[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

November 14


KENYA:

Officers get death penalty for killing colleague, his 2 relatives


2 police officers have been sentenced to death for murdering their colleague in 
cold blood.

Justice Stella Mutuku said the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt 
that corporals Benjamin Kahindi Changawa and Stanley Okoti shot Administration 
Police Constable Joseph Obongo Onchuru at a club in Kangemi, Nairobi 4 years 
ago.

Mr Changawa and Mr Okoti were also convicted of shooting death Mr Onchuru's 2 
relatives, Geoffrey Nyabuto Mogoi and Amos Okenye Makori.

The court heard that Mr Onchuru, who was attached to former Bomachoge Borabu MP 
Joel Onyancha, dropped his boss at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on the 
fateful night before returning to his base at Kitisuru AP Camp.

He arrived late in the night and asked for permission to get out and buy 
airtime. However, Mr Onchuru and his 2 relatives proceeded to M-Club in 
Kangemi, where they ordered for a drink.

But Mr Onchuru was not drinking and he sat alone at a corner. A barmaid got 
suspicious and alerted the watchman.

The watchman approached Mr Onchuru and asked him what he was doing and instead 
of identifying himself, he reportedly whipped out a pistol.

'ROBBERS'

The watchman and the barmaid reportedly overpowered the officer and locked him 
up in an adjacent kitchen. A supervisor of the club called the police informing 
them that robbers had attacked them.

According to the police, a signal was sent out and the two officers, who were 
on patrol than night in the company of their colleagues, were told to respond. 
They were informed to approach the area with caution because the ‘attackers’ 
were armed.

Changawa and Okoti defended themselves, saying they identified themselves and 
asked the deceased to do the same, but they allegedly defied the order.

The court heard that the other patrons in the club lay on the ground when they 
were asked to surrender, but Mr Onchuru remained standing trying to explain 
that he was an officer.

The officers claimed that a shootout ensued, leading to the death of Mr Onchuru 
and his 2 relatives.

NO THREAT

Justice Mutuku, however, dismissed their defence, saying the circumstances 
leading to the fatal shooting was direct evidence. “Save for the malice 
aforethought, the evidence in respect of how the deceased met their death is 
not disputed by the defence,” the judge said.

But the duo defended themselves, saying they were on duty and had responded to 
a distress call. They added that they were told ‘the robbers were armed and 
dangerous’.

But Justice Mutuku said the victims had surrendered and posed no threat to the 
officers. She said the issue of a shootout did not arise and she was persuaded 
that the prosecution had discharged its mandate beyond reasonable doubt.

The judge said the 2 officers acted beyond their call of duty, and with malice. 
The two will appear before the court on November 7 for mitigation and 
sentencing.

The Independent Policing Oversight Authority had investigated the matter and 
recommended to the Director of Public Prosecutions that the 2 police officers 
be charged with murder.

Police picked up 3 men as they searched for suspects who planted an explosive.

(source: nation.co.ke)


MALAYSIA:

Abolishing of death penalty is collective decision by Cabinet, says Liew


The decision to abolish the death penalty is a collective one by the Cabinet, 
said Datuk Liew Vui Keong.

The Minister in the Prime Minister's Department said all the ministers would 
have to accept the decision.

"It is collective responsibility where all the Ministers would have to accept 
the decision made by the Cabinet.

"We have to be strong, united and stand firm on the decision that we already 
made," he said.

"At this stage, the decision made on Oct 10 to abolish the death penalty will 
still stand," the de facto law minister told reporters after a packed town hall 
session on the issue at UiTM Shah Alam on Wednesday (Nov 14).

He said he has spoken to Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan 
Ismail on this earlier Wednesday who told him that the decision made by the 
cabinet was a collective one.

On Tuesday (Nov 13), Dr Wan Azizah said that the government will reconsider 
abolishing the mandatory death sentence for those convicted of murder.

When asked about child murder, Liew said that they would probably look at it 
again but not necessarily divert from the decision made.

He also said all those who committed murder would be imprisoned for a minimum 
of 30 years if not their natural life.

