[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

June 23



THAILAND:

General Poll: Majority want to keep death sentence



An overwhelming majority of Thais support execution as a penalty for abominable 
crimes, according to an opinion survey.

Superpoll conducted a survey of 1,123 people from June 19-22. It asked 
questions about constitutions, democracy and capital punishment.

On the death penalty, 93.4% of the respondents think the capital sentence 
should be kept for cruel murderers. Interestingly, the approval rates seem to 
link closely with age. It is the highest among those aged 24 or younger 
(87.5%).

A majority of 90.2% also support the chief of the Corrections Department in 
enforcing the punishment.

The department earlier this month staged its 1st execution in 9 years, putting 
to death by lethal injection a man who had savagely stabbed a teenager 24 times 
for his phone and some cash in 2012.

(source: Bangkok Post)

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

Death Penalty is Ugly Vengeance, Not Justice



The sudden execution of a death row convict on Monday after a 9-year hiatus has 
ignited a storm of debate over capital punishment.

A protest by members of Amnesty International on Tuesday was followed by a very 
vocal support for death penalty. Abolitionists were caught by surprise at the 
level of passionate support for executing criminals.

They have discovered that many Thais, despite calling its country a land of 
Buddhism, is fact more like a land of Hammurabi where an eye for an eye is the 
mode of punishment.

Apparently, these people do not see anything wrong with supporting killing in 
the name of justice. Some even feel justified calling for a death penalty 
opponent to be sexually assaulted.

They asked why these abolitionists do not hold vigils for victims of heinous 
crimes and told them to take these convicts to live at their homes if they are 
so against capital punishment. One even said execution would make to-be 
criminals think twice and even if someone is wrongly convicted and executed, 
it's still worth it.

Teerasak Longji, was sentenced to die for aggravated murder committed when he 
was 20 6 years ago in Trang province. That the crime was stabbing a 17-year-old 
man 24 times and stealing his wallet and phone did not help. But clearly there 
were problems with the investigation, particularly uninvestigated leads. And 
it's surprising how high support could be when faith in the diligence and 
professionalism of law enforcement is so low.

The deep divide on the issue is a testimony on how far Thailand is from joining 
the league of civilized nations where there is no place for the death penalty.

Some activists believe it's best to lobby the government and in fact the 2 
national master plans for human rights clearly stated that Thailand is aiming 
to eventually become an abolitionist state.

The popular support for death penalty is a reminder of how no change can truly 
take place without society having a clear consensus on the matter, however.

There is no escaping the debate and deliberation. It's clear that activists, 
mostly Amnesty Thailand members, face an uphill battle in convincing the 
public, yet there will be no shortcut.

According to Amnesty Thailand, nearly 200 inmates on death row have exhausted 
all means of obtaining clemency. Time seems to be running out for these 
prisoners.

In Thailand, the king can grant a royal pardon or clemency and soon it will be 
clear how such cases are handled under the new king, Rama X.

Abolitionists will have to campaign hard to convince the public that there is 
no proof that executions deter or reduce heinous crimes, however.

Another approach to is reach out to Buddhists, who are predominant in Thailand, 
to pause and consider how un-Buddhist it is to support capital punishment when 
1 of the 5 basic precepts is abstention from killing. How can Thailand call 
itself the Land of Buddhism when there exists a death penalty?

The right to life is fundamental, if not sacred, and there exists no 
justification for punishing people by taking their lives. It is simply 
vindictive and barbaric.

If you think killing is gravely wrong, executing in the name of justice can 
never be right.

Justice is not about revenge, and people deserve a chance to earn a 2nd chance.

Also, executing a wrongly condemned prisoner is a mistake that cannot be 
unmade. Already, some media have reported that 1 key witness insists the man 
executed Monday through lethal injection was in fact not the killer. Could he 
have been mistakenly condemned?

There will be no quick solutions as both sides are very passionate about the 
issue, but Thai society should not run away from facing this existential 
dilemma in a calmer manner. It can still be hoped that compassion and 
forgiveness will eventually prevail over revenge and hatred.

(source: Opinion, Pravit Rojanaphruk, Khaosod English)








CHINA:

Drug Dealer Set to Be Executed Despite Unresolved Questions

The subject of this story, Huang Liping, was executed Friday night, according 
to a friend of her family.

