[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

June 25



CHINA----executions

10 people executed in China



A court in China found 10 people guilty of illegal drug-related offenses and 
sentenced them to death, reported Rosbalt news agency of Russia.

Once the verdict was handed down, the convicts were taken to the place of 
execution, to carry out this verdict.

The defendants had been charged with manufacture, sale and transport of illegal 
drugs; these charges are punishable in China by the death penalty.

(source: news.am)





JORDAN:

Brothers handed death sentence for murder of pregnant sister----Verdict one of 
several 'tough sentences' in cases of so-called family honour



The Court of Cassation upheld a January Criminal Court ruling sentencing 2 
brothers to death after convicting them of murdering their pregnant sister and 
her husband's other wife in Balqa Governorate in November 2014. The 2 
defendants, aged 22 and 28, were declared guilty by the Criminal Court on 2 
counts of premeditated murder for the fatal shooting of their 27-year-old 
sister, who was 3-months pregnant, and the 2nd woman, 50, at a farm in Balqa, 
35km northwest of Amman, on November 8 and handed them the maximum punishment.

"This verdict is one of several similar tough sentences the Court of Cassation 
has upheld in recent months after reviewing Criminal Court rulings of murders 
committed in the name of family honour," a senior judicial source said.

The judicial source told The Jordan Times that such "tough rulings by the 
higher court are a clear indication that the justice system will never tolerate 
such murders".

Court documents said the 2 siblings, a shepherd and a restaurant employee, had 
claimed that they murdered their sister "to cleanse their family honour" 
because "she was engaged in a relationship with a man 3 months before the 
incident and got pregnant".

"The case was discovered and the 2 were married to avoid a scandal and resided 
in a farm some 20km away from where the defendants lived," according to court 
transcript.

Nevertheless, the court maintained, "the defendants were not pleased by the 
outcome and plotted to murder their sister to cleanse the family's honour".

On the day of the murder, the court stated, the 2 victims were in the backyard 
of their home picking olives when the 2 defendants "showed up from behind the 
trees and started shooting at their pregnant sister".

"The 2 defendants stated that they only intended to kill their sister and that 
the 2nd woman was accidentally struck by bullets and died,??? the court added.

The 2 fled the scene and were later arrested by the authorities, the court 
documents said.

The defendants' sibling received 6 bullets to different parts of her body while 
the woman who was with her was struck and killed by a bullet that hit her back, 
according to court documents.

The victims' husband had refused to drop charges against the 2 defendants.

The defendants contested the Criminal Court's ruling, arguing that they should 
benefit from a reduction in penalty because they "committed the murder in a 
moment of rage".

"The defendants became enraged after seeing their sister walking in the street 
and they had never approved the illegitimate relationship that led to the 
marriage," the court ruled.

The defendants also claimed that their sister brought them and their "families 
shame and disgrace and everyone around them were looking down at them with no 
respect".

However, the higher court ruled that the Criminal Court followed the proper 
proceedings when sentencing the defendant deserves the verdict he received.

"It was evident to our court that the defendants plotted the murder because 
they prepared the weapon and killed their sister almost 3 months after she was 
married and the fit of fury clause is not applicable in this case," the higher 
court ruled.

The 2 defendants are "the ones who committed an unlawful act that is against 
all values resulting in the death of their sister and the other woman," the 
Court of Cassation said in its 27-page verdict.

The Court of Cassation judges were Mohammad Ibrahim, Naji Zubi, Yassin 
Abdullat, Hamad Ghzawi, and Majid Azab.

(source: The Jordan Times)








BANGLADESH:

Bangladesh plans death penalty for drug dealers----Rights activists and church 
officials say capital punishment will do nothing to stop the country's growing 
narcotics problem

Bangladeshi authorities are planning to introduce the death penalty for drug 
dealers and their patrons, sparking opposition from rights activists and church 
officials.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of the ruling Awami League said in parliament on 
June 20 that her government is devising a tougher law to curb the narcotics 
menace.

The Narcotics Bill 2018 aims to take strong action against not just against 
drug dealers but also patrons of the drug trade, drug syndicates and 
godfathers, she was quoted as saying by United News of Bangladesh on June 21.

In the absence of sufficient scope to take punitive action against those from 
whom drugs are not recovered, "the masterminds of the drug trade escape 
easily," the premier said in defense of the death penalty.

