[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

May 3



TRINIDAD & TOBAGO:

Bring back death penalty



It is sad and unfortunate to read about the 3 Quintero family members from 
Palmiste who were found all shot dead in their vehicle along the Solomon Hochoy 
Highway.

I don’t believe the police are capable of being everywhere at any given time. 
They are doing their best but the murderers and the gang leaders are reaping 
havoc throughout the country.

The Government and especially the Attorney General have not yet stepped up to 
condemn the killings. They are the ones that said in their manifesto that crime 
will be number 1 on their agenda, which is evidently all hogwash.

Both the UNC and the PNM made promises to eradicate crime during their terms in 
office. They have both failed our people as nothing significant is being done 
to abate the killings. They are both guilty and it will be no surprised to hear 
them preach the same sermon prior to the election.

The death penalty is not the ideal answer to crime but it has proven time and 
again that it has the potential to be a deterrent, having the chilling effect 
that those who commit murder will be executed.

It is not barbaric, nor is it inhumane or merciless. In fact, 30 states in the 
US have the death penalty and it is proving to be very effective.

Time to bring back capital punishment in TT.

JAY G RAKHAR, New York

(source: Letter to the Editor, newsday.co.tt)








GAMBIA:

Key human rights concerns highlighted in a meeting with President Barrow



During a meeting with President Adama Barrow in the capital Banjul Thursday, 
Amnesty International delegates noted the major progress made in the 2 years 
since his inauguration but drew attention to serious human rights violations in 
Gambia which still need to be addressed urgently.

While acknowledging that there is still much to do to improve respect for human 
rights in Gambia, President Barrow also recognized the challenges the country 
is facing in what he considers as “a transition period”.

Referring to the Gambian Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission 
(TRRC) which began hearings on 7 January 2019, President Barrow told Amnesty 
International that at the end of its investigations, the government will look 
at the recommendations and prosecute those who are suspected to have committed 
grave human rights violations and abuses during former President Yahya Jammeh’s 
rule and ensure that they face justice.

President Adama Barrow also told Amnesty International he is committed to 
outlaw the death penalty, “as part of his legacies to the country.”

“While Gambia has come a long way regarding respect for human rights under 
President Barrow’s leadership, there are still areas that need improvement to 
achieve a better human rights record,” said Marie-Evelyne Petrus Barry, Amnesty 
International’s West and Central Africa Director.

“We still see security forces using excessive force to disperse peaceful 
gatherings. Prison conditions are desperately poor, and we have credible 
evidence that teenagers as young as 15 years old are being held with adults 
without trial. Arbitrary arrests and detention still occur. If Gambia wants to 
go way from the poor human rights record it has had for many years, the country 
must accelerate its reforms and ensure that laws restricting freedom of speech 
and assembly are changed.”

The Anti-Crime Unit in the Police Force which was created in April last year 
has been accused of arbitrarily arresting and detaining individuals.

In January this year, Omar Touray a member of the former ruling party was 
arrested and detained for five days without being presented before a judge. 
Other cases of arrests and detentions include the case of Dr Ismaila Ceesay who 
was arrested in January 2018 after he gave an interview to a newspaper where he 
reportedly criticized the president. He was later released and charges against 
him dropped. In June 2017, youth activist and journalist Baboucarr Sey was 
subjected to arbitrary arrest and detention for leading a community initiative 
to protest the acquisition of a football field by a private company.

Amnesty International also took the occasion of its meeting with President 
Barrow to underline the need to improve the conditions in prison facilities 
such as Mile 2 and Janjanbureh, and reform relevant legislation in line with 
international standards. The situation was especially bad at Mile 2 prison, 
where Amnesty International documented that young boys of 15 and 16 years old 
were detained alongside adults for months without being brought to a court.

“We asked President Barrow to publicly instruct the Anti-Crime Unit, the army 
and the State Intelligence Services not to detain people beyond the 72-hour 
period which is permitted by law,” said Marie-Evelyne Petrus Barry.