"They will have no opportunity of getting out of prison. We just want to keep 
them in prison," he said, adding that there would be no possibility of parole.

"The law is very clear, if you have committed a very serious crime. I have 
instructed the Pardons Board to look into the various prisoners on death row to 
see how severe the offences they committed were and decide if the prisoners 
will serve life in prison or 30 years," he said.

In October, Liew said that the Cabinet had decided to abolish the death 
penalty, with a moratorium for those on death row.

A proposed bill to abolish the death penalty is expected to be tabled at the 
next Dewan Rakyat sitting.

However, in a recent survey of 3,600 respondents conducted by The Star Online, 
almost 1/2 of Malaysians surveyed were against the Cabinet’s plan to abolish 
the death penalty.

About 45% felt the death penalty was needed to keep hardcore criminals at bay 
while 32% said it was still needed for violent crimes, especially crimes 
against children.

(source: thestar.com.my)



ISRAEL:

In breach of human rights, Netanyahu supports death penalty against 
Palestinians


Right-wing Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is escalating his war on 
the Palestinian people, although for reasons almost entirely related to Israeli 
politics. He has just given the green light to a legislation that would make it 
easier for Israeli courts to issue death sentences against Palestinians accused 
of carrying out "terrorist" acts.

Netanyahu's decision was made on November 4, but the wrangling over the issue 
has been taking place for some time.

The "Death Penalty" bill has been the rally cry for the Israel Beiteinu party, 
led by ultra-nationalist Israeli politician and current Defense Minister, 
Avigdor Lieberman, during its 2015 election campaign.

But when Lieberman attempted to push the bill in the Israeli Knesset 
(parliament) soon after the forming of the current coalition government in July 
2015, the draft was resoundingly defeated by 94 to 6 with Netanyahu himself 
opposing it.

It has been defeated several times since then. However, the political mood in 
Israel has shifted in ways that has obliged Netanyahu into conceding to the 
demands of the even more hawkish politicians within his own government.

As Netanyahu's coalition grew bolder and more unhinged, the Israeli Prime 
Minister joined the chorus. It is time "to wipe the smile off the terrorist's 
face," he said in July 2017, while visiting the illegal Jewish settlement of 
Halamish, following the killing of three settlers. At the time, he called for 
the death penalty in "severe cases."

Ultimately, Netanyahu's position on the issue evolved to become a carbon copy 
of that of Lieberman. The latter had made the ‘death penalty’ one of his main 
conditions to join Netanyahu's coalition.

Last January, the Israel Beiteinu's proposed bill passed its preliminary 
reading in the Knesset. Months later, on November 4, the first reading of the 
bill was approved by Israeli legislators, with the support of Netanyahu 
himself.

Lieberman prevailed.

This reality reflects the competing currents in Israeli politics, where the 
long-reigning Israeli Prime Minister is increasingly embattled, by accusations 
from within his coalition and outside of being too weak in his handling of the 
Gaza Resistance.

Coupled with the tightening ring of police investigation pertaining to 
corruption by Netanyahu, his family and closest aides, the Israeli leader is 
pounding on Palestinians with every possible opportunity to display his 
prowess.

Even the likes of former Labor Party leader, Ehud Barak, is attempting to 
resurrect his failed career as a politician by comparing his past violence 
against Palestinians with the supposedly weaker Netanyahu.

Netanyahu is "weak," "afraid" and is unable to take decisive steps to rein in 
Gaza, "therefore he should go home," Barak recently said during an interview 
with Israeli TV Channel 10.

Comparing his supposed heroism with Netanyahu's "surrender" to Palestinian 
Resistance, Barack bragged about killing "more than 300 Hamas members (in) 
three and a half minutes," when he was the country's Defense Minister.

Barack's sinister statement was made with reference to the killing of hundreds 
of Gazans, including women, children and newly graduated police cadets in Gaza 
on December 27, 2008. That was the start of a war that killed and wounded 
thousands of Palestinians and set the stage for more, equally lethal, wars that 
followed.

When such ominous comments are made by a person considered in Israel's 
political lexicon as a "dove", one can only imagine the vengeful political 
discourse championed by Netanyahu and his extremist coalition.

