[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

May 30





PHILIPPINES:

Duterte Threatens Summary Execution of Drug Suspects. Again.----Philippine 
President Warns Cebu Detainees to ???Stay in Jail???

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has issued a fresh reminder as to why his 
murderous "drug war" has earned United Nations and International Criminal Court 
scrutiny. Duterte issued a televised death threat against detained drug 
suspects in Cebu province last week. "You know if I were you guys in Cebu, stay 
in jail. You want to live longer? Stay in jail," Duterte said, adding, "Do not 
go out of that facility. It would not be healthy for you."

The targets of Duterte's threat have good reason to be afraid. The brutal 
lesson of the anti-drug campaign that Duterte launched on June 30, 2016 is that 
people he threatens with summary execution often end up dead in suspicious 
police "buy-bust" operations, or at the hands of unidentified gunmen. That 
campaign has targeted mainly urban slum dwellers and resulted in the deaths of 
more than 12,000 suspected drug dealers and users, including children, by 
police and police-backed vigilantes.

Duterte's suggestion that drug suspects who are behind bars are safe from 
summary execution is perilously wrong. Last year both the National Bureau of 
Investigation and the Philippine Senate concluded that Philippine National 
Police officers had committed "premeditated murder" when they shot to death 
Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. in a Manila jail cell in 2016. Those 18 
police officers were released on bail in June 2017 and subsequently returned to 
active duty. Meanwhile, the country's new Bureau of Corrections Director Ronald 
Dela Rosa, who retired last month as director general of the Philippine 
National Police, exhorted prison guards earlier this month at Manila's New 
Bilibid Prison to summarily execute imprisoned "drug lords."

Duterte's spin doctors may try to deflect criticism about this latest threat by 
asserting that he was "joking." But these kinds of comments send a clear 
message to police officers and other security force members that certain kinds 
of crimes not only can be committed with impunity, but might even draw praise 
from the president. They should also send a message to the International 
Criminal Court of the dire need for a preliminary examination into the killings 
and to the UN for a separate international inquiry.

(source: Human Rights Watch)








INDONESIA:

Prosecutors insist on death sentence for pro-IS cleric



Prosecutors at the South Jakarta District Court have refuted Aman Abdurahman's 
defense plea and insisted that judges hand down the death sentence on the 
radical cleric for his alleged role in several terror attacks.

"We beg your honor [judges] to reject all pleas presented by Aman Abdurahman 
and his lawyers," prosecutor Anita Dewayani read out her response in front of 
the panel of judges on Wednesday, as quoted by kompas.com.

She said Aman had been proven guilty of violating Article 14 of Law No. 15/2004 
on terrorism.

Aman has been accused of inciting others to commit at least 5 terror attacks in 
Indonesia from 2016 to 2017, including the bombing and shooting near the 
Sarinah shopping area on Jl. M. H. Thamrin, also known as the Thamrin attack, 
in Central Jakarta in 2016, which left 4 people dead.

In a previous hearing, Aman admitted that he had encouraged more than 1,000 of 
his followers to travel to conflict-stricken Syria and become militants. 
However, he denied that he had instructed them to carry out attacks on their 
home soil.

Aman asserted his conviction that the government and its apparatus were 
infidels but claimed he had not ordered his followers to attack security 
personnel.

Aman denounced terrorist attacks in Indonesia, particularly those that involved 
children and women. Despite claiming he was not afraid to face the death 
penalty, he refused to be linked with recent terror attacks in Indonesia, 
perpetrators of which included a family of 6.

(source: Jakarta Post)








TAIWAN:

Taiwan's minister of justice: The crime issue cannot be solved by judicial 
sentencing or execution----Chiu made the statement when he was asked by 
reporters whether more severe judicial punishment should be imposed in the face 
of rampant crimes in the society



In the wake of recent separate cases of abhorrent murders and dismemberment of 
the victims' bodies in Taiwan and calls from the society for more severe 
judicial punishment for the perpetrators to deter the prevalence of serious 
crimes, the country's Minister of Justice Chiu Tai-san said on Wednesday that 
the crime problem cannot be solved by judicial sentencing and execution.

Chiu made the statement before attending a hearing in the legislature's 
Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee when he was asked by 
reporters whether more severe judicial punishment should be imposed in the face 
of rampant crimes in the society.

Taiwan's media has been dominated by horrendous headlines of murders and 
dismemberment of victim's bodies this week.

As recent as last night (May 29), a 22-year-old man in Taoyuan ran amok and 
hurt his family with a knife, killing an aunt and injuring his mother and 
another aunt.

On May 28, a popular Taiwanese online streamer was stabbed to death by her 
ex-boyfriend with a fruit knife in Taipei.

News broke a few days ago that a fitness trainer based in New Taipei City 
murdered his girlfriend, who he met on Tinder, and disposed of her dismembered 
body in seven trash bags, before ultimately hanging himself on May 28.

A 67-year-old man in Taoyuan confessed on May 27 that he had stabbed his wife 
to death and beheaded and disemboweled her after she asked for a divorce.

A 5-year-old girl in central Taiwan died about a week ago of severe injuries 
inflicted by her uncle-in-law.

In answering the reporters' question, the justice minister said that the 
thinking of using severe judicial punishment to deter prevalence of serious 
crimes has been in existence in Taiwan's society for a long time, but the 
history of the amendments of the country's criminal law and enforcement of the 
law have not supported the philosophy.

