[Deathpenalty] death penalty news---worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

February 8




SRI LANKA:

Sri Lanka President Confirms Death Penalty For Drug Convicts



Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena had declared war on drug traffickers 
in the country, as he insisted on imposing a death penalty on convicted drug 
traffickers within the next 2 months.

The President addressing the local media vowed to free the country from the 
drug menace by 2020.

Sirisena informed the parliament on Wednesday that he was determined to impose 
capital punishment by hanging the convicted drug criminals as part of his 
anti-narcotics drive.

Sri Lanka’s Justice Minister Thalatha Atukorale informed the parliament on 
Tuesday that her ministry had complied with the president’s request to restart 
capital punishment.

Atukorale added that 5 names of drug convicts had been sent to the president 
between Oct. 12 and the end of January.

However, Sirisena was yet to sign the warrants and fix the execution dates.

Although capital punishment is a legal penalty in Sri Lanka, there have been no 
executions carried out since 1976.

(source: concisenews.com)

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

A vacancy announced for the post of the executioner



The Department of Prisons states that applications for the post of executioner 
will be called from next Monday (February 11). Applications will be accepted 
until the 25th.

The Department of Prisons stressed this decision is set in motion in order to 
support the strong stance taken by President Maithripala Sirisena in imposing 
capital punishment on infamous drug peddlers.

Additionally, the Department of Prisons has announced that necessary steps have 
been taken to acquire all equipment required for the functioning of the gallows 
following the request from the Ministry of Justice and Prison Reforms.

The list of prisoners related to narcotics on death row was handed over to the 
Presidential Secretariat on January 25. The Ministry of Justice and Prison 
Reforms stated that the list was handed over consequent to the recommendation 
of the Attorney General. According to the list, 17 detainees have been 
sentenced to death.

(source: newsfirst.lk)








INDIA:

Man gets death penalty for sexually assaulting, killing 6-year-old girl



The Gwalior Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Wednesday confirmed the 
death penalty awarded to a man for the rape and subsequent murder of a 6 year 
old girl child.

The verdict came following an appeal by the accused Jeetendra Kushwaha, 
challenging the order of the Additional Sessions Judge, Archana Singh who had 
earlier convicted and sentenced him to death for the rape and murder of the 
little child.

Agreeing with the Sessions Court’s verdict the High Court said that the case 
comes under the category of the rarest of rare cases and that the enormity of 
the heinous crime of the man had shocked the conscience of the society.

The HC further observed that such people are a menace to society and as such do 
not deserve any mercy.

According to the prosecution, on June 20, 2018, a 6 year old girl child had 
gone missing from a marriage function at the Community Hall situated behind the 
Ayurvedic College. Her parents and relatives frantically searched for her 
before informing the police. During search operations the mutilated body of a 
girl was found in the bushes near the Ayurvedic College.

The subsequent post mortem report pointed towards rape before the murder.

The CCTV footage that was installed at one of the houses in the locality helped 
the police to catch the culprit, Jeetendra Kushwaha within 24 hours.

According to the police, the culprit was living illegally in the college 
premises.

Taking serious view of the matter, Gwalior SP, Navneet Bhasin formed a special 
team and directed the officials to complete the investigation as quickly as 
possible and file charges.

It took only 36 days for the Sessions Court to hear the case and pronounce the 
verdict. Now, with the High Court rejecting the appeal, the convict and his 
family are planning to approach the Supreme Court for clemency.

(source: dailypioneer.com)

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

Court Awarded Death Penalty to a 29-Year-Old Man for Killing his Girl Friend in 
Imphal



In what is being hailed as one of the fastest-ever trial in the history of 
Manipur, a court has awarded death penalty to a 29-year-old man for the murder 
of his 26 year-old-girl in Imphal East in August last year.

The convict, Yumkhaibam Rohit, will be hanged till death, the court pronounced.

Hearing the case of the victim, Pukhrihongbam Memi Chanu, who went missing on 
August 14 last year and was found murdered on August 17 the same year, the 
court of district and sessions judge in Senapati completed the trial in 20 days 
from the starting of proceedings on Jan 17 this year.

On Monday, the court had convicted 4 persons in connection with the abduction 
and murder case, after hearing 28 prosecution witnesses. Apart from Rohit, the 
court also sentenced his accomplice Md Farish Shah, 18, to life imprisonment.