A convicted drug dealer and her family are making last-ditch efforts to reverse 
her death sentence, arguing that the penalty is harsher than her accomplices 
received, even though she played a less important role in the crime.

The appeals court involved in the case has been accused of bending the rules in 
favor of certain defendants, a common problem in China's legal system.

(source: caixinglobal.com)








INDIA/UNIED ARAB EMIRATES:

14 Indians on death row in UAE return after victim's kin accept 'blood 
money'----Only 1 of the convicted Indians, Dharamvir Singh, is now left in UAE 
and he too will return after his paperwork is completed



15 Indians, including 14 Punjabi men, who were on death row in United Arab 
Emirates (UAE) after being convicted in 2 murder cases, have been released 
after a non-government organisation (NGO), 'Sarbat Da Bhala Trust', paid blood 
money to the relatives of victims.

14 of them have returned to India recently, including 10 persons who were 
released on June 15 and brought here by SPS Oberoi, a businessman from Dubai, 
who runs the NGO.

Addressing a press conference here on Friday, Oberoi said only 1 of the 
convicted Indians, Dharamvir Singh, is now left in UAE and he too will return 
after his paperwork is completed.

He said 1 of the 2 cases in which 5 of these Indians were convicted pertained 
to the murder of 38-year-old Varinder Chouhan of Shekhanura village of Azamgarh 
district in Uttar Pradesh. He was killed on November 4, 2011.

In this case, a Sharjah court had awarded death sentence Dharmendra of Chapra 
in Bihar, Harwinder Singh of Ajnala in Amritsar, Ranjit Ram of Zinsra in 
Nawanshahr, Dalwinder Singh of Malpur in Hoshiarpur and Sucha Singh of Jasso 
Majra in Patiala.

In the other case, a Pakistani national, Mohammad Farhan, was killed in July 
2015. 10 Punjabi men were convicted and awarded death penalty in this case by 
an Al Ain court.

Those convicted were Satminder Singh of Thikriwal in Barnala, Chander Shekhar 
of Nawanshahr, Chamkaur Singh of Malerkotla, Kulwinder Singh of Ludhiana, 
Balwinder Singh of Cholang in Ludhiana, Dharamvir Singh of Samrala, Harjinder 
Singh of Mohali, Tarsem Singh of Mudh in Amritsar, Gurpreet Singh of Patiala, 
Jagjeet Singh of Gurdaspur and Kuldeep Singh of Tarn Taran.

"After families of some of these convicts approached us for help, our 
organisation reached out to the kin of the victims who were murdered and paid 
them 'blood money' to get the convicts released from Gulf prisons as per the 
laws of the land," he said.

Oberoi, while advising the Indian parents to avoid sending their children under 
labour category to Arab countries, said, "Punjab youths are being trapped by 
the gangs there to earn easy bucks. They later indulge in illegal activities, 
which ultimately results in such a situation."

He said 'Sarbat Da Bhala Trust' has an office in almost every district in 
Punjab and before sending their children to UAE, parents should visit its 
office and show the documents. "Our trust will verify the company where their 
ward has applied for the job," he said.

(source: Hindustan Times)




PAKISTAN:

Man gets death penalty for murdering wife



A court awarded a death sentence to an accused for his involvement in a murder 
case in Hafizabad on Thursday. The judgment was announced by Additional 
Sessions Judge Khan Muhammad. The prosecution told the court that accused 
Abrar, in connivance with Sajjad, Zafar and Amin, had gunned down his wife over 
a dispute 2 years ago.

The local police registered a case against the accused and presented the 
challan before the court. After hearing the arguments, the judge handed down 
death sentence to Abrar.

However, the judge acquitted the 3 other co-accused giving them the benefit of 
doubt.

Earlier, a court awarded death penalty to a convict for his involvement in a 
murder case in Faisalabad. Additional Sessions Judge Asadullah Siraj announced 
the verdict.

Convict Fakhar Imam had killed his wife Hina and son Hasnain Ali over a 
property dispute in 2015.

The local police registered a case against the convict and presented the 
challan before the court. After hearing the arguments, the judge handed down 
death sentence on 2 counts to Fakhar along with a fine of Rs0.5 million.

