[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

August 9



SUDAN:

Sudan junta drops death penalty against rebel leaders



Sudan’s ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC) has cancelled the death 
penalty that was issued against Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North 
(SPLM-N) leader Malik Agar, his deputy Yasir Arman, and 15 others in 2014.

The TMC said in a statement on Thursday that the decision to abolish the death 
penalty came as part of measures to achieve peace in Sudan, confirmed by the 
Constitutional Declaration agreed on by the junta and the Forces for Freedom 
and Change a week ago.

In March 2014, after a 9-months trial, a special court in Singa, capital of 
Sennar, sentenced 17 members of the SPLM-N to death by hanging in absentia. 46 
other detainees were sentenced to life imprisonment, while 31 were acquitted.

Those sentenced were among about 100 detainees who faced trial for their 
alleged involvement in the outbreak of the war in Blue Nile state in September 
2011.

Following the ousting of President Omar Al Bashir in a military coup on April 
11, the SPLM-N faction under the leadership of Malik Agar, decided to send a 
delegation to Khartoum. On May 26, Yasir Arman arrived in the Sudanese capital.

The stated goal of his visit was "to go to Khartoum, reach a just peace, 
linking between peace, democracy, and citizenship without discrimination and 
social justice."

In spite of the death penalty, Arman was not subjected to any harassment at his 
arrival at Khartoum airport. Yet, he soon received 6 letters; 5 by Lt Gen 
Mohamed Hamdan ‘Hemeti’, Deputy chairman of the TMC, and one by the chairman of 
the junta, Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, demanding he leave Sudan.

The rebel leader was detained on June 5. 5 days later, he was deported to the 
South Sudanese capital of Juba, together with SPLM-N secretary-general Ismail 
Khamis and spokesman Mubarak Ardol.

(source: dabangdasudan.org)








BOTSWANA:

Botswana’s capital punishment debate rages on



The alarming rise of murder cases in Botswana has led to calls for a moratorium 
on the death penalty because it appears to have failed to stem the tide.

However, another school of thought insists that the death penalty is still 
necessary in order to deter would-be murderers.

According to statistics released by the the Botswana Police Service last year, 
a total of 194 murder cases had been recorded between January and mid-September 
2018.

Out of these, 87 involved women killed by their lovers. On the contrary, only 
one male victim was killed by his female lover.

The debate on the death penalty was ignited by human rights group Ditshwanelo 
and prominent lawyer Kgosi Ngakaagae who continue to argue that the death 
penalty should be abolished.

"Ditshwanelo condemns and remains opposed to the use of the death penalty as a 
means of punishment," the group's executive director Alice Mogwe said.

She called on the Botswana government to "take the lead in condemning the use 
of fatal force, which leads to the loss of life."

"It should instead strive to protect life, including that of the offender," she 
said.

According to Mogwe the Botswana authorities "should look for alternatives to 
addressing crimes which lead to capital offences by dealing decisively with 
their causes."

"This approach will contribute to the reduction of such crimes. We regard this 
as crucial as a nation which prides itself on being peaceful and non-violent."

Ngakaagae said there are currently 2 men on death row in Botswana.

"Sometimes you don’t understand these old men and how they reason. Many have 
died because of the Court of Appeals errors of judgment,” he said, citing 
alleged trial errors noted in the cases of murder convicts Gwara Brown and 
Thabologo Mauwe more than 20 years ago.

Brown and Mauwe's hanging was halted hours before they were to meet with the 
hangman after human rights attorney Kgafela Kgafela intervened and won them 
freedom in 1998.

Veteran journalist Pamela Dube is of the view that the debate of whether death 
penalty is a deterrent to murder is not as fierce as before.

"In the face of anger, opponents of capital punishment choose not to speak 
out," Dube said.

She called on the Botswana parliament should repeal the death penalty.

"And the chance to engage on the matter is now, in the period of 
electioneering,” said Dube.

Botswana goes for general elections in October.

Other Botswana took to social media to express their views on the debate.

Keboh Motjhibameleh said: "But are you guys (Ditshwanelo) aware of heinous 
murders by accused persons on bail? Should we wait for them to exterminate us 
before we (that's if we will be there) eliminate them? I'll tell you the most 
effective alternative to capital punishment. Send them killers to live with 
aliens in another planet."

Bokamoso Xavier said: "You (Ditshwanelo) won’t stop the nation. We are united 
on this: whoever kills must die by the sword; we hang in Botswana."

The European Union Delegation in Botswana, which is opposed to the death 
penalty, has since called on the government to initiate a public debate on its 
use of corporate punishment.

Justice Minister Shaw Kgathi has however dismissed the EU’s calls. saying 
Botswana would only take advice on the amendment of national laws if it came 
from its people.

(source: apanews.net)








CHINA:

New judicial explanation to regulate death penalty review, execution



The Supreme People's Court (SPC) is to enforce a judicial interpretation on the 
review and execution procedures for the death penalty to protect the convicts' 
lawful rights and interests starting from Sept. 1, the SPC announced Friday.

