[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

February 23




EGYPT:

Court recommends death sentence to Monks accused of killing Bishop Epiphanius



Damanhur Criminal Court ruled on Saturday to refer 2 Coptic Christian monks to 
Egypt's top religious authority for consideration of the death penalty against 
them over killing Head of St. Macarius Monastery in Wadi El-Natroun, Bishop 
Epiphanius in July 2018.

The expelled monk Ash’eyaa, whose birth name is Wael Saad, and Monk Faltaous 
al-Makary, whose birth name is Raymond Rasmi Mansour, were charged of 
deliberate murder of Bishop Epiphanius.

During the trial, Ash’eyaa pleaded not guilty, claiming that he was framed, 
al-Dostor newspaper reported.

Bishop Epiphanius was found dead on July 29 inside the monastery and 2 monks, 
who were kept in detention pending investigation since then, confessed their 
crime.

Monk Faltaous al-Makary tried to commit suicide via slitting his wrist and then 
jumping off a high building inside the monastery. On August 21, he was 
hospitalized due to a degraded case of gangrene in his leg. Also, Ash’eyaa 
tried to commit suicide a day after the murder.

Following the death of Bishiop Epiphanius, Pope Tawadros II issued new 
monasticism laws, topping which is the deactivation of the social media 
accounts of all monks and bishops. The death of Bishop Epiphanius revealed the 
struggle between the school of late Pope Shenouda and the ecclesiastical school 
of late Matthew the poor.

“We should look at it [the incident of the murder] as a wake-up call for all of 
us... the death of Bishop Epiphanius was like an alarm call,” said Tawadros II, 
pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, during a mass marking 
the 40th day of the bishop’s death.

(source: Egypt Today)








PHILIPPINES:

Buhay Party-list dares candidates to bare stand on death penalty

The Buhay Partylist Saturday dared senatorial and congressional candidates to 
declare their respective stand on the death penalty issue.

In a press statement, Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Buhay Partylist Rep. 
Lito Atienza said candidates must make clear to voters their “exact position” 
on the Duterte administration’s move to restore the death penalty in the 
country’s penal system.

“Voters deserve to know the clear-cut stance of every Senate and House aspirant 
– whether they are for or against the return of capital punishment,” said 
Atienza.

“It would be unfair – even deceitful – for candidates to court the support of 
voters who are opposed to the death penalty, only to betray them later on,” 
Atienza, former 3-term mayor of Manila, said.

Buhay Partylist is a staunch critic of the death penalty.

It will be recalled that the Lower House voted 217 in favor and 54 against the 
bill reinstating the death penalty for drug related offenses.

However, the Senate leadership has failed to act on its version of the bill.

As a result, the death penalty measure may no longer be passed and may be 
re-filed in the next Congress.

Atienza fought against the passage of the House bill reviving judicial 
executions on the grounds that they violate the sanctity of human life.

Atienza introduced a substitute bill that seeks to impose the new penalty of 
“qualified reclusion perpertua” on the worst criminal offenders.

The penalty is equal to imprisonment for 40 years, or until the convict reaches 
70 years old, without the benefit of early release.

The results of a Social Weather Stations survey in March 2018 showed that less 
than 40 % of Filipinos believe that the death penalty should be the punishment 
for people convicted of grave drug-related offenses.

Among those who disagreed with the death penalty, 42 % invoked religious 
reasons for opposing it, 21 % believe it is possible for offenders to reform, 
14 % believe in alternatives to executions, 10 % cited the country’s corrupt 
and unreliable criminal justice system, 7 % mentioned humane reasons, and 3 % 
disputed the policy itself.

“The certainty of capture and punishment is the best deterrence to crime, more 
than the penalty itself. And the modern world has come to accept that prolonged 
imprisonment is just as effective,” Atienza said.

“The death penalty leaves no room for rectification. A dead convict cannot be 
brought back to life even if somebody else later on confesses to the crime,” 
Atienza said.

Congress revived the death penalty for 13 heinous crimes in 1993, only to 
abolish it in 2006 due to mounting flaws.

