[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

November 8





BARBADOS:

New court dates for death row convicts


Almost a dozen inmates who are currently on death row at Dodds prison will have 
to be resentenced once the Offences Against the Person Bill 2018 is amended.

That is the word from Leader of Government Business in the Senate, Senator Dr 
Jerome Walcott, as he spoke today during debate on the amendment which seeks to 
repeal the mandatory death sentence for persons convicted of murder in 
Barbados.

He said the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), the island’s highest appellate 
court, had already ruled that it was unconstitutional.

“They are currently 11 persons who are on death row in Barbados and based on 
this ruling, they will now have to be resentenced because their sentences are 
now considered by the CCJ to be unconstitutional,” Dr Walcott said.

“There are 62 persons awaiting trial for murder and six for manslaughter. If we 
were not to pass this bill today, it would put our judicial system in a 
quandary. You would have 68 persons who are there to have trials done and at 
the back of that, at the end of it all, judges will know that they are confined 
by the mandatory death sentence, but if they convict someone and sentence them 
at the end of the day they know that the CCJ has already ruled that that is 
unconstitutional.”

Dr Walcott explained that the amendment was not about removing the death 
penalty from the statute books.

However, he contended that Barbados had signed on to several conventions which 
clearly state that a mandatory death sentence was not lawful.

“I believe that we are in a bind. We have survived over the years. We have 
discussed and we have utilized our mandatory death penalty and we have debated 
it. We have made promises to amend it. We’ve made promises to the UN and we’ve 
made promises to the Inter-American Court of Justice, but I think our reckoning 
time has now come.

(source: Barbados Today)




PAKISTAN:

Pakistani Christian woman Aasia Bibi 'freed' from jail


Aasia Bibi, who spent 8 years on death row for blasphemy, has been freed, her 
lawyer has said.

Pakistani Christian woman Aasia Bibi, who spent eight years on death row for 
blasphemy, has been freed from jail, her lawyer said.

"She has been freed. I've been told that she is on a plane but nobody knows 
where she will land," her lawyer Saif-ul-Malook said in a message to AFP news 
agency on Wednesday.

Bibi, 53, was flown on Wednesday night to a facility in the capital, Islamabad, 
from an undisclosed location for security reasons, two senior government 
officials told the Associated Press.

Last week, Pakistan's Supreme Court overturned Bibi's conviction and ordered 
her release, but she remained imprisoned as the government agreed to allow a 
review following right-wing protests over the bitterly divisive case.

A release order arrived on Wednesday at the prison in the central city of 
Multan, where Bibi was held, a prison official told AFP.

Her husband, Ashiq Masih, had appealed for Britain or the United States to 
grant the family asylum, while Malook fled to the Netherlands.

Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesman, meanwhile, confirmed that Bibi has not 
left Pakistan.

"Let me tell you that Asiya Bibi is in Pakistan and is safe," Muhammad Faisal 
said in a statement on Thursday.

"I cannot comment on the question pertaining to her lawyer. Regarding the 
question on review petition, I this is a technical and legal matter."

Bibi's acquittal triggered massive protests by right-wing parties, mainly the 
Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), in the Muslim-majority nation.

Thousands of people poured onto the streets after the court overturned Bibi's 
conviction last week, causing Prime Minister Imran Khan's government to sign a 
controversial deal with the TLP.

The blasphemy charge against Bibi stemmed from an incident in 2009, when she 
was asked to fetch water while out working in the fields.

Female Muslim labourers objected, saying that as a non-Muslim, she should not 
touch the water bowl, and reportedly a fight erupted.

A local imam then claimed Bibi insulted the Prophet Mohammed, a charge she has 
consistently denied.

Blasphemy is an incendiary charge in Muslim-majority Pakistan, where even 
unsubstantiated allegations of insulting Islam can result in death at the hands 
of mobs.

At least 74 people have been killed in such violence since 1990, according to 
an Al Jazeera tally.