In Israel, wars - as well as racist laws that target Palestinians - are often 
the outcome of Israeli politicking. Unchallenged by a strong party and unfazed 
by United Nations criticism, Israeli leaders continue to flex their muscles, 
appeal to their radicalized constituency and define their political turfs at 
the expense of Palestinians.

The Death Penalty bill is no exception.

The bill, once enshrined in Israeli law, will expectedly be applied to 
Palestinians only, because in Israel the term "terrorism" almost always applies 
to Palestinian Arabs, and hardly, if ever, to Israeli Jews.

Aida Touma-Suleiman, a Palestinian citizen of Israel and one of a few embattled 
Arab members of the Knesset, like most Palestinians, understands the intentions 
of the bill.

The law is "intended mainly for the Palestinian people," she told reporters 
last January. "It's not going to be implemented against Jews who commit 
terrorist attacks against Palestinians, for sure," as the bill is drafted and 
championed by the country's "extreme right."

Moreover, the Death Penalty bill must be understood in the larger context of 
the growing racism and chauvinism in Israel, and the undermining of whatever 
feeble claim to democracy that Israel possessed, until recently.

On July 19 of this year, the Israeli government approved the Jewish 
"Nation-state Law" which designates Israel as the "nation state of the Jewish 
people," while openly denigrating the Palestinian Arab citizens of the state, 
their culture, language and identity.

As many have feared, Israel's racist self-definition is now inspiring a host of 
new laws that would further target and marginalize the country’s native 
Palestinian inhabitants.

The Death Penalty law would be the icing on the cake in this horrific and 
unchallenged Israeli agenda that transcends party lines and unites most of the 
country's Jewish citizens and politicians in an ongoing hate-fest.

Of course, Israel has already executed hundreds of Palestinians in what is 
known as "targeted assassinations" and "neutralization," while killing many 
more in cold blood.

So, in a sense, the Israeli Bill, once it becomes law, will change little in 
terms of the bloody dynamics that governs Israel's behavior.

However, executing Palestinians for resisting Israel's violent Occupation will 
further highlight the growing extremism in Israeli society, and the increasing 
vulnerability of Palestinians.

Just like the "Nation-state Law," the Death Penalty bill targeting Palestinians 
exposes Israel’s racist nature and complete disregard for international law, a 
painful reality that should be urgently and openly challenged by the 
international community.

Those who have allowed themselves to "stay on the fence" as Israel brutalizes 
Palestinians, should immediately break their silence.

No government, not even Israel, should be allowed to embrace racism and violate 
human rights so brazenly and without a minimum degree of accountability.

(source: Ramzy Baroud is a journalist, author and editor of Palestine 
Chronicle. His latest book is The Last Earth: A Palestinian 
Story----maannews.com)





IRAN----executions

Iran executes 'Sultan of Coins' amid currency crisis


Iran has executed a currency trader known as the "Sultan of Coins" for his 
amassing of gold coins.

Vahid Mazloumin and another member of his currency trading network received the 
death penalty for "spreading corruption on earth".

According to the Iranian Students' News Agency, Mr Mazloumin and associates had 
hoarded about two tonnes of gold coins.

Demand for gold coins and US dollars in Iran has soared as the country's 
currency has declined in value.

In the wake of the latest round of US sanctions on Iran, the rial has fallen 
about 70% against the US dollar.

     Iranian police arrest 'Sultan of Coins'
     The impact of Iran sanctions - in charts

As a result, a cost of living crisis has seen demonstrators take to the streets 
against perceived corruption.

A summer initiative was launched by Supreme Leader Ayotollah Khamenei to tackle 
financial crimes.

Mr Mazloumin was one of at least seven people handed death sentences this year 
in trials in the new finance-focused special courts, some of which were 
broadcast live on state television.

(source: BBC News)

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

Iran hangs 2 people on economic "corruption" charges


2 men, charged with economic "corruption," were executed in Iran on Wednesday, 
official IRNA news agency reported.