(source: The Express Tribune)








INDONESIA:

Death sentence for IS cleric not a solution to tackling terrorism



Responding to the sentencing to death of Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) leader 
Aman Abdurrahman for terrorism-related offences in the country, Amnesty 
International Indonesia's Executive Director Usman Hamid said:

"Lethal attacks on people going about their daily lives are horrifying and 
Indonesia has every right to pursue perpetrators and prosecute them. At the 
same time, it has been proven time and again that the death penalty does not 
have a greater deterrent effect than a term of imprisonment. This is a fact 
that also applies to terror-related crimes.

"The death penalty violates the right to life and is the ultimate cruel, 
inhuman and degrading punishment. It's a tool that governments often resort to 
in times of real or perceived national crisis, to demonstrate their "strength" 
in dealing with threats.

"The criminal justice system in Indonesia remains critically flawed. Trials for 
defendants facing charges on crimes such as drugs, murder, terrorism where 
death sentences may be imposed are often grossly unfair. Suspects frequently 
suffer torture during interrogations and courts often admit torture-tainted 
"confessions" as evidence. Policymakers must not be driven by the strong 
reactions that understandably emerge in the aftermath of such horrendous 
violent attacks. They must take all steps within their power to consign the 
death penalty to history."

Background

The panel of judges on Friday at the South Jakarta District Court found leader 
Aman Abdurrahman, who leads the Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), believed to be 
associated with the armed group which calls itself the Islamic State, guilty of 
inciting at least 5 terrorist attacks in Indonesia, including the Thamrin 
shootings and bombings in Central Jakarta in early 2016 and the Kampung Melayu 
Bombing in East Jakarta in 2017. A total of 24 people were killed in these 
attacks, and 37 injured.

Aman Abdurrahman is the 1st defendant convicted of terrorism offences to be 
sentenced to death this year, which saw a total of 26 people received death 
sentences, mostly on drugs related crimes. In addition, a total of 47 people 
were sentenced to death in 2017, of which 33 were convicted of drugs related 
offences and 14 of murder. As of today, there is a total of 288 death row 
inmates in Indonesia.

(source: Amnesty International)








IRAN:

Iran to Execute Kurdish Man, After Tricking His Sick Father Into Maligning Him



The brother of an Iranian Kurdish man on death row in Iran for belonging to a 
Kurdish nationalist group said yesterday that his brother had just hours to 
live.

Amjad Hossein Panahi, who lives in Germany, said that his brother Ramin had 
been moved to death row in a prison in Sanandaj and had confided in his defence 
lawyer Hossein Ahmadiniaz on Thursday that he expected to be executed later 
that day. Ahmadiniaz then gave the sad news to Ramin's family.

Amjad Panahi said that prison authorities had already told family members that 
they intended to execute Ramin ahead before the 1st anniversary of his arrest 
(June 23).

Pressuring Alzheimer's sufferers

Amjad Panahi posted a video on Twitter yesterday, showing his parents 
expressing despair about Ramin's fate, in which his father, who suffers from 
Alzheimer's disease, explains that the Iranian authorities recently kidnapped 
him and pressured him into making critical comments about Ramin on film.

The father said: "I'm old and miserable and did not understand what was going 
on. We are waiting for our son, please help us."

Protests

Sanandaj residents have also taken pictures and videos showcasing a 
heavier-than-usual security presence on Wednesday and Thursday, probably to 
quell any protests over Ramin's execution.

Ramin was granted a reprieve from execution last month and taken off death row, 
following an international social media campaign for annulling his death 
sentence by human rights activists, but as many feared, the Iranian Regime was 
only delaying the execution until the Islamic holy month of Ramadan ended last 
week.

2017 Arrest

Ramin was arrested in 2017 for belonging to Kurdish nationalist group Komala 
and allegedly drawing a weapon against Iranian security forces when they raided 
the region. In January, the Revolutionary court sentenced him to death.

Amjad Panahi reported that Ramin had denied on Thursday harming any members of 
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

There is also charges from Agnes Callamard, the United Nations special 
rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, that Ramin 
received an unfair trial, torture, and other mistreatment whilst in prison, all 
of which are common under the Iranian Regime.

Regime change

Unfortunately, the Iranian Regime will not change their ways. They've had 
almost 40 years to improve their human rights record and they have done nothing 
about it. Thus, the only option left is what the Iranian people are advocating 
for: regime change.

This will be a central topic at the Free Iran gathering in Paris on June 30.

(source: ncr-iran.org)