(source: Al Jazeera)

**********

Asia Bibi moved from jail to another part of Pakistan, sources say


Asia Bibi, a Christian woman whose death sentence was overturned last week by 
Pakistan's Supreme Court, has been moved from her jail cell to an undisclosed 
location in another part of the country, intelligence sources in Pakistan told 
CNN on Thursday.

Bibi spent 8 years on death row after being convicted of blasphemy. Even after 
her sentence was commuted, she was forced to remain in the same jail due to 
concerns over her safety.

Despite calls by protestors to place Bibi on the country's exit control list, 
she is legally free to leave the country.

Her acquittal in October prompted violent protests orchestrated by the Islamist 
movement Tehreek-e-Labbaik (TLP), The protests were later subdued through a 
deal reached between the Pakistani government and the TLP -- with the 
government agreeing not to oppose a review petition filed against the Supreme 
Court's judgment.

The government also pledged not to oppose a TLP application to add Bibi to a 
list preventing her from leaving the country, and the government agreed to 
release everyone detained in connection with the protests.

Bibi's lawyer, Saiful Malook, who fled Pakistan to the Netherlands, told 
reporters in The Hague on Monday that the UN and EU made him leave "against his 
wishes."

"I pressed them that I would not leave the country unless I get Asia out of the 
prison," Malook said during a news conference.

The lawyer had previously told CNN that he was concerned for his life.

Blasphemy conviction overturned

Bibi, a mother of five from Punjab province, was convicted of blasphemy in 2010 
and sentenced to hang after she was accused of defiling the name of the Prophet 
Mohammed during an argument a year earlier with Muslim colleagues.

The workers had refused to drink from a bucket of water Bibi had touched 
because she was not Muslim. At the time, Bibi said the case was a matter of 
women who didn't like her "taking revenge."

Last month, she won her appeal against the conviction and death sentence.

The TLP had previously vowed to take to the streets if Bibi were released, and 
large protests broke out in Islamabad and Lahore soon after the ruling was 
announced.

Under Pakistan's penal code, the offense of blasphemy is punishable by death or 
life imprisonment. Widely criticized by international human rights groups, the 
law has been used disproportionately against minority religious groups in the 
country and to go after journalists critical of the Pakistani religious 
establishment.

Bibi's case has attracted widespread outrage and support from Christians 
worldwide. Conservative Islamist groups in Pakistan have demanded the death 
penalty be carried out.

(source: actionnewsnow.com)



MAURITANIA:

Blogger still detained one year after court decision quashing his death 
sentence


• Although authorities should have released him in November 2017, Mohamed 
Mkhaïtir is still being detained in an undisclosed location
• His physical and mental health are deteriorating as a result of his prolonged 
detention
• 32 human rights organizations are campaigning for his release and protection

Authorities in Mauritania should promptly and safely release a blogger who 
remains in detention despite an appeal Court’s decision 1 year ago tomorrow to 
commute his death sentence, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Freedom 
Now, the Forum des organisations nationales des droits de l’Homme en Mauritanie 
and 28 other human rights groups said today.

Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mkhaïtir, 35, remains in custody in an undisclosed 
location, with limited access to his family and no access to his lawyers, after 
authorities failed to implement an appeal court ruling for his release granted 
on 9 November 2017.

“Continuing to detain Mohamed Mkhaïtir demonstrates serious contempt for the 
rule of law by the Mauritanian authorities. He is a prisoner of conscience 
whose life is in the hands of the authorities solely because he peacefully 
exercised his right to freedom of expression,” said Kine Fatim Diop, Amnesty 
International’s West Africa Campaigner.

     Blogging is not a crime, and, in accordance with the Mauritanian court’s 
decision, he must be released immediately and unconditionally and the 
authorities should explore all available means to guarantee his safety
     Kiné-Fatim Diop, Amnesty International West Africa Campaigner

“Blogging is not a crime, and, in accordance with the Mauritanian court’s 
decision, he must be released immediately and unconditionally and the 
authorities should explore all available means to guarantee his safety.”