When delivering the judgment documents to the defendants, higher people's 
courts should notify the defendants of their rights to be represented by a 
lawyer when the SPC is reviewing their death sentences, the judicial 
interpretation stipulates.

The defense lawyer is obligated to submit relevant evidence materials and 
documents to the SPC within 10 days after the acceptance or designation to be 
the defense lawyer, and present the statement of defense within 45 days, the 
interpretation says.

When the statement or evidence may affect the review results of the death 
sentence, the execution should be suspended or ceased, even if the ruling of 
the review has been made, according to the judicial interpretation.

The people's courts should also inform the convicts of their right to meet 
their close relatives and grant their applications for recording their last 
words with audio or video devices, it adds.

Requests for meeting convicts under the death penalty by close relatives should 
be allowed, unless the convicts refuse the meeting, the judicial interpretation 
says, adding that the convicts have the right to ask for meeting with their 
friends or relatives other than close relatives on the premise of safety.

The convicts' requests for meeting with their minor children should be granted 
with the consent of the minors' guardians and conducted in a way that brings no 
physical or psychological harm to the minors, it says.

(source: xinhuanet.com)








INDONESIA:

6 nabbed with 240 kg of marijuana face death penalty: BNN



The National Narcotics Agency (BNN) has thwarted an attempt to smuggle 240 
kilograms of marijuana hidden inside compressor cylinders and nitrogen 
cylinders into Kramat Jati, East Jakarta.

6 people who were arrested while allegedly acting as couriers in the smuggling 
attempt possibly face the death sentence if convicted of the crime, BNN 
eradication division deputy head Insp. Gen. Arman Depari said.

Authorities arrested 4 of them on Thursday afternoon at a rented house 
allegedly used as a storehouse behind state-run elementary school SDN Kramat 
Jati 02 Pagi, after trailing them throughout the day. The other 2 alleged 
couriers were arrested later.

During a raid the BNN confiscated a total of 240 kilograms of marijuana, the 
cylinders and a toolbox kept by the suspects in the rented house.

The marijuana were reportedly brought from Aceh and was to be distributed 
throughout Jakarta and West Jakarta.

"We will investigate the roles and work [of the accused people] and whether 
they have been fully involved or helping one of the syndicates that distribute 
marijuana," Arman said as quoted by kompas.com on Thursday.

"[They] face possible death sentences because [they were allegedly] in 
possession of and have transported a large amount [of marijuana]," he said.

The drug agency said it believed that the illegal distribution of the marijuana 
from Aceh was controlled by inmates of the Cirebon Class I Penitentiary in West 
Java.

After questioning the suspects, Arman said the BNN found that the storehouse 
was owned by a former drug convict who had gotten out of prison after serving 
his 4-year sentence.

Indonesia is known to have some of the world’s strictest drug laws as they 
involve the death penalty.

(source: The Jakarta Post)




SRI LANKA:

Private members motion to abolish capital punishment challenged at supreme 
court



Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ananda Kumarasiri today (August 9) said that the 
private members’ motion presented to parliament to abolish the capital 
punishment has been challenged at the Supreme Court.

Speaking at parliament he further said that the copies of the 3 petitions 
submitted to parliament calling for the abolishment were received by the 
speaker.

(source: newsfirst.lk)

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

The death penalty is never the answer -- India has a more humanitarian approach 
towards drug offenders than its neighbours Bangladesh and Sri Lanka



After a moratorium of 43 years, the gallows were getting ready in Sri Lanka. 2 
executioners with ‘excellent moral character’ and ‘mental strength’ were 
appointed. A list of 4 convicts - involved in drug offences - to be hanged was 
prepared. On June 26 - the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit 
Trafficking - the Sri Lankan president, Maithripala Sirisena, announced that he 
had signed the requisite documents for the imposition of the death penalty for 
drug-related offences.

But these executions had to be stalled. The country’s Supreme Court, on July 5, 
issued a temporary injunction against the execution of the four convicts until 
October.

It is only an interim relief for the convicts, as Sirisena, who is likely to 
fight a re-election in December, looks adamant upon imposing the death penalty. 
A week after the parliamentarian, Bandula Lal Bandarigoda, submitted a private 
member’s motion seeking to block the return of capital punishment, Sirisena, on 
July 14, said he will declare a national day of mourning if the Sri Lankan 
Parliament blocks his proposal to reinstate the death penalty. Sirisena, it 
seems, wants to rely on the populist rhetoric against the threat of drug use 
and convince people about his ‘social commitment’ to eradicating the menace 
before the elections. He wants the hangings to be a ‘powerful’ message to the 
illegal drug trade.

According to government data, 60 % of the 24,000 prisoners in Sri Lanka are 
drug offenders. Currently, 48 people have been convicted of drug offences. All 
death penalties for drug convicts in Sri Lanka were commuted to life 
imprisonment for the past 43 years. The death penalty for drug-related offences 
is a violation of Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and 
Political Rights, to which Sri Lanka is a party. Ironically, last year, Sri 
Lanka was among the 121 countries that endorsed a United Nations general 
assembly resolution calling for a moratorium on the death penalty.