“The President should also provide the leadership needed to ensure that 
relevant authorities move swiftly to improve the dire conditions in prison 
facilities across the country and reform relevant legislation in line with 
international standards.”

In an extremely disturbing episode in June 2018, three people were killed, and 
many others injured when armed policemen opened fire on peaceful protesters in 
the village of Faraba, 40 km outside of Banjul. A commission of inquiry that 
was set up to investigate the deadly incident recommended that suspected 
perpetrators should be brought to justice, but they were pardoned by the 
President.

Cases of violations of the right to freedom of expression have been recorded 
since President Barrow was elected in January 2017. For example, the Occupy 
Westfield group which was set up to campaign against the numerous power cuts 
and water shortages in the country, was denied the right to protest.

Amnesty International has recommended during its meeting with the President 
that Gambia repeals laws that restrict the rights to freedom of expression, 
freedom of peaceful assembly and association. These include the offence of 
holding a procession without a permit under Gambia’s Public Order Act, and the 
offence of unlawful assembly under the Criminal Code.

Today, President Adama Barrow told Amnesty International he is committed to 
outlaw the death penalty, “as part of his legacies to the country.”

The authorities publicly spoke about getting rid of the death penalty in the 
country’s future constitution and has gone further to ratify the Second 
Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 
aiming at the abolition of the death penalty. However, these important steps 
have been seriously undermined by the fact that at least 3 people were 
sentenced to death in 2018.

The Gambian authorities should follow up on its commitments including the 
ratification of the Second Protocol by implementing laws that abolish the death 
penalty for all crimes without delay and commuting all death sentences to terms 
of imprisonment. Today, President Adama Barrow told Amnesty International he is 
committed to outlaw the death penalty, “as part of his legacies to the 
country.”

Background

At the meeting with Gambian President Adama Barrow, Amnesty International 
discussed a series of recommendations covering 10 areas of reform. These 
include guaranteeing the rights to freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful 
assembly and association; end arbitrary arrest, detention and torture; protect 
and promote women and girls’ rights, and end impunity for human rights 
violations.

(source: amnesty.org)








MOROCCO:

Morocco court adjorns trial in murder of Scandinavian hikers



A Moroccan court adjourned on Thursday for 2 weeks the trial of 2 dozen 
suspects charged in connection with the murder of two Scandinavian hikers 
minutes after it opened.

Danish student Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, and 28-year-old Norwegian Maren 
Ueland had their throats slit before they were beheaded in December at an 
isolated site in the High Atlas mountains.

The killings shocked the North African country and 3 main defendants accused of 
direct involvement, who allegedly pledged allegiance to Daesh, could face the 
death penalty.

A total of 24 defendants — one of whom shot a smile at journalists — appeared 
in the criminal court in Sale to face charges including promoting terrorism, 
forming a terrorist cell and premeditated murder.

The opening hearing was immediately postponed until May 16 after defense 
lawyers requested more time to examine the case.

A Spanish-Swiss convert to Islam is among the suspects on trial in the city 
near Rabat, accused of teaching the main suspects how to use encrypted 
communications and how to fire a gun.

Nature lovers, the 2 friends Jespersen and Ueland shared an apartment and went 
to Norway’s Bo University where they were studying to be guides.

They had traveled together to Morocco for their Christmas holidays.

Their lives were cut short in the foothills of Toubkal, the highest summit in 
North Africa, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the city of Marrakesh, a 
tourist magnet.

After the bodies were discovered, the Moroccan authorities were initially 
cautious, referring to a “criminal act” and wounds to the victims’ necks.

But that all changed when a video showing one of the victims being beheaded — 
filmed by one of the apparent killers on a mobile phone — circulated on social 
networks.

One of those in the footage refers to “enemies of Allah” and revenge for 
brothers in Syria.

A separate video in the initial aftermath of the murder showed the alleged 
killers pledging allegiance to Daesh leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi.