(source: Manila Bulletin)








INDIA:

Pune activists oppose capital punishment----The event was organised by forum 
for medical ethics society, centre for mental health and policy and was held at 
ILS Law college

City-based activists who are against capital punishment came together for a 
conference titled ‘death penalty in India, legal, ethical and health issues’. 
The event was organised by forum for medical ethics society, centre for mental 
health and policy and was held at ILS Law college.

Talking about her strong opposition towards death penalty, Sunita Bandewar an 
activist from forum for medical ethics society said, “We will be deliberate and 
understand the metal health issues of the convict. It has been observed that 
most convicts who have been given capital punishment belonged from a poor 
strata of the society. Looking at the statistics capital punishment is not the 
answer and should be replaced by a different penalty.”

Similarly, Amita Pitre from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai said, 
“Health care professionals and psychiatrists need to come forward and oppose 
the capital punishment and share the mental agony that the convicts and their 
families go through.”

Amar Jesani, co-founder of Indian Journal of Medical ethics suggested, 
“Insteady of death penalty the convicts should be rehabilitated and should be 
provided counselling.The punishment itself is barbaric and the system needs to 
rethink the capital punishment. We need doctors to come forward and join our 
movement. Education and sensitisation about this topic is the need of the hour 
”

Soumitra Pathare, director, centre for mental health, law and policy, ILS and 
Dr Sandeep Mahamuni, chief psychiatrist, Yerawada Jail were present for the 
conference.

(source: Hindustan Times)








SRI LANKA:

Sirisena tries to silence activists opposed to the death penalty----The 
president lifted a ban on death sentences for drug-related crimes. The 
Constitutional Council and the Human Rights Commission claim the right to 
defend everyone, including jailed criminals.



2 Sri Lankan institutions that defend human rights, including the rights of 
prisoners, have criticised President Maithripala Sirisena's decision to restore 
the death penalty for drug-related crimes.

Mr Sirisena has tried to silence them by saying that many other countries in 
the world have capital punishment.

Instead of being intimidated, the 2 organisations have reiterated their 
absolute independence and made public a declaration signed by more than 100 
people and 15 civil society associations.

The issue began in early February when President Sirisena announced that his 
government was lifting a 43-year moratorium. At present, the government is 
seeking to hire 2 executioners.

Drug dealers and drug traffickers already behind bars are the first who could 
face the hangman.

The president's decision, by his own admission, followed a meeting he had with 
his Filipino counterpart, Rodrigo Duterte.

The latter is leading a no hold barred war on drugs that has officially caused 
the death of 5,000 people (activists claim the actual number of victims tops 
12,000).

In Sri Lanka, the Catholic Church, the country’s Constitutional Council (CC) 
and the Human Rights Commission (HRCS) have criticised the president’s move.

For his part, Sirisena told Parliament on 6 February that bodies like the CC 
and the HRCS should support the state in its fight against the drug mafia, and 
not hinder it by protecting the rights of criminals behind bars.

In their defence, the 2 institutions said that president is duty bound to 
support and respect their independence.

(source: asianews.it)

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

Amnesty International chief urges Sri Lanka to halt plans to execute 18 people



Amnesty International has urged Sri Lanka to halt plans to execute 18 people.

Kumi Naidoo, Secretary General of Amnesty International issued an open letter 
to the President of Sri Lanka opposing the proposed resumption of executions in 
Sri Lanka.

Amnesty also launched an online petition against the use of the death penalty 
in Sri Lanka.

OPEN LETTER BY KUMI NAIDOO ON THE DEATH PENALTY

Your Excellency

I am writing to plead for the lives of prisoners who may soon be put to death 
if executions resume in Sri Lanka.

More than 4 decades ago, your country stopped the implementation of this 
ultimate, cruel, in human and degrading punishment, becoming one of the few 
South Asian countries to do so. The death penalty is now only applied by a 
shrinking minority of countries around the world. In December 2018, Sri Lanka 
was among the 121 states that voted in favour of a resolution on the 
“Moratorium on the use of the death penalty” at the 73rd United Nations General 
Assembly. Only 35 states voted against the resolution.