Human rights bodies argue that punitive drug policy has not acted as a 
deterrent anywhere. Over 170 countries are said to have either abolished the 
death penalty or taken a position in favour of ending executions. But Sirisena 
is in no mood to listen. He even rejected an appeal by the UN 
secretary-general, António Guterres, to reconsider his decision. He has also 
demanded the death penalty for the perpetrators of the Easter Sunday attacks in 
April that killed over 258 people by calling the attack the handiwork of 
international drug dealers "who wanted to discourage [his] anti-narcotics 
drive."

Besides Sri Lanka, Bangladesh is another south Asian country which imposes the 
death penalty for drug offences. Last year, its Parliament passed the narcotics 
control bill, 2018 which, alongside the life sentence, also has a death row 
provision for producing, trading and using 200 grams or more of yaba, or more 
than 25 grams of heroin and cocaine. Human rights bodies demanded a revocation 
of the law but their voices remained unheard. 2 death sentences for drug 
trafficking were pronounced last year. Ahead of the general elections in 
December 2018, the prime minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina Wajed, adopted a 
populist anti-drug stance by launching a campaign to toughen punishments for 
drug crimes. More than 250 people were killed in anti-drug operations between 
May and December in 2018. The Philippines-style ‘war on drugs’ campaign has 
targeted the poor and underprivileged. In some cases, human rights activists 
alleged, the killings may have been ‘politically motivated’.

In contrast, India has a more humanitarian approach towards drug offenders. In 
2011, the Bombay High Court declared Section 31A of the Narcotic Drugs and 
Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, that imposed a mandatory death sentence for 
a subsequent conviction for drug trafficking, ‘unconstitutional’. Later, it 
made the imposition of capital punishment on a person convicted only for a 
subsequent offence involving possession, production or transportation of 
specified drugs and quantities optional and not obligatory.

The Death Penalty for Drug Offences: Global Overview 2018, published by Harm 
Reduction International - a London-based NGO working on social and legal 
impacts of drug use and drug policy - stated that only 6 of 915 death sentences 
pronounced in India from 2011 onwards were for drug offences. Last year, the 
Punjab government called for expanding the death penalty that is currently 
applicable for child rape convicts to 1st-time drug offenders. But the Central 
government rejected it, arguing that the UN office on drugs and crime opposes 
the imposition of the death penalty for drug offences. Moreover, last year, the 
Congress parliamentarian, Shashi Tharoor, introduced a private member’s bill in 
Parliament seeking a total abolition of the death penalty.

But the Indian Parliament, last week, passed the protection of children from 
sexual offences (amendment) bill, 2019, seeking to impose the death penalty for 
aggravated sexual assault against children. This bill has been passed at a time 
when a girl, allegedly raped by a former leader of the ruling Bharatiya Janata 
Party when she was a minor in 2017, is battling for life in hospital. 
Ironically, the BJP, which supports the death penalty and proclaims its love 
for the ‘betis’ of India, expelled the rape accused from the party only last 
week, more than a year after his arrest.

(source: Sonia Sarkar, lankaweb.com)








INDIA:

Death sentences rise in India, drop globally----On the other hand, around 690 
executions were recorded in 20 countries in 2018, a decrease of 31 % compared 
to 993 in 2017.



The death sentence awarded by a Warangal district court on Thursday in 
connection with the rape and murder of a 9-month-old girl comes 13 months after 
2 accused in twin blasts at Gokul Chat and Lumbini Park in Hyderabad in 2007 
were sentenced to death.

According to the Amnesty International records, 162 persons were awarded death 
sentence across the country in 2018, taking the number of people on death row 
to 426 in that particular year while the number in 2017 was put at 371.

The 162 death sentences awarded in 2018 are the highest in a calendar year 
since 2000. The year also witnessed the legislative expansion of the death 
penalty for non-homicide offences, most prominently for sexual violence against 
children. However, the Supreme Court moved in the opposite direction, commuting 
11 out of the 12 death sentence cases it decided in 2018.

On the other hand, around 690 executions were recorded in 20 countries in 2018, 
a decrease of 31 % compared to 993 in 2017.

A research by Project 39A at the National Law University Delhi, also indicated 
that Indian courts gave 162 death sentences in 2018 — including 45 for murder 
and 58 for murder involving sexual offences — a 50 % increase compared to the 
numbers in 2017

(source: newindianexpress.com)

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

Death penalty for rapist



An unusual grin flashed on the faces of most of the people who were present on 
the premises of Warangal District Court when the Judge on Thursday pronounced 
death sentence to 28-year-old Polepaka Praveen who molested and killed a 
9-month-old infant in Hanamkonda on June 19. Considering the time elapsed - 51 
days - since one of the heinous crimes that Warangal had ever witnessed, it was 
a landmark judgment indeed.