Vahid Mazlumin, known as the "sultan of coins," and his accomplice Mohammad 
Ismail Qasemi were found guilty of economic crimes and convicted to death 
sentence by an Iranian court in August.

The ruling was later upheld by Iranian Supreme Court.

Mazlumin and Qasemi were charged with forming "a corruption network, disrupting 
the country's economic, foreign currency and monetary system by carrying out 
illegal transactions and major smuggling of foreign currencies and coins," 
according to Press TV.

A total of 11 more defendants in the case have received jail terms of up to 10 
years, said Judiciary Spokesman Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei.

(source: xinhuanet.com)

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

Sharareh Almassi, 85th woman executed in Iran under Rouhani


A young woman by the name of Sharareh Almassi was hanged on Tuesday, November 
13, 2018, in the Central Prison of Sanandaj after 5 years of imprisonment.

Sharareh Almassi, 27, was arrested and jailed for 5 years for killing her 
husband, Kaveh Gholam Veissi in a family fight.

A group of civil and human rights activists and campaigners against the death 
penalty gathered outside the Central Prison of Sanandaj since 4 a.m. to prevent 
execution of Sharareh Almassi. Their efforts, however, did not manage to stop 
the execution.

Sharareh Almassi is the 85th woman who is executed under Hassan Rouhani, the 
mullahs’ president.

Last month, another young woman, Zeinab Sekaanvand was also hanged in the 
Central Prison of Urmia.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet issued a statement 
on October 5, 2018, condemning the execution of Zeinab Sekaanvand, in which she 
stressed that the UN Human Rights Office opposes the use of the death penalty 
in all circumstances, as no judiciary in any part of the world is mistake-free.

The death penalty violates the most fundamental human rights, the right to life 
and the right to freedom from torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading 
punishment. The death penalty is also considered discriminatory as it is often 
used against the most vulnerable in society, including the poor, ethnic and 
religious minorities, and people with mental disabilities.

Execution is a tool which helps the mullahs’ regime hold its grab on power. 
Over 3,600 people have been executed over the past five years under Hassan 
Rouhani. In the same period, 85 women have been executed.

Iran is the world’s leading per capita executioner. It also holds the record in 
the execution of women and minors. Among the reasons that lead to the execution 
of women are early forced marriages, being deprived of the right to divorce, 
domestic violence against women, and poverty.

(source: ncr-iran.org)


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



Fears mounting for detained Ahwazi Arabs amid reports of secret executions


Iranian authorities must immediately disclose the fate and whereabouts of 
hundreds of members of the Ahwazi Arab ethnic minority being held without 
access to their families or lawyers, Amnesty International said following 
reports that some have been executed in secret.

In the last few days, Ahwazi Arab activists outside Iran have told Amnesty 
International that 22 men, including civil society activist Mohammad Momeni 
Timas, have been killed in secret.

Since 24 September, up to 600 Ahwazi Arabs have been detained incommunicado in 
a wave of arrests following a deadly armed attack that took place in Ahvaz, 
Khuzestan province, two days earlier.

“If confirmed, the secret executions of these men would be not only a crime 
under international law but also an abhorrent violation of their right to life 
and a complete mockery of justice, even by the shocking standards of Iran’s 
judicial system,” said Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Research and 
Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

“It is difficult to imagine that these individuals could have received a fair 
trial within merely a few weeks of their arrests, let alone had the opportunity 
to appeal death sentences.”

One of those reported to have been secretly executed is Ahmad Heydari, a 
30-year-old ceramics shopkeeper who was arrested within a few days of the armed 
attack in Ahvaz.

His family heard no news of his fate or whereabouts until 11 November, when 
they received a telephone call summoning them to the information centre of the 
Ministry of Intelligence in Ahvaz. There, they were given his death certificate 
and told he had been executed on 8 November.

Officials said they were not handing over his body for burial and told the 
family they were not allowed to hold a memorial service for him.

By contrast, the governor of Khuzestan province told the state-run Islamic 
Republic News Agency on 12 November that reports of 22 detainees being executed 
are “complete lies”. He also said that those arrested in connection with the 
Ahvaz attack have been charged, but gave no indication that any of them had 
been brought to trial.

