[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

September 8




EGYPT:

Egypt sentences 75 people to death, Muslim Brotherhood leader gets life in jail



An Egyptian court handed out on Saturday, the death penalty to 75 members of 
the Muslim Brotherhood, while sentencing their spiritual leader Mohammed Badie 
and 46 others including Essam Sultan and Basem Aouda, for life behind bars, for 
their involvement in a 2013 sit-in protest which led to deadly clashes.

While those sentenced to death by hanging, include senior Brotherhood leaders 
Essam al-Erian, Mohamed Beltagi and prominent Islamist preacher Safwat Higazi.

The Cairo Criminal Court also handed out a 10-year jail term to ousted 
President Mohamed Morsi's son Osama, while sentencing photojournalist Mahmoud 
Abu Zeid, to 5 years behind bars.

Abu Zeid, widely known as Shawkan, earlier this year received UNESCO's World 
Freedom Prize. He was arrested in August 2013 as he covered the deadly clashes 
in Cairo between security forces and Morsi supporters.

The Cairo Criminal Court is trying 739 persons accused of security related 
activities, killing and destroying public properties.

(source: alarabiya.net)

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

Death sentences and heavy prison terms handed down in disgraceful mass trial



Cairo Criminal Court today handed down 75 death sentences, 47 life sentences, 
and heavy prison sentences ranging from 15 to 5 years to 612 people, in a mass 
trial related to participation in the al-Rabaa sit-in on 14 August 2013. Among 
those sentenced was photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zeid, known as "Shawkan", who 
was sentenced to 5 years, which he has already served. Najia Bounaim, North 
Africa Campaigns Director at Amnesty International, said.

"These sentences were handed down in a disgraceful mass trial of more than 700 
people, and we condemn today's verdict in the strongest terms. The death 
penalty should never be an option under any circumstances. The fact that not a 
single police officer has been brought to account for the killing of at least 
900 people in the Rabaa and Nahda protests shows what a mockery of justice this 
trial was. The Egyptian authorities should be ashamed. We demand a retrial in 
an impartial court and in full respect of the right to a fair trial for all 
defendants, without recourse to the death penalty.

"Shawkan has already spent more than 5 years in prison simply for doing his job 
as a photojournalist and documenting the police brutality that took place that 
day. The Egyptian authorities' disgraceful attacks on press freedom and freedom 
of expression must stop, and they must immediately and unconditionally release 
Shawkan. He is a prisoner of conscience, detained solely for doing his 
journalistic work."

Not a single security official has been held to account for the events on 14 
August 2013, widely known as the Rabaa massacre, where a violent police 
dispersal left at least 900 dead in 2 sit ins at Rabaa al Adawiya and al-Nahda 
squares. According to official statistics, 6 security officers were also killed 
that day.

In the Rabaa trial, the group of 739 protesters were collectively prosecuted 
for the killing of 17 men, including 7 members of the police force, as well as 
other charges including "illegal gathering", "incitement to break the law", and 
involvement in violence.

Amnesty International opposes the death penalty unconditionally, for all cases 
and under any circumstances.

(source: Amnesty International)








PAKISTAN:

3 bandits sentenced to death for killing Rangers man in Karachi



An antiterrorism court on Friday sentenced 3 men to death in a case pertaining 
to killing of a Rangers soldier and wounding a policeman during an armed 
robbery.

The ATC-XVIII found the 3 men - Imran Iqbal, Shabbir Javed and Irfan - guilty 
of attacking personnel of the law enforcement agencies when they resisted their 
robbery bid on Jan 29 within the remit of the Quaidabad police station.

Rangers' sepoy Abdul Rauf died during treatment at a hospital, while police 
constable Umer Wahid survived.

The trial was conducted in the judicial complex inside the Karachi central 
prison. The verdict was reserved earlier by the court after recording evidence 
and arguments from both sides.

The verdict stated that the prosecution had fully proved its case against the 3 
men beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Therefore, the court handed down capital punishment to the 3 men on counts of 
murder and terrorism. It also imposed a fine of Rs100,000 on each convict.