The judgment may not bring back their loving child, but it would certainly be a 
solace for the parents of the infant - K Jagan and Rachana. The day began with 
all eyes on First Additional District/ POCSO Special Court Judge K Jaya Kumar, 
and of course the accused Praveen who was whisked to the court room amid tight 
security by the police.

Bringing down curtains to the trial that began on July 24 taking cognizance of 
no less than 30 witnesses and CCTV footage that corroborated the crime 
committed by Praveen, the Judge Jaya Kumar passed a sentence of death by 
hanging to Praveen.

It may be recalled here the fateful night intervening June 18 and 19, Praveen 
picked up 9-month-old Srihitha when she was fast asleep aside her mother on the 
terrace of a 3-storied building in Kumarpally area of Hanamkonda. Before the 
infant's mother and other relatives noticed, Praveen took the baby to a 
secluded place in the same neighbourhood where he molested her.

The infant died before she was taken to a hospital.

The case triggered a lot of ruckus in the city with Opposition parties and 
civil societies taking to streets demanding capital punishment to the accused.

With the police taking their own time to file the charge sheet in a fool-proof 
manner, the protests continued demanding the intervention of State Government 
to set up a fast-track court to punish the accused so that it would be an eye 
opener to the unscrupulous persons. Against this backdrop, the Warangal Police 
Commissionerate took the case as a challenge and completed the investigation 
headed by ACP Ch Sridhar, Inspectors A Sampath and P Sadaiah in 3 weeks coming 
up with a fool-proof chargesheet obtaining DNA, post-mortem, FSL and other 
reports.

It may be mentioned here that the police registered cases under Sections IPC 
376 A, 376 AB, 449, 363, 379, 302and Section 5 (IM) read with Section 6 of 
Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act of 2018 against 
accused.

Minister for Panchayat Raj Errabelli Dayakar Rao said: "The judgement is a 
stern warning to those perverts who were resorting to crimes against women and 
children."

Warangal West MLA Dasyam Vinay Bhasker said: "It's a welcome judgment. A solace 
to the infant's parents."

Warangal commissioner of Police V Ravinder said: "We took it as a challenge and 
gathered information in a scientific manner, so that the accused get a maximum 
punishment."

(source: thehansindia.com)








SINGAPORE:

Why drug crime increase in Singapore and its capital punishment is not 
effective? - Sangkari Pranthaman



Despite strict laws and strong deterrent efforts from authorities, the drug 
problem in Singapore arises not solely due to addiction by abusers, but because 
there are other social problems that are interconnected with this issue such as 
gambling addiction, financial difficulties arising from high costs of living, 
acceptance by a younger and more liberal population which includes students who 
pick up recreational use of substances when they study overseas, depression 
arising from class gap, among many others.

Drug abusers in Singapore are sentenced to long-term imprisonment but this does 
not achieve its intended result, though it still remains unclear as to what 
Singapore lawmakers are hoping to achieve, in the first place.

Even if the government decides to make amendments to its laws, it takes far too 
long for it to happen, which would leave dozens of families and personal 
relationships far too broken by then. Besides that, far from being deterred and 
learning the error of their ways in prison, those who have been incarcerated, 
upon release, go on to learn the tricks of the trade from others, get involved 
again in dealing with drugs and become more interwoven in drug-taking and 
peddling social network and culture.

Discrimination towards ex-convicts in society leaves them unable to get new 
jobs which then leads them to commit the same offence again, coupled with the 
other factors mentioned above. Better the devil that you know, than the one 
that you don’t.

Placing all the blame on a drug mule, a first-time offender, who might have 
been a victim of circumstances and sentencing him/her to death is not the 
solution to fight against drug crimes.

Offenders, more likely than not, admit to their mistakes but as an enlightened 
society that claims to know better, we have to weight in all the relevant 
factors to find a more humane and holistic solution.

Hanging helpless drug mules would help Singapore proudly claim that the state 
has strict laws and is punishing offenders to death, even though killing all 
these people (whom don’t deserve to die) has been proven, time and time again, 
to not be an effective, and even, a reasonable solution to its problems.

Singapore continues the killings because the state wants to send a message to 
the world, and it needs scapegoats to continue this, even when there is 
evidence to show that it’s not working, even if, to the contrary, the narcotic 
crime rate is rising.

Singapore wants to spread a message of fear and intolerance for narcotic crimes 
to the world but is not willing to work to achieve a reasonable, humane 
solution.

At least, this is what their actions suggest. What do the deterrents even mean, 
if the crimes don’t stop? A more constructive approach is needed with the 
offenders to build a more enriching environment that would relate back to the 
wellness of the society.

Claims like the "death penalty is an effective deterrent to drug crimes" are 
just political and propagandistic talk. What evidence and statistics for the 
past 20 years that the nation of Singapore is able to produce to effectively 
claim so?

Recently there was a survey on the death penalty in Singapore which was started 
in October 2018 and its findings were published in May 2019. The survey which 
had questions on life and death has no transparency because no evidence, 
statistics and findings relating to it has been shown.