“In the absence of any information about the whereabouts of the detainees 
feared killed, the governor’s blanket denial will provide little comfort to 
families who have been unable to see or hear from their relatives since their 
arrests,” said Philip Luther.

“The reported executions heighten our fears that the hundreds of other Ahwazi 
Arabs in detention in the wake of the Ahvaz attack may face death sentences or 
other harsh treatment.”

Amnesty International calls on the Iranian authorities to reveal the 
whereabouts of all the detainees without further delay and provide information 
about what legal procedures have taken place to date. The authorities must give 
the families and their lawyers access to the detainees and ensure they are 
protected from torture and other ill-treatment.

Amnesty International is also calling on the authorities to release immediately 
and unconditionally any Ahwazi Arabs held solely for peacefully exercising 
their right to freedom of expression, association or peaceful assembly or 
solely on account of their ethnic identity.

“While the Iranian authorities have a duty to bring to justice anyone suspected 
of criminal responsibility for the attack in Ahvaz in fair trials, they must 
not use this as an excuse to carry out a purge against members of Iran’s 
persecuted Ahwazi Arab ethnic minority,” said Philip Luther.

(source: Amnesty International)




EGYPT:

Egypt upholds death sentence against 80-year-old Quran tutor


The Egyptian government has upheld a death sentence against Sheikh Abdel Halim 
Gabreel, an 80-year-old Quran tutor, with Amnesty International campaigning for 
him to receive a presidential pardon.

On 24 September, Egypt’s Court of Cassation upheld the death sentences of 20 
Egyptians, including Gabreel, who had been convicted of killing 13 policemen 
during a 2013 attack on a police station in the Giza suburb of Kerdasa in 2013.

Gabreel was arrested while he was in the mosque and was put on trial after 6 
months of investigations, all whilst he was denied a lawyer. Despite not having 
any political affiliation and stating that he was not involved in the Kerdasa 
attack, with 2 witnesses for the prosecution affirming his story, he was 
sentenced to death.

Some 156 defendants were also either sentenced to death or to lengthy 
imprisonment in the 1st trial, for their alleged involvement in the “Kerdasa 
Massacre” in which 13 police officers were killed.

The 80-year-old grandfather’s health has deteriorated in prison since his 
detention; he has received inadequate treatment for his psoriasis and cannot 
walk long distances. Wadi Al-Natrun prison authorities have also prevented his 
family from bringing him medication.

The latest ruling by the Court of Cassation cannot be appealed. Amnesty has 
consequently called on the international community to write letters to Egyptian 
President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and the country’s public prosecutor, urging for 
Gabreel to be granted a presidential pardon and that he is given regular and 
adequate access to qualified medical professionals.

They also urge Egyptian authorities “to halt any planned executions, to commute 
all existing death sentences and immediately establish an official moratorium 
on executions, with a view to abolishing the death penalty”.

According to Amnesty, since the ousting of democratically elected President 
Mohamed Morsi in July 2013, Egyptian civil and military courts issued more than 
1,400 death sentences, mostly related to incidents of political violence, 
following grossly unfair trials, with testimonies often obtained through 
torture.

The global human rights watchdog has described the situation in Egypt as the 
worst human rights crisis in the country in decades, with the state 
systematically using arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances to silence 
any criticism of the government. Hundreds of journalists and human rights 
activists have also been arrested and held without trial.

Egypt has justified its crackdown on opponents as necessary to protect national 
security. Last year, President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi told US officials in New 
York that human rights should not be judged from a Western perspective, arguing 
that Egypt had taken numerous measures to ensure the economic and social 
wellbeing of its citizens.

(source: Middle East Monitor)


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

Urgent Action


80-YEAR-OLD EGYPTIAN’S DEATH SENTENCE UPHELD

On 24 September 2018, the Court of Cassation upheld the death sentence of 
Sheikh Abdel Rehim Abdel Halim Gabreel – an 80-year-old Quran tutor – in one of 
Egypt’s largest mass trials since 2011.