Taiwan underwent tremendous changes in the family, school, society and economy 
structures, bringing pressure to people's life and as a result causing 
emotional problems, Chiu said, adding that social problems should be tackled 
from social perspectives and justice can only give the punishment that fits the 
crime.

He said the crime issue is a reflection of the social background and 
perpetrators' pressure and mental problems, and that the crime issue cannot be 
solved by judicial sentencing and execution. He added that social problems 
should be handled by establishing a network of social security and that 
involves responsibilities of different governmental agencies, such as the 
Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of 
Education, and the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

When asked whether executions of death row inmates will be forthcoming, Chiu 
said that Taiwan has not abolished the death penalty and has not hesitated to 
carry out the death penalty either. However, he said abolishment of the death 
penalty is a goal for the future.

(source: taiwannews.com.tw)








INDIA:

27 inmates in Nagpur Central Prison awaiting noose, says RTI reply City jail 
has total 2,178 prisoners including 63 women inmates



The Central Prison authorities in Nagpur are awaiting the court orders to 
execute 27 inmates who are on death row for various grave crimes. Various 
courts have awarded death penalty to these 27 convicts who are now lodged in 
Nagpur Central Prison. The jail has 9 foreign prisoners too including 5 women.

The statistics were revealed in an RTI reply to a query posed by activist Abhay 
Kolarkar under Right to Information Act (RTI). The RTI reply has further said 
that the Central Jail has total 2,178 prisoners including 63 women prisoners. 
327 jail inmates are awaiting the court verdict in their cases. The jail is 
also hosting eight dreaded Naxals including 1 woman. The number of hardcore 
criminals is 414 who are undergoing rigorous imprisonment while 357 inmates are 
facing life imprisonment for their crimes. These prisoners are lodged in 
different cells for years till the completion of their term of punishments. The 
cells are called as Badi Goal, Chhoti Goal, Anda Cell et al. There is a 
hospital and kitchen room too. Some inmates work in kitchen, while some are 
taking treatments in hospitals. The maximum 1100 prisoners are in big cell, 
while 700 are in small cell, while 21 in Anda Cell. The prisoners are lodged in 
specific cells according to punishments announced by the courts.

Further, the jail has one MPDA inmate, while 26 NDPS inmates are waiting for 
final judgments. The 7 prisoners of NDPS are in the jail as their crime was 
proved in the court. As per RTI reply, 64 jail inmates tried to escape from the 
jail. 84 criminals are facing MOCCA cases. The inmates get salary for the work 
in the jail. The skilled labour receives Rs 61 and Rs 77 per day, while 
semi-skilled inmates get Rs 55 per day as remuneration. The non-skilled 
prisoners are paid Rs 44 per day. The new rates are applicable from August 
2017. The different departments generated income from the work. The jail 
inmates generated revenue of Rs 2.67 crore in the year 2017 and Rs 69 lakh in 
first 2 months of the year 2018.

(source: nagpurtoday.in)




COUNCIL OF EUROPE:

Spokesperson of the Secretary General: Statement by the Spokesperson on 
reported executions in Belarus



"Reports about 2 more executions in Belarus this month are alarming.

"The Council of Europe calls on Belarus to introduce a moratorium on the death 
penalty as a 1st step to its final abolition.

Capital punishment has no place in Europe."

(source: coe.int)








UNITED ARAB EMIRATES/INDIA:

10 convicts get Ramadan pardon, saved from death penalty in UAE----They will 
return home next week - 3 years ahead of their actual release date



10 Indians, whose death sentence was commuted in 2017, will now return home 
next week - 3 years ahead of their actual release date - thanks to a Ramadan 
pardon they have received. The convicts were on death row in Al Ain for the 
murder of a Pakistani national Mohamed Farahan Mohamed Riyad. However, they 
were saved after an Indian expat paid blood money of Dh200,000 to the victim's 
kin in 2017.

And now, following the Ramadan pardon, the convicts - who were to serve 3 years 
in jail till 2020 - will walk home next week.

Last year, Indian expat SPS Oberoi, chairman of NGO Sarbat da Bhala, had paid 
the blood money to secure the release of the 10 Indians, all from Punjab. The 
convicts are: Satminder Singh, Chander Shekhar, Chamkor Singh, Kalwinder Singh, 
Balwinder Singh, Dharamivir Singh, Harijinder Singh, Tarsem Singh, Gurupreet 
Singh and Jagit Singh.

Oberoi told Khaleej Times that on Monday, the Al Ain court completed procedures 
to release the 6 convicts and the clearance papers of the remaining four will 
be done by next week. He added the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi is preparing 
temporary passports and tickets to facilitate their travel to India after 
completion of the legal procedures.

The accused had killed the Pakistani national on July 12, 2015, during a group 
clash over bootlegging. The Al Ain Police arrested the accused on October 26, 
2016.

The Al Ain court had convicted and awarded death sentence to all of them on 
December 7, 2016. The case was referred to Al Ain Court of Appeal on December 
21, 2016. It was then that Oberoi moved a petition before the court requesting 
it to give him an opportunity to negotiate with the family of the victim by 
offering them blood money. Oberoi assigned the case to a lawyer, while sending 
his team to persuade the victim's family in Pakistan to pardon the accused.

Oberoi submitted the copy of the agreement on February 2, 2017. One of the 
victim's kin appeared before the court on March 22, 2017, and stated that the 
family was willing to pardon the 10 young Indians. The court accepted it.

(source: KhaleejTimes)