Mkhaïtir was initially arrested on 2 January 2014 after he published a blog in 
December 2013 that spoke of slavery and discrimination, including against the 
blacksmith caste, which he belongs to.

Following the publication of the blog, mass protests calling for Mkhaïtir’s 
execution for ’blasphemy’- one of which the Mauritanian President addressed 
sympathetically– took place across the country.

Charged with apostasy

Mkhaïtir ‘’repented’’ on several occasions during his interrogation by police 
and in a written statement dated 11 January 2014. His trial started on 23 
December 2015 and he was charged with apostasy and insulting the Prophet 
Muhammad, before being sentenced to death the following day.

On 9 November 2017, an appeal court reduced his death sentence to two years in 
prison, which he had already served, and a fine. In March 2018, the Mauritanian 
Minister of Justice Mokhtar Malal Dia said in an interview that “the blogger 
Mkhaïtir is still held somewhere in Mauritania’’.

In May, Mauritanian authorities informed the UN Committee on the Elimination of 
Racial Discrimination that Mkhaïtir was in “administrative detention for his 
own safety”.

For nearly a year, his lawyers have repeatedly requested to visit him, but they 
have still not received an answer from the Minister of Justice. Mkhaïtir is 
currently believed to be unwell and in need of urgent medical care.

     Rather than respecting the court order, authorities have refused to 
acknowledge the whereabouts of Mkhaïtir and deprived him of contact with the 
outside world,” said Fatimata Mbaye, human rights defender and Mkhaïtir’s 
domestic lawyer
     Fatimata Mbaye, human rights defender and Mkhaïtir’s domestic lawyer

“Rather than respecting the court order, authorities have refused to 
acknowledge the whereabouts of Mkhaïtir and deprived him of contact with the 
outside world,” said Fatimata Mbaye, human rights defender and Mkhaïtir’s 
domestic lawyer.

“This amounts to incommunicado detention, a serious human rights violation. 
Authorities should end this arbitrary detention, release Mkhaïtir and guarantee 
his safety.”

The United Nations has on several occasions criticized the detention and death 
sentence of Mohamed Mkhaïtir. In June 2017, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary 
Detention concluded that Mkhaïtir’s trial was unfair, his detention arbitrary, 
and that Mauritania was in violation of international law.

In May 2018, 6 UN human rights experts expressed grave concerns about 
Mkhaitir’s continued detention.

     This case is emblematic of the Mauritanian government’s repression of 
freedom of expression and information, particularly human right defenders 
campaigning against discrimination and journalists covering the illegal use of 
slave labour
     Kate Barth, Freedom Now Legal Director

“This case is emblematic of the Mauritanian government’s repression of freedom 
of expression and information, particularly human right defenders campaigning 
against discrimination and journalists covering the illegal use of slave 
labour,” said Kate Barth, Freedom Now Legal Director.

“Mauritania must immediately and unconditionally release Mohamed Mkhaïtir and 
stop jailing people who peacefully express their opinions.”

BACKGROUND

The Mauritanian National Assembly passed a law on April 2018 that replaces 
article 306 of the Criminal Code and makes the death penalty mandatory for 
anyone convicted of “blasphemous speech” and acts deemed “sacrilegious”.

The new law eliminates the possibility under article 306 of substituting prison 
terms for the death penalty for certain apostasy-related crimes if the offender 
promptly repents.

The law also extends the scope of application of the death penalty to “renegade 
acts.” The timing of the enactment of the law just a few months after the court 
of appeal ordered Mkhaïtir’s release appears to be related to his case.

Mauritania has ratified numerous international human rights treaties including 
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention 
against Torture and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ rights that 
protect the right to life.

The death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.

The United Nations Human Rights Committee will conduct a review of Mauritania’s 
compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 
2019.

