewn his lips ... and started a hunger strike 
for the following reasons," said a statement dated August 27, 2018, by defense 
attorneys Maziar Tataei, Hossein Ahmadiniaz and Osman Mozayyan, a copy of which 
was obtained by the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI).

"1 - Being denied his legal rights, such as access to medical treatment outside 
prison as prescribed by health authorities in Sanandaj Central Prison."

"2 - Illegally cutting off telephone contacts with his family and lawyers and 
preventing visitation."

"3 - Being denied the same rights and services as other prisoners."

"4 - Illegal and unjust verdicts that must be reviewed within legal 
frameworks."

Panahi and his family have been repeatedly led to believe that he would be 
imminently executed since he was sentenced to death in January 2018 by Branch 1 
of the Revolutionary Court in Sanandaj for his alleged membership in the 
outlawed Kurdish nationalist group, Komala.

He had also been accused of drawing a weapon against agents of the Islamic 
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) but Panahi, 22, has insisted he did not 
participate in any armed action nor did he reach for a weapon.

"According to information received by our client's family, he was taken by 
agents from Rajaee Shahr Prison [in Karaj] on the evening of August 26 and we 
have no information about his situation and condition," said the statement.

"These circumstances have increased fears that his sentence may be carried out 
in the coming days even though our prior requests for judicial reviews... are 
still under consideration and it is urgently and logically necessary to heed 
our demands for his pardon," added the lawyers in their statement.

Iran's Supreme Court upheld Panahi???s death sentence in April 2018 and his 
execution was scheduled for May 3 but was postponed after international outcry 
by the United Nations and rights organizations. Panahi's request for a case 
review was rejected by Iran's Supreme Court but his lawyers have submitted a 
new appeal.

In calling for the annulment of his death sentence, the UN???s special 
rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Agnes Callamard, 
has cited concerns that Panahi was denied access to a lawyer, a fair trial, and 
that he was mistreated and tortured in detention.

Despite his innocence plea, Panahi was charged with "corruption on earth" and 
sentenced to death under Articles 286, 287 and 279 of Iran's Islamic Penal 
Code.

CHRI has also called for the annulment of Panahi's death sentence and for the 
Iranian judiciary to cease politically motivated executions, stop violating 
international standards of due process, and guarantee the rights of detainees 
to counsel of their choice as well as a fair trial in line with UN standards.

(source: Iran Human Rights)