[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

news postings to this list will resume July 2





June 29




MALAYSIA:

165 on death row escaped the gallows from 2007 to 2017



The pardons board of various states reduced the sentence of 165 people who were 
sentenced to death from 2007 to 2017, said the Prisons Department.

During the same time, 35 executions took place, said its deputy director 
(policy) Supri Hashim (pic).

Supri said that those who had their death sentence reduced, were usually given 
life or 20 years imprisonment.

He said this during a press conference on the proposed abolition of the death 
penalty organised by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysian (Suhakam) on 
Thursday (June 28).

At the moment, Supri said there were 1,267 people on death row or 2.7% of the 
prison population of about 60,000 people.

Supri said they are at various stages of appeal - 336 in the Court of Appeal, 
128 in the Federal Court and 442 at the states' pardons board.

He did not mention the stages of the other remaining prisoners on death row.

He said executions can only take place if they got orders from the states' 
pardons boards or a warrant of execution from the High Court.

With 9 executions in 2016, Malaysia was among 23 countries that executed 1,032 
people globally.

This figure excludes China, which Amnesty International believes executes 
thousands of people yearly.

Malaysia imposes the death penalty for several crimes, including murder, drug 
trafficking, treason, waging war against the King and terrorism-related 
offences.

Last year, the Dewan Rakyat voted to remove the mandatory death penalty for 
drug offences, giving judges the power to decide the sentences.

Human rights groups, however, have called for the total abolition of the death 
penalty.

(soruce: thestar.com.my)








IRAN----execution of juvenile offender

UN rights chief 'deeply disturbed' by continuing executions of juvenile 
offenders



Following the execution of a 15-year-old in Iran on Wednesday - the 4th 
juvenile to be put to death in the country this year - the United Nations 
rights chief condemned the practice, citing the strict prohibition of such 
executions under international law.

"I am deeply disturbed that Iran continues to implement the death penalty 
against juvenile offenders, with some 85 others reportedly on death row," UN 
High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said on Thursday.

15-year-old Abolfazi Chezani Sharahi was executed after being found guilty of 
fatally stabbing a man. A total of 5 juvenile offenders were executed in the 
country during 2017.

"We understand that the execution of at least one more juvenile offender, 
Mohammad Kalhori, is imminent and urge the authorities not to carry it out, but 
instead to commute the sentences of all juvenile offenders on death row," urged 
Zeid.

Executing juvenile offenders is in violation of Iran's obligations as a State 
party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International 
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The youth was moved into solitary confinement 4 times before his eventual 
execution, further opening up the possibility that he suffered torture, or 
cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

The High Commissioner also expressed concern over the lack of transparency 
prior to implementing the death penalty.

When authorities fail to provide relatives with adequate information about the 
timing of executions, it not only imposes acute mental distress on the 
convicted person, but also on their family.

Zeid also reiterated the UN Human Rights Office's willingness to assist Iran in 
complying with its international human rights obligations regarding juvenile 
justice.

(source> un.org)

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

Juvenile Offender Executed in Iran



According to Amnesty International sources, Abolfazl Chazani Sharahi, a 
juvenile offender charged with murder at the age of 15, was executed on 
Wednesday, June 27 at Qom Central Prison. This is the 4th juvenile offender 
executed in Iran since the beginning of 2018.

Execution of juvenile offenders in Iran continues despite repeated criticism by 
the international community.

Iran Human Rights calls on the international community, especially European 
countries, to act in order to stop the execution of juveniles in Iran. Mahmood 
Amiry-Moghaddam, the spokesperson for IHR, said, "The friendly relations 
between Iran and European countries must lead to improving the situation of the 
human rights in Iran. Stopping the execution of juvenile offenders must be a 
precondition for the friendly relationship between Iran and the European 
countries."

Iran Human Rights had earlier reported warned against the possible execution of 
the juvenile offender Abolfazl Chazani who was sentenced to death on the charge 
of murder during a street fight.

Abolfazl Chazani Sharahi, son of Asghar, was born on January 19, 1999, and he 
was only 15 at the time of the crime.

Abolfazl was examined by a forensic physician at the request of his public 
defender on July 20, 2014. According to the report, "The defendant, 15 years 
and 5 months old, committed murder in the winter last year and he is mentally 
mature and understands the nature of his action (murder)."

According to an estimation by Iran Human Rights, currently, more than 100 
juvenile offenders are on death row in Iran's prisons. Iran Human Rights has 
recently published reports regarding the danger of the execution of some of 
several juvenile offenders including Mehdi Khazaeian, Pouria Tabaei, Mohammad 
Reza Haddadi, and Mohammad Kalhor.

Iran is one of the few countries that punish crimes committed during 
adolescence by death. Meanwhile, based on Article 91 of the new Islamic Penal 
Code, approved in 2013, judges can potentially deny issuing a death sentence 
for juveniles who do not understand the nature of their crime.

It is worth mentioning that the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which 
Iran has ratified, clearly bans execution and life imprisonment of juveniles.

In 2017, at least 5 juvenile offenders were executed in Iran.

(source: Iran Human Rights)