SIGNATORIES

1) Action des Chrétiens pour l’abolition de la Torture (France)
2. Africtivistes
3. Amnesty International
4. Anti-Slavery International
5. Association des Blogueurs pour une Citoyenneté Active (ABCA)- Niger
6. Association des Femmes Chefs de Famille (Mauritania)
7. Association Mauritanienne des Droits de l’Homme (Mauritania)
8. Association Villageois 2.0 (Guinea)
9. Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
10. Comité de Solidarité avec les Victimes des Violations des Droits Humains en 
Mauritanie (CSVVDH)
11. Ensemble Contre la Peine de Mort
12. FIDH (International Federation for Human Rights) within the framework of 
the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
13. Fondation Sahel (Mauritania)
14. Forum des Organisations Nationales des Droits de l’Homme en Mauritanie 
(FONAD)
15. Freedom Now
16. Freedom United
17. GERDDES-Mauritania
18. Human Rights Watch
19. International Publishers Association
20. International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU)
21. Initiative pour la résurgence du mouvement abolitionniste (IRA-Mauritania)
22. Minority Rights Group International
23. PEN America
24. Réseau des bloggeurs du Burkina
25. Pour une Mauritanie verte et démocratique
26. Réseau des blogueurs du Sénégal #NdadjeTweetup
27. Reporters without borders
28. SOS Esclaves- Mauritania
29. The Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights
30. Touche pas à ma Nationalité (Mauritanie)
31. Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization
32. World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) within the framework of the 
Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders

(source: Amnesty Internatnional)





ISRAEL:

Israel's defense minister pushes death penalty for terrorists

Despite objections by Israel's security and defense establishments, Prime 
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has given Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman a green 
light to push ahead with a bill allowing military courts to more easily 
sentence terrorists to death.

At the Nov. 6 session of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, 
Shuli Mualem of HaBayit HaYehudi asked Shin Bet chief Nadav Argaman about his 
views on the death penalty for convicted terrorists. Argaman responded, as he 
has in the past, by saying that he unequivocally opposes capital punishment 
because it is not effective in fighting terrorism.

Argaman's position is unlikely to change HaBayit HaYehudi’s recent decision to 
support a death penalty bill that Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman has been 
promoting for the past three years. The decision by the party's leader, Naftali 
Bennett, to back the flagship legislative initiative of his biggest rival is 
undoubtedly a feather in the defense minister’s cap.

Israeli law allows military tribunals to impose the death penalty by a 
unanimous decision, but such a ruling has never been handed down. Liberman’s 
draft law stipulates that a simple majority of judges would suffice.

Sharon Gal, a Knesset member for Liberman’s Yisrael Beitenu, first proposed the 
amendment in 2015, right after elections held in March that year. 4 months 
later, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly instructed his Likud 
ministers to oppose the measure.

At Liberman’s insistence when he joined the Netanyahu government in May 2016, 
the coalition agreement between his party and the Likud stipulated that the 
government would promote the amendment. Given various security agencies' 
assessment that the death penalty could foment Palestinian violence, and 
opposition by Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, Netanyahu did not rush to 
legislate Yisrael Beitenu’s law.

On Jan. 3 of this year, Yisrael Beitenu requested a government discussion on 
the death penalty bill, with a view to pushing it forward. When Energy Minister 
Yuval Steinitz of the Likud said he would not support the bill, Liberman 
shouted angrily, “Everyone is committed to the coalition agreement,” and banged 
on the table with such force that Netanyahu remarked, “You almost broke the 
table.” Liberman stormed out of the meeting.

More than being concerned about the collapse of the table around which the 
Cabinet convenes, Netanyahu was worried about the possible collapse of the 
government. Therefore, that same evening, the Knesset preliminarily approved 
the amendment by a narrow majority of 52-49. Netanyahu himself caved, as he 
always does when he sees one of his ministers outflanking him on the right and 
fears being portrayed as weak on the “scourge of rampant terrorism.” He voted 
in favor of the amendment, explaining from the Knesset podium, “Under radical 
circumstances, simple logic is involved. Those who slay and laugh will not get 
to spend the rest of their lives behind a prison wall, but will be executed.” 
Nonetheless, he continued, there was no need to rush, stating, “No one here is 
reckless. … We can keep considering with time.”