Singapore is able to educate its people on where and how all the rubbish and 
recycle items should be thrown and handled and on why Singapore is building 
underground now because of the limited amount of land it has.

However, when it comes to matters of life and death, crime incarceration, and 
death penalty, there are no documentaries, information nor statistics to 
support its claims and actions.

The difference in opinions on these issues among younger and older generation 
in Singapore are not published nor shared for public viewing. Nothing has been 
revealed except for a small article in the newspaper. That’s all there is to 
the value of the lives of minor crime offenders in Singapore.

Who they interviewed, what were the questions, how was the sample size chosen, 
none of these were revealed in the survey, despite the fact that some people 
answered the survey out of fear. In a country of a population almost reaching 
5.2 million, only 2000 people were surveyed.

Who were they? Underprivileged families, foreigners, students, permanent 
residents, rich people, religious leaders, lawyers - we don’t know anything as 
there was/is no proof nor any transparency. But when it comes to drug mules, 
incarceration for their crimes and the death penalty, we have to produce 
evidence for everything because the law requires it, as per the mandate of the 
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by United Nations (UN) in 1948.

According to the UN, 160 countries around the world have either abolished the 
death penalty or do not practice it anymore. Why is Singapore unable to process 
the reasoning of these 160 countries for abolishing the death penalty?

Isn’t there a difference between a person who commits the same crime 5 to 6 
times and a person who was a first time offender? Who among these are supposed 
to get a second chance to build their lives and correct their errors?

Recently there was also an issue about mercy killing (euthanasia) in Singapore. 
Those who suffer from serious illnesses and are in great pain, with families 
whom are torn apart emotionally, mentally, financially, physically have given 
consent for euthanasia to be carried out.

They, the ill-stricken, felt that it was better to let go of their lives than 
from suffering in pain all their lives but the Singaporean government said that 
it was not right to take their life regardless because life is precious.

Then, why isn’t the same reasoning applied here? Why isn’t it also unreasonable 
to kill minor offenders and drug mules for the sake of attempting to send a 
message to the world? How are their lives any less valuable than others?

"Violence cannot be resolved by more violence. The respect and protection of 
the fundamental right to life is more important than any form of revenge" - 
Judge Navi Pillay (president, International Commission Against Death Penalty)

"I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is 
temporary, the evil it does is permanent" - Mahatma Gandhi

On October 2018, a total of seven people were executed in a month alone, and 
after one week, the Singaporea government announced that the Ministry of Home 
Affairs (MHA) is going to conduct a survey on death penalty.

If the survey was so important and it concerned human lives, and if the 
peoples’ opinion were crucial, why should Singapore execute these seven people 
and have the survey to be carried out the following week?

It does not make any sense. Why not wait for the survey to be finished first 
before these executions? It can be clearly seen that the results of the survey 
don’t matter anyway, hence what was its purpose?

Another issue that arose in Pannir’s case was as per the Chief justice’s 
statement, where he said, "in our judgment, the applicant ought to have a 
reasonable opportunity to take advice on whether he can mount a successful 
challenge" - the point here is that this one week notice prior to executing 
someone is clearly an unreasonable time frame for a person to seek legal advice 
and counsel.

As such, all the people hanged previously, were only given 1 week’s notice and 
3 days’ notice of execution. Prior to October 2018, all the notice of execution 
was served just 3 days’ notice and from 2018 onwards, 12 people received a 
1-week notice.

In total 32 people from 2015 until April 2019 got 3 days and 1-week notice and 
6 of them were Malaysians. All of these peoples’ rights have been deprived as 
they were not given a reasonable time to seek legal advice.

Before a person is about to be hanged, if he/she wishes to donate their organs 
to save people’s life, he/she can do it and many people here whom had gone 
through the gallows have done it but the next day, in the newspapers, it will 
be reported that these individuals were hanged because of the crimes that they 
did, and that the drugs that they got arrested with could harm people a lot.

However, the good deeds which they had done prior to their deathbeds is of 
nobody’s concern and the public wouldn’t know of this, except of the crime 
which he/she did 6 or 7 years ago as it will be published as the headline again 
and again. An offender might repent, regret and change but even after his death 
- Singapore, its laws, its media and its legal system, keeps punishing them.

There was a debate in parliament on the death penalty (Singapore Parliament 
debates, official report, November 14 2012) Vol.89. The issue was that the 
death penalty for drug trafficking will not be abolished but will be minimised 
it by revaluating the key role of the offender.

The AGC or public prosecutor certifies to any court that in his determination, 
any person that has substantively assisted the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) 
in disrupting drug trafficking activities within or outside Singapore - 33B (2) 
(B) must be given a Certificate of Substantive Assistance. This was set out in 
2012.

Pannir’s fullest cooperation was given to the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) on 
the August 20, 2018 and September 24, 2018. However, the AGC has denied to give 
him the certificate. If they claim that info given is not substantive, then 
there is a need to reform the 33B in the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA).

Currently, there are no guidelines on how to address this kind of situation. 
They sit on the information that the drug mules give without doing anything 
about it and act on bad faith by not issuing the certs.