2 others — Rehana (50) and Farjina (23) — were sent to prison for 3 years and 6 
months, respectively. The court, however, acquitted another accused, 
Leishangthem Nungchanba alias Ramesh (35).

On February 2, the court had concluded that the victim died after she was hit, 
strangled and had her mouth and nose muffled by Rohit and Khan in the evening 
of August 14 last year.

Chanu had reportedly gone to meet key accused Rohit after the 2 had befriended 
just a month ago on Facebook. According to police investigations, Rohit used a 
fake social media account by the name of Romesh Singh and befriended the 
victim.

The police recovered the victim’s body in a gunny bag at Iril river on August 
17 last year. On January 15, police filed the charge sheet after completion of 
investigations and on the next day, the police framed the charges. Hearing into 
the case began on January 17.

(source: northeasttoday.in)








YEMEN----executions

SENT TO HELL--Paedos executed with AK-47 for raping and murdering boy, 12, in 
Yemen as children watch on; Yemen is one of the few countries in the world 
where capital punishment is legal



2 paedophiles have been executed with AK-47s in front of a bloodthirsty crowd 
for raping and murdering a 12-year-old boy in Yemen.

Yemen is one of the few countries in the world where capital punishment is 
legal, and even children were in attendance to watch the gruesome event.

Refat, 28, and Khaled, 31, were condemned for the abduction, rape, and murder 
of a young boy who was snatched after playing next to the house of one of the 
men.

The pair reportedly dragged him into their home and raped him.

When sentencing the pair, The Daily Star reported that the judge said: “After 
the rape, they could not silence the cries of the child who begged for help, 
one of them grabbed a knife and cracked his neck.”

All capital punishment sentences must be ratified by the President of Yemen, 
and usually involve a firing squad.

Offences are usually violent acts such as murder, rape and terrorism, but the 
death penalty can also be used for acts contrary to Sharia Law, such as 
adultery and blasphemy.

3 other men were previously shot dead and hung from cranes for a similarly 
crime involving a young boy.

Another paedophile who raped a 4-year-old girl was also shot and then hung on 
display.

Human Rights Watch director Sarah Leah Whitson condemned the sentencing in 
Yemen.

She said: “Public execution is an even more grotesque violation of human 
rights, particularly in a country where the ability of the accused to obtain 
adequate legal representation and the coverage of the process is highly 
limited.”

(source: thesun.co.uk)








EGYPT----executions

Rights group: Egypt executes 3 Islamists tortured to confess----Human Rights 
Watch: Egypt executes 3 Muslim Brotherhood members tortured and beaten to 
extract confessions



An international rights group on Friday said Egypt executed 3 Muslim 
Brotherhood members sentenced to death following torture and beatings to 
extract confessions.

Human Rights Watch said in a statement the families of the men were notified of 
their hanging on Thursday and asked to come to the morgue to pick up the 
bodies.

The 3 were convicted last year for the 2014 killing of a judge's son in the 
Nile Delta town of Mansoura. HRW said a letter from one of the men was 
reportedly smuggled out of prison, describing torture and beatings.

Michael Page, deputy director at the New York-based group, says Egypt 
"committed a glaring injustice by executing three men who apparently gave 
'confessions' extracted through electric shock and other torture."

Later Friday, the Interior Ministry confirmed the execution, saying prison 
authorities carried out a final court order after the defendants' appeal was 
turned down.

Since the 2013 ouster of Egypt's freely elected but divisive Islamist President 
Mohammed Morsi, who hailed from the Brotherhood, authorities have waged an 
extensive crackdown on Islamists, arresting and detaining thousands and 
levelling harsh sentences against them.

The Brotherhood has been banned and declared a terrorist group. Some militant 
groups, such as a faction known as Hasm, have also been linked to the 
Brotherhood and have targeted Egyptian police and army officers in the years 
following Morsi's ouster.

Many Islamists who fled persecution in Egypt have found refuge in Turkey, 
Qatar, and Britain, where they have run satellite TV and radio stations.

HRW's statement came after Turkey this week launched an investigation into 
eight police officers over the deportation of a wanted Islamist and Egyptian 
national back to Egypt, where he could face death penalty.

The young man escaped Egypt after he was sentenced to death in absentia last 
year, and arrived in Turkey on Jan. 16 where was detained and deported two days 
later, despite requesting political asylum. He was convicted along with others 
for the 2015 assassination of Egypt's chief prosecutor.

He is likely to face a new trial in Egypt over the same accusations.

(source: Associated Press)