Netanyahu was already planning his next move: impeding the passage of the bill 
through the various Knesset committees tasked with preparing it for final 
approval. Indeed, when the amendment became bogged down in the Knesset’s 
Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, Liberman was asked why he was 
promoting legislation opposed by the defense chiefs under his authority. The 
defense minister had a simple explanation, saying, “I greatly appreciate all 
the heads of the security services — the Shin Bet, Israel Police, and so on.” 
He added, however, “On the one hand, they have said on numerous occasions that 
destroying the homes of terrorists is a deterrence, and on the other hand, they 
claim the death penalty is not. That logic eludes me.”

Nonetheless, the law went nowhere for almost 11 months. Israel’s various 
defense agencies have been busy this year with other challenges: the violent 
Palestinian protests along the Gaza border fence, the evolving cease-fire 
arrangement with Hamas, Russia’s involvement in Syria and the illusory calm on 
the West Bank that could erupt in violence at any moment. Liberman has not 
forgetten and has not given in.

Elections are now on the horizon, for sometime in 2019, and when the 
competition for voters on the right heats up, Liberman will be held to account 
for his achievements and the extent to which he kept his electoral promises. 
How would it look to his voters if he fails to push through the crown jewel of 
his 2015 election campaign? At a Nov. 4 meeting of coalition leaders, Liberman 
finally got his way, when Netanyahu gave him the go-ahead for his bill, and 
HaBayit HaYehudi announced its backing.

How did all the objections by Netanyahu and others fall by the wayside? The 
answer lies in the likelihood of early elections. With that in mind, Netanyahu 
was quick to get on the same page as Liberman, and Bennett, for his part, knew 
that he would be unable to adequately explain to his voters why he was blocking 
legislation facilitating the death penalty for terrorists. Israel's 
politicians, as it turns out, do not have much time for the views of Shin Bet 
experts. At this point, it’s all about politics.

On Nov. 5, Liberman tweeted in excitement, “After more than three years of 
stubborn struggle, on Wednesday, the death penalty for terrorists bill will 
finally be brought before the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee 
and then approved for the 1st reading in the Knesset plenum. We will not give 
up, and we will not stop until we complete the mission.”

Argaman, when addressing that same Knesset committee, had told lawmakers that 
the relative calm in the West Bank was illusory. Over the past year, he said, 
security authorities have thwarted 480 planned terror attacks against Israelis 
and detained 590 lone terrorists and 219 members of Hamas terror cells. With 
the situation so volatile, the last thing Israel needs is legislation that 
would spark an explosion. The current government, however, puts considerations 
of political survival above the expert opinions of the country’s security 
agencies.
Found in: Terrorism

(source: Shlomi Eldar is a columnist for Al-Monitor’s Israel Pulse. For the 
past 2 decades, he has covered the Palestinian Authority and especially the 
Gaza Strip for Israel’s Channels 1 and 10, reporting on the emergence of Hamas. 
In 2007, he was awarded the Sokolov Prize, Israel’s most important media award, 
for this work---al-monitor.com)




SAUDI ARABIA:

12 Shi'a face imminent execution after cases referred to King Salman


Responding to news that the cases of 12 condemned men from Saudi Arabia’s 
persecuted Shi’a minority have been transferred to the country’s Presidency of 
State Security - a body under the direct author of the country’s ruler, King 
Salman - Heba Morayef, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa 
Director, said:

     “Given the secrecy surrounding Saudi Arabia’s judicial proceedings, we fear 
that this development signals the imminent execution of the 12 men

     “The families of the men are terrified by this development and the lack of 
information provided to them on the status of the cases of their loved ones.