Write a letter, send an email, call, fax or tweet:

  *  Urging the Egyptian President to grant Sheikh Abdel Rehim Abdel Halim 
Gabreel a presidential pardon to halt his execution.
  *  Urging the Egyptian authorities to halt any planned executions, to commute 
all existing death sentences and immediately establish an official moratorium 
on executions, with a view to abolishing the death penalty;
  *  Calling on them to ensure that Sheikh Abdel Rehim Abdel Halim Gabreel has 
adequate and regular access to qualified health professionals providing health 
care, including access to prescribed medication, in compliance with medical 
ethics, including the principles of confidentiality.

Friendly reminder: If you send an email, please create your own instead of 
forwarding this one!

Contact these 2 officials by 24 December, 2018:


President
Abdel Fattah al-Sisi
Office of the President
Al Ittihadia Palace
Cairo, Arab Republic of Egypt
Fax: +202 2391 1441
Email: p.spokesman at op.gov.eg
Twitter: @AlsisiOfficial
Salutation: Your Excellency



Ambassador Yasser Reda
Embassy of Egypt
3521 International Ct NW, Washington DC 20008
Phone: 202 895 5400
Fax: 202 244 4319 -OR- 202 244 5131
Email: embassy at egyptembassy.net
Twitter: @EgyptEmbassyUSA
Contact Form: http://www.egyptembassy.net/
Salutation: Dear Ambassador

(source: Amnesty International USA)




INDIA:

Indian delegation votes against UNGA draft resolution on use of death penalty

First Secretary in India's Permanent Mission to the UN Paulomi Tripathi, giving 
the country's explanation of vote, said the resolution sought to promote a 
moratorium on executions with the aim of abolishing death penalty.


India has voted against a UN General Assembly draft resolution on the use of 
death penalty, saying it goes against the statutory law of the country where an 
execution is carried out in the "rarest of rare" cases.

The draft resolution, taken up in the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian, 
Cultural) of the General Assembly Tuesday, was approved with a recorded vote of 
123 in favour, 36 against and 30 abstentions.

India was among the countries that voted against the resolution, which would 
have the Assembly call on all States to respect international standards on the 
rights of those facing death penalty and ensure that it is not applied on the 
basis of discriminatory laws or as a result of the discriminatory or arbitrary 
application of the law.

First Secretary in India's Permanent Mission to the UN Paulomi Tripathi, giving 
the country's explanation of vote, said the resolution sought to promote a 
moratorium on executions with the aim of abolishing death penalty.

"My delegation has voted against the resolution as a whole, as it goes against 
statutory law in India," she said.

"In India, the death penalty is exercised in 'rarest of rare' cases, where the 
crime committed is so heinous that it shocks the conscience of the society. 
Indian law provides for all requisite procedural safeguards, including the 
right to a fair trial by an independent Court, presumption of innocence, the 
minimum guarantees for defence, and the right to review by a higher court," she 
said.

The draft resolution's passage followed an intense debate and Singapore 
introduced an amendment on behalf of 34 countries that reaffirmed the 
countries' sovereign right to develop their own legal system.

The Committee then approved this amendment by a recorded vote of 96 in favour 
to 73 against, with 14 abstentions.

India voted in favour of this amendment.

By its terms, the Assembly would reaffirm the sovereign right of all countries 
to develop their own legal systems, including determining appropriate legal 
penalties, in accordance with their international law obligations.

Tripathi said every State has the sovereign right to determine its own legal 
system and appropriate legal penalties and it was in this context that India 
voted in favour of the amendment but has voted against the resolution as a 
whole.

Singapore's delegate decried the draft resolution's "one-size-fits-all" 
approach to a delicate question, which seeks to impose a particular vision of 
the world onto others.

The representative of Singapore said the amendment aimed to ensure respect for 
the diversity of views.

The amendment is simple and neutral and it does not take a position on the 
substance of the draft resolution, nor make judgments about State policies, 
Singapore said.