The announcement comes amid a Philippines-style drug crackdown in Bangladesh.

>From May 15 to June 21, about 160 people, mostly alleged drug dealers, were 
killed in police "crossfire" - a common euphemism for arbitrary police 
shootouts in Bangladesh, according to media reports. Police also arrested 
20,767 persons and filed 15,333 cases in connection to drug dealing.

According to police, 106,436 cases were filed against 132,883 drug dealers in 
2017.

Father Albert Thomas Rozario, convener of the Justice and Peace Commission in 
Dhaka Archdiocese, welcomed a stricter law but opposed the death penalty.

"Life imprisonment would be acceptable. We have enough laws, which are not 
properly enforced, so the masterminds always exploit legal loopholes to evade 
legal action. Drug killings and the death penalty can do nothing in the fight 
against the drug menace if we cannot ensure strict enforcement of the law," 
Father Rozario, a Supreme Court lawyer, told ucanews.com.

The priest alleged "dirty politics" are involved in drug killings and the death 
penalty as no godfather has yet been brought to book.

He said the crackdown gives the impression it is being done to gain popularity 
ahead of the national election and to muzzle dissent and opposition.

Nasiruddin Elan, a rights activist and former secretary of Odhikar, a 
Dhaka-based rights group, expressed similar sentiments.

"There is no question that the drug menace is a big problem and the government 
has the right to take measures to tackle it. However, we cannot accept rights 
violations, arbitrary killings and also the death penalty in the name of a 
crackdown," he told ucanews.com.

"We have not seen any big fish caught in the anti-drug net, only small fish. 
There are allegations that law enforcers are also involved in the drug trade. 
Drug killings and strict laws are just eyewash, and they won't bring respite in 
the long run."

(source: ucanews.com)








SUDAN:

Noura Hussein: 'Hoping for a miracle to stop our daughter being hanged'



The parents of a Sudanese teenager who was sentenced to death after killing her 
husband - whom she accuses of raping her - have denied reports that they've 
disowned her. In an exclusive interview with the BBC, her father also says he 
never imagined that making her marry her cousin would have such terrible 
consequences.

Noura Hussein sobbed uncontrollably when she saw her mother earlier this month. 
It was the 1st time she had been visited by her family, since she was jailed 1 
year ago.

Through the tears, the 19-year-old told her mother that she had originally 
planned to kill herself, after being raped by her husband.

"She hated herself after he raped her," says Noura's mother, Zainab Ahmed.

"She had got a knife ready to take her own life if he touched her again."

But in the heat of the moment - when he did touch her again - she stabbed her 
husband instead. It was self-defence, her mother insists.

When Noura was sentenced last month an online campaign, #JusticeforNoura, 
spread across the world.

Supermodel Naomi Campbell and actress Emma Watson were among celebrities who 
joined activists in condemning the death sentence and demanding that the 
conviction be overturned.

And when Amnesty International urged supporters to email Sudan's Justice 
Minister asking him to intervene, the volume of messages forced him to get a 
new email address.

It was only when her mother visited her in the harsh conditions of the Omdurman 
Women's Prison that Noura discovered about this tide of support in the outside 
world.

For now, her own world is defined by the walls of the prison, where all inmates 
live in 1 large yard.

"There are no roofs so most of the women have to use sheets to keep the sun off 
them," Justice Africa's Sudan co-ordinator, Hafiz Mohammed, has said.

Noura remains in the shackles that she has been wearing since her arrest.

While she looked healthy, her mother says, her spirit appeared broken.

The 2nd of 8 children, Noura Hussein, grew up in the village of al-Bager, 40km 
(25 miles) south of Khartoum. It's a dusty place, surrounded by sandy, rocky 
hillocks, not far from the River Nile.

The bright colours of the fruit and vegetables laid out on patterned cloths on 
the floor of the local market provide rare bursts of colour piercing the mostly 
brown and barren landscape.

Zainab Ahmed says her daughter was always a quiet girl, and an intelligent one.

"She had ambitions," Zainab says. "Noura dreamed of studying law at university 
and eventually becoming a lecturer."

Their extended family had left the conflict-ridden region of Darfur to move to 
al-Bager when Noura was a child. They didn't have much money, but Noura's 
father's business - a small hardware shop which sold tools and oil - meant that 
Noura could enjoy an education. This was what made her happiest.