Separately, the court also sentenced convicts Iqbal and Javed to 7-year 
imprisonment for possessing illicit weapons. They were also ordered to pay 
Rs10,000 each as fine.

According to the prosecution, the Rangers soldier and his police constable 
friend were intercepted by armed robbers when they were passing through the 
Landhi 89 area on a motorbike in plain clothes. They were forced to stop the 
bike at gunpoint.

As the bandits were looting valuables and cash from them, 1 of the 2 friends 
challenged them. The bandits opened fire and both the personnel were hit by 
their bullets. However, they overpowered the bandits and informed the police, 
who rushed to the scene and arrested them.

The prosecution said that the wounded personnel were shifted to the Jinnah 
Postgraduate Medical Centre, where the Rangers soldier died, while the 
policeman survived the bullet injuries.

Police had arrested Iqbal and Javed on the spot. Their accomplice, Irfan, was 
arrested later on information provided by the 2 suspects.

They were booked in 2 separate cases under Section 397 (robbery or dacoity, 
with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt), 302 (premeditated murder) and 34 
(common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of the 
Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 and Section 23(1)-A of the Sindh Arms Act 2013 at the 
Quaidabad police station.

(source: dawn.com)








IRAN----executions

Executions in Zahedan and Gohardasht Prisons



On September 3 and 5, the mullahs' inhuman regime executed 11 prisoners in the 
South-Eastern city of Zahedan and Gohardasht (Karaj) - West of Tehran prisons. 
3 of these prisoners were sent to the gallows at Zahedan Prison at dawn on 
Tuesday September 3. The 3 prisoners, aged 21 to 24, were sentenced to death on 
the charge of killing a police officer. The regime's authorities informed these 
3 Balouch prisoners' families that they would be required to pay for the 
execution ropes and provide blood money to the victims' family in order to 
secure release of the bodies.

On Sept. 5, 8 other prisoners were also executed in Gohardasht Prison.

The Iranian Resistance calls all human rights advocating authorities, in 
particular the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the special rapporteur on 
the situation of human rights in Iran, as well as the Working Group on 
Arbitrary Executions, to condemn these brutal executions and to take immediate 
action to prevent such brutal forms of punishment in Iran.

Engulfed with domestic and international crises that escalate and deepen every 
day, the mullahs' regime has resorted to a new wave of executions in order to 
intensify the atmosphere of intimidation and terror in the society in a bid to 
prevent the spread of popular uprising. This is a criminal process that will 
only add to the anger of the people who are fed up with the ominous regime of 
Velayat-e Faqih.

(source: Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran)

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

Iranian Kurdish Political Prisoner, Ramin Hossein Panahi, Executed



Iranian Kurdish political prisoner Ramin Hossein Panahi was executed this 
morning at Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj.

IHR had earlier warned against the imminent danger and called on international 
community to do their best to prevent his execution. On September 7, Javaid 
Rehman, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic 
Republic of Iran, and Agnes Callamard, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, 
summary or arbitrary executions, have appealed to Iran to halt the imminent 
executions of Ramin and 2 other Iranian Kurd political prisoners, Zanyar Moradi 
and Loghman Moradi.

IHR strongly condemns Ramin's execution. Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the 
spokesperson of IHR, had previously warned against their execution and said: 
"Zanyar Moradi, Loghman Moradi, and Ramin Hossein Panahi were all subjected to 
torture and sentenced to death following unfair trials. Their death sentences 
are illegal even according to the international and even the Iranian laws."

There is no credible information on whether the execution of Loghman and Zanyar 
were also carried out this morning. IHR will update the readers on this issue.

(source: Iran Human Rights)

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

Iran executes activist Ramin Hussein Panahi; reportedly 2 others



After months of international condemnation of an Iranian death sentence given 
to Kurdish activist Ramin Hussein Panahi, he was executed on Saturday, 
according to human rights groups and other sources. There are conflicting 
reports as to whether or not two others also previously given the same sentence 
in Iran were put to death as well.

