[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

July 6



IRAN----execution

Man Hanged at Birjand Prison



A man hanged at the Iranian northeastern city of Birjand’s prison.

According to IRIB News, a man was executed for murder charges at Birjand 
prison. Neither exact date of the execution, nor the identity of the prisoner, 
were revealed by the authorities.

According to the Iran Human Rights statistic department, at least 273 people 
were executed in Iran in 2018. At least 188 of them executed for murder 
charges.

(source: Iran Human Rights)








BANGLADESH:

Madrassa principal held for raping kids, says he's 'possessed by Satan'----The 
mother of one of the victims came to know after the child watched a TV show 
that depicted sexual assault and told her the principal "did the same to her."



Bangladeshi police have arrested the principal of Baitul Huda Cadet Madrasa for 
raping at least a dozen girls since 2018 at Fatulla region outside Dhaka. The 
accused claimed he was 'possessed by Satan', and said he was innocent.

Al Amin was arrested on Thursday by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) for 
sexually assaulting children studying in his institution. His criminal acts 
came to light after the mother of a 10-year-old girl victim filed a case of 
rape against him.

Chief of RAB Lieutenant Colonel Kazi Samser Uddin said the mother came to know 
about his acts after the child watched a TV show that depicted sexual assault 
and told her that the principal "did the same to her," reported AFP.

Uddin also said the investigation revealed that the principal raped 10 to 12 
girls since 2018 and tried to violate many others. They also found videos of 
forced sexual intercourse in his cellphone and his personal computer.

Officials said that when his wife wouldn't be at their house or after the 
Madrassa would be 'closed,' the teacher used to threaten girls of beating, 
giving poor marks in exams and failing them in exams to force the girls into 
his house, reported The Daily Star.

Amin who is also an imam of a local mosque, later confessed that he forcibly 
raped several of his students. He is reportedly charged under the Women and 
Children Repression Prevention Act and the Digital Security Act.

The incident sparked protests across the town as demonstrators demanded justice 
and punishment for the heinous acts by the religious figure.

In April, a 19-year-old-girl, Nusrat Jahan Rafi, was burnt to death by 
attackers under the orders of a Madrassa principal after she refused to 
withdraw a sexual assault case against him. The incident received widespread 
media attention. Police probe found 16 men guilty and are facing the death 
penalty. Their case is presently on trial.

Data reveal, in Bangladesh, rape against minors increased 41 % in 2019 as 
compared to 2018, according to a recent report by Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar 
Forum.

(source: ibtimes.co.in)








SRI LANKA:

Sri Lanka court suspends executions until October 30----Supreme Court issues 
injunction temporarily barring capital punishment.



Sri Lanka's Supreme Court has issued a temporary injunction against the 
execution of 4 people, suspending President Maithripala Sirisena's move to end 
a 43-year-old moratorium on capital punishment by hanging the drug convicts.

The court on Friday banned any executions until October 30, by when it is 
expected to have ruled on a petition seeking a declaration that hanging 
breaches the country's constitution.

"The court will take up hearing the case on October 29 and in the meantime, the 
prisons department was asked not to implement any order by the president to 
carry out the death penalty," a court official said.

MA Sumanthiran, a Sri Lankan legislator and a lawyer representing a condemned 
prisoner, said death by hanging was a "cruel and degrading punishment".

"It is the fundamental right of any individual not to be subjected to cruel and 
degrading treatment," said Sumanthiran. "It is on that basis we want courts to 
hold that execution of capital punishment is a violation of the Constitution."

The challenge added to several other cases filed in lower courts.

Drugs a 'menace'

The court's decision came after Sirisena announced last week he had signed 
death warrants for 4 people, whose names were not disclosed, amid alarm over 
drug-related crime in the country.

He said the dates of the executions have been decided, but they have not yet 
been announced, and added that the hangings should be a deterrent to the 
illegal drugs trade. He claimed there were 200,000 drug addicts in the country, 
and 60 percent of the 24,000-strong prison population were drug offenders.

Last week, prison authorities recruited 2 new hangmen to carry out the 
execution orders after the 2 previous hangmen quit, in 2014 and last year, 
without executing anyone.

Human rights groups, the UK, Canada, the European Union and United Nations have 
all raised concerns about the restoration of capital punishment on the Indian 
Ocean island, where no prisoners have been executed since 1976.

Earlier this week, Sirisena said he rejected a telephone appeal by UN 
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to reconsider reintroducing the death 
penalty.

He also called drugs a "menace" and accused the EU of interfering in the 
internal affairs of his country, saying that EU diplomats had threatened him 
with tariffs if Sri Lanka proceeded with the 4 executions.