But in 2015 Noura's 32-year-old cousin, Abdulrahman Mohamed Hammad, proposed to 
her. She was 16.

Her mother says her daughter didn't initially appear upset by the idea but 
asked to be allowed to continue her education. She also asked for the marriage 
to be delayed until her mother, who was pregnant, had given birth.

But family pressure began to mount, notably from her own father, Hussein.

"Many young girls in the area were getting pregnant and having illegitimate 
children," says Hussein.

Hussein says he didn't want her to suffer a similar fate and end up without a 
husband.

While she took part in the initial marriage ceremony it became clear that 
Noura's opposition to the idea was increasing.

She ran away to her aunt in Sinnar, a city 350km away, and remained with her 
for 2 days. She was persuaded to come back home on the understanding that the 
marriage would never be completed.

In fact, once she arrived back the ceremony was completed, but she wasn't 
required to live with her husband.

For the next 2 years she remained at her family home. When Abdulrahman visited, 
she would tell him outright that she didn't want to be married to him.

However, family elders began to insist that Noura and her husband formalise the 
relationship and behave like a legally married couple.

In their close community it is the elders who make all key decisions. Honour 
and family respect are the most important values of the culture.

Her father Hussein says he saw no good reason for his daughter to keep refusing 
the union. The family had been patient for years.

Under pressure, Noura agreed to move in with Abdulrahman in April 2017.

According to a first-hand account obtained by CNN, Noura says that she resisted 
her husband's sexual advances for the 1st week they lived together.

She cried. She refused to eat. When Abdulrahman slept she attempted to leave 
the flat, but it was locked.

On the 9th day, Abdulrahman arrived at their flat with some relatives, who tore 
at her clothes and held her down while he raped her, according to the CNN 
report.

The following day Abdulrahman tried again. This time Noura reached for the 
knife she told her mother she would use to kill herself.

Noura's account says that in the tussle her hand was cut and Abdulrahman bit 
her shoulder.

It then jumps to Noura running to her parents' home, holding a bloody knife.

Hussein and his wife were terrified when they saw their daughter standing in 
front of them clutching the murder weapon.

"I killed my husband after he raped me," she told them, holding out the knife.

"I then understood the seriousness of the situation," says Hussein. Knowing 
Abdulrahman's family, he was in no doubt they would want revenge.

Noura's whole family was now under threat, he says, so he made a decision to 
take them all to the police station. He did this to protect them, not, as has 
been reported, to turn her in and abandon her. But Noura was arrested and 
charged with premeditated murder.

Her family went home to appeal to the elders to make a deal with Abdulrahman's 
family. They refused, instead insisting that Hussein and Zainab must no longer 
see Noura if they wanted to protect their other children.

When their house and business premises were set on fire and burned down, 
Hussein and Ahmed agreed.

However, the intimidation persisted and Hussein and Zainab took their children 
and fled.

A court in Omdurman, Sudan's second largest city, later found Noura Hussein 
guilty of premeditated murder, and last month - when her husband's family 
refused the option of monetary compensation - it officially sentenced her to 
death by hanging.

Noura's lawyers are appealing against the sentence, and seeking a pardon. The 
verdict is expected within days.

Hussein says he has not seen his daughter since that night, because of the 
threat to harm him and his other children if he does.

"I also want to see my daughter and visit her in prison and raise her spirits, 
but I am unable to do so," he says.

He has talked with her on the phone, though, and says she assured him that she 
was in good health.

Zainab Ahmed says she is hopeful of a last minute miracle for her daughter. She 
likes to imagine that family elders will intervene and convince Abdulrahman's 
family to ask the courts to repeal the death penalty.

Amnesty International thinks this is a vain hope.

"At this stage this seems highly unlikely. Had they done this during the 
sentencing they could have requested mitigation. At this stage a family would 
have no say in a judicial decision," says Dr Joan Nyanyuki, Amnesty's director 
for East Africa.

However international pressure may work, she says.

"When we called for people to email Sudan's Justice Minister demanding Noura's 
pardon, he had to shut down his email address within two weeks. It had an 
impact. If people emailed the Sudanese embassies in their respective countries 
demanding her release, that would make an immense difference."

She adds: "There are hundreds of thousands of Nouras that we haven't heard of, 
in forced marriages being raped. This fight is also for them."

Noura's parents now live in a village far away from al-Bager.