Tripathi said the Indian laws have specific provisions for commutation of death 
penalty in the case of pregnant women and has rulings that prohibited 
executions of persons with mental or intellectual disabilities, while juvenile 
offenders cannot be sentenced to death under any circumstances.

Death sentences in India must also be confirmed by a superior court and an 
accused has the right to appeal to a High Court or the Supreme Court, which has 
adopted guidelines on clemency and the treatment of death row prisoners, she 
said.

Tripathi said "poverty, socio-economic, psychic compulsions, undeserved 
adversities in life" constituted new mitigating factors to be considered by 
courts in commuting a death sentence to life imprisonment.

She also said the President of India in all cases, and the Governors of States 
under their respective jurisdictions, have the power to grant pardons, 
reprieves, respites or remissions of punishment or, to suspend, remit or 
commute the sentence of death penalty.

(source: devdiscourse.com)




THAILAND:

Perth man Luke Joshua Cook has been sentenced to death in Thailand on drug 
smuggling charges

A Perth man and his Thai wife have been sentenced to death after a failed bid 
to smuggle $300 million worth of crystal meth into Australia.



A Perth man and his Thai wife have been sentenced to death in Thailand on drug 
smuggling charges.

Father-of-2 Luke Joshua Cook, 35, and his wife Kanyarat Wechapitak, 40, were 
arrested at Bangkok International Airport in December last year following a 
tip-off from local police, The Daily Telegraphreported.

The pair were sentenced to death after they attempted to smuggle 1/2 a ton of 
crystal methamphetamine — valued at $300 million — into the country.

Their sentences are expected to be commuted to life, the paper says.

Assets linked to the pair worth $800,000 will be forfeited, and include cars, 
cash and property.

Police said that in 2015, Cook took a yacht into international waters off the 
Thai coast where he collected 500kg of meth from a Chinese trawler.

He dumped the illicit content overboard after he was spotted by a Thai patrol 
guard, and escaped in the early morning light.

Authorities later found 4 sacks containing around 50kg of meth washed ashore on 
Mae Ramphueng Beach in Rayong province.
Officials also said Cook was given $15 million by Hells Angels boss Wayne 
Schneider to store and ship the drugs to Australia.

Officials also said Cook was given $15 million by Hells Angels boss Wayne 
Schneider to store and ship the drugs to Australia.Source:News Corp Australia
Ads by Kiosked

At the time of their arrest, Police Lieutenant General Sommai Kongwisaisuk of 
the Thai Narcotics Suppression Bureau said Cook was a Hells Angels member in 
Pattaya, a city 150km from Bangkok, according to Fairfax Media.

Cook was born in Duncraig, a northern suburb of Perth, and lived in New Zealand 
and Papua New Guinea as a child before returning to Western Australia as a 
teenager.

Cook moved to Pattaya and bought a bar in the beach resort town, which he named 
the Piss Stop Bar, and subsequently joined the Hells Angels.

Officials also said Cook was given $15 million by gang boss Wayne Schneider to 
store and ship the drugs to Australia.

Schneider demanded his money back after the operation failed, but he was then 
brutally murdered by gang members, with his naked body later found in a shallow 
Pattaya grave.

Cook was later convicted over his involvement in the murder, after trying to 
help former Sydney gangster Antonio Bagnato, 28, escape to Cambodia.
Bagnato was found guilty and sentenced to death by a Thai court for his role in 
the 2015 abduction and murder of Hells Angels gang member Wayne Schneider.

Bagnato was found guilty and sentenced to death over the murder but the 
sentence was commuted to life in prison.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to 
an Australian in Thailand.

News.com.au has contacted the Australian Federal Police for comment.

The arrest is part of a wider operation in Thailand seeking to crack down on 
Australian-led bikie gangs in Thailand.

Several Australians have been arrested and deported in a series of raids 
conducted by Thai police, on criminal charges including drugs, extortion, 
weapons, and human trafficking.

The crackdown has a particular focus on tourist resort cities like Pattaya, 
Phuket and Chiang Mai, as well as the capital, Bangkok.

Raids are also being conducted in other South-East Asian countries including 
Indonesia, Cambodia and Singapore.

(source: news.com.au)