[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 13



IRAN:

Iran Executions: Another Juvenile Offender on Death Row



Pouria Tabaei, who is sentenced to death on the charge of murdering his 
step-father, is scheduled to be executed at Rajai Shahr Prison.

According to a close source, Pouria Tabaei who was only 16 at the time of 
committing the crime, is currently on the death row at Rajai Shahr Prison.

He was born on July 17, 1992, and committed the crime on July 17, 2009.

Neither Branch 113 of the Criminal Court of Tehran -which issued Tabaei's 
sentence, nor the Supreme Court, agreed to send the juvenile offender to the 
forensics to estimate his full mental development. The mental development 
estimation is possible under Article 91 of the Islamic Penal Code and can 
potentially save a juvenile offender's life.

It should be noted that two other juvenile offenders, Ali Kazemi and Mahbubeh 
Mofidi, who were executed in the last month, were not sent to the forensics to 
establish their full mental development either.

Iran has signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which 
bans the execution of juveniles. Moreover, based on Article 37 the Convention 
on the Rights of the Child, which Iran has signed, execution and life 
imprisonment of juveniles is banned.

Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the spokesperson for IHR, says, "It seems that Article 
91 of the Islamic Penal Code regarding the prosecution of juvenile offenders, 
has not been successful at reducing the number of executions of juveniles and 
some of the courts' judges still issue sentences as they please. Iranian 
authorities must stop death sentence for juveniles unconditionally.

(source: Iran Human Rights)








THAILAND:

Parting words to the condemned It is easier if death row inmates accept fate, 
says monk who counsels them



'No one is born evil or bad to the bone. There are just people making mistakes. 
I strongly believe that all people can change for the better, no matter who 
they are -- drug kingpins, notorious hitmen, thieves," says Phra Kru 
Srinonthawat, abbot of Wat Bang Phreak Tai, who has taught dharma to death row 
inmates for 27 years.

Since 1991, the 53-year-old monk has been invited by the Department of 
Corrections to preach sermons and teach meditation to Buddhist inmates awaiting 
execution in Bang Kwang Central Prison.

On many occasions, he was also the last man to provide spiritual support to 
prisoners in the final moments of their lives before they faced a firing squad 
or lethal injection.

"Normally, death row convicts are happy when they see me. They would talk to me 
and ask questions about Buddhist doctrine because they all need someone to give 
them comfort and guidance. It's not easy to stay sane if you are waiting to be 
executed," the abbot said.

Phra Kru Srinonthawat said what he usually suggests to inmates is to practice 
meditation as this can help them find calmness and reflect on their crimes and 
accept the law of karma.

However, the atmosphere is quite different if the abbot shows up at prison at 
4pm as it is a sign that the execution has already been scheduled and some 
inmates will not live to see tomorrow.

(source: Bangkok Post)








PAKISTAN:

Fate of 5 death row prisoners hangs in the balance as nation bids farewell to 
Asma



As the nation bid farewell to Asma Jahangir, hopes of many awaiting justice 
will be buried alongside the human rights lawyer.

The human rights lawyer, known to stand by the underdogs and assuming cases 
free of cost, was the petitioner counsel in five cases challenging capital 
punishment handed out by military courts. The fate of whom now hangs in 
balance.

Asma was a death penalty opponent on principle, she always raised voice for 
democracy and civilian supremacy.

The review petitions filed by Asma were scheduled to be taken up by a 
three-judge bench headed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar on 
February 15.

However, Advocate Chaudhry Akhtar Ali, who has been filing cases on her behalf 
in the Supreme Court for last 4 decades, has moved an application to the SC, 
requesting to adjourn the case the petitioners' counsel has passed away.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Akhtar revealed that Asma was arguing their 
case without charging fees. "She contested almost 1/2 of her cases without 
charging a single penny, but very few know this aspect of her career because 
she never wanted to publicise her efforts for needy and deserving clients."

He added that the human rights champion had challenged military courts orders 
on different grounds.

Unlike many others, Asma was unafraid of going against the tide of popular 
sentiment although she largely avoided 'traditional' high profile cases.

According to Akhtar, Asma had filed dozens of missing persons cases in the 
recent past and did not charge anything for them. "We were under instruction 
that if the families of enforced disappearance victims cannot pay our (AOR) 
fees, then she will cover the cost," Akhtar further revealed.