Coupled with this, they also do not address nor admit that there is a problem 
with the law, its effectiveness in combating drug abuse in Singapore, its 
mishandling of drug mules and victims and the need to finding a solution. They 
chose to remain silent and quite. This determination is done in bad faith and 
with malice - 33B (4).

So many people are being denied an opportunity to be a better person. Nothing 
good has come from that. So, I implore, why not dare to make the changes to 
give innocent victims like Pannir, a second chance to build their life?

Doing so, I believe, we will then be able to see changes that we did not see 
before, and only then will Singapore live up to its name of truly being a 
progressive and liberal nation.

(source: Opinion; Sangkari Pranthaman is the elder sister of Malaysian Pannir 
Selvam Pranthaman, who is on death row in Singapore for a drug offence----The 
Malay Mail)








MALAYSIA:

5 members of same family face death penalty for drug trafficking in Melaka



5 members of a family and a male family friend were charged in the Magistrate’s 
Court here today with trafficking in more than 9kg of drugs into the country 
last month.

They were Jeffrey Koh Hong Lam, 51, his wife Ee Bee Teng, 49, their son Koh 
Kiat Kuan, 23, daughters Koh Qian Yi, 19, and Koh Qian Yun, 25, and the family 
friend, Goh Eng Meng, 46.

However, no plea was recorded from all of them after the charge was read out 
before Magistrate Teoh Shu Yee.

The 6 of them were jointly charged with trafficking in 9,755g of ketamine found 
in a car boot in front of a house in Taman Cheng Setia here at 6.10pm on July 
26. Meanwhile, in another court, before Magistrate Muhammad Nazrin Ali Rahim, 
Jeffrey and Goh were jointly charged with 2 counts of trafficking in 600g of 
ketamine and 590g of methamphetamine at the same house and at the same time and 
day.

No plea was also recorded from them.

They all face the death sentence if found guilty as charged.

Both courts set October 8 for mention.

Deputy public prosecutors Hanis Najwa Nazari and Intan Lyiana Zainal Abidin 
prosecuted while lawyer Andrew Lourdes represented all the accused.

(source: malaymail.com)

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

Death penalty for water polluters?



The recent contamination of rivers in the peninsula which resulted in a string 
of water disruptions affecting millions of users in the Klang Valley alone saw 
many up in arms, calling for heftier fines and other penalties of a deterrent 
nature meted out to responsible parties.

What not many may know, though, is that there are provisions under the law for 
the use of the death penalty in extreme and deadly cases.

Section 121(1) of the Water Services Industry Act (WSIA) 2006 states that those 
who contaminate or cause the contamination of a water supply with the intention 
to cause death, knowing that it could likely cause death or that it would 
endanger lives, can be sentenced to death if someone dies as a result.

Those convicted can also be punished with imprisonment of up to 20 years. If 
death was not caused, whipping can be meted out.

WSIA defines rivers, streams and creeks, seas, lakes, groundwater, dams, 
reservoirs, ditches and drains as 'watercourses." The death penalty offence 
listed under Section 121(1) applies if these sources are polluted.

This, environmental pressure group Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam Malaysia 
(Peka) told FMT, WSIA is an extremely powerful law which could make a big 
difference in protecting the country’s waterways.

The problem, though, lies in enforcement.

Peka vice-president Saha Deva said he had not heard of the death penalty being 
used against polluters under WSIA since it was enacted 13 years ago.

"The lack of expertise, testing facilities and trained investigating officers 
hampers the ability to secure successful convictions under WSIA," he said.

He also spoke of problems such as corruption and the focus on profit over 
sustainability.

"The level of awareness and lack of expertise at the disposal of government 
agencies involving environmental offences is alarmingly weak, as is the will to 
pursue such matters," he added.

Recent reports said Sungai Kedah had become too dirty to be used as a source of 
water supply for consumers in Alor Setar. At about the same time, all 4 major 
water treatment plants in Selangor were shut down twice in a matter of days 
following a diesel spill and odour pollution which caused major water 
disruptions in the Klang Valley.

Saha, who is also a lawyer, said enforcement is generally a problem when it 
comes to environmental matters.

He suggested that the precautionary principle be incorporated in all local laws 
related to the environment, although this would involve constitutional 
amendments.

The precautionary principle states that precautionary measures should be taken 
if an activity raises threats of harm to human health or the environment, even 
if some cause-and-effect relationships are not fully and scientifically 
established.

"This would be an uphill task - not only is there inadequate awareness on the 
part of those tasked with enforcement, there is also insufficient awareness of 
this principle by the courts," Saha said.

However, he said the death penalty had been statistically proven to be 
ineffective as a deterrent, citing the example of drug trafficking cases.

"Education, therefore, remains the most potent long-term solution to 
environmental protection which will also be enhanced if environmental 
protections are expressly and adequately stipulated in the Federal 
Constitution."