"Ramin Hussein Panahi was executed," Ramin's brother, Amjad Hussein Panahi 
tweeted on his official Twitter account on Saturday.

During a live interview with Kurdistan 24 on Saturday, Amjad called on the 
international community to condemn the execution.

Panahi's conviction was based on claims he was a member of the armed Kurdish 
opposition group Komala, however, no evidence was presented that linked him to 
other crimes he was charged with, which include murder. In April, Iran's 
Supreme Court approved the sentence.

The Kurdish political prisoner was executed in Raja'i Shahr prison in Karaj, 
Hengaw, an independent Kurdish right group reported.

The group also mentioned that Panahi was executed along with fellow Kurdish 
activists Loghman Moradi and Zaniar Moradi, but their family told another 
Iranian human rights group that they "have not officially been informed of 
their execution and they believe their sons are alive and are in custody of 
Iran intelligence ministry."

By mid-afternoon, the Iranian Fars news agency reported the execution of three 
persons for "terrorist acts in the west of the country," on Saturday. Loghman 
Moradi and Zaniar Moradi were named, but the 3rd was not.

According to Amnesty International, the 2 cousins claim they were tortured into 
"confessing" to the 2009 murder of the son of a senior cleric in Marivan, 
Kurdistan Province, and sentenced to death in December 2010.

They were also charged with participating in armed activities with Komala, the 
same group Panahi is accused of having membership in.

In recent months, international human rights organizations, UN human rights 
experts, and activists repeatedly called for Panahi's death sentence to be 
annulled in light of legal concerns about the handling of his case, including 
reports that he had been tortured, denied access to a lawyer and medical care, 
and that he had been held incommunicado.

Panahi appeared in a short video on Monday. In a hoarse voice, he thanked the 
people of Kurdistan and Iran, in general, for their staunch support of him.

"I would like to deny charges claiming I am a terrorist,' he added.

(source: kurdistan24.net)








INDIA:

Guwahati: 19-year-old rapist awarded death penalty----The 11-year-old was 
gang-raped and set on fire after being doused with kerosene in March.



A district and session court of Assam on Friday awarded the death penalty to 
Zakir Husain, the prime accused in the brutal rape and murder of an 11-year old 
girl at Batadrava in central Assam's Nagaon district in March this year.

Completing the trial within record time, district and session judge Rita Kar 
pronounced the death sentence to 19-year old Husain under the Protection of 
Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for the murder, and to life 
imprisonment for raping the minor girl.

The girl was gang-raped and set on fire by dousing her with kerosene on March 
23 when she was alone at her home in Dhaniabheti Lalung Gaon by her 12-year-old 
classmate, her 11-year-old cousin and 19-year-old neighbour, Zakir Husain.

The police had formed a Special Investigation Team, which worked in 
coordination with the prosecution to complete the trial. The police said, 
"While Husain has been sentenced to death, the 2 juveniles were tried by the 
Juvenile Justice Board. They have now been put in a correctional home for 3 
years."

The incident had created a huge uproar in Assam with some organisation 
extending legal support to the victim's family to pursue the case in the court 
of law to ensure that culprits are brought to book. After raping her turn by 
turn, and then setting her body on fire the youths had fled from the backdoor.

The victim was rushed to Guwahati Medical College Hospital, where she succumbed 
to injuries later that night. The police, while filing the chargesheet in 
April, had also named 5 people including Husain's parents, his brother, his 
brother-in-law and the person who was driving the car in which Husain had fled 
from the scene of the crime to another village.

The court had charged them with criminal conspiracy and destruction of 
evidence. However, they were acquitted by by the Nagaon Chief Judicial 
Magistrate for lack of sufficient evidence.

The victim's family, which was present in the court, said that they are happy 
that justice has been done. Stating that his wife was not keeping well since 
the incident took place, the father of the girl said, "We hope that the accused 
get the sentence."

The girl belonged to an underprivileged daily-wage worker family. Chief 
minister Sarba-nanda Sonowal had launched a toll free helpline 181-Sakhi for 
women after the incident.

(source: deccanchronicle.com)