     “The Saudi Arabian authorities sentenced these men to death in 2016 for 
spying for Iran after a grossly unfair mass trial.

     “Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s most prolific executioners and 
regularly uses the death penalty as a political tool to crush dissent from the 
country’s Shi’a minority.

     “It is not too late to save the lives of these men. We are urging the Saudi 
Arabian authorities to immediately quash these sentences and establish an 
official moratorium on executions, as a first step towards abolishing the death 
penalty completely.”

King Salman may be about to order their execution

The 12 men were part of a group of 15 men who sentenced to death on 6 December 
2016 after an unfair mass trial of 32 people arrested across Saudi Arabia in 
2013 and 2014. The families of the 12 learnt last December that the men’s 
sentences has been ratified by the Supreme Court, meaning their execution would 
be imminent as soon as the king ratified the sentence. Due to the secrecy 
surrounding the judicial process in Saudi Arabia, the families are given very 
little information, if any, about the current state of the case and usually not 
told about the scheduled execution of their relatives.

Saudi Arabia’s Shi’a community

Amnesty has documented the cases of at least 34 members of Saudi Arabia’s Shi’a 
community, including four juvenile offenders, who are currently on death row 
after being accused of activities deemed a “risk to national security”. In 
early 2016, Saudi Arabia executed the prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqir 
al-Nimr, along with 46 other people, including several Shia activists from the 
country’s Eastern Province. Al-Nimr was sentenced to death after a grossly 
unfair trial. Members of Saudi Arabia’s Shi’a Muslim minority face considerable 
discrimination because of their faith, limiting their right to express 
religious beliefs and their access to justice.

146 executions in 2017

Last year, Saudi Arabia carried out at least 146 executions, the 3rd-highest of 
any country in the world. Amnesty opposes the death penalty in all cases 
without exception, regardless of the nature of the crime, the characteristics 
of the offender or the method used by the state to kill the prisoner.

(source: amnesty.org.uk)


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


Indonesian woman on death row in Saudi Arabia can be freed — if she can pay IDR 
20 billion in blood money


Following widespread outcry over the execution of Tuty Tursilawati — an 
Indonesian citizen who was executed in Saudi Arabia last week without any prior 
notice given to her family or the Indonesian government — authorities here are 
attempting to save the life of another Indonesian woman on death row in the 
Middle Eastern kingdom, but her freedom will only come at a high price. 
Literally.

Eti bint Toyib Anwar has been on death row in Saudi Arabia for 16 years after 
being given the death penalty for murdering her employer. The Indonesian 
government says she now has an opportunity to avoid her execution and be 
released, but only if she is able to pay IDR20 billion (US$1.38 million) to pay 
the family of her alleged victim.

The Saudi legal system allows the family of murder victims to demand that their 
killers be executed, or they can forgive them. That forgiveness can be given 
freely or it can be bought for a certain amount of diya, a term which is often 
referred to as “blood money”.

In the case of Eti, the family agreed to a diya payment of 5 million Saudi 
riyal, which is equivalent to about IDR20 billion, a figure that the Indonesian 
government had to negotiate down to from a much higher initial demand.

“The [victim’s family] originally proposed 30 million riyal for the diya, 
around IDR120 billion. That is honestly very irrational to me. But we 
negotiated about eight times to get the number down to 5 million riyal,” 
Indonesia’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Agus Maftuh Abegebriel, told Detik on 
Tuesday

Agus said the Indonesian government actually has a fund for making blood money 
payments such as this, but the amount available only goes up to IDR2 billion. 
However, he said that he personally had been able to raise IDR10 billion in 
additional donations from his colleagues in the santri (Islamic religious 
school) network.

But that obviously still leaves another IDR8 billion to go and the family of 
Eti’s alleged victim have said the full amount must be paid before the next 
holy month of Ramadan begins in May 2019.