They say that their marriage is still strong and they are supporting each other 
and their children through the ordeal. But Noura's fate haunts them.

"No-one wants a miserable life for their daughter," says Hussein.

"I did not expect things to reach this degree.

"We are hoping God will rescue her."

(source: BBC News)




MYANMAR:

Taxi driver convicted of rape and murder to appeal death sentence



A taxi driver sentenced to death for the January rape and murder of a 
government employee will appeal the verdict this week, his lawyer told Frontier 
today.

Yangon Eastern District Court convicted Ko Myo Zaw Oo on June 22 for the murder 
of Ma Shwe Yee Win, 26, and sentenced him to death under section 302 of the 
Penal Code.

He was also charged under sections 376, 377 and 394 for rape and robbery. The 
death penalty has not been carried out in Myanmar since 1988.

Myo Zaw Oo's lawyer U Maung Maung Soe told Frontier his client had confessed to 
killing Shwe Yee Win, but said the punishment did not fit the crime and that he 
would appeal.

"The punishment is too big for the crime and we will appeal to Yangon Region 
Court in the coming days," he said. The defendant can legally submit an appeal 
within 7 days of the verdict.

The incident took place on the evening of January 20, as Myo Zaw Oo drove Shwe 
Yee Win, an employee of the Ministry of Health and Sports' Food and Drug 
Administration, from Hledan Centre in Yangon's Kamaryut Township to her home in 
Dagon Township.

According to a police report previously seen by Frontier, they argued about the 
fare and he stabbed her in the throat with a screwdriver. He then allegedly 
drove to a sports field in North Dagon and raped her before stealing her 
possessions including her jewellery and a telephone.

3 days later, police arrested Myo Zaw Oo at a mobile phone shop in Mingalar 
Taung Nyunt Township, where he was attempting to install new software on the 
stolen phone.

The incident shocked many in Yangon and prompted a group of women to protest at 
the township-level trial earlier this year. They called for the introduction of 
a mandatory death sentence for those convicted of rape.

(source: frontiermyanmar.net)








MAURITANIA:

Death Penalty for Muslim Apostates



There will no longer be mercy for those convicted of apostasy in Mauritania, 
with the death penalty now mandatory under a new law.

Previously, any Mauritanian who committed blasphemy or left the Muslim faith 
had 3 days to repent before being punished. Penalties included prison terms or 
a death sentence.

Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs says under new legislation, 
everyone is going to be punished.

According to Mission Network News, Mauritania is a Muslim nation and the 
mandatory death sentence for apostasy could cause someone who is considering 
following Jesus to think twice.

Mr Nettleton said what people can do is pray - and ask the Mauritania 
representatives in their country to reconsider the apostasy law.

He said the chances are pretty slim, but it does send a message that the rest 
of the world is paying attention.

(source: Vision Christian Media)








PHILIPPINES:

Bishop hopes for eventual rejection of death penalty restoration by lawmakers



The head of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines Episcopal 
Commission on Prison Pastoral Care remains hopeful that the proposal to revive 
death penalty in the country would eventually be rejected by lawmakers.

This is in reaction to reports that the House of Representatives is no longer 
seeking death penalty for violations of the Human Security Act.

"This new development from the House of Representatives gives hope to the 
eventual rejection of the restoration of the death penalty," Bishop Joel Baylon 
said in an interview.

"The right to life is the first among human rights, says Pope Francis; and no 
crime, no matter how heinous, can take that away from any human being," he 
added.

The Legazpi, Albay Bishop stressed that "true justice" must be above all 
restorative, not punitive.

For his part, Rodolfo Diamante, executive secretary of the CBCP-ECPPC, said 
death penalty violates the right to life.

"The death penalty is a violation of the right to life that is enshrined in our 
Constitution. It is also a violation of our international commitment 
specifically the 2nd Optional Protocol to the Civil and Political Rights," he 
said.

Diamante said they are praying that legislators will respect that which they 
sworn to uphold.

In the past, he said the Prison Commission of the CBCP will continue to lobby 
against the passage of the death penalty bill.

"We will not give up in engaging our policy and lawmakers in working for 
justice that heals and respect the dignity of the human person," Diamante said 
at that time.

"The CBCP-ECPPC will continue to lobby for the passage of laws that will be 
consistent with the Gospel values," he added.

(source: Manila Bulletin)