Asma Jahangir censures SC

"We referred a number of poor litigants to her. She was not only willing to 
argue their cases but also made arrangements to house them," he added.

In a country "where people think twice before speaking for marginalised groups, 
and often they don't speak out at all, she risked her life and liberty and that 
of those near and dear to her to speak out for victims of domestic violence, 
religious persecution, political oppression and draconian laws. And it was 
never for personal gain," top jurist Makhdoom Ali Khan, who had known Jahangir 
since 1983, told The Express Tribune. "Always to keep the flame of liberty 
burning and further the cause of freedom."

(source: The Express Tribune)




BANGLADESH:

Blind Welfare Association Secretary Killing----2 sentenced to death, four 
jailed for life

A tribunal in Dhaka yesterday sentenced 2 people to death and 4 others to life 
imprisonment for killing Khalilur Rahman, secretary of Bangladesh National 
Blind Welfare Association, in 2011.

Khalilur was shot dead at Janata Housing in the capital's Shah Ali Bagh on 
January 1 night in 2011 over a dispute over the association's fund.

Meantime, the tribunal directed the inspector general of police (IGP) to take 
legal action against Nibaron Chandra Barman, inspector of the Detective Branch 
of police and also the investigation officer (IO) of the case, for submitting 
defective charge sheet.

The convicts who received death penalty are: Md Ramzan Ali alias Ramzan and 
Tipu alias Hira, both members of the association.

The other 4 are: Md Minhaz, Hasanur Rahman Rubel, Md Shahid Mostafa and Zahidul 
Islam alias Zahid, also the association members.

Of them, Ramzan and Rubel are absconding while the others were present at the 
court yesterday.

The Speedy Trial Tribunal-4 also acquitted Ayub Ali, Nurul Alam Siddique, Md 
Sohag Hossain Howlader and Yakub Ali of the murder.

Punishment of the fugitives will be effective from the day of their arrest or 
surrender. The convicts can file appeal with the High Court within 30 days, 
Judge Abdur Rahman Sarder said.

Khalilur's wife Hasina Parvin filed the murder case against 10 people with 
Mirpur Model Police Station on January 2, 2011.

The tribunal directed IGP to take legal action against the IO for his 
negligence in investigation as he did not include Md Sagor, another member of 
the association, in the charge sheet even though his involvement in the killing 
was found.

It also directed the IGP for taking a necessary step to carry out 
re-investigation against Sagor as early as possible.

(source: The Daily Star)








SOUTH SUDAN:

South Sudan's Dak draws death penalty despite refugee status



In South Sudan, the SPLM-IO has called shameful the decision to condemn James 
Gatdet Dak, a former spokesman for exiled opposition leader Riek Machar, to 
death by hanging on charges of treason.

"When the regime should be working to create a conducive environment for 
negotiations, they are instead handing down a bogus death penalty," said chief 
SPLM-IO spokesman Mabior Garang Mabior.

The decision violates the current cessation of hostilities agreement, he added, 
while appealing to CTSAMM monitors as well as the African Union, United 
Nations, European Union and the troika nations - Norway, the United States and 
UK - to "intervene in this blatant violation of human rights."

Dak's case first drew international attention in November 2016 when he was 
deported by Kenyan authorities from Nairobi and handed into the custody of 
South Sudan's National Security Service and South Sudanese officials, despite 
the fact that he had valid refugee status.

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights sent attorneys to act 
on his behalf but they were blocked by immigration officials at the Nairobi 
airport. OHCHR called Dak's return to South Sudan a violation of a "cornerstone 
of international refugee law."

Other organizations including Amnesty International have appealed for Dak's 
safety and release, and warned that Kenya's actions demonstrated a "chilling 
assault on refugee rights."

Machar maintained that the deportation was a violation of the Geneva Convention 
that put Dak's life in jeopardy. Dak's arrest followed a Facebook post press 
release approving of the 2016 UN decision to remove Kenyan Lt. General Johnson 
Mogoa Kimani Ondieki, the former head of UNMISS, following a report on the Juba 
attacks in July. The UNMISS decision touched off a diplomatic storm in the 
region.