(source: Free Malaysia Today)








IRAN:

46 Executions in 5 Weeks ---- Arbitrary executions to spared fear to stop the 
escalation of uprising



The inhuman mullahs’ regime in desperate need of suppressing the popular 
uprisings has resorted to more executions. The mullahs’ agents hanged 39 
prisoners only in July. 4 were women and there was 1 public hanging. In past 
few days, the regime hanged 7 other prisoners.

The executions took place in Birjand, Ghohardasht, Karaj, Kashan, Khondab, 
Mahshahar, Kelardasht, Orumeh, Noor, Mashhad, Mahabad, Zanjan, Minab, 
Bandar-Abbas, Borujerd, Shiraz, Tabriz, Gorgan, Dezful, Rasht and Kermanshah 
prisons.

The religious fascism ruling Iran has resorted to more executions to escape the 
big social outburst.

The Iranian Resistance calls on the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and 
the UN Human Rights Council as well as other human rights organizations and 
defenders in addition to the UN Security Council and the EU to condemn the new 
wave of executions in Iran. The Iranian Resistance also calls for binding 
decisions to stop the barbaric and systematic executions by the mullahs’ regime 
in Iran. Silence and inaction only emboldens the mullahs’ medieval regime in 
its crimes.

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

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

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

Hassan Rouhani’s Human Rights Record Marked by 3,800 Executions



>From day one the regime of Iran has been based its rule on the pillars of 
domestic crackdown, and exporting terrorism and a reactionary, religious 
mentality.

It does not make any difference which faction is taking the office, the 
systematic and widespread violations of human rights in Iran have continued 
unabated for the past 40 years.

Even after the 'moderate' Hassan Rouhani came to power, despite pledging to 
hold the 'key' to Iran’s problems, he has failed to provide even an iota of the 
freedoms the Iranian people crave and deserve.

His record has revealed an unrelenting loyalty to the regime establishment in 
regards to social oppression and continued crackdowns.

During the 1980’s, Hassan Rouhani called for the public execution of political 
dissidents in Friday prayers, and as the secretary of the Supreme Security 
Council in 1999, he played a major role in suppressing the uprising of Tehran’s 
students and people.

An atrocious number of executions, continued public punishments and an 
escalating trend of oppression has been Hassan Rouhani’s report card during his 
tenure.

Security forces continued to harass, interrogate, and detain hundreds of 
activists, human rights defenders, journalists, and members of ethnic and 
religious minorities.

The unbelievable scale of executions and brutal tortures in prisons and arrest 
of more than 7,000 individuals during the 2017-2018 uprisings manifest the 
continuing human rights abuses that remain unaddressed, under Iran’s 'moderate' 
leadership.

The following constitutes an overview of the serious human rights abuses in 
Iran, and a corresponding set of queries that will serve as a litmus test for 
the authenticity of Hassan Rouhani’s commitment to justice and human rights for 
the Iranian people.

1. Executions

Iran’s Penal Code allows executions to be carried out by many different 
methods, such as hanging, stoning, and firing squad.

At least 3,800 people were executed during Hassan Rouhani’s tenure. This made 
Iran 2nd in the world when it came to the number of people it executed, and 1st 
in terms of the number of executions per capita.

Nevertheless, the actual figures are definitely higher, as most executions in 
Iran are carried out secretly without anyone knowing except those who carry it 
out.

It is not only the number of executions that is appalling, but also the nature 
of some of them. The executions involved 38 juveniles, 93 women, 91 political 
prisoners and 219 individuals hanged in public. It also includes individuals 
from ethnic and religious minority groups, including Ahvazi Arabs, Kurds and 
Sunnis.

Although Iran has ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Hassan 
Rouhani’s government has made no effort to alter the country’s Penal Code, 
which allows girls as young as 9 and boys as young as 15 to be executed.

2. Torture

Torture has been institutionalized in the regime’s punishment laws and is 
sanctioned by the Judiciary as well as the regime officials.

One such example is flogging, used for more than 100 offenses in Iran, which 
has been institutionalized by the regime in its Islamic Penal Code.

The regime denies the use of torture despite thousands of reports from as early 
as the 80’s that prove the use of torture to extract forced confessions from 
prisoners or to break the spirit of political prisoners.

At least 14 detainees arrested during the December 2017 - January 2018 protests 
so far have been identified by name as having died as a result of torture in 
Iran’s prisons. In an act of propaganda, authorities have attempted to downplay 
some of these deaths by insisting that they actually were instances of suicide.

No officials were held accountable.

The vast majority of the 8,000 detainees had been arrested by Hassan Rouhani’s 
Ministry of Intelligence, which under his watch has become one of Iran’s major 
human rights violators.

3. Political prisoners

Iran is holding numerous in jail on political charges while Iranian officials 
deny the existence of political prisoners in Iran time and again.

Because of the Judiciary’s refusal to accept detainees as political prisoners, 
they are usually tried at revolutionary courts, where rules and regulations are 
even stricter and sanctions are harsher than the courts of justice.