Implementing the death penalty for drug-related offences is unlawful. The 
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Sri Lanka is a 
state party, restricts the use of the death penalty – in countries that have 
not yet abolished it – to the “most serious crimes”, or intentional killing.

Executions are never the solution. As criminologists have extensively 
demonstrated, including in studies for the United Nations, the death penalty 
has no unique deterrent effect. If we look around the world, there are many 
examples that bear this out. Consider the contrast between Hong Kong and 
Singapore, two similar-sized cities. Hong Kong stopped executing people more 
than half a century ago, while Singapore continues to implement the death 
penalty. The murder rate in the 2 cities has stayed remarkably similar over the 
decades.

Even in countries that retain the death penalty, there is a growing recognition 
that the death penalty is not an effective deterrent for drug-related crimes. 
The Islamic Republic of Iran has long been one of the world’s most prolific 
executioners. It has put to death thousands of people after convicting them of 
drug trafficking in grossly unfair trials. But drug trafficking and 
distribution remains rife, according to the Iranian government. “The truth is, 
the execution of drug smugglers has had no deterrent effect,” as Mohammad Baqer 
Olfat, Iran’s deputy head of judiciary for social affairs, conceded in 2016. 
Iran has now relaxed its drug laws and commuted hundreds of death sentences for 
people convicted of drug-related offences.

In October 2018, the Malaysian Government announced that it would be abolishing 
the death penalty – a country that also relied on executions to combat drug 
use.

Mr. President, you have favourably cited the example of the Philippines, but it 
abolished the death penalty in 1987. Under President Rodrigo Duterte, what the 
country has seen instead is a horrific wave of extrajudicial executions of 
suspected drug offenders over the past three years. As Amnesty International 
has documented, far from ridding the streets of crime, this murderous campaign 
has claimed the lives of more than 4,000 people – including dozens of children 
– in what may amount to crimes against humanity. The killings, which 
overwhelmingly targeted people living in impoverished neighbourhoods, are 
currently the subject of a preliminary examination by the Office of the 
Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court.

Putting your own people to death is an irreversible act. There is no coming 
back from a flawed judicial process. The punishment is absolute. The mistakes 
are irredeemable. When it comes to the death penalty, a coerced ‘confession’, 
the bias of a judge, the failure to collect evidence, or an inadequate legal 
defence can lead to someone innocent paying the ultimate price. When it comes 
to extrajudicial executions, there is not even a pretence of due process.

Lastly, but most importantly, the death penalty is immoral. For those of us who 
believe that human life must hold the highest value, taking it away is the 
lowliest act. We understand this clearly when a person commits murder, but we 
choose to forget it when the state puts someone to death, inflicting the same 
pain and loss. Executions, Mr. President, are not a show of strength but an 
admission of weakness. They represent the failure to create a society where the 
protection of the right to life triumphs over the temptations of vengeance.

Amnesty International urges you to:

Immediately halt plans to execute 18 people, and review all cases of people 
under sentence of death with a view to commuting their sentences to terms of 
imprisonment;

Establish an official moratorium on executions, with a view to abolishing the 
death penalty, in line with 7 resolutions adopted by the UN General Assembly 
since 2007, including most recently resolution 73/175 which Sri Lanka 
supported;

We hope that you will consider these recommendations.

Yours sincerely

Kumi Naidoo

Secretary General

Amnesty International

(source: Colombo Gazette)








SINGAPORE:

International human rights lawyer launches website----M.Ravi seeks to educate 
the public on legal issues with his newly launched website, he also speaks to 
the paper about his stand on the death penalty



1 of Singapore’s leading human rights law advocates, M. Ravi launched his own 
website on February 15.

The website serves as an account of his 16+ years of work as an Advocate & 
Solicitor in Singapore back when he was practicing as an independent consultant 
working on various international projects.

Ravi says that his intention as a lawyer, author and speaker is to “benefit 
society with the knowledge and experience I have gathered over the years.”