Investigators said the “cell” was inspired by Daesh ideology, but Morocco’s 
anti-terror chief insisted the accused had no contact with the extremist group 
in conflict zones.

Daesh has never claimed responsibility for the double-murder.

Abdessamad Ejjoud, a 25-year-old street vendor referred to as the emir of the 
group by peers, is the suspected ringleader, according to investigators.

Police quickly arrested a first suspect in the suburbs of Marrakesh, and 3 
others were arrested a few days later when they tried to leave the city by bus. 
Aged from 25 to 33, they all lived Marrakesh.

They had recently embraced Salafism, an ultra-conservative branch of Sunni 
Islam, according to friends, neighbors and some family members.

A lawyer for one of the victim’s families told AFP he would seek the death 
penalty for the murders.

A de facto moratorium on carrying out executions has been in place in Morocco 
since 1993.

A 2nd Swiss citizen arrested after the double-murder was tried separately and 
jailed in mid-April for 10 years on charges including “forming a terrorist 
group.”

(source: arabnews.com)








UNITED NATIONS:

5 children reportedly executed in the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Kingdom 
of Saudi Arabia



“UNICEF is alarmed at frequent reports of the execution of children in the 
Middle East and North Africa region. Such reports include 5 children who were 
executed in 2 separate incidents in the Islamic Republic of Iran and the 
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the past 2 weeks.

“In the Islamic Republic of Iran, according to reports, two 17-year-old boys 
were executed in a prison- where they were allegedly held- in Shiraz, south of 
the country. The children’s families and lawyers were reportedly not informed 
of the sentencing in advance.

“Meanwhile, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, reports were received of 3 children 
who were sentenced to death and allegedly executed on 23 April.

“This is a clear violation of children’s rights.

“As stated in the Convention of the Rights of the Child: “no child shall be 
subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or 
punishment. Neither capital punishment nor life imprisonment without 
possibility of release shall be imposed for offences committed by persons below 
18 years of age. If accused or guilty of breaking the law, children must be 
treated with dignity and respect, and in a manner, which takes into account the 
needs of persons of his or her age. They have a right to legal assistance and a 
fair trial.

“As we mark 30 years since the Convention of the Rights of the Child, UNICEF 
continues to reiterate the importance of state parties to the Convention to 
adhere to the Convention’s core principles in relation to detention, 
punishment, and death penalty. UNICEF stands ready to support governments and 
judiciaries for promoting the establishment of alternative measures to 
detention.”

(source: unicef.org)








BANGLADESH:

Shamima Begum is not our problem, says Bangladesh government



Bangladesh’s government has said that Shamima Begum, the teenage Londoner who 
fled to Syria, is not their problem.

The country’s Foreign Minister Abdul Momen said the teenager is British, not 
Bangladeshi, and if she travelled to Dhaka she could be hanged for terrorism.

“We have nothing to do with Shamima Begum. She is not a Bangladeshi citizen,” 
he told ITN.

“She never applied for Bangladesh citizenship. She was born in England and her 
mother is British.

“If anyone is found to be involved with terrorism, we have a simple rule, there 
will be capital punishment. And nothing else.

“She will be put in prison and immediately, the rule is, she should be hanged.”

Begum, 19, was stripped of her British nationality by the current Home 
Secretary Sajid Javid in February.

She was one of three Bethnal Green schoolgirls who fled to Syria and joined 
Islamic State in 2015.

In her time with IS she was married and had three children, though all 3 have 
died.

There were allegations that she worked for IS morality police and she was 
discovered at a Syrian refugee camp in March.

The UK government's official reason for depriving Ms Begum of her British 
passport has never been made public, although it is against the law to make 
someone stateless.

Regardless, Mr Momen said she was not welcome in Bangladesh.

He said he would be "sad" if she was left stateless, but said it "nothing to do 
with us".

He compared the British government's decision to strip Ms Begum of her British 
citizenship to the treatment of the Rohingya by the Burmese authorities, many 
of who have fled to Bangladesh.

(source: Yahoo News)