Agus did not mention what other efforts were being made to try and raise the 
remaining IDR8 billion required to save Eti’s life, but it is unlikely the 
government will make any more extraordinary efforts to have her spared.

Even after the widespread outcry over Tuty Tursilawati’s execution last week, 
the Indonesian government did little but make statements expressing their 
protest (or regret, as President Joko Widodo put it in his statement) over her 
execution without notification, stopping well short of taking any punitive 
action against Saudi Arabia. In addition to Eti, there are still 12 other 
Indonesian citizens currently on death row in the Middle Eastern kingdom.

(source: coconuts.co)





MALAYSIA:

In 3rd UN review, Malaysia to be grilled over death penalty, child marriages, 
FGM


Malaysia will face its 3rd Universal Periodic Review (UPR) by the United 
Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, Switzerland tonight, even as 
the new Pakatan Harapan administration works to bolster the country’s human 
rights track record.

Putrajaya is expected to face scrutiny over its pledge to abolish capital 
punishment ― which was the major concern in its last run ― and issues involving 
women such as child marriages and female genital mutilation (FGM).

Checks by Malay Mail with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human 
Rights showed that Sweden, Portugal, Germany, Liechtentstein, United Kingdom, 
Belgium, Slovenia, and Australia have already submitted their advance questions 
for Putrajaya in the UPR.

At least 5 countries in the list above are curious over the next step taken by 
Putrajaya, after de facto law minister Datuk Liew Vui Keong announced that the 
Cabinet has agreed to the abolition of the death penalty in October this year.

“How does Malaysia intend to proceed with the abolishment? Is Malaysia 
considering, as an immediate measure, to commute all death sentences to terms 
of imprisonment?” asked Belgium.

“Could you outline in detail the complete process the government intends to 
follow for the abolition of the death penalty in Malaysia following the 
introduction of legislation to Parliament?” asked Australia.

In October 2013, the majority of countries which reviewed Malaysia’s human 
rights record in that UPR urged Putrajaya to implement a moratorium on capital 
punishment, with a view to abolish it.

Countries such as Sweden, the UK, and Belgium also questioned Putrajaya’s 
commitment to end child marriages, with the latter asking: “Which initiatives 
will the government of Malaysia take to curb the increasing trend of child 
marriages, both in civil and religious marriages?”

Last month, Deputy Prime Minister and women’s minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah 
Wan Ismail had said that the proposal to increase the marriage age to 18 has 
been presented  the Conference of Rulers, as most limits are subjected to state 
laws.

Malaysia will also be asked about FGM, after the United Nations Convention on 
the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (Cedaw) committee 
in its February review urged Putrajaya to eliminate the practice.

Representatives from Muslim-majority countries had criticised Malaysia for 
allowing the practice of FGM, even when it is no longer considered to be in 
line with Islamic teachings.

On Sunday, Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) director-general 
Datuk Mohamad Nordin Ibrahim said the federal religious authority will join the 
Malaysian delegation to answer questions regarding child marriages, FGM, and 
the treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT).

Malaysia first came under the UPR review on February 2009, and consequently 
accepted 62 of the 103 recommendations issued by the UPR working group.

In 2013’s UPR, Malaysia accepted 150 out of the 232 recommendations, but only 
113 of those were accepted in full.

Held every 4 1/2 years, the UPR is a UNHRC mechanism that was established in 
2007 to improve the treatment of human rights in all 193 UN member
states.

The process involves a 3-hour interactive dialogue, where UNHRC members will 
question Malaysia based on reports prepared by the government, UN agencies, and 
the stakeholders’ report.

The Malaysian delegation will be led by Foreign Ministry secretary-general 
Datuk Seri Ramlan Ibrahim, and will include representatives from several 
ministries, Attorney-General’s Chambers, Jakim, Orang Asli Development 
Department, and Sarawak state government,

The 3 countries serving as rapporteurs for Malaysia’s review are South Africa, 
Nepal, and Cuba.

(source: malaymail.com)