Authorities allege the island is being used by dealers as a transit hub.

(source: Al Jazeera)

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

Appeal Court to announce ruling on petition against death penalty on July 17



The Appeal Court has announced that it would deliver its verdict concerning the 
writ petition against the death penalty on July 17.

Accordingly, Prisons Commissioner General T.M.Thennakoon told court today that 
no executions would take place until then.

Malinda Senaviratne, a journalist had filed the petition at the Appeal Court 
challenging the Prisons Commissioner General's decision to implement the death 
penalty. Mr. Thennakoon and the Welikada Prisons Superintendent had been named 
as respondents to the petition.

However, Mr. Thennakoon had informed court that he has not received any 
official documents on the death penalty so far. He had stated that he would 
submit such documents to court upon receiving them.

The petitioner had sought an interim court order to prevent the punishment from 
being implemented by citing it as a violation of fundamental human rights.

Court announced that they would decide on proceeding with the case and issuing 
summons on the respondents to the petition when the case is taken up again on 
July 17.

The petition is being heard before a 5-member judge bench comprising Justices 
Yasantha Kodagoda, Arjuna Obeyesekere, Deepali Wijesundera, Janak de Silva, and 
Achala Wengappuli.

(source: sundaytimes.lk)








PHILIPPINES:

De Lima pushes qualified reclusion perpetua instead of death penalty



Amid the planned re-imposition of the death penalty law by allies of the 
present administration, opposition Senator Leila De Lima has filed a measure 
imposing qualified reculsion perpetua on extraordinary heinous crimes, such as 
drug cases and plunder.

In her Senate Bill No. 187, De Lima wants to mete punishment of life 
imprisonment on extraordinary heinous crimes instead of the death penalty, 
which she said has failed to be an effective deterrent against such crimes.

If enacted into law, De Lima’s measure will impose qualified reclusion perpetua 
on persons found guilty of treason, piracy, murder, infanticide, kidnapping and 
serious illegal detention, robbery with violence against or intimidation of 
persons, destructive arson, rape, plunder and violations of Dangerous Drug Act 
of 2002.

In addition, the measure also covers other extraordinary heinous crimes such as 
carjacking, human trafficking, acts of violence against women and children, 
violations of Republic Act 9851 or the Philippine Act on Crimes Against 
International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity, 
torture and terrorism.

Aside from qualified reclusion perpetua or imprisonment of 50 years with no 
possibility of parole, those guilty of extraordinary heinous crimes will be 
fined P5 million.

“As the efficacy and morality of the death penalty is questionable at best, 
there is a need to legislate an alternative punishment against extraordinary 
heinous crimes,” said De Lima, a staunch advocate of social justice and human 
rights.

“The penalty of qualified reclusion perpetua and a fine of ?5,000,000.00, will 
send a clear message that we do not take heinous crimes lightly nor do we 
condone those who perpetrate them,” she added.

In arguing against the practice of capital punishment, she said the revival of 
the law will only affect the poor who have no capacity to avail of services of 
a lawyer to defend themselves in court. That is why it has not proven to be a 
deterrent to heinous crimes.

De Lima further explained that the proposed re-imposition of the death penalty 
law at a time when the Philippine justice system is still plagued by perceived 
corruption and inefficiency could possibly lead to wrongful convictions.

On the other hand, she pointed out, "Legislating commensurate punishment 
against heinous crime offenders other than death penalty will not only be legal 
and moral, but also more practical.”

The De Lima measure seeks to amend Section 2 of Republic Act (RA) No. 9346, 
otherwise known as “An Act Prohibiting the Imposition of Death Penalty in the 
Philippines.”

Other measures

De Lima also filed two measures which would introduce comprehensive reforms in 
the prison and correctional systems.

Senate Bill (SB) Nos. 180, known as “Prison Reform Act of 2019,” a Reception 
and Diagnostics Center would be created within each penal facility tasked to 
set up a continuing assessment of inmates during their imprisonment and 
classify them based on their risks, needs or productivity.

The bill would also establish an Intervention Office tasked to make 
“intervention programs” available to detainees to help them gain skills that 
would be helpful in their eventual reintegration back into the community.

SB 181, the “Unified Corrections and Jail Management System Act of 2019,” would 
meanwhile unify corrections and management system by centralizing the 
management of all prisons and jails under a single government authority to be 
called National Commission on Corrections and Jail Management (NCCJM).

In her second batch of priority measures, De Lima will resubmit the 
Anti-Extrajudicial Killing Bill and the bills amending the Bank Secrecy Law to 
cover government officials and establishing a Joint Congressional Intelligence 
Committee (JCIC) to scrutinize the use of intelligence fund.

(source: gmanetwork.com)