Political prisoners in Iran include peaceful political dissidents, journalists, 
online media workers, students, filmmakers, musicians and writers, as well as 
human rights defenders including lawyers, women’s rights activists, minority 
rights activists, trade unionists, environmental activists, anti-death penalty 
campaigners, and those seeking truth, justice and reparation for the mass 
executions and enforced disappearances of the 1980s.

Many of them are kept in solitary confinement subjected to horrendous treatment 
by the authorities.

Iranian regime deliberately delays or refuses urgent specialized medical care 
for political prisoners. Prison authorities have regularly downplayed or 
dismissed the seriousness of their medical problems, treated serious ailments 
with simple painkillers and withheld essential medication. Political prisoners 
and prisoners of conscience are commonly targeted. Political prisoners Arash 
Sadeghi, Atena Daemi, Soheil Arabi, Majid Assadi, Zeynab Jalalian, Arzhang 
Davoudi, Mohammad Bannazadeh Amirkhizi, Mohammad Habibi, Abolghasem Fouladvand, 
and Saeed Shirzad… are among those have been deliberately denied medical 
access.

One shocking example of the rampant violence perpetrated against the Iranian 
political prisoners in the murder of a 21-year-old Alireza Shir Mohammad Ali.

The political prisoner was stabbed to death by 2 prisoners on June 10 in 
Fashafuyeh Prison.

His mother and his cellmate believe that Alireza Shir Mohammad Ali was killed 
upon orders of prison officials.

The young political prisoner was sentenced to 8 years of prison on charges of 
'blasphemy', 'insulting the founder of the Islamic Republic', 'insulting the 
leader' and 'spreading propaganda' against the regime; all of which the regime 
considers 'security' violations.

4. Persecution of the religious minorities

Widespread and systematic attacks continued to be carried out against religious 
minorities.

The Iranian regime’s systematic persecution of the religious minorities has 
resulted in widespread religiously motivated hate crimes against them, with 
none of the attackers yet prosecuted or brought to justice.

Among religious groups, Baha’is and Christian converts from Islam were 
seriously discriminated against. They faced systematic discrimination, 
including in education and employment, and were persecuted for practicing their 
faith.

In a recent case on July 1st, eight newly converted Iranian Christians were 
arrested in the southern city of Bushehr at their houses; some of them were 
members of the same family. Security forces raided and searched their houses 
and confiscated their Bibles, Christian statues and signs, wooden crosses, 
paintings, laptops, cellphones, ID cards and credit cards. The children 
witnessed all of these events as well as the cruelty by security forces in 
arresting their parents.

Such cruel behavior toward the religious minorities in Iran happens while 
according to article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political 
Rights, everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and 
religion. This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or 
belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with 
others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, 
observance, practice and teaching.

5. Persecution of ethnic minorities

The Iranian regime also incites hatred and violence against ethnic minorities, 
violating their political, social, religious, economic, cultural, linguistic 
and educational rights.

Among other abuses, hundreds of people were arrested around Ahvaz last year 
amid protests against the regime’s discriminatory policies, water and power 
cuts and poverty.

Azerbaijani Turkic minority rights activists have also been targeted.

Iranian authorities arbitrarily detained 120 people in connection with 2 
separate Azerbaijani Turkic cultural gatherings that took place in July and 
August 2018.

Other ethnic minorities, including Baluchis, Kurds and Turkmen, continue to 
face entrenched discrimination, curtailing their access to education, 
employment and adequate housing.

Members of minority groups have been imprisoned on spurious charges such as 
"spreading corruption on earth."

Conclusion:

During the last 4 decades and especially in the last 6 years, Hassan Rouhani 
has played a key role in all of the regime’s human rights violations as the 
President and the chairperson of the clerical regime’s Supreme Security 
Council.

It is incumbent on the international community, particularly the UN, to hold 
the Iranian regime and its president accountable for allowing such egregious 
human rights violations.

(source: iran-hrm.com)






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

Austrian-Iranian national might face death penalty over spying allegations: 
reports



An Austrian-Iranian national is facing the death penalty in Iran over 
allegations he was engaged in spying activities, according to local media 
reports.

Massud Mossaheb, 72, first came to Austria from his native Iran in 1965 and was 
later granted citizenship in 1980, becoming a dual national. He studied 
mechanical engineering in Vienna, and later became secretary general of the 
Austrian-Iranian society.

It was in the latter capacity that he led a delegation to Tehran in January, in 
support of an Austrian ion therapy company that is establishing a subsidiary 
near the Iranian capital, according to a Der Standard newspaper report.

Mossaheb was subsequently arrested and has since been held in custody charged 
with espionage, and has been told on a number of occasions that he is to be 
hanged, according to the report.

He reportedly also suffers from a number of health issues, such as diabetes and 
heart failure.

The Austrian foreign ministry has been pursuing the matter. Foreign Minister 
Alexander Schallenberg confirmed that he has made efforts to contact his 
Iranian counterpart over the matter.

The issue has been further complicated, however, due to Iran considering 
Mossaheb as being solely an Iranian national.

(source: xinhuanet.com)