Aside from educating others through the use of an online medium, he intends to 
“capture new waves of legal discussion currently not adequately explored in 
Singapore.”

What’s on the website

His website, which can be accessed here, contains his publications, past cases, 
lectures, events, and videos.

He also plans to begin a unique video channel called “RAVision” which will 
showcase various experts and engage with the Singaporean and international 
audience on legal topics and issues. The target date launch date for “RAVision” 
is during the first half of the year.

Facts about M. Ravi:

Founder of Singapore Anti Death Penalty Campaign (SADPC)

A Singapore national representative to the South East Asia Public Interest 
Lawyers Group (SEAPIL)

Succeeded in obtaining an unprecedented stay of execution in his last-ditch 
attempt to save a death row inmate

Mounted a novel constitutional challenge against caning on the grounds of it 
being torture under Singapore and international law

The last lawyer to appear with J.B. Jeyaretnam in court

Managed to secure zero executions in 2010 in Singapore through constitutional 
challenges

The 1st Singaporean lawyer to address the European Parliament and its Sub 
Committee on Human Rights on Singapore death penalty laws

Succeeded in an unprecedented decision by the court to have a High Court judge 
recused (disqualified) from hearing a case

M. Ravi on the death penalty

In a talk with The Independent Singapore, M Ravi shared his experience as a 
lawyer and human rights advocate. He started his profession in 1997 and handled 
his first death penalty case in 2003 of a Malaysian boy caught for 
drug-trafficking.

After the boy was executed, a scandal broke out as it was discovered that one 
of the police officers in the case had sexually-assaulted a suspect.

M Ravi called his first case “his own baptism of fire” which also sparked his 
interest in the death penalty.

He said that Singapore had the highest number of executions so much so it had 
come to be known as the “Disneyland of capital punishment.”

He said that amidst financial and emotional obstacles, human rights must be 
fought for. By 2011, his campaign against the death penalty started gaining 
momentum and grew in local and international support making M Ravi one the 
pioneers of the anti-death penalty movements in Singapore.

He said:

The death penalty regime in Singapore is going through a new set of challenges. 
Recent news about the execution of a drug courier despite his cooperation 
sounds like the government is taking a step backwards.

I hope our leaders will have the courage to admit that the death penalty no 
longer serves as a deterrent, which some Malaysian leaders have openly admitted 
to in their effort to abolish it completely.

The change in Malaysia may influence Singapore to reconsider this cruel and 
inhumane practice as it will become increasingly difficult to execute 
Malaysians who form a significant proportion of prisoners on death row for drug 
offences.

I remain hopeful that the end of the death penalty in Singapore is not too far 
away.

(source: theindependent.sg)








BELGIUM:

EU Parliament to host conference on abolishing the death penalty



The opening ceremony of the 7th World Congress Against the Death Penalty will 
be held in the European Parliament in Brussels on 27 February.

The World Congress Against the Death Penalty, organised by ECPM (Together 
against the Death Penalty) from 26 February to 1 March, is the world’s leading 
abolitionist event, and brings together more than 1000 stakeholders from over 
140 countries.

The official opening ceremony will take place in the European Parliament’s 
hemicycle on Wednesday 27 February at 10.00. It will gather MEPs, high-level 
guests including EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini and Belgian Foreign 
Affairs Minister Didier Reynders, and various governmental and civil society 
representatives to reflect on positive efforts in the abolition movement and 
address what future work must be done to convince retentionist nations to 
abolish the death penalty.

The ceremony will also feature a panel of Ministers of Justice from 
non-abolitionist countries, as well as video messages from UN Secretary-General 
António Guterres, Robert Badinter, former Minister of Justice and a driving 
force behind the abolition of the death penalty in France in 1981, and Pope 
Francis.

An exhibition (The Great Witness of Abolition) and sculpture installation 
(Chaise LXB) will be displayed in the Menuhin Hall in the European Parliament’s 
Paul-Henri Spaak building from Monday 25 February to Friday 1 March.

(source: modern diplomacy.eu)