2 other South Sudanese leaders, Dong Samuel Luak and Aggrey Idri Ezibon, 
disappeared from Nairobi more than a year ago. They remain missing, Amnesty 
said last month.

(source: Africa Times)








INDIA:

Death penalty for child rape-murder



A local court on Monday sent a 30-year-old Gumla native to the gallows for the 
rape and murder of an 8-year-old girl in the state capital 4 years ago.

This is the 2nd time a court in Jharkhand has awarded capital punishment for 
rape and murder under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) 
Act, said counsel Ashok Kumar Roy who argued the case on behalf of the 
prosecution.

The court of additional district judge Shivpal Singh had, on January 31, held 
Gandhi Oraon guilty under Sections 376 (rape), 302 (murder) and 201 (causing 
disappearance of evidence of offence) of the IPC, besides various sections of 
the Pocso Act.

"The child was brutally raped and killed on March 19, 2014. It is a rarest of 
rare crime. The guilty man was an acquaintance of the victim's family," said 
counsel Roy, adding that the convict had been forwarded to Birsa Munda Central 
Jail in Hotwar.

Oraon, a native of Khora in Gumla, worked as a cleaner with a private bus 
service at Khadgarha here and was a colleague of the child's father. "He 
(Oraon) often visited their house at Bhuiyantoli near the bus terminus. On the 
fateful day, he took the child out for lunch, but raped and killed her in a 
graveyard," Roy said.

The body was discovered a day later. The child's face was battered with a 
boulder to delay identification, but police launched a manhunt and detained 
Oraon on March 21, 2014, based on suspicions. He managed to flee from thana 
lock-up on March 22 the same year only to be arrested on his way to Bengal 4 
days later.

"On being grilled, he confessed. Police recovered his bloodstained clothes that 
also yielded sperm samples. Medical examination and forensic tests further 
confirmed his involvement," Roy said.

Police submitted a chargesheet on June 18, 2014, and produced 14 witnesses 
against Oraon who was finally convicted this year.

The victim's parents were not present in court when the death sentence was 
awarded on Monday. "After recording their statements in court and 
cross-examination, the bereaved parents never came to court. They are also 
natives of Gumla district," Roy said.

In 2016, a Giridih district court had similarly awarded a death sentence to one 
Mathura Mahto for the rape and murder of a minor girl.

(source: telegraphindia.com)








SINGAPORE:

Indian-origin Malaysian avoids death penalty after acquitting from drug charges



Gopu Jaya Raman, a 32-year-old Malaysian man of Indian origin escaped the death 
row in Singapore for possessing drugs as he was acquitted by the country's Apex 
Court. The judgment released yesterday stated that Gopu Jayaraman was not aware 
of the hidden illicit drugs in the motorcycle which he rode into Singapore.

The incident associated with the case happened on March 24, 2014, when Gopu 
Jaya Raman entered Singapore through the Woodlands Checkpoint with three black 
bundles of diamorphine hidden in his motorcycle. Upon routine checkup, Police 
officials found the illicit substance, and Gopu Jaya Raman was soon arrested.

Upon questioning, Gopu said that he entered Singapore to visit his girlfriend 
and another friend to celebrate his birthday. Gopu continuously denied the 
ownership of diamorphine and claimed that it might have hidden in his 
motorcycle without his knowledge.

The alleged convict also claimed that he has stopped on his way to fill the 
fuel in the motorcycle, and at that time drugs were not there in his vehicle.

Later when questioned by officers of the Central Narcotics Bureau, Gopu 
admitted that he has carried drugs two times in the past, but on March 24, 
2014, he was not aware of the illicit substances in his motorcycle.

Gopu even justified the act of transporting drugs on 2 past occasions stating 
that he was on debt during those times, and a man has compelled him to deliver 
drugs, and if not the man reportedly threatened Gopu's family if he did not 
comply with the smuggling operation.

After recording Gopu's statement, Police instructed him to contact his 
associates aiming to arrest them too. Unfortunately, the operation was called 
off as nobody turned up at the scheduled meeting. During the follow-up 
operation, Gopu asked one of his associates why he placed the drugs without his 
knowledge, and interestingly, the associate did not deny it.

While reading the judgment, the Apex Court stated that there were no material 
pieces of evidence to connect Gopu with the drugs he possessed, and thus he was 
acquitted from the case.

(source: ibtimes.cg)