[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 18



PAKISTAN:

Death awarded to 2 in murder cases



A sessions court awarded death sentence to 2 accused in separate murder cases. 
According to the prosecution, Raza Abad police had booked Zahid Iqbal and his 
female accomplice on the charge of killing his wife in 2014 over a domestic 
dispute.

Additional Sessions Judge Azfar Sultan Abrar awarded death sentence to Zahid 
Iqbal under Section 302-B of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) while his female 
accomplice was acquitted by giving her benefit of doubt.

The convict was also directed to pay Rs 400,000 as compensation to legal heirs 
of the deceased. Otherwise, he would have to undergo an additional imprisonment 
of 6 months if he fails to pay compensation.

Similarly, Additional Sessions Judge Yasir Hayat also awarded capital 
punishment to accused Muhammad Ejaz of Chak No 153-RB under Section 302-B of 
PPC. According to prosecution, Sahianwala police had booked Muhammad Ejaz on 
charge of killing his real brother Fida Hussain over a property dispute in 
2013.

The convict was also directed to pay Rs 4 lakh as compensation to the legal 
heirs of the deceased.

(source: Pakistan Point News)








SWEDEN:

Sweden grants citizenship to scientist sentenced to death in Iran Sweden has 
granted citizenship to a Stockholm-based scientist being held in Iran under 
sentence of death, the Swedish foreign ministry confirmed on Saturday.

Ahmadreza Djalali, a medical doctor and lecturer at the Karolinska Institute in 
the Swedish capital, was arrested in Iran in April 2016 and later convicted of 
espionage, having been accused of providing information to Israel to help it 
assassinate several senior nuclear scientists.

Iran's Supreme Court upheld the death sentence in December and Tehran 
prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi said Djalali had confessed to meeting agents 
of Israeli intelligence agency Mossad to deliver information on Iran's nuclear 
and defence plans and personnel.

"We know that he has been granted citizenship by the Migration Board. We 
continue in our consular work for Djalali and request consular access to our 
citizen," a Swedish foreign ministry spokeswoman said.

"We have been in regular contact with Iranian representatives, requested access 
to Djalali and presented Sweden's view of the death penalty, which we condemn 
in all its forms. Our demand is that the death penalty is not carried out,??? 
the spokeswoman said.

Djalali had been on a business trip to Iran when he was arrested and sent to 
Evin prison. He was held in solitary confinement for 3 months and tortured, 
campaigning group Amnesty International has said.

Amnesty said Djalali wrote a letter from inside prison in August stating he was 
being held for refusing to spy for Iran.

75 Nobel prize laureates petitioned Iranian authorities last year to release 
Djalali so he could "continue his scholarly work for the benefit of mankind".

(source: Reuters)








SUDAN:

Abolish law on death penalty, body tells S. Sudan MPs



The Centre for Peace and Justice (CPJ), a South Sudanese human rights body, has 
urged lawmakers the raise a motion calling for abolition of the death penalty 
from the country's transitional constitution.

In a statement, CPJ???s executive director, Tito Anthony said lawmakers needed 
to be pushed to ensure the death penalty is scrapped off.

"Rights to life are one of inalienable and inherent rights that cannot be 
terminate or restricted, at any time and place or for any reasons," said Tito.

"People will not learn the lesson from what they have done if you just sentence 
them to death, you need to punish someone for at least years in jail so that 
the jailed person will be able to transform himself [or herself] to a better 
person once released," he added.

According to Tito, a jail sentence is not to punish individuals, but meant to 
transform any arrested person to a better person in society.

A South Sudan court on Monday sentenced the former spokesman of the rebel 
leader, Riek Machar to death, citing multiple provisions in the constitution as 
the basis upon which the verdict was reached.

Dak was facing several charges, including accusations of treason, several 
months after was unlawfully transferred from Kenya to South Sudan in November 
2016. He spent over 7 months in solitary confinement before finally being 
charged with abetment, treason, publishing or communicating false statements 
prejudicial to South Sudan, and undermining the authority of or insulting 
President Salva Kiir.

The lead-defence lawyer in the case, Monyluak Alor Kuol described the verdict 
as a political decision.

"I do call on president kiir not to sign the death warrant of James Gatdet, for 
it a political case that can be handle with the peace Revitalization, in fact 
Gatdet should be release be now as to show government commitment to Cession of 
Hostilities Agreement," said CPJ's executive director.

(source: Sudan tribune)








EGYPT:

Egypt's House refutes European Parliament's decision on death penalty



The House of Representatives on Saturday refuted a decision taken by the 
European Parliament on death penalty in Egypt.

"The decision reveals ignorance of the reality of the situation in Egypt," a 
statement by the head of the parliament's Committee of Foreign Relations Tarek 
Radwan read.

"It also overlooked lengthy discussions with EU lawmakers, the European 
Commission and the EU member states on various issues of common concern," 
Radwan said.

"The decision, which includes fabricated data that undermines the credibility 
of one of Europe's most prominent institutions, represents an impenetrable 
interference in Egypt's internal affairs", said the senior lawmaker.

In view of the death penalty's gravity, the Egyptian laws have provided several 
guarantees to those facing such punishment in a fair trial offering them an 
opportunity to defend themselves in accordance with international standards, 
the statement said.

The Egyptian law limits the death penalty to the most serious crimes, and 
states that such sentence requires the unanimous opinion of all judges of the 
criminal court that hears the case, it added.

The Egyptian law affirms that all death penalties have to be issued in the 
defendant's' presence and to be heard by the Court of Cassation, Radwan said.

The law also provides that a person who has not attained the age of 18 at the 
time of crime will not be sentenced to death, the statement read.

It also allows the President of the Republic to consider a pardon or replace 
the sentence within 14 days, it added.

The provisions of Egyptian law on the death penalty are consistent with the 
international standards and controls embodied in article 6 of the International 
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights signed by Egypt, he added.